Distended Abdomen

[Findberlee]

Over the past few months I have noticed swelling in my abdomen. Almost overnight, I was unable to button my pants. The swelling would come and go, but now it's constant. I would describe it feeling like someone shot an air compressor down my stomach. About a half hour after I eat, my abdomen distends several inches, and I look like I'm 9 months pregnant. Yesterday morning, I ate a breakfast burrito before my blood test at my Dr. Appt. I was miserable all day and didn't eat anything else. This morning when I woke up, there was a lot less pressure in my abdomen, but it's still very swollen or inflammed. Doc's opinion is that is has nothing to do with gluten, because I have put on 15 lbs since the symptoms started. His guess

is diabetes.. Has anyone else had distention of the abdomen because of gluten? And if so, how long until the stomach calms down?

[Newbee]

I've had distention from time to time when I really glutened myself. It would typically appear after dinner but I would be back to normal by the following morning.

[Bubba's Mom]

Yes! I get the bloating and swollen belly from gluten.

You can have Celiac disease and be overweight. Most Dr.s think of wasting away as a symptom but that isn't always the case. If you carry extra weight around your middle it's your body's reaction to inflamation and stress on the body.

Inflamation is also present in Diabetes, and a lot of type 2 Diabetics have that rounded body profile, which is why Dr.s may suggest that as a source of your problem.

I currently have a lot of damage to my villi, which means I can't digest dairy. Ingesting dairy can cause the bloating too, if you're not digesting it well. For me, I found soy causes it as well. The bloating/gas are a good sign of a food intollerance.

[T.H.]

Both my daughter and I get bloating when we get gluten, although not severe bloating.

And as was said - being overweight is not uncommon in celiacs now, but when most current doctors went to school, it was thought that being overweight was impossible as a celiac.

The year before I was diagnosed, I gained 40 pounds in 4-6 months. There are 4 celiacs in my family, all were overweight when diagnosed.

[Findberlee]

Thank you all for your responses. I've been off gluten (very strictly) for 48 hours now. The bloating has eased up and I haven't had any bad reactions after meals, but my abdomen is still very swollen as if it is inflamed. it's also very sore, like I was punched in the stomach or something. It wasn't sore like this when it was fully distended. Funny thing is, I had bloodwork done last February to check my hormones, and I was severely deficienct in D, K, and B12. We wrote it off to not eating properly. I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia about 4 years ago, and I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome about 25 years ago. (I'm 49) Other than that, I've been healthy, never overweight, I was an avid body builder most of my adult life. This excess weight gain started 4 months ago along with my bloating symptoms. Doc was insistent that it had nothing to do with gluten, and I hope he did run my bloodwork like i asked to test for it anyway. I've been checking my blood sugar for 24 hours and I'm always within normal range.