Worried Yet Cannot Help.

[Niebr]

Alright, I know possibly no one here is a medical doctor or able to give medical advice, i am just really worried because this is an ongoing problem, and I cannot be racking up anymore bills with hospitals.

I would like to post some logs ive been keeping for the past month and get an idea of what nmy problem maybe,

but to be recent,

I have been having problems with constipation for 3 weeks now, I have been doing stool softeners and natural ways to evacuate bowels, but i cannot keep any regularity, now either yesterday or 2 days ago, i had a sharp pain in the upper abdomen. it lasted 1 second, but it was sharp and caught my attention, and im now worried, the one that happened this morning was sharp, lasted a second went away as fast as it came, but it was sharp and caught my attention, but what i noticed it was after i ate 2 sausage patties, so im wondering if it maybe something related to greasy foods ? or maybe the glass of milk last night ?

[IrishHeart]

Alright, I know possibly no one here is a medical doctor or able to give medical advice, i am just really worried because this is an ongoing problem, and I cannot be racking up anymore bills with hospitals.

I would like to post some logs ive been keeping for the past month and get an idea of what nmy problem maybe,

but to be recent,

I have been having problems with constipation for 3 weeks now, I have been doing stool softeners and natural ways to evacuate bowels, but i cannot keep any regularity, now either yesterday or 2 days ago, i had a sharp pain in the upper abdomen. it lasted 1 second, but it was sharp and caught my attention, and im now worried, the one that happened this morning was sharp, lasted a second went away as fast as it came, but it was sharp and caught my attention, but what i noticed it was after i ate 2 sausage patties, so im wondering if it maybe something related to greasy foods ? or maybe the glass of milk last night ?

There is a member who is a doctor on site here, maybe she will see your post. But my hunch is she will just be guessing, too because there are many variables and it's too hard to say why you are having these symptoms right now.

As I do not know how long you have been gluten-free, what you eat on a regular basis, or if you have secondary lactose intolerance, I am merely taking a guess here. Often, lactose is a problem for newly DXed celiacs and if you have just reintroduced dairy, you may be having trouble digesting it. I feel for you because I have been there/done that with doctors, hospitals, tests and racking up thousands in medical bills over the years with NO answers (before my DX)

Many foods can cause constipation--so can hypothyroidism and other conditions--so it is pointless to speculate as to why you have sudden onset constipation and cramping--there are just too many variables. Sorry, but that's the truth. Do you often eat sausages? fried foods? do they give you trouble? see what I mean?

One thing that helped regulate me--after MANY years of GERD, alternating D and C, and horrible cramping pain---was using Probiotics. And drinking lots of water. The one suggestion that many people--doctors or otherwise ---will give you is: HYDRATE. Water is what moves bowels, not necessarily throwing down fiber on top of fiber. Without water, the fiber will just bulk up and sit there in the intestines....trust me, I learned all this the hard way. And unfortunately, I know more about bowel movements and the intestinal tract than I ever wanted to know. I mean, honestly--who really wants to be an expert on poo?? But, we do what we have to do to feel better.

A few months on probiotics and digestive enzymes (and of course, being gluten-free and DF) and my GI tract responded and is now "normal" for the first time in my life. No need for any supplements/softeners/anti-diarrheals or laxatives of any kind to treat my symptoms. Occasionally, I still experience C and it is always when I have tried too much Lactose---as I am trying to reintroduce cheese into my diet and my system just is not ready for it. Those villi take a while to regrow and that is where Lactase is produced.

Again, this is just a thought ---as many variables could be at play--- and you do not say where you are at in the healing stage. Ok, That will be a $20 co-pay please...(just kidding)

Hope this helps. Best wishes to you!

[AzizaRivers]

IrishHeart has given good information, so I'll just add one more thing.

This is just a thought I had as no one can tell much from what you've posted, but where exactly was the pain? Gallbladder pain can often be sharp like that, and is also often exacerbated by greasy foods. Your gallbladder is in your upper right quadrant. You would feel that pain in your right side, about 2 inches up inside of your ribs.

I don't know your history or whether you've been diagnosed with celiac or not, but gluten in celiacs can cause gallbladder issues, as can many other foods for us, as we tend to have sensitive digestive systems and often develop other issues even when gluten free. If that's the location of your pain, you might want to mention it to your doctor so that he or she can get you checked out.

[IrishHeart]

Good point AZIZA!!....I had gallbladder disease in my 20s, and had it removed... long before my celiac DX

But again, we can only guess. I always experienced SHARP pain that doubled me over, made me sweat and nearly pass out when I was very ill before DX ....(whew, glad that nightmare is behind me!) so, it could just be a temporary thing.

[Niebr]

Actually just got back from the hospital and they said that it wasnt to be concenred about. They took like 4 X-rays. 2 standing 2 laying down.

as for the pain, it was directly below where the rib cages meet in the middle, but it felt like both sides, it happens so fast and leaves so fast, i cant really be sure, its like a 4-5 pain scale, and its gone as fast as it comes, literally a second,

And I have been celiac disease for like 8 months now, so for lactose to be a problem i am going to be angry because I had no problem with lactose even at 1 month after diagnose, and ive been eating cereal before all the constipation started, til it started thn i stopped n strictly started trying to make this all stop,

[Niebr]

Well, next morning, im sitting here dealing with slight waves of nausea and just overall crappy feeling, i was sent home yesterday with papers on constipation and how to get medical insurance.

But what bugs me is I cant seem to shake just about any problem I'm having right now, and me having anxiety problems doesn't help AT ALL.

I'm honestly getting to the point where i just want to cry every time something goes wrong because it seems like I've been on a digestive roller coaster since CS started.

Im taking probiotics now, 1 daily. lots of water 2-4 20oz bottles daily.

but other than that i really don't even want to eat anymore because every time I do, I feel horrible. I feel like its celiacs all over again. but I'm not eating anything that could cause it, I'm certain I'm not.

[jswog]

lots of water 2-4 20oz bottles daily.

Honestly, that doesn't sound like 'lots' of water to me. The general recommendation that has been around for YEARS is at least 8 8oz glasses per day of water, which comes to 64 oz, which would be just over 3 of your 20 oz bottles, so 2-4 may well not be adequate hydration even on that scale. That being said, I've also seen the following recommendation many places: Take your weight in pounds, divide by 2. The number you get is your minimum ounces of water you should be drinking per day. So, to use round numbers, say you weigh 200#. Divide 200 by 2 and you should be drinking at least 100oz of water each day.

HTH!

[Niebr]

Honestly, that doesn't sound like 'lots' of water to me. The general recommendation that has been around for YEARS is at least 8 8oz glasses per day of water, which comes to 64 oz, which would be just over 3 of your 20 oz bottles, so 2-4 may well not be adequate hydration even on that scale. That being said, I've also seen the following recommendation many places: Take your weight in pounds, divide by 2. The number you get is your minimum ounces of water you should be drinking per day. So, to use round numbers, say you weigh 200#. Divide 200 by 2 and you should be drinking at least 100oz of water each day.

HTH!

I always thought that was a good amount o.0

ok so then by that standrds, i should be drinking at least 60oz a day, so im drinking enough daily.

[jswog]

I always thought that was a good amount o.0

ok so then by that standrds, i should be drinking at least 60oz a day, so im drinking enough daily.

Though more is always better, especially as you detox from gluten. Drinking about double the minimum amount of water each day was the only thing that seemed to help much at all with my detox symptoms (some of the worst headaches of my life, sleepyness with insomnia, etc.).

Jen

[Niebr]

Though more is always better, especially as you detox from gluten. Drinking about double the minimum amount of water each day was the only thing that seemed to help much at all with my detox symptoms (some of the worst headaches of my life, sleepyness with insomnia, etc.).

Jen

Well I am lucky enough to know what not to eat so soon, now if i could just deal with the ongoing constipation, ill be happy ^.^ ive been doing miralax for a while, but it just helps me og as soon as i stop, so does my regularity,

[pondy]

Hi,

Constipation is a huge issue for me also... so I get what you are going through.

I had a colonoscopy a month or two ago to rule out a fecal impaction - it was all clear but

my GI put me on Miralax 2 to 3 times per day - like maybe till whenever my intestines heal up - could be years.

Point is, my GI told me that Miralax is totally mild and totally safe! Like you, I can't "pass"

anything easily without it. So be it, it works.

I also have gotten exactly the same pains that you have described... it happens

willy nilly like & it's a mystery to the doctors.

I also have an anxiety issue & take meds that can cause C.

What works for me:

Miralax, water, mild exercise, and trying not to obsess about it (I tend to do this).

All best to you... feel free to message me for more info!

[Niebr]

Hi,

Constipation is a huge issue for me also... so I get what you are going through.

I had a colonoscopy a month or two ago to rule out a fecal impaction - it was all clear but

my GI put me on Miralax 2 to 3 times per day - like maybe till whenever my intestines heal up - could be years.

Point is, my GI told me that Miralax is totally mild and totally safe! Like you, I can't "pass"

anything easily without it. So be it, it works.

I also have gotten exactly the same pains that you have described... it happens

willy nilly like & it's a mystery to the doctors.

I also have an anxiety issue & take meds that can cause C.

What works for me:

Miralax, water, mild exercise, and trying not to obsess about it (I tend to do this).

All best to you... feel free to message me for more info!

ive been doing the generic form for a few weeks now, but im goign to stop down to a gastro doc n hope i can at least get a consultation on that til my appointment, thank you!

[pondy]

ive been doing the generic form for a few weeks now, but im goign to stop down to a gastro doc n hope i can at least get a consultation on that til my appointment, thank you!

I'm glad you're going to see a GI.

He will probably ask you if you have bloating, nausea and/or vomiting. They asked me that 100's of times - I believe it's a symptom of a blockage or impaction.

Are you taking a fiber supplement? I ask because - from personal experience - I would NOT recommend it for someone with chronic constipation. Here's why: think about it, do you really want to bulk up your stool when it's already stuck in the colon? If you get enough fiber in your natural diet, that should be good enough. MiraLax is a medicine that draws water into your colon to soften things up so that they can pass. For me, I refuse to use anything like Benefiber because I don't want to make an even larger mass of stool if I can't pass the amount that's already there.

Hope that makes sense - that's just my logic. I'm NO professional - just a person who has dealt with this issue for years!

[Niebr]

I'm glad you're going to see a GI.

He will probably ask you if you have bloating, nausea and/or vomiting. They asked me that 100's of times - I believe it's a symptom of a blockage or impaction.

Are you taking a fiber supplement? I ask because - from personal experience - I would NOT recommend it for someone with chronic constipation. Here's why: think about it, do you really want to bulk up your stool when it's already stuck in the colon? If you get enough fiber in your natural diet, that should be good enough. MiraLax is a medicine that draws water into your colon to soften things up so that they can pass. For me, I refuse to use anything like Benefiber because I don't want to make an even larger mass of stool if I can't pass the amount that's already there.

Hope that makes sense - that's just my logic. I'm NO professional - just a person who has dealt with this issue for years!

actually no, i eat what i can, the only mass of fiber i had recently that possibly caused this was half a loaf of UDIS gluten-free bread in one night, (first time I had bread in 8 months) other than that all my fiber is natural from vegetables, which is usually potatoes, rice, eggs, hamburger patties) and anything else i can, i havent bothered with dairy in like a month cause of this, no fiber supplements, i am doing probiotics and daily polyethalene glycol 3350 daily, but i think it was the half loaf of udis bread in one night is wat caused the recent block,

[cap6]

I'm glad you're going to see a GI.

He will probably ask you if you have bloating, nausea and/or vomiting. They asked me that 100's of times - I believe it's a symptom of a blockage or impaction.

Are you taking a fiber supplement? I ask because - from personal experience - I would NOT recommend it for someone with chronic constipation. Here's why: think about it, do you really want to bulk up your stool when it's already stuck in the colon? If you get enough fiber in your natural diet, that should be good enough. MiraLax is a medicine that draws water into your colon to soften things up so that they can pass. For me, I refuse to use anything like Benefiber because I don't want to make an even larger mass of stool if I can't pass the amount that's already there.

Hope that makes sense - that's just my logic. I'm NO professional - just a person who has dealt with this issue for years!

would you consider metamucil too much? I have had a problem with chronic C for 18 months now, ever since I went gluten-free. Have had it on and off all of my life but now it is unrelenting. I drink 64+ oz of water, take probiotics, fresh oj, walk daily, little to no processed foods. The only thing that helps is to drink a herbal laxative tea every other night. I guess it is some better as up to 5 months ago I was taking ducalax every other night and now I take it once a month is all. I am at a loss as to what else to do. The dr isn't happy with my taking anything but said it was better than getting a blockage. I understand Neibr. It is so frustrating!

[pondy]

would you consider metamucil too much? I have had a problem with chronic C for 18 months now, ever since I went gluten-free. Have had it on and off all of my life but now it is unrelenting. I drink 64+ oz of water, take probiotics, fresh oj, walk daily, little to no processed foods. The only thing that helps is to drink a herbal laxative tea every other night. I guess it is some better as up to 5 months ago I was taking ducalax every other night and now I take it once a month is all. I am at a loss as to what else to do. The dr isn't happy with my taking anything but said it was better than getting a blockage. I understand Neibr. It is so frustrating!

Sounds like you are doing all the right things...

My GI told me to stick with whatever works, which for me is polyethylene glycol (MiraLax)daily. I wish I could drink the herbal lax tea I have in the house - but it's Yogi brand, which is not necessarily gluten free.

Metamucil? It's another fiber supplement like Benefiber but it has psyllium fiber instead of wheat dextrin fiber (got that from their website). I would not use either in my case - chronic C/slow transit - because like you, I get enough fiber naturally from whole unprocessed foods.

The thing with chronic C is this - once the colon is full of stool, simple remedies won't cut it. Believe me, I ended up having to drink a gallon of colonoscopy prep just to flush it out... not a fun experience.

Better to stay regimented with whatever works for you. Like you said, it's better to be proactive with the issue than to end up with a blockage!

[Niebr]

Sounds like you are doing all the right things...

My GI told me to stick with whatever works, which for me is polyethylene glycol (MiraLax)daily. I wish I could drink the herbal lax tea I have in the house - but it's Yogi brand, which is not necessarily gluten free.

Metamucil? It's another fiber supplement like Benefiber but it has psyllium fiber instead of wheat dextrin fiber (got that from their website). I would not use either in my case - chronic C/slow transit - because like you, I get enough fiber naturally from whole unprocessed foods.

The thing with chronic C is this - once the colon is full of stool, simple remedies won't cut it. Believe me, I ended up having to drink a gallon of colonoscopy prep just to flush it out... not a fun experience.

Better to stay regimented with whatever works for you. Like you said, it's better to be proactive with the issue than to end up with a blockage!

agreed, i think ima have to do that flush to get everything back to normal,

and just stick with the PG 3350 at least til my GI appointment,

[cap6]

Sounds like you are doing all the right things...

My GI told me to stick with whatever works, which for me is polyethylene glycol (MiraLax)daily. I wish I could drink the herbal lax tea I have in the house - but it's Yogi brand, which is not necessarily gluten free.

Metamucil? It's another fiber supplement like Benefiber but it has psyllium fiber instead of wheat dextrin fiber (got that from their website). I would not use either in my case - chronic C/slow transit - because like you, I get enough fiber naturally from whole unprocessed foods.

The thing with chronic C is this - once the colon is full of stool, simple remedies won't cut it. Believe me, I ended up having to drink a gallon of colonoscopy prep just to flush it out... not a fun experience.

Better to stay regimented with whatever works for you. Like you said, it's better to be proactive with the issue than to end up with a blockage!

thank you for your feedback. I have been doing the metamucil 2x's a day but will cut back. sigh. So frustrating. Everything is so slow. My SIL (who doesn't have celiac) had a colan blockage and ended with a bag. She has since been able to have that reversed but I have a horror of ending up with a bag!