Is This Normal? Warning, Tmi

[ChattyC13]

Hi all! For starters, I'm new. My reproductive endocrinologist recommended that I switch to eating gluten-free following reoccurring pregnancy losses. I scored too high on the autoimmune panel that they did but they didn't biopsy for celiac. She said that given my history of stomach problems she felt that even if I didn't have Celiac, I probably had a sensitivity to gluten given my stomach history.

Anyhow, I started trying gluten-free products last week and switched entirely this past Sunday. Is it normal to have weird stomach issues following making this switch? No cramping or pain in my stomach but some green stool for 3 days earlier in the week and then some loose stool today. I called my dr but haven't gotten a call back yet. Did anyone else have a slightly upset stomach after making the switch?

[ravenwoodglass]

Welcome to the board. I am going to suggest that you wait a bit on the specialty gluten free foods. Instead go with whole foods. Meat, chicken, veggies, rice, fruit etc. Shop the outside aisles of the store. Things are often up and down when we first start the diet so what you are going through isn't unusual. Also make sure that you are doing what you need to do at home to keep you safe. You need a new toaster, strainer, butters and nut butters that are just for you if others eat gluten in the house etc. Read as much as you can here and feel free to ask any more questions you need to. Hopefully you will be feeling much better soon.

[MitziG]

Kudos to your dr for being on the ball with this one! It is a rare thing to find a doc who actually understands the role celiac plays in pregnancy/ infertility!

Treat yourself as a celiac from now on, as you probably are.

And yes, weird bowel things happen when you cut out gluten. As well as weird OTHER things. Withdrawal is very common and not pleasant! But it gets better. And hopefully you will be blessed with a healthy pregnancy soon!

[ChattyC13]

Welcome to the board. I am going to suggest that you wait a bit on the specialty gluten free foods. Instead go with whole foods. Meat, chicken, veggies, rice, fruit etc. Shop the outside aisles of the store. Things are often up and down when we first start the diet so what you are going through isn't unusual. Also make sure that you are doing what you need to do at home to keep you safe. You need a new toaster, strainer, butters and nut butters that are just for you if others eat gluten in the house etc. Read as much as you can here and feel free to ask any more questions you need to. Hopefully you will be feeling much better soon.

I have been eating whole foods only for over a year! I haven't eaten much in the way of gluten-free stuff just yet! Thank you for the tips!

[ChattyC13]

Kudos to your dr for being on the ball with this one! It is a rare thing to find a doc who actually understands the role celiac plays in pregnancy/ infertility!

Treat yourself as a celiac from now on, as you probably are.

And yes, weird bowel things happen when you cut out gluten. As well as weird OTHER things. Withdrawal is very common and not pleasant! But it gets better. And hopefully you will be blessed with a healthy pregnancy soon!

To be fair, the 1st 3 specialists weren't on the ball. My bloodwork a few years ago when I first began struggling with Infertility led the specialists to believe there was an ongoing autoimmune issue somewhere. They said my numbers were just barely outside the normal range but were high yet not high enough to test for celiac or lupus. 6 months later my always present Gi issues got unbearable and I was admitted to the hospital where they planned to remove my gallbladder. Another dr noticed that both my large and small intestines were inflamed and I demanded that they do not cut an organ out of me if my gallbladder didn't cause this inflammation. I followed up with a GI who was useless and told me to eat more fiber even though it had nothing to do with my issue nor did he even ask how much fiber I was already eating. I was going to follow up with another Gi and while waiting for an appointment, I began switching to primarily raw foods and my issues all cleared up and like a dope I cancelled the appointment. My new fertility doc told me that there was a good chance that given the history of reoccurring losses, my autoimmune numbers and my Gi issues, that even if I didn't have celiac, I may have a sensitivity to gluten. She suggested that I give it 2 months to leave my system and 2 months to repair the villi and see how I feel and then start ttc again.

I wasn't expecting much from going gluten-free but yesterday I noticed that my stomach looked incredibly flat and I grabbed a tape measure and saw that I'd lost over 1" off my waistline! Yesterday and today I also felt much peppier and more energetic than usual. When I saw my chiropractor today, I mentioned it to him and I said it was probably a coincidence that I was looking/feeling good and he said no, not if you have an allergy it's not.

Still, I am so releved to hear that my tummy troubles are not totally out of the ordinary! Thank you!