Feel Like A Hypochondriac

[jvdb]

Does anyone else feel like they are driving themselves crazy trying to figure out what causes their stomach issues?  At first I thought my issue was just chocolate milk and ice cream since I ate dairy on a regular basis and those two were the only ones that caused immediate symptoms.  I still often got chronic and urgent diarrhea but didn't connect it to dairy since I probably had milk products at least three times a day and grew up in a house where we had a glass of milk with every meal.

 

Fast forward to this year and I decided I was sick of being sick so I decided to try cutting ALL dairy, my issues improved immediatly.  No more unexplainable running to the washroom, no more sitting in the washroom with my stomach spasming uncontrollably...  I've found the problem I thought.  But realized although my symptoms were 80% better I still was experiencing loose stools 3-4 times a week, and major bloating.  My sister suggested getting tested for celiac and at first I thought she was crazy until I looked it up and read the connections with lactose intolerance and celiac.  We do have two cousins who have been diagnosed so it wasn't a long shot.  After looking at celiac symptoms I also realized that perhaps this was the solution to my adult acne, fatigue, and daily mild headaches.  It HAD to be celiac, well the test ended up being normal.

 

Now a friend who HAS celiac (blood test diagnosed) has told me to try going gluten free anyways and perhaps I still do have issues with it.  I'm tempted to try this however I am starting to feel like a major hypochondriac.  Although milk definitely doesn't agree with me, maybe the rest is all in my head?  My husband thinks I am overreacting and yet gets annoyed with me that I am tired all the time even though I sleep a solid 8 hours every night.  And WHY do I have acne at 25 years old when I eat NO processed foods, why does my stomach look great in the morning and then pregnant by evening?

[WinterSong]

It's worth a try. I know a lot of people who feel better when they go gluten free (even without having Celiac). Non-Celiac gluten intolerance is not a rare thing these days. 

 

I went dairy free for the first few months of my Celiac diagnosis. It turns out that I can eat dairy just fine these days. But it didn't hurt to try.

 

Just make sure that if you try it, you do it 100%, otherwise what's the point?

 

Also, people who haven't dealt with constant stomach aches, cramping and bloating for years have no idea what that feels like. My (now ex) boyfriend didn't understand why I was so eager to figure out what was wrong with me. He was in complete denial that I was sick. (Meanwhile, I was thinking, "Well, it's not like I invite you into the bathroom to share that experience..."  )

[ktylizbth]

I would do a food log and note your bowel movements as well as other symptoms. Have several days without gluten. Then have a day with gluten and then note your stools. Take gluten out, take it back, take it out....Then maybe you might be able to see more of a connection. It'd be curious to do some type of elimination reintroduction diet to see what could be causing your bloating and loose stools. I would also consider getting allergy IgG and IgE testing if you can. 

[1desperateladysaved]

I remember being asked when the baby was due.  It isn't normal for a belly to stick out like that.  My issue was celiac and for years I thought I was lazy or hypochondriac, or it was all in my head.  IT WASN'T.  I would do all I could to find out if I could do it again.  In the end I  just decided that people could think "ill" of me if need be, because I couldn't keep living and dragging through life.  I want the same for you, answers to your questions, and the ability to make a difference.

 

Were you eating gluten when you had a celiac panel done.  Did you have a full panel done.  Have you ever checked your nutrient levels?

 

D

[Rhonlynn]

I found this forum looking up gluten intolerance. I'm 51 and was born with allergies. Here's my allergy list:

Milk (I can tolerate it in baked items, and most cheeses. But too much ice cream, or milk will give me an asthma attack. I was born this way.)

Eggs,

chocolate (I am able to eat cacao.),

some nuts (cashews must be soaked hours before I use them with cashew cheese recipes then there's no problem.)

Casein in milk gives me an awful migraine. It's been this way for years, getting a migraine after certain dairy products. I finally got tired of it, and thought, "milk protein." yep....

 

Then seasonal allergies.

 

I have eczema, which bugs me and I've had it all my life, on my outter arms near my elbows.

 

So I began working out doing P90X. I followed the diet in the book, and gained weight. I felt sluggish, depressed. I ended up hurting my shoulder so I stopped. I felt like a slug by then. I noticed something I've always done. I would get a rash, about the size of a small egg. I would itch it until the middle blistered in the center, it remained mild but embarrassing.. While reading up on milk allergies, gluten intolerance came up. I thought, why not? So I took myself off of wheat in general. That's not an issue, I have thousands of no cook food recipes, or grain free.

 

In the past 2 weeks, I feel lighter. It's winter, so I can't say about my skin yet. But I get up early, and stay up later. and my face is changing. I feel happier, and not like a slug...my scales died on me, so I have no idea how much I weigh.

 

I'm not one to go to a doctor very much, I'm a nurse. But sometimes, I felt like a hypochondriac, until I found this forum. 

 

[Juliebove]

You might possibly have what my daughter has been going through.  Have they ever taken an X Ray of your stomach and the surrounding area?  She and I do both have multiple food intolerances, but...  She also suffers from severe constipation.  So much so that the last X Ray showed over 4 feet of impacted crud inside of her.  She was very bloated, in pain and had clusters of pimples on top of clusters of pimples.  I surmised that the constipation made her somehow toxic.

 

The Dr. told her she will need to take Miralax daily for the rest of her life.  Said she just has slow digestion although not quite what I have which is gastroparesis.  Said it is genetic and there really isn't anything she can do about it except to drink extra water and take the Miralax.  It took her a full week to clear it all out. After the second dose of Miralax, her face totally cleared up.  And she was pooping some that wasn't big D but not much.  Until a week later where she had to sit on the toilet for a full hour and a half.

 

The Dr. said that what happened was that she was so stuffed full and impacted that the only thing that could pass through was liquid.  Hence what appeared to be big D.  Not quite the same though.

 

Of course I can't say for sure if that is the case with you but from what I have read about the Miralax it seems perfectly safe to take so you might try it for a week and see if it makes a difference.

 

But I understand feeling like a hypochondriac.  My reactions to foods are often quite delayed and I can't always tell what is causing my symptoms.  But testing showed odd things like mint, cloves, thyme, lovage and other things.  Only after I stopped them did I see the problems they were causing me.