Bloating

[tinkerbell971]

I have been gluten free for 9 weeks now since being diagnosed with coeliac. My bloating isn’t getting any better at all. First thing in the morning I wake up and it is flat and then gradually throughout the day it just gets bigger and bigger to the point I look 6 months pregnant! Even a sip of water makes me bloated.

[Shirleywhirl]

Hi tinkerbell971. I would say that it is very early days for you if you were only diagnosed with coeliac 9 weeks ago. I was diagnosed with coeliac 4 years ago and it does take a long time for your gut to heal from damage done by gluten. I feel that I am only now back to normal and for a long time I had a lot of pain and bloating although I was not eating gluten. In time I am sure your symptoms will reduce. A lot of people with coeliac also suffer from irritable bowel syndrome. I followed a low FODMAP diet and still do to a certain extent.

Good luck.xxx

[tinkerbell971 in reply to Shirleywhirl]

thanks for replying. Yeah I do need to give it time, I didn’t realise it takes that long. I’ve looked into a lowfodmap diet but it seems confusing. I’m waiting to see a dietician (will probably be waiting a while due to covid) so hoping they can help me x

[blowinginthewind]

Have you rigidly avoided anything which has gluten - there is stuff around which has "Wheat with gluten removed" as an ingredient. That puts if at below the legal limit for food with gluten is 20ppm. BUT there is generally some residual gluten - I don't tolerate those products at all. You also need to be for from oats, regardless of whether they are gluten free oats, at least for 12 months or so. Oats contain a substance similar to gluten, the name of which I don't recall. In 12 months of being ok, you can try gluten free oats. Oats do not have gluten in them, but of they are grown close to a field which grows Wheat, Barley or Rye, then the crops will cross pollinate and the oats won't be gluten free. And read labels, there are hidden bits of gluten in unexpected places - like stock cubes.

The other thing is - give it time. It gets easier I promise - I am 13 years in now.

[Rosepetal60 in reply to blowinginthewind]

Think the name Avenin. Is the name escaping you.

[tinkerbell971 in reply to blowinginthewind]

Yes I’m doing it very strictly and have been since the beginning. Don’t eat nothing that says ‘may contain’ or has gluten in.

[Penel]

Hi tinkerbell

As Shirley has said, it can take a while for symptoms to ease.

It may be helpful to avoid ready-made gluten-free foods until you are feeling better. Ready-made foods, such as bread, often contain additives that can cause problems: cellulose, gums, emulsifiers and codex wheat. Try to stick to naturally gluten free foods as much as possible.

Dairy / lactose can also cause bloating for some people, you can try giving it up for a while if you think it might be a problem.

Good luck with regaining your health.

[tinkerbell971 in reply to Penel]

Oh I didn’t realise that. I have been eating some ready made gluten free food. I’ll start cooking from scratch to see if that helps. Thanks

[Hidden]

I had this. Try the FODMAP diet. The dietician put me on it. It's worked for me.

[Hidden]

It takes a while to get on top of GF diet. Chances are there are still sneaky glutens getting in through cross-contamination in 1) your kitchen (plates, knives, forks, cupboards, dishwasher, over, grill); 2) processed foods that have been cross-contaminated in production but not certified GF/labelled at risk of cross-contamination. GF needs to be stringent and no risks taken

Also, could be secondary food interolerances/allergies resulting from coeliac, e.g. dairy intolerance, other compounds in foods, etc.

Best to take it all back to basics for a good 12 months - no processed food, no addiditives, no oats (including GF oats). GF foods from supermarket are heavy on additives and may still contain small amount of gluten within codex level of 20ppm.

Make all your own bread if possible. Freee is best option for flour (Doves Farm).

[stillaboveground]

Hi tinkerbell I agree with Benjamin123 the ready made gluten free foods you can buy have a lot of stuff in them to try and replace the texture of gluten, its better to stick to naturally gluten free products if you can. There is no quick remedy for Coeliac unfortunately, it takes time for your system to heal and the odd slip up can but you back a bit. Stick at it and perhaps you will get more help when the world gets back to normal. Good luck, take care.

[Whydothis]

I agree with all the posts here, but I have a bit to add:

I have known I am coeliac for just over 12 months, and I had the same problem - strictly gluten free but still with some of the gut symptoms. I found out that untreated CD, before diagnosis, can cause secondary lactose intolerance. I swapped milk for lacto-free milk, only have hard cheese not soft, and have only live yogurt, and the symptoms cleared up. I have been advised to keep this up until my blood tests are normal for 12 months, and then I should be able to tolerate lactose again. It happens because the CD damages the part of the small intestine where we make the lactase we need to digest lactose.