Do these symptoms sound like a gluten intolerance?

[LadyWard]

Hi everyone,

Apologies for the long post but I really need help! I am new to all this, I have been suffering a variety of symptoms, after speaking to my doctor she has advised I try and give up gluten and see if it helps. I have only been doing this for about 3 weeks, but I have made a few mistakes by stupidly not checking ingredients properly and also because I am not totally sure what I am looking for?

This is what happens to me, does this sound familiar to you?

yesterday I was completely GF until I had 10 Maltesers (didn't even think they would be an issue) this was about 9.30pm, went to bed felt fine, then ..... 2am I woke up with horrendous tummy pains, noisy tummy and felt like I was going to explode, very very bloated and an urgency to go to the toilet (Which is good in a way as I'm usually constipated) not diarrhoea but had to go quickly. still have tummy ache today last time this happened a had a tummy ache for about 5 days. It definitely coincides with when i have eaten gluten!

Does that sound like a gluten issue?

Thank you

[Regalbirdy]

Hi Ladyward,

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your problems.

Both diarrhoea and constipation are often symptoms of Gluten issues and/or Coeliac Disease. Coeliac UK are a good source of information about symptoms (and are easy to google).

I dearly hope for your sake that your doctor did a Coeliac blood test BEFORE advising you to go gluten free - as having it now would likely lead to a false result, (unless you started eating gluten properly again) and could affect your long term care needs.

Good luck!

[LadyWard in reply to Regalbirdy]

Unfortunately not, no test.

I'm not sure if I should just carry on never having gluten and presume that that is what is causing the tummy pains or ask for a test, knowing that i will have to have 6 uncomfortable weeks of eating gluten before hand! x

do my symptoms sound like it could be gluten to you?

[Cooper27 in reply to LadyWard]

I think if you were to go back to your GP and ask for a coeliac test now, there's a good chance you'd still have positive antibodies. In my partner's case, his antibodies were so high, it took 6-9months for his antibodies to drop into range, and this is pretty common. Only thing is, if your antibodies weren't too high over range to begin with, there would be a chance they're already within range, but it's worth a shot.

I'd suggest you call your doctor to discuss, and it could also be worth calling coeliac UK for advice too. Eat as much gluten as you can in the meantime.

It's unfortunately common for doctors to tell patients to remove gluten from their diet to see if it helps, on the basis you'd just bring it back in for 6 weeks to get a test for coeliac disease. For some reason they have a strange disconnect when it comes to gluten. I think they don't fully understand how much more amplified the effect become when a coeliac eats gluten once it's been removed from their diet.

[LadyWard in reply to Cooper27]

Thank you, do the symptoms sound like it could be? I was thinking i would feel it straight away and not 4 hours later? x

[Cooper27 in reply to LadyWard]

It varies from person to person, but my partner (the coeliac) gets symptoms 5 hours later, like clockwork every time.

I'm gluten intolerant and I get a rash on my legs about 48hrs after I eat gluten (took me a long time to realise gluten caused it because of the delay).

[Whydothis]

Yes - your symptoms are typical of what some people have with coeliac disease. (We do vary from person to person on some symptoms, but the urgency, the bloating, and tha pains are typical)

As the earlier replies have said, you need to go back to your doctor asap and ask for a test. Tell them that you have done as advised, yes it has helped, and that when you had gluten by mistake you had a bad reaction. If the doctor is not aware, you need to explain that the longer you stay off gluten, the more I'll you will be when you go back on it for a test.

It is worth getting the formal diagnosis, as then you should get some care in the future, such as checking for bone health and vitamin levels (although mine hasn't been brilliant!) and you will know exactly what the trouble is.

Good luck with it,

[LadyWard in reply to Whydothis]

Thank you 🙏🏼 I have made an appointment for a chat tomorrow x

[Hidden]

Hi sorry your so unwell and so sensitive to food. If you were able to try 28 days no wheat sugar dairy and gluten. Only drink bottled water not tap eat nothing out of a packet or a tin you will feel so much better then you re introduce one food per day and see how you react. You may be lactose intolerant or have developed multiple food intolerances or may need testing for celiac disease. The only way I found out what made me ill was do a few weeks of rice cakes and vitamins then I introduced one food at a time. I now realise i have multiple intolerances. Look up Candida too as I developed this and was told by an alternative therapist when you get rid of the Candida you get rid of the intolerances but sadly for me they seem to be permanent. Keep a food and symptoms diary and ask the drs to run some blood tests. Hope you get some answers but if you can go gluten free it’s a tasty and check everything as it’s in everything. Have a nice day and let us know how you get on. Cheers. J.

[Penel in reply to Hidden]

If you are still having problems with food, perhaps have a look at a Low Fodmaps diet. It’s an elimination diet that can help some people.

healthline.com/nutrition/lo...

[Hidden in reply to Penel]

Never thought of doing the fodmap diet I will give it a go. I have tried it a few years ago but doing it again may just give me some answers. I have GERD and have a dozen other issues which I bet that’s not helping. One day we can all eat what we want I hope. Thanks for your great advice I will give it a go. Have a lovely day. cheers. J.

[Cooper27 in reply to Hidden]

I think gut candida went through a 'flavour of the month' phase - a lot of people were diagnosed based on a catch-all symtoms list unfortunately. Did your therapist carry out any tests before diagnosing you?

Multiple food intolerances do come out quite a lot following elimination diets, I think there are some lines of thought that elimination diets might cause them, but it's not that clear... From what I've heard, it's often a sign of things like low stomach acid or leaky gut, but if you heal those underlying issues, sometimes some of the food intolerances can disappear

[Hidden in reply to Cooper27]

Yes you are spot on as I have been treated for leaky gut too a number of times. Some intolerances have cleared up but am stuck with dozens more that won’t go away. What works for one person won’t always work for another. I think it’s just trial and error but I hope your soon feeling much better. Have a lovely day. Cheers. J

[LadyWard]

I have spoken to my GP and she wants to blood tests, she said eat gluten for 2 weeks before test. Clearly I haven’t been strictly gluten free fir very long, do you think 2 weeks is enough and any tips to help me get though the next few weeks x

[Cooper27 in reply to LadyWard]

Unfortunately I don't think there's much to help, it's mostly a case of having to push through.

Peppermint tea (or even just chewing peppermint leaves) can help painful bloating symptoms, keep hydrated and just think about eating gluten things you think you'll miss most.

I think the advice I was given for doing a gluten challenge was to eat a larger portion with at least 1 meal (e.g. a sandwich or pasta) and to have a gluten containing snack (like biscuits) as a bare minimum.

[LadyWard in reply to Cooper27]

Thank you 🙏🏼 x