Celiac And Constipation

[alihawk]

Hi just wondering how many people suffered with constipation from Celiac before being diagnosed. I believe the more common is diarrhea but what about constipation how common is that.

Once being diagnosed and removing gluten from your diet did the constipation finally resolve?

Alison

[nvsmom]

It is starting to look like C is just as common as D. I think it just doesn't get talked about as much because it doesn't disrupt life as.... suddenly.  

 

I had C for about 38 years.  It took close to a year on the gluten-free diet, and the proper thyroid meds, before it finally resolved.  To be honest, I thought normal was D when it first started to change.  LOL

 

For most it seems to resolve in the first year. I think most people see improvements within the first 3 months.

[mamaw]

constipation is VERY common in celiac maybe even more then the BIG D.......I've been gluten-free twelve years & still have major constipation issues......

[HappyMom623]

I was ALWAYS constipated. I would only go once in 7 days? Even from when I was kid. My mom always says now "I bet you had it even when you were small"

 

I've been gluten-free for several years now and still have issues with it, although not as bad as before.

[alihawk]

Wow that's two totally different answers! I am hoping I fall into the constipation going away category but I have battled SEVERE constipation for 20 years so I'm not real sure.

I also seem to be gaining wait even though I'm eating much healthy and better, not sure what that is about.

I have always been about 110-111lbs. I work out 4 times a week and so the only thing that has really changed is my food intake. I have always been a healthy eater but I love chocolate but now that I'm allergic to dairy that's out so why in the world am I gaining weight?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

I'm still hoping this constipation becomes a thing of the past!!!

I can dream can't I?

Alison

[cyclinglady]

Have you recently had your thyroid checked? That can account for slight weight gain or constipation. Or.....your intestines are healing and you are finally absorbing everything!

Oh, my dark certified gluten-free chocolate contains no dairy!

[mamaw]

You may  be  gaining  weight  because  you now  are  absorbing  the  nutrients  from the  food  you eat or   being  gluten free  doesn't always  mean  you are  eating  healthy  foods... The  gluten-free  diet  lacks  protein,  & fiber  plus  some  vitamins....the  gluten-free  diet  contains  lots  of  starches  ie:  cornstarch,  tapioca  starch,  potato  starch,  gums...not  healthy nourishing    foods.....

As  for the  constipation  issues , I too  have  had  problems  years  &  years ago...I've  tried  it  all  & done  it all & still do  but  still have  the problem.....it never  goes  away ....The  doc  calls it  chronic  constipation  without  reason.....

[alihawk]

Thanks cyclinglady I have had my thyroid checked many times all good.

As for eating I have always eaten good whole foods fruits veggie meat etc so the only dietary change has been eliminating gluten soy and dairy which affect me also. In terms of caloric intake that hasn't changed either.

I work out hard always have so not sure of the weight thing.

I have had chronic constipation like I said for years so bad it turned into colonic inertia over a period of 8 years, where I would go once every 20 days. I do have slow gastric emptying also. Long story very short I had surgery to remove my entire large intestine about 2003 and still struggle with constipation, crazy I know.

Anyway can't figure out this weight gaining thing.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and insight I appreciate every single word.

By the way this is all new just diagnosed Jan 6

Alison

[cyclinglady]

Well, you could have been eating healthy, but not really absorbing it well. That was me! Ate well and ran, swam or biked six days of the week. Until my anemia was knocking me down. That was when I was diagnosed with celiac disease. A few months later I had some vertabrae fractures doing NOTHING! Yep, bones were compromised!

Try not to worry about your weight. Focus on getting well. Everything will get back to normal eventually. I am back on my bike, running and swimming again after a year of nurturing myself.

[caro7]

I suffered with constipation, I still do once in a while. When I am constipated I feel very unwell.  I have to say it is less often now that I am gluten free.....Maybe it will get better after you have been gluten free a little longer, it takes a while for things to get more normal. Hope it happens soon for you.

[w8in4dave]

I have also been having problems with "C" but I have also been Dx'd Fibromyalgia and that can cause "C", I have been trying to eat alot of fresh vegetables, and fruit. Nothing boxed or canned unless it's beans. I make my own tomato sauce and have been staying away from alot of starch. Seems like it goes back and forth from "D" to "C". Think theres always gunna be something!

[alihawk]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and advice. I hope once things heal inside that the constipation will at least decrease.

For those that still suffer with constipation what is your fix or remedy to help.

I have been through many over the years, from chamomile tea, heating pad on stomach, eating liquids only, triphala, Miralax etc. what helps gets you through a bout of bad constipation?

[bartfull]

A large serving of nuts, twice a day.

[nvsmom]

Ditto. Nuts are a big help.

[cap6]

I have been constipated since I was an infant (according to my mother!).  They called me the Constipation Kid.  Great nickname! lol  That said, my C became worse after I went g.f. and the dr was unable to explain that.  At almost 5 years I still suffer bouts of it from time to time especially if I eat much in the way of processed food.  If it's in a package then it doesn't work for me.  What keeps me going (no pun) is a daily breakfast that includes sauteed greens, kale, chard or spinach.   If I really get off track then a night or two of Smooth Move organic tea will help get things back on track. 

[Chibiehotaru]

Sorry to hear of your contipation. Before diagnosis I suffered from both D and C. Mine was very odd... I would go a few weeks severe D and then up to 10 days without having a bowel movement and I would cry because it was so painful. Like rocks, or something trying to come out. I have been gluten free nearly 8 months and with the exception of a few accidental glutens I have felt much bettee and have had almost no constipation. If anything I still have loose stool which is super annoying. I hope you feel better. I just try and take it one day at a time.

[alihawk]

Yes greens spinach sometimes apples may get things moving. I think it all depends on how backed up I am cause sometimes even the Miralax does nothing for me.

I appreciate all your remedies keep them coming. You never know when I or you may need a new one to try.

Alison

[alihawk]

Thank you all for your great posts and your remedies for constipation. I appreciate all your input and help.

Alison

[w8in4dave]

I also have bouts of C. I try and eat Nuts and a lot of green leafy vegetables

[powerofpositivethinking]

I was a big C sufferer, and when people ask me what led me to get tested for celiac it was because of the C and bloating.  For reference I'm a 29 year old female.  I was always regular and then that started changing.  My Mom tried to convince me everything was fine, but I knew something wasn't right.  It's one thing if you've been irregular all your life, but I hadn't been and I knew I needed to get it checked out.

 

I consider myself the queen of laxatives and C remedies    Before I knew gluten was poison to my body, I loaded up on fiber products like Fiber One and boatloads of water but nothing moved and I felt huge.  I dabbled in Dulcolax, smooth move tea, Exlax, but I knew I didn't want to take those for the long term so I kept searching.  My GP prescribed Miralax, but I knew I didn't want to take that long term either and it didn't even help me anyways.  My GP and GI kept saying more fiber, exercise and water, but it wasn't helping.  Hands down the best relief I've found is magnesium and liquid glycerin.  

 

My GI agreed to test me for celiac and I tested positive and removed gluten from my diet.  After some other tests I was diagnosed with fat malabsorption and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, but thankfully I took Creon, and I've lost both those diagnoses.  The best C remedy I've found is magnesium.  My C got better after the celiac diagnosis, but since my pancreas was out of whack I still had bloating and occasional C problems.  I used to have to take a whole lot of magnesium to feel relief because fat malabsorption also causes you to lose magnesium.  Magnesium is important in so many bodily functions.  I take Super Magnesium from GNC.  I don't recommend anything with magnesium oxide because it's harder for your body to absorb.  

 

My vote is for magnesium and liquid glycerin.  I no longer use either of those on a regular basis.  I can't even remember the last time I used the liquid glycerin.  I will say that when I get super stressed from work around concert time, I teach elementary music, that makes the C reappear, but I take one dose of magnesium and it levels me out quickly.  The trick is to find the right dose of magnesium for you because if you take too much it causes D.  Hope this helps!

[Valerie2622]

I've had to do (in various combinations throughout the past 22 months:

 

Miralax

Dulcolax

Exlax
Fibercon
Suppositories 

 

...and I still haven't gotten an x-ray that has told me I"m all clear. Yet. 

HOWEVER:

Yoga has helped me quite a bit with getting things moving.
Massaging my belly sometimes works.

Eating breakfast helps me "go" earlier in the morning.
Try to relax your muscles while sitting on the toilet

Sit on the toilet for at least ten minutes because sometimes that tenth minute actually makes all the difference
I love dried apricots- so tasty

Fresh plums are yummy too

(I tested positive for celiac disease blood test and I have my endoscopy in two weeks)

[MomBTired]

I have the extreme case to share. My son's constipation was so bad, he had impactions that put him in the hospital around 2 to 3 times a month for clean outs. He had a colonic manometry which showed the nerves were not functioning in his colon, so the large intestine was removed. That was 7th grade for him, he's almost 20 now and we just found out that the reason his nerves were not functioning was because he has autonomic small fiber neuropathy which can be found in people with celiac. SO, which came first? We do not know

[sreese68]

If you're still having problems with C, you may want to look into an elimination diet.  Gluten causes mild C for me (my reactions are neurological), but other foods cause it much more so.  Brown rice gives me horrible stomach pain and worst C ever.  Too much fructose and dairy causes C for me, too.  Interestingly, other foods cause D, like things in the sorbitol family.

 

I did the FODMAP elimination diet, but I had to figure out the brown rice thing on my own.  Also, brown rice didn't cause such a large reaction until I had been gluten-free a few months.