Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Stomach Pain & Painful "lumps"?


agorm76

Recommended Posts

agorm76 Newbie

Hi! I was diagnosed with Celiac from biopsy in July & have been gluten-free since (except I just recently found out my make-up/ shampoo, etc. was not gluten-free...so now working that out of my system). I have severe stomach pains, but besides celiac nothing has shown on CT scans, ultrasounds, etc. I have gallbladder attacks and 4 painful masses in my stomach (2 upper rib cage area, 2 lower pelvic area) that shoot pain after eating--not as much anymore. The drs have looked and looked for the masses, but can't find them--they can feel them though...are they just super-sensitive spots? I was glutened the other day and felt extremely sick to my stomach and the pains started--it really put me out for a couple of days. Is this all part of Celiac? Does anyone else have masses? Will they go away with the pain? How do you know if you need surgery to repair your gallbladder--my biopsy came back looking pretty bad--the GI doctor said my stomach was extremely inflamed & lined in mucous--anyone else? He wasn't the best dr.--he basically told me I had Celiac and it is impossible to live with, but try to go on a gluten-free diet and see you later...Thanks for any help y'all may have!


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



MaryJones2 Enthusiast

Before going gluten-free I felt like I had a golf ball in my stomach and a softball behind my naval. My doctors could never find a mass but they really felt like masses to me. They went away after a few months gluten-free and only come back now when I've been severely glutened.

agorm76 Newbie
Before going gluten-free I felt like I had a golf ball in my stomach and a softball behind my naval. My doctors could never find a mass but they really felt like masses to me. They went away after a few months gluten-free and only come back now when I've been severely glutened.

Thank you so much--that helps--I don't feel as crazy now

jerseyangel Proficient

Trapped gas can feel like that--I used to have that happen too and it's quite painful.

gfmolly Contributor
Hi! I was diagnosed with Celiac from biopsy in July & have been gluten-free since (except I just recently found out my make-up/ shampoo, etc. was not gluten-free...so now working that out of my system). I have severe stomach pains, but besides celiac nothing has shown on CT scans, ultrasounds, etc. I have gallbladder attacks and 4 painful masses in my stomach (2 upper rib cage area, 2 lower pelvic area) that shoot pain after eating--not as much anymore. The drs have looked and looked for the masses, but can't find them--they can feel them though...are they just super-sensitive spots? I was glutened the other day and felt extremely sick to my stomach and the pains started--it really put me out for a couple of days. Is this all part of Celiac? Does anyone else have masses? Will they go away with the pain? How do you know if you need surgery to repair your gallbladder--my biopsy came back looking pretty bad--the GI doctor said my stomach was extremely inflamed & lined in mucous--anyone else? He wasn't the best dr.--he basically told me I had Celiac and it is impossible to live with, but try to go on a gluten-free diet and see you later...Thanks for any help y'all may have!

The other possibility is inflammation in the valve area between the stomach and the intestines. Mine get very irritated when I get D from gluten.

April in KC Apprentice

I suffer from "C" (opposite of "D") unless glutened, and I tend to get a lump around where the ileocecal valve is that separates the small intestine from the large one...lower right quadrant...I assume this is pretty normal and just something I feel because I'm pretty thin. Eventually it moves. In my experience, it is VERY painful to add an accidental glutening on top of "C". The resulting pressure from Celiac-related gas can be excruciating.

I also get back pain under my right ribs - my gallbladder tests are fine. I actually wear a pain patch when it's bad. I have a thread about it and willl post an update if I ever get a handle on what's causing it.

If you suffer from C, consider taking Miralax or fiber daily for a while to see if it helps with the amount of pain.

Also, if you get glutened, remember that dairy may temporarily be painful to consume since your villi are damaged (lactose is digested at the tips of the villi). We have a 'rule' around our gluten-free house that if you get glutened, you stay away from dairy for several days afterwards.

Have you considered whether you're still getting glutened from food?

Are these masses something that is always there, or something that comes and goes? Do they move, or are they in the same exact places?

agorm76 Newbie

Thanks for all of your help! It probably is inflammation--my stomach was extremely inflamed in the biopsy. The lumps stay in the same place--and I probably do only feel them because I am so thin from gluten--but they only act up when glutened. I actually feel like it is almost impossible to be gluten-free! Am I doing something wrong--it's at least once a week that I have an attack and I'm miserable. I hate it because now instead of mostly "D" and a little "V", it has switched to almost immediate "V"--so I know for sure if I've eaten some. I'm very tired of throwing up. Any suggestions? I really appreciate everyone's comments.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



MaryJones2 Enthusiast

I'd recommend keeping a food diary and also keep notes about how you feel each day. Then you'll hopefully be able to nail down what is causing your problem. Revisit everything in your house and make sure it's all gluten-free. Avoid unprocessed foods and make as much from scratch using fresh foods as you can until you start feeling better.

  • 2 weeks later...
caek-is-a-lie Explorer

Wow I've recently had a painful lump between my sternum and my navel, too. Like in the small intestine just below my stomach. No one can figure out what it is. I went in to the dr. for something unrelated, and she found this stomach lump during the exam. They did an ultrasound but didn't see anything like a hernia or a mass. But it's there and you can feel it if you push on it and it really hurts when people push on it. It also hurts sometimes when my digestive tract is sore from eating gluten, or sometimes just when I'm eating or drinking. I sure hope it goes away with more gluten avoidance! (which I also currently feel like it's impossible to do, but I think it's just taking awhile for my body to get rid of it...I'm still new at this.)

AliB Enthusiast

Have they checked for Helicobacter? If there is a lot mucous in the stomach it may be masking it.

Check out the Specific Carbohydrate Diet - it is designed to encourage healing by removing the carbohydrates that trigger rogue bacteria and parasites. Rogue bacterial and parasitic activity is often to blame for gut problems. Many of us suffer with things like Candida which has occurred due to gut dysbiosis.

Many things can put our gut flora out of balance - drugs, stress, etc., but the worst culprit is antibiotics that kill the good guys as well as the bad leaving the gut unprotected and open to infestation by pathogens. This is only just being realised and more research is starting to be done.

The benefit of probiotics is also now being realised. Not the sweet sugary drinks that pass for probios - they are counter-productive as sugar feeds the baddies.

We have a Specific Carb (SCD) thread on the 'Other Food Intolerances and Leaky Gut Syndrome' section on this forum if you want to know more and you can get more info from the 'Breaking the Vicious Cycle' and 'Pecanbread' websites. Many of us are really benefitting from the diet.

I hope this helps.

Ali.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      127,727
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    AdamGF2023
    Newest Member
    AdamGF2023
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121k
    • Total Posts
      70.4k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Marie70
      Wow!! Scott, Trent and Christiana thank you so much for your fast replies!! The information you have shared with me has helped me tremendously.   Thank you for all the articles.  I appreciate you all so much!! I’ll keep you posted in this post.  I will encourage her to get tested.  I feel a little better!
    • DayaInTheSun
      It was gradual, just not being able to catch my breathe like I always had to take a deep breathe even taking a few steps I would be winded.
    • cristiana
      Hi Marie Welcome to the forum. I am so sorry your daughter is pointing the finger at you like this.   I am afraid children of any age can be very cruel to their parents - I certainly look back at some of the things I said to my mother and father in the past, and wish I could unsay them.  Sometimes people just need a safe place to vent, and unfortunately having a go at one's parents is the all too easy option.  If she is anything like me, she will regret what she says one day.  (Oh... if only I had the chance rewind the clock!) I just wanted to add one more thing to Trent's and Scott's excellent posts and that is regarding diet:  I have to say, not one person  (my nutritionist, my gastroenterologist or GP) has EVER suggested that a poor diet was the cause of my coeliac disease.    In all the various clinics I have attended these past nearly 12 years no-one has ever asked if I was brought up on processed food, or questioned if I eat 5 fruit and veg a day.  Sure, unfortunately I am only too well aware that I could do a lot better with my diet and it's a constant challenge for me not to give into what I like (unfortunately I've always had a sweet tooth).   But I know some super healthy 10 fruit and veg a day types who still got coeliac disease, and equally, a lot of people who eat all the wrong stuff and they still have cast iron stomachs. Do encourage her to get checked though - it may be that she hasn't got coeliac disease at all. Come back to us if you need any more support through the process. Cristiana
    • trents
      Welcome to the forum, @Marie70! The first thing to know is that celiac disease has a genetic base. The two main genes that have been identified as providing the potential to develop celiac disease are HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8. About 40% of  the general population carries one or both of these genes. However, only about 1% of the general population ever develops celiac disease. So, we know that in addition to possessing the genetic potential to develop celiac disease, there has to be some triggering environmental or medical "stress" factor (or factors) that switches the gene or genes on such that they are awakened from their latent condition and become active. What may be the triggering factor (or factors) is the subject of much debate. Here is an article that discusses this subject: Second, what will your daughter have to say if her testing for celiac disease is negative? She may have to add crow to her diet. Third, and this is what I really want to focus on because my wife and I are dealing with something similar in our relationship with our own adult daughter: the real problem is not whatever shortcomings you, as the family cook, may have had when providing meals, the real problem is with your daughter's heart/soul/attitude. If it turns out to be true that she has celiac disease, it is likely she would have developed the condition sooner or later even if her diet had been healthier while growing up. She is angry about the prospect of having to deal with the dietary and social limitations that having celiac disease would impose upon her. She doesn't want to face up to the fact that this may be a new reality that will dramatically changer her life and she is looking for someone or something to blame. And she has conveniently turned her wrath on you rather than saying to herself, "Okay, this is what it is. Now what can I do to make adjustments in order to with it the best way I can?"  When faced with a life-changing reality, people will either accept it for what it is, make adjustments and move on or they will become angry and look for something or someone to blame and get stuck. For now, at least, your daughter has chosen the latter option. Don't let her problem destroy both of you.
    • Scott Adams
      It sounds like you’re carrying a lot of guilt, but please know that you didn’t cause your daughter’s potential celiac disease or your son’s Crohn’s. These conditions have strong genetic components, and while diet can influence symptoms, it does not cause autoimmune diseases. You did the best you could with the knowledge you had at the time, and no parent is perfect. Your daughter’s frustration is understandable, but it’s likely coming from a place of fear and uncertainty rather than true blame. Let her get tested, and if she does have celiac disease, you can support her moving forward. Instead of focusing on guilt, try shifting the conversation toward healing and learning together. You’re not alone, and you don’t deserve to carry this weight on your own. This article might be helpful. She needs to be screened for celiac disease before she can be sure that she has it. Another approach not discussed in the article is a genetic test for celiac disease, which she could do without eating gluten.      
×
×
  • Create New...