How Can I Confirm Leaky Gut?

[helgih88]

Hi,

I first thought I was a celiac but now I've leaned more towards leaky gut caused by candida or some other thing (gluten doesn't give me problems). My symptoms are mild headaches, irritation, sleepiness, lots of dandruff, loose stools or constipation, food intolerances, brain fog, bad short time memory, lack of focus, a bit of acne, some migraines, mixture of strong feelings but at the same time nothing keeps me going, also I often feel as if my face is swollen or full of water especially when I look down like all the blood in my body is rushing to my head (when I feel the worst). I've felt some of this most of my life, but the other for the past 4 years.

I went to a doctor and he did a prick test which did not confirm seed allergy that I was positive I had. I just read this post that symptoms of intolerances occur later than with allergies, so I was wondering if I have a seed intolerance (since I had loose stools or diarrhea the next day) and that the prick test does not confirm that? Also he did a blood test and even though my skin was always covered up in little bumps (probably caused by histamine) the blood result did not show any allergies (I'm wondering if intolerances need to be tested specifically?). I definitely have a reaction to seeds but after elimination them from my diet I got an even stronger reaction to a few sesame seeds on a hamburger bread when I tried just a tiny bit later on (like my reactions have gotten off the chart).

Ok, I know there are possibilities that there are other causes like IBS, Crohn's or ulcerative colitis but after I started taking digestive enzymes and probiotics my stomach has felt a lot better (a huge change). I don't have a fewer but the reason why I suspect leaky gut is because I'm so tired all the time and my mind is slow as hell (dandruff caused by candida?). Sometimes I get embarrassed of how stupid I am (when my mind just locks up) and for that reason I keep a little distance from everything and try to cover up my mistakes. I have never heard of crohn's, colitis or IBS to cause such mental symptoms so could it be leaky gut (please tell me if I'm wrong)? - just so I might add, I have been taking vitamins so I doubt I'm deficient in them (therefore my thoughts point to leaky gut and so called allergy fog).

My background suggests candida since I've eaten lots of bread all of my life and during high school I drank a lot of soda and ate junk food. I never ate any vegetables but I drank protein shakes once or twice a day (loaded with simple carbohydrates) and I've had a huge problem in gaining muscle mass. It seems that the only thing I could add was some fat but even so I had to eat a lot to gain weight. I found myself yawning between sets in the gym and after particularly hard exercises I felt like I'd been hit by a truck and had to lie down for a bit.

So now I've eliminated any pains in my stomach or GI track and I don't get a sudden urge any more (urge that I could control non the less). But I still have my slow brain, dandruff and those histamine bumps. I try to eat some vegetables and I take supplements as well to cover all basis. I eat mostly oatmeal, eggs, chicken, and other meats and recently I cut all extra sugar out of my diet and I try to have as little bread as I can. If I have a large portion of pasta then I definitely feel a bit tired afterwards. I'm 21 male, rather tall and pretty slim, I go to the gym 3 times a week (I know I'm not over training).

I'm not really sure what to do next, If I have leaky gut or candida then I must take even further precautions but it's so hard when you don't really know what you are fighting. What should I ask my doctor? Should I ask him to do a more specific blood test or some leaky gut test? I don't really know. Please give me some advice.

[ravenwoodglass]

It doesn't sound like you have been tested for celiac and IMHO you should be. I would at least get the blood test done if I were you. While it sounds like they have been looking for allergies since celiac is not an allergy those tests would not find it. Also you speak of little bumps on your skin, do they itch? Do they seem to have little blisters? If you answered yes to those queries you may want to see a dermatologist and get tested specifically for DH, the skin form of celiac. There are times when gluten reactions attack the skin and brain long before gut stuff seems out of the ordinary.

[chatycady]

Oatmeal can be pretty irritating to a damaged intestine. They don't recommend gluten free oatmeal for a least one year after being gluten free. Have you checked out this website? Open Original Shared Link ? It might help you with candida,yeast or imbalance in the digetive system. Many of us celiac's follow this diet and get better.

Have you been tested for celiac? Start there. If it's not celiac, maybe it's a bad yeast infection or IBS or something else that can be fixed.

[helgih88]

I'll probably get blood results for celiac at the 22nd of this month so I'll find out then if I have it or not. If I'm not a celiac then candida could be what I'm suffering from since the symptoms are similar. I just hate how long this all takes, you just know that you have to wait at least a month just to be disappointed by the results and have to start all over again. And did I mention you have to pay every time you see your doctor. Thank god my country has a very cheap health care, I feel kinda bad for people who can't go to a doctor because of money issues.

Yes and my bumps itch, but they go away after maybe an hour and that made my doctor really confused. The bumps are not in clusters and they appear usually just few at a time. They are barely visible unless I scratch them. I have checked my bed for bugs and found nothing. These bumps might be unrelated to my symptoms and they don't bother me that much. But I do feel like when there are a lot of them I feel more tired than usual but this could also just be my head messing with me.

I've heard about oatmeal and celiac disease but since I'm leaning towards candida that's one of the few types breakfast that's safe for me to eat. While it doesn't give me any GI problems I think I'll try to survive until I get the blood results. I'd like to point out that a few months ago I had this wonderful day when my mind was a lot clearer than usual, I think that time I had oatmeal for breakfast. Thanks anyway for the answers guys, I'll find out very soon about celiac.

[rob83]

hey helgih, did you find out what your problem was? I have really similar symptoms, some have gone since taking anti-candida supplements and removing sugars and most carbs from my diet. I can't seem to get rid of the brain fog, bad memory, concentration though. I know I have candida & leaky gut, which is a start. Maybe it's because the candida is in my brain?

[katie may]

hey helgih, did you find out what your problem was? I have really similar symptoms, some have gone since taking anti-candida supplements and removing sugars and most carbs from my diet. I can't seem to get rid of the brain fog, bad memory, concentration though. I know I have candida & leaky gut, which is a start. Maybe it's because the candida is in my brain?

hey rob, do you know if you're celiac?

I just read helgih's post and can also relate to many of the symptoms. I do have Celiac and think I have leaky gut and candida issues. How'd you find out you had leaky gut and candida?

If you still have brain fog problems and do not know if you have celiac disease, you should totally get tested. I'm gluten-free but haven't worked out these (possibly) leaky gut issues yet so I get brain fog pretty bad, occasionally. However, before I went gluten free the thick fog settled in my brain like London!

[Rhoger1]

I had similar symptoms but started with loose stool, stomach pain, irritability on and off, low energy levels, etc...been tested for every GI thing including CT Scans, Colonoscopy, endoscopy, stool test, blood tests and everything comes back normal....however I'm sensitive / intolerant to just above everything. Gluten Foods (Many tested and get a response of loose stool), Soy, Egg, Casein, etc. I started the SCD diet to try to heal the system and I think it started to work. No Dr can tell me what occured, but I suspect its some type of Leaky Gut...out of balance system from eating too much junk, alcohol on the weekends for the past 20 years, minimual vegies, fruits, etc. Finally catches up with you.

Anyway, about 6 weeks into the SCD diet, I did experience what they call a Die off of something...hopefully bad bacterial/yeast etc. I also used herbs for the first 2 weeks (raw garlic, grape seed extract, etc)...but I think that was too strong for the sensitive stomach during the early parts of the diet. I restarted with just the basics.....limited fruit since that was becoming a problem then started with chicken grilled, salmon, Cod along with vegies that were steamed and peeled and deseeded....sounds extreme, but the condition was. At this point, I'm eating most fruits, most vegies and added Pork into the diet. I could almost feel the system healing and the new foods only give me minor stomach pain if its still a sensitive food, no more loose stools.

I suffered for 8 months trying to figure it out...so the SCD diet may be the way to go aleast until the system can heal.

[AliB]

If your body is supportive to yeasts then you will undoubtedly get some kind of external symptoms. Signs of a 'fungus factory' are things like dandruff and itchy scalp, athlete's foot, thrush, the charmingly named 'jock-itch', fungal nail infections.

When we eat more carbohydrates and sugars than our body needs then we inevitably end up encouraging the growth of unwanted organisms.

Our 'Western' diets are so full of carbohydrate that it is no surprise that things like Candida and Leaky Gut are such a problem. Whereas only a few decades ago a piece of cake or a sweet were once a week treats, nowadays people are eating them all the time, and we just weren't designed to eat this way.

We are seeing as a result an explosion of health issues like Candida and Chronic Fatigue and diseases like Celiac/gluten intolerance, Diabetes, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's, etc., many of which have definitive links to the quantity of carbs in our diet.

Our livers also become clogged and beleaguered under the struggle to deal with all the toxins that it generates - much of the carbs are also highly processed and contain chemical substances that put extra burdens on us.

The skin is a route through which the body can off-load some of the toxins - if you have any skin issues then it is pretty certain that your body is trying to get rid of something. We spend a fortune every year on creams an potions to try and stop the zits, acne and rashes when what we should be doing is not putting the rubbish in our bodies to start with!

If you keep sweeping the rubbish under the carpet eventually you will end up with a mountain!

If you have difficulty gaining weight then eating more carbs is not the answer. If your body can't cope with them or the toxins they generate it will keep trying to off-load. If you eat a good wholesome diet of fresh meat, poultry, fish and eggs, along with good fats like butter, coconut oil and olive oil, good (preferably organic) fresh fruit and veg, and some nuts then your body will finally be able to utilise the protein properly to build muscle and it will eventually find its own healthy weight level.

The fact that you are still slim suggests that your body is still fairly efficient at getting rid of toxins so you have an advantage over those of us who are overweight and can't move them so easily.

Avoid the gluten if you possibly can - it's pretty evil stuff for most people and no one should be eating too much in the way of carbs, even un-processed ones. You could also try avoiding dairy for a bit to see if that helps - you can get your calcium requirement in green leafy veg - broccoli has as much as a glass of milk apparently.

I know that eating wholesome natural foods, much lower carbs, avoiding dairy and upping my fats a bit has been the only way I have been able to get my digestion working better again. I still have a way to go but I am heaps better as a result than I was 18 months ago and have no intention of going back to the 'killing us all' Western Diet.