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Stomach Pains After Going gluten-free (Never Had Them Before)


Carin3

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Carin3 Rookie

Hi! I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in October and started the gluten-free diet November 1st. I have very very few of the GI symptoms of celiac but have almost all of the non GI symptoms of celiac. The last couple weeks I have had a lot of stomach pain/cramping (my stomach/abdominal area just hurts really bad for long periods of time). I never had this before. It was just occasional but seems more constant the last couple days and is really bothering me. Do you think it is related to Celiac or something else? This may be a weird question but is it possible to start experiencing abdominal pain/cramping after you have gone gluten-free when you never had it before maybe b/c I ingested gluten and didn't realize it. I just find that weird b/c I have had gluten my entire life til November 1st and never had stomach pain like this. Also, I have read that sometimes you need to cut out dairy for a little while? Could that be the problem although I have never had problem with dairy in the past and can't pinpoint if thats it right now (based on what I have been eating). I am just sick of the stomach pain/cramps and would appreciate any insight from people who have had celiac a lot longer than me!!! Thank you!!


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camprunner Apprentice

I have the same thing. I cut out night shades and things are way better but it still happens occasionally and I can't figure it out. Oddly enough, I seem to be fine on dairy for now.

Lisa Mentor

Some people report that they are more sensitive to gluten, once they are on the diet for a while. It's not unusual at all.

Dairy can mimic some of the same symptoms as gluten, but once the villi heal in your intestines, dairy can often be reintroduced without issue.

Keeping a food diary can help you pinpoint a problem.

sandsurfgirl Collaborator

I'm totally new to all of this, so maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about. What came to mind is, are you eating lots of the gluten free breads and cookies and stuff? I am pretty amazed at how much junk food we have available to us (which is a good thing NO complaints! LOL), and even though it's gluten free I think some of it might be hard on your system. I ate a gluten-free donut last night and it gave me heartburn.

seezee Explorer

My daughter got terrible stomach pains a month or two after she started gluten-free diet. Turns out an xray showed she was full of stool. GI doctor said that happens because diet is so rice heavy which can be very binding. The backup also caused reflux. DD tried three different clean out plans with follow up xrays and the third time worked. The doctor also had her take prevacid to help heal the damage in her belly. She is feeling way better now. We modified her diet to add grains higher in fiber and she takes a fiber supplement too.

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    • trents
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    • Jula
      Thanks, trents, for both the welcome and the perspective. That is exactly how I'm feeling at this point. The main reason I was considering this particular confirmation is because 2 primary care physicians, one an internist, had said this should be done because they could not be sure based on the information I have that it is celiac and not gluten intolerance. When I asked why that mattered, either way I would have to remain gluten free, the internist especially insisted that she would have to watch for a different set of repercussions on other organs. I could find no proof of this but the questions she raised made me think I should have a definitive diagnosis. But now knowing that it's more than a meal's worth of contamination needed, I don't think I can do it, although  the occasional contamination from eating at a friend's place or restaurant may still happen and if it does and I end up with the rash again, I could get that biopsied and have the same results, it seems. Thanks, again.
    • Kathleen JJ
      Thank you very much for the reply! As to the cheese sauce - I am not the cook at home, I'm very lucky that my husband takes on this monumental task. But how does one make a gluten-free cheese sauce? Isn't it always based on a mixture of flower and butter? I never achieved actually making it without burning it myself, but he makes it this way. Is it a question of just replacing with a different kind of flower?
    • trents
      Jula, welcome to the forum. What possible benefit would having an official diagnosis give you at this point in your life? You already have medical test evidence that you are a celiac (antibody tests and genetic testing) and the symptom improvement when you went off gluten confirms what the testing already pointed to. Why on earth would you risk damaging your health by going back on gluten to get further confirmation of what you already have proved? You are now 15 years older than when you first went gluten free and your body will not tolerate the abuse it would back then. Call your GI doc and tell him you have decided to proceed as you are without the gluten challenge. If you want to go forward with the endoscopy to check for upper GI health in general, I can understand that but I certainly would not go back on gluten just to enhance the chance that you will receive additional confirmation of what you already know to be true. Are you having any other upper GI issues that you want to get scoped for? Having said all that, it sounds like you may need to double down on your efforts to eat gluten free and now have the freedom to do that since you aren't any longer caring for your parents.
    • Jula
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