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


Carin3

Recommended Posts

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!!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



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.

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      126,431
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    HollieS
    Newest Member
    HollieS
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.9k
    • Total Posts
      69.4k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Gluten can cause inflammation in the digestive tract and that includes the mouth.  Also, nutritional deficiencies can cause oral inflammation.  Cobalamine B12 deficiency and Niacin B3 deficiency can result in swollen irritated tongues and mouth sores.  Salt would definitely cause further irritation.... Like pouring salt in a wound....
    • Patty harrigan
      Absolutely disheartening. I always go for a certified product. Wondering if it’s worth the extra money and extremely disappointed in the organization for letting this happen.
    • Mnofsinger
      There was an old thread from 2011 that I came across but has been archived and I could not reply to it. I would like to reopen this discussion but really dive into a potential connection for a early "warning sign" for undiagnosed celiac people. Let me give some back story. I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in June of 2023. How long I had it before? I can't say for certain, because my wife and I had been on and off keto diets, which naturally I would cut out gluten containing food. However, there was an instance I went into the ER about 4 years ago for potential appendicitis, but that was ruled out as "nothing". Looking back it would be the pains in the abdomen from being "glutened".  Prior to being diagnosed I would always say our food needed less salt because it tasted to salty. My wife would always point out, "No, it could use more". Most people around me would say it's not too salty, and I would chalk it up to having a sensitivity to salty foods. I did not make this correlation until after my bloodwork had came back to normal range after eating a gluten free diet. In the span of four months I brought my tissue transglutaminase IgA results from a 45 down to a 4. After that, I did not go out of my way to focus on was my food "too salty" or not, I just never really mentioned that the food I was eating was too salty. In fact, I would find myself adding salt to foods. It wasn't until I had been glutened about 13 months into my gluten free diet, that the few days afterward I made a comment "This is too salty". As soon as those words left my mouth, I was like "Wait a second!", and said to my wife "what if all this time I thought the food was too salty was because of eating gluten?". Now, I know everyone's body reacts differently to to celiac disease whether someone is asymptomatic or if they have symptoms what symptoms do they have. I'm not saying I'm right, but I would be curious to know other's experiences and ways we could help other undiagnosed people get the proper medical treatment they need, by common early warning signs. So, on this old thread:   Some people explained the change was after, but I would be curious to know your experience! 1. My question(s) to the ones that experienced this after a gluten free diet, was it because you other more serious symptoms were occupying your mind while eating gluten that you never really noticed the "too salty" experience? 2. Is it possible that you had been accidentally glutened during your gluten free transition that spiked this reaction?       (Some context to this one: The reason I was able to get my numbers down so low in the 4 months after being diagnosed, was I went "over the top", We stopped going out to eat, we through out all our food, we threw out ALL of our cookwear/utensils/glasses/plates/cutting boards and I do mean EVERYTHING, and started with new, because I didn't want to be hindered by "hidden gluten". My wife tells me I have the tendency to go to the extremes 😄 ) Hope everyone finds this topic interesting and fun at the same time. So please, tell me your experience on this subject!
    • Scott Adams
      Since your symptoms are so severe and obvious, I can't really think of a compelling reason to get the confirmation, especially when weighed against some of the downsides of having an official diagnosis that are mentioned in the thread I shared. For people in the UK and other countries where their health care system offers food subsidies for those with celiac disease it does make sense--and most of those counties also have universal healthcare where the diagnosis would not be a factor.
    • Jula
      Hi Scott, Thanks for the great information. The "negotiation" is my euphemism for the discussion with the nurse at my doc's clinic and eventually, the doctor. It took place because they said I would have to be on gluten again for 6 weeks prior to the upper endoscopy/biopsy. As I stated previously, I am highly reactive to tiny amounts of gluten and the impact lasts for weeks and can be debilitating. The first time I had COVID I thought I had been contaminated at a friend's house because I had all those symptoms (extreme joint pain, muscle pain, exhaustion/fatigue, coughing, worsening asthma attacks, more) but no fever. It turned out to be COVID and the fever came a day after the initial group of symptoms. Granted, not all contaminations are the same in the intensity of their impact, but to have gluten every day for 6 weeks --- I know I could not handle it and as I'm self-employed I could not afford to work minimally for much of that time. Hence, the discussion/negotiation/whatever you want to call it. They asked me how long I thought I could tolerate it, I said maybe a week. Then I was contaminated at a restaurant and was reminded of the impact for the following 2.5 weeks and I started getting anxious about doing this to myself for such a long time, wondering how long it would last and worrying that the dermatitis herpetiformas would come back which took more than a year of excruciating itching to clear up completely. So, that's the back story. Neither the doc or the nurse mentioned 2 weeks, but it doesn't matter at this point. I don't think its worth it even for the one week, especially if as you say they may not be able to gather any information from that, although I don't know how that would be true being that my immune system knows with less than a crumb and gets busy attacking my small bowel. I can't imagine that wouldn't show up in there, but I guess that could be the case, so again, not worth starting the new year feeling like crap and unable to get the money I need to pay my bills/survive in the bigger picture. The blood work that was used for my initial diagnosis was done after I had been eating gluten my entire life, so well beyond the gluten challenge. Thank you, though, for taking the time to share the resources and your perspective!
×
×
  • Create New...