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Brand New Member From Canada

Wing

By Wing
in Meet Up Room

Recommended Posts

Wing Rookie
Wing
Posted

Hey all,

I'm brand new to this site and also brand new to this gluten allergy. I have suffered from horrible chronic digestive disorders for a few decades. Of course I was told I had "IBS" and that I would just have to live with it. I had seen countless doctors and specialists, had various tests and colonoscopies and tried tons of different things to eliminate my sysmptoms but they never stopped. Blood tests always tested negative for celiac so I never bothered eliminating it from my diet.

2 weeks ago I did some new tests with a Naturopath who specializes in digestive issues. She told me that from samples I had sent that I was severely inflammed in the colon and had horrible malabsorption and that I potentially had a gluten allergy (she said not all celiac blood tests are 100% accurate). Anyways, she told me to completely eliminate gluten from my diet. I said I would but I was very skeptical and uninspired that anything would change, as chronic "IBS" symptoms have been the story of my life without any improvement. Anyways, the first 3 days I didn't notice any difference, then all of a sudden on day 4 I felt like a new person. 1 solid bowel movement a day and that was it. No colon spasms or pain. Minimal bloating. Today is day 6 and I still feel really great.

My question is will this last? I don't want to get too excited as it may be placebo but I can't help but feel completely happy and excited that this may be the answer to my life long problem. Is this really it? Is gluten that bad and eliminating almost instantaneously made me feel better??

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psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Welcome to the board from a fellow Canadian.

Yes, in many cases the symptomatic relief is very quick, and permanent.

In my own case, although I felt improvement immediately, it took some time for my symptoms to go away. I had severe atrophy of my villi, and they don't regenerate overnight.

Wing Rookie
Wing
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the quick reply. And thanks to everyone who participates on this forum, it is such a helpful venue. I guess Celiac or wheat intolerance in my case is a blessing as it seems to be the answer to my chronic problem. Of course it limits me in many ways and makes day to day life more challenging, however the alternative, my previous symptoms were an absolute nightmare. It has only been 3 days of relief versus 20 years of suffering but i have a good feeling about this. I hope I can finally find some relief. Who knew?

Anyone else out there suffer for years with "IBS" symptoms and tried everything with no relief only to go non-gluten and find that it changed you for the better dramatically?

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Yep. I did. I had stomachaches all my life and diagnoses of "gastritis" and "IBS" along with a bunch of other health problems including borderline anemia, canker sores, and psych problems. I felt better within a week on an elimination diet and eventually narrowed the problem to gluten. My stomach functions pretty much normally now.

The diet is a pain, but it beats drugs and still feeling crummy!

Tina B Apprentice
Tina B
Posted

Thanks for the quick reply. And thanks to everyone who participates on this forum, it is such a helpful venue. I guess Celiac or wheat intolerance in my case is a blessing as it seems to be the answer to my chronic problem. Of course it limits me in many ways and makes day to day life more challenging, however the alternative, my previous symptoms were an absolute nightmare. It has only been 3 days of relief versus 20 years of suffering but i have a good feeling about this. I hope I can finally find some relief. Who knew?

Anyone else out there suffer for years with "IBS" symptoms and tried everything with no relief only to go non-gluten and find that it changed you for the better dramatically?

yes, it's permanent. I've been doing it for 20 years and was just happy it didn't require meds. Haven' found it all that difficult and these days it is even easier with more products available in regular markets. Never had much of a problem in restaurants sticking with grilled or roasted things. No fried with breading or sauces.

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Welcome to the site Wing! Lots of people actually have the symptoms for years before being diagnosed. That's actually one of the common grouches around here that the doctors are so clueless seeming and slow to suggest celiac or gluten intolerance.

In my case I felt better within a few days but also still had months of learning to do (set backs) before I really understood how to eat gluten free. Gluten hides in lots of places and it takes some serious effort to eliminate it. There is also the possibility of developing additional food intolerances over time, and that is not rare according to what I read on this board. So don't be surprised if you seem to go backwards sometimes, as it is not unusual.

Anyway, stick around and read, read, read. We all have our stories to tell and axes to grind and we can all help each other by sharing.

Wing Rookie
Wing
Posted
  • Author

Wow thanks everyone for the positive replies. I will def keep an eye out for any new "intolerances" that may appear. I can't begin to express in words what a relief the last 72 hours have been vs the last 15 years. I'm dying for a slice of pizza and a pint of beer! but the fact that i know now it will make me sick makes staying away from it all that easier. I'll take your advice and continue to read read read as much as I can and learn from everyone here who has been at this longer than me. Wow, again, I hope this actually is permanent. I dreamed of a day like this for so long.

I think all my doctors and the last 4 gastrointestinal specialists I've seen should have a conversation with my Naturopath - they may learn something!

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psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

I'm dying for a slice of pizza and a pint of beer!

You can have both of those. Gluten-free pizza is available at some outlets, and there is gluten-free beer as well. It is late. I will post details tomorrow. :)

Wing Rookie
Wing
Posted
  • Author

You can have both of those. Gluten-free pizza is available at some outlets, and there is gluten-free beer as well. It is late. I will post details tomorrow. :)

Thanks psawyer - looking forward to it. I live in Toronto and am in Markham often for work, so any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

I live in Markham (Unionville), but own a business in North Toronto (Yonge/Lawrence area).

There are three gluten-free beers available in Ontario, although I have yet to find a restaurant/bar which stocks any of them. I usually drink wine when dining out.

Two are made by a microbrewery in Quebec and the other by a brewery in Wisconsin. All three are listed at the Open Original Shared Link, but inventory varies by location. Use their web locater, or you can order at any store.

Open Original Shared Link The red ale is available in selected Open Original Shared Link locations.

Open Original Shared Link

You can get gluten-free pizza from Pizza Pizza and Pizza Nova in medium size, and from Boston Pizza in personal size. Open Original Shared Link is a chain in the Toronto area that has gluten-free pizza and pasta. In every case, the pizza crusts are made elsewhere and delivered to the pizzeria ready to bake.

We make our own pizza crusts from the Gluten Free Pantry mix and love them.

You can have beer and pizza while on the gluten-free diet.

  • 1 month later...
Rocknroll Celiac Newbie
Rocknroll Celiac
Posted

I think all my doctors and the last 4 gastrointestinal specialists I've seen should have a conversation with my Naturopath - they may learn something!

Wing Rookie
Wing
Posted
  • Author

Yup..I've been up and down with the gluten elimination...but more up which is great. I know this will just take time as I have been eating gluten for 31 years so I know it will take a bit to get completely better. Patience.

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    • trents
      I think a UTI caused by Aspirin, made me a Celiac

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @jimmydee! Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, meaning the consumption of gluten triggers a response by the immune system that causes the body to attack it's own tissue. Celiac disease has a genetic base that requires some kind of trigger for the genes to be turned on. We know that there are two primary genes responsible for providing the potential to develop celiac disease and we know that about 40% of the population carries one or both of these genes. However, only about 1% of the population actually develops celiac disease. So, that tells us that something more than just having the genes is necessary in order to develop celiac disease. Something must trigger those genes to wake up and produce the active disease. It's that "something" that we are struggling to understand and that is somewhat of a mystery. But there is a growing body of evidence pointing to the culprit being a disruption of the proper balance of microorganisms in the gut. Apparently, the microorganisms that live in our intestines produce chemicals that regulate the size of the openings in the mucous lining of our small bowel. A disruption in the healthy balance of this microorganic community causes an increase in the size of the openings in the mucous lining. This in turn allows protein fragments from the food we eat that are larger than normal to invade the mucous lining where they are detected as threats by the immune system. This is what is happening with gluten for those with celiac disease. The attack in the mucous lining of the small bowel by the immune system on these incompletely broken down gluten components causes inflammation and, over time, as we continue to consume gluten, it damages the mucosal lining of the small bowel which results in the loss of efficiency of nutrient absorption. This mucosal lining is made up of millions of tiny finger like projections that create an enormous surface area for the absorption of nutrients when healthy. The "wearing down" of these millions of finger-like projections due to celiac inflammation greatly reduces the surface area and thus the ability to absorb nutrients. This in turn typically results in numerous health issues that have a nutrient deficiency base. But the answer to the question of why there seems to be an epidemic of celiac disease in recent years may not be simple. It may have many facets. First, we don't know how much of this epidemic is real and how much is apparent. That is, how much of what we perceive of as a dramatic increase in the incidence of celiac disease is simply due to greater awareness and better detection methods? Celiac disease is not new. There is evidence from ancient writings that people suffered from it back then but they did not have a name for it. And it wasn't until WW2 that gluten was identified as the cause of celiac disease. Current thinking on what is causing imbalance in gut biology has put forth a number of causes including overuse of antibiotics and pesticides, environmental toxins, fluoridation of drinking water, preoccupation with hygiene and sanitation, and the western diet. https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/theories-on-the-growing-prevalence-of-celiac-disease-and-gluten-sensitivity-over-the-last-half-century-video-r6716/?tab=comments#comment-25345 All this to say that I doubt your UTI or the low dose aspirin had anything to do with the onset of your celiac disease. It was probably just coincidence unless the UTI was the stress trigger that activated the celiac potential genes. The onset of celiac disease an happen at any stage of life and many people report it following a period of illness. But what is interesting about your low dose aspirin theory is that aspirin is in a class of medications known as NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs). Scientific studies have shown that long term use of NSAIDs can damage the villous lining of the small bowel in the same way as celiac disease.  The other thing I wish to point out is that unless you have actual testing done for celiac disease, you can't be sure if you have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). They share many of the same symptoms, the difference being that NCGS doesn't damage the lining of the small bowel. There is no test for NCGS, celiac disease must first be ruled out. NCGS is 10x more common than celiac disease. The antidote for both is a gluten free diet.
    • julie falco
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      By julie falco · Posted

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    • jimmydee
      I think a UTI caused by Aspirin, made me a Celiac

      By jimmydee · Posted

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    • knitty kitty
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    • knitty kitty
      Dangerously underweight, Perfect gluten free and insomnia

      By knitty kitty · Posted

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