Ibs

[badgerette]

I'm going nuts here. I stopped eating gluten last July, but still once in awhile I get that icky-gut feeling. I get intestinal cramps (mild), and have to poop frequently all in one day. In addition, I usually feel tired. The stools are not watery.. not the most solid, but not like bad diarrhea or anything. Is it IBS? Or do I have another food allergy/intolerance? What the heck?

I want to see a doctor about all these food issues sometime this year. What kind of doctor should I see?

[Marilyn R]

I'm going nuts here. I stopped eating gluten last July, but still once in awhile I get that icky-gut feeling. I get intestinal cramps (mild), and have to poop frequently all in one day. In addition, I usually feel tired. The stools are not watery.. not the most solid, but not like bad diarrhea or anything. Is it IBS? Or do I have another food allergy/intolerance? What the heck?

I want to see a doctor about all these food issues sometime this year. What kind of doctor should I see?

Hi Badgerette, and welcome to the forum!

I hope you start feeling better soon. Some people start developing other food intolerances. For me it was soy, dairy, corn and some of the alternate grains like gluten-free oatmeal and quinoa.

I'm ok with those foods now (haven't tried reintroducing soy or quinoa though, and probably won't). Other people have had problems with legumes and nightshade vegetables after going gluten-free.

I know it's frustrating, you have to be a food detective and try to figure out what the heck is bugging you.

Gastroenterologist is the specialty mainstream doctors refer patients with IBS to. The one I went to was a very good Doctor, but I honestly learned more on this forum then I did from him! I still see him once a year.

[isasmommy]

Hi,

I am new to the forums but I had a similar experience.

1) I would take the advise above and give your body time to heal and if it is still going on then try and see if other foods are the offending agents.

2) After 2 years gluten free I still had problems and the fatigue was getting worse. I just thought I needed to wait to heal. However, finally this last fall I ended up in the hospital after 2 weeks diarreah (with blood in it) and turned out my colon was inflamed. After subsequent biopsy it was found that I had microscopic colitis, basically similar to Celiac but in the colon for me instead of the duodenum (small intestine). It is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

I am now taking entocort for the inflammation and after 2 weeks it is finally helping relieve that abdominal pain. It is probably unlikely that this is going on but my doctor did say that it is not totally uncommon to have more than one of these problems along with Celiac.

3) I would make absolutely sure that there is no hidden gluten. I went back and double checked chapstick + lotions that I use.

Lastly, if you are referred to a gastroenterologist they may say you have IBS if there are no signs of other inflammation. Also, have you had your vitamin D checked? I had a problem with that before it was too low and that was also contributing to the fatigue.

Hugs and I hope you feel better.

[badgerette]

Hi Badgerette, and welcome to the forum!

I hope you start feeling better soon. Some people start developing other food intolerances. For me it was soy, dairy, corn and some of the alternate grains like gluten-free oatmeal and quinoa.

I'm ok with those foods now (haven't tried reintroducing soy or quinoa though, and probably won't). Other people have had problems with legumes and nightshade vegetables after going gluten-free.

I know it's frustrating, you have to be a food detective and try to figure out what the heck is bugging you.

Gastroenterologist is the specialty mainstream doctors refer patients with IBS to. The one I went to was a very good Doctor, but I honestly learned more on this forum then I did from him! I still see him once a year.

Aha, yes, a gastroenterologist.. got it. If I meet my insurance deductible this year.. maybe...

Aggh I so hope I don't have other intolerance, but it's likely. My diet is already quite restricted because of the gluten and I have interstitial cystitis and I'm vegan. If I can't have legumes or anything in the nightshade family anymore... jeeeeez. Guess we'll have to wait and see! Thanks for the reply/info!

[badgerette]

Hi,

I am new to the forums but I had a similar experience.

1) I would take the advise above and give your body time to heal and if it is still going on then try and see if other foods are the offending agents.

2) After 2 years gluten free I still had problems and the fatigue was getting worse. I just thought I needed to wait to heal. However, finally this last fall I ended up in the hospital after 2 weeks diarreah (with blood in it) and turned out my colon was inflamed. After subsequent biopsy it was found that I had microscopic colitis, basically similar to Celiac but in the colon for me instead of the duodenum (small intestine). It is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

I am now taking entocort for the inflammation and after 2 weeks it is finally helping relieve that abdominal pain. It is probably unlikely that this is going on but my doctor did say that it is not totally uncommon to have more than one of these problems along with Celiac.

3) I would make absolutely sure that there is no hidden gluten. I went back and double checked chapstick + lotions that I use.

Lastly, if you are referred to a gastroenterologist they may say you have IBS if there are no signs of other inflammation. Also, have you had your vitamin D checked? I had a problem with that before it was too low and that was also contributing to the fatigue.

Hugs and I hope you feel better.

Thanks for all the info! Glad YOU are feeling better. I hope I get there soon! I will double check my external stuff (shampoo, lotion, etc) thanks for reminding me!

[Bubba's Mom]

Aha, yes, a gastroenterologist.. got it. If I meet my insurance deductible this year.. maybe...

Aggh I so hope I don't have other intolerance, but it's likely. My diet is already quite restricted because of the gluten and I have interstitial cystitis and I'm vegan. If I can't have legumes or anything in the nightshade family anymore... jeeeeez. Guess we'll have to wait and see! Thanks for the reply/info!

Keep a log of everything you eat, along with any symptoms. Many food intolerances are delayed reaction, so having a way to know what you ate/when symptoms appeared is very important. It will help you sort out what's best for your body, as we are all different. It takes a little bit of dectective work.

There are tests for allergies, but intolerances aren't so easy. The best way to know is to keep a log.