Question:
Gluten intolerance?
Answer:
I've done quite a bit of searching the archives on the Net and have
asked doctors and friends questions but have yet to be convinced one way
or the other by someone's opinion of what may be causing my problem. If
someone can help with a post, URL link, diet supplements, diet change,
whatever, I'd be very happy to hear from U. Until my mid 30's I was able to eat anything, cast iron stomach as they
say. Then one day I started to get more than my share of gas (it smells
rather bad at times) and soft, wet stools. At first I thought nothing of
it but over time it became a nuisance.
I tried varying my diet to no avail. I previously to the problem ate
anything including junk foods but had changed to complex carbs like
pasta, protein from eggs, meats and fish, ate more veggies and put away
the candy and soda. It seems the diet change did more damage than good.
I simply lived with the problem continued to eat well and eventually
found Loperamide controlled the problem most of the time, if I really
needed help.
Last year I started to research the problem on my own on the Net. I also
went to my physician for advice. He took stool samples, no bacteria
problems. Blood work gave no indicators of problems. My diet was then
put under the microscope.
I did eat lots of carbs. It was suggested I cut back or better still,
eliminate wheat gluten and see what happened. To no ones surprise the
problem almost vanished, firm dryer stools, almost no flatulence, and
almost nothing left to eat since I lived on bread some days. I started a
diet of corn chips, rice cakes and the like.
I did get to a specialist and he said to try Simethicone after meals,
slowly introduce wheat and in small amounts and take a cap of
Simethicone afterwards. This seemed to work for a while but there are
days when I have way to much gas still, the wet stools have returned as
I ate more wheat products but it seems they affect me more now than when
I ate them in abundance before, it seems I'm more sensitive now. It
seems certain wheat products are worse for me than others.
No other side affects, no pain, no stomach bloating, no intestinal
discomfort (except gas) no blood in the stools and I've found milk,
beans and veggies like broccoli do not give me gas, it seems only gluten
does. No one in my family has had this problem btw.
Simethicone seems to help limit the problem and Loperamide works rather
well. During the summer when I spend tons of time outdoors at the beach
and do not consume enough water and become a bit dehydrated, the problem
goes away as if water is a key factor even though I'd eat lots of wheat
products.
Is it more of an intolerance than allergy since I have none of the
classic allergy symptoms associated w/allergies?
It appeared later in life out of the blue, is this normal?
Is it more of a digestive problem rather than intolerance? That is, can
I supplement my diet with enzymes or other bacteria like Lactobacillus
to aid in digestion and where do you folks feel the problems originates,
in my stomach or intestinal tract?
Food fermentation is one thought I have concerning what causes the
problem. If it was just diarrhea I might suspect intolerance but the
abundance of flatulence points to something fermenting, not being
digested as if passes from the stomach to the intestinal tract. Anyone
agree?
Could the gut bacteria be out of whack? Not normal levels for me (I know
everyone is different).
Low levels of digestive enzymes? Something seems to be not digesting as
the smell of the gas suggests, bacteria are having a field day.
Recently I found out a friend was suffering similar problems (developed
it over night it seems, she's in her 40's). Her doctor had her take
FiberCon which to both of us seemed like the worse thing to do
considering the problem, it worked for her though, why? Is the fiber
attracting more water and aiding in digestion since this may (?) allow
the food to move through her system faster? I would think I have too
much water in my diet, I drink 12 glasses a day, no caffeine, very
little sugar.
First man I met on the net almost ten years ago was diagnosed with celiac
disease .. gluten intolerance.
When treated for this he was found to have an underlying problem .. iron
excess.
When treated .. iron deprivation and phlebotomy to lower iron stores ..
problem cleared right up. Just looked at my last blood workup, if it applies. Serum Iron 106 mg/dl
on a reference scale of 40-155. Looks to be OK. Nothing on the entire
workup is out of range, all w/i specs. Doubt if I have celiac.
Is it more of a digestive problem rather than intolerance? That is,
can I supplement my diet with enzymes or other bacteria like
Lactobacillus to aid in digestion and where do you folks feel the
problems originates, in my stomach or intestinal tract? Food fermentation is one thought I have concerning what causes the
problem. If it was just diarrhea I might suspect intolerance but the
abundance of flatulence points to something fermenting, not being
digested as if passes from the stomach to the intestinal tract. Anyone
agree?
Could the gut bacteria be out of whack? Not normal levels for me (I
know everyone is different).
Low levels of digestive enzymes? Something seems to be not digesting
as the smell of the gas suggests, bacteria are having a field day. The differential diagnosis of malabsorption is extensive. If one really
wanted to validate the malabsorption one could do a 24 hour or even a 72
hour fecal fat determination.This only tells you that indeed you have
malabsorption. Many nutrients are lost so a deficiency is obtained over
time. Pancreatic deficiency can cause malabsorption as can many other
things. The lab work isn't always diagnostic although specific tests for
antigliadin antibodies and others are being used. A biopsy of the gut can
also help. Do a search for key words Celiac disease, gluten sensitive
enteropathy, non-tropical sprue. I think you misunderstood the bacteria in
gut post earlier. The bacterial flora is determined by the micro
environment. Unless you change that micro environment introducing or seeding
bacteria would not be a long lasting treatment. You need to address the
reason or cause of the imbalance. A structural defect in the gut results in
decreased nutrients absorbed which in turn makes these nutrients more
abundant for bacterial use.
