<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
I received some very interesting responses asking if people experienced
constipation rather than diarrhea from gluten or oat consumption. Every
respondent had experience with that. The responses were so contrary to
what most doctors know about about CD, I could have subtitled this
summary as "What Your Doctor May Not Know About Celiac Disease."
(Hmmm.....that gives me an idea......I may have a best seller here!
LOL!) Although I didn't include most of those details, almost every
entry mentioned that their doctor was either reluctant to consider celiac
or riduculed them for suggesting it. Some summaries offered solutions
for preventing & managing chronic contipation. First I'll summarize the
solutions offered. Second I'll share excerpts from responses:
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Since going GF/CF, I have been able to cut my laxative use in half & can
now tolerate calcium & iron supplements which before turned my stools to
cement. Since I can take iron & calcium now, I have much more energy an
nor more leg cramps.
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I've suffered chronic consitpation all my life & developed allergies to
every OTC laxative except milk of magnesia, which makes me nauseated ...
Once I started using the magnesium oxide tablets with meals, my bowels
began moving regularly & 90% of my abdominal tenderness & bloating
vanished. I now buy a wheat free, dairy free preparation of magnesium
oxide 500mg from Puritan's Pride (1-800-645-1030 or www.puritan.com).
Now that I'm GF, I need a lot less magnesium to keep me regular. I now
only take one or two tablets with breakfast whereas I used to take them
at every meal. My doctor said it is safe because it is very poorly
absorbed.
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It's much easier to prevent constipation than relieve it. I take
magnesium tablets every day to prevent it. Works like a charm.
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I would buy some ground or whole flax seed. I add the ground flax seed
to bread if I make it, for breakfast I sometimes will eat toast with
peanut butter and sprinkle the flax seed on it. On salads I add flax
meal or whole seeds. It helps a lot!
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I put whole flax seed in 00 capsules & take one or two a day...cures both
constipation & diarrhea.
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how about seeds ... raw or roasted?
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I've battled with constipation for my entire life. Nothing seems to
work. However, lately I'm having some success eating dried prunes right
before bed every night. The doctors are hopeless. All they say is drink
a lot of water and get exercise. I do both and it doesn't help one bit!
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The only signs that I had celiac disease were anemia and constipation.
Then it was too late. Cancer in the small bowel. They didn't even find
the celiac until 10 months after surgery. Almost died.
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The only over the counter laxative I'm able to tolerate is Ex-Lax's senna
based pills which I take daily. I've also been prescribed Lactulose and
Miralax but can't tolerate the miniscule amount of lactose in the former
and tend towards bowel incontinence with the latter. And I wait until I'm
really suffering to bring out the castor oil.
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Like you...I went through so many 'bowel fettish', stress-induced, not
eating enough, try some fibre conversations with doctors - humiliating
to say the least. I don't know about you, but all the conventional
advice only makes my situation worse. More fibre? No way! It wasnt until
I went through some intensive testing that my gastroenterologist
realized the severity of my problem. He concluded that I have a nuero-
muscular defunction/ lack of function in my lower bowel. Essentially
the nerves have become unresponsive. I took Propulsid for a year or so
before it was removed from the market. It made a huge difference and
I've yet to find a substitute.
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Constipation is one of the signs of celiac disease. Go to the web site:
www.celiac.com
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...Gluten has the same effect on me as well. I was so sick for over a
year because the doctors refused to test me for celiac disease because I
did not have diarrhea. For the year that I was sick all I ate was toast
and crackers and I didn't go to the bathroom more than once a week. It
was awful. Whenever I cheat the first thing I notice is that I can't go
to the bathroom. I also get the stomach problems (nausea, stomach
gurgles, etc.). I think that constipation as a sign of celiac may be more
common than doctors think.
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I also have spent my entire life in a state of constipation, bloating,
and more importantly, not feeling hungry. Since becoming pretty well
gluten free, I am actually having hunger pangs, new experience.
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"Hungry yet stuffed" is exactly how I used to feel after eating oatmeal
for breakfast. Cream of rice doesn't do the same thing to me, so I've
been eating that. I'm still hungry most of the time, though. My biopsy
was negative (although IgA was positive), but we're doing more testing
this week-- so I don't know if I'm celiac or something else.
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Yes, when I was diagnosed a year ago, I had never had a case of diahrrea
in my life! I, too, had problems with constipation and had been eating
fruits and taking Metamucil twice daily for two years. They only found it
[CD]because I saw a new doctor when mine was on vacation and he wanted to
know why I was so anemic. I told him I had been for YEARS and been put on
and off iron supplements. My regular doc seemed to think I wasn't eating
a healthy diet since I was anemic, fatigued all the time and my calcium
levels were so low. (He had me on three 500mg. calcium a day for that!)
I'm just glad I found out before I developed cancer.
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I would alternate between constipation and diarrhea, but would
experience more on the constipation side. I would also feel hungry and
incredibly full at the same time. I ate lots of wheat bran cereal for
the constipation not realizing that it probably made it worse. My one
celiac symptom was anemia. I was profoundly iron deficient and anemic.
But they originally though I had colitis (my doctor was also hesitant to
say celiac) and I underwent a colonoscopy and an endoscopy before they
decided on the celiac diagnosis.
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My husband had bouts of constipation, diarrhea and horrible bloating gas
off and on before he was dxed. The diarrhea was the most pronounced
symptom. Now, if he has an accidental gluten exposure, he bloats and
remains constipated for days. There is sometimes nausea, but no
diarrhea.
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My major symptoms all my life and my daughter's life also is
constipation-which was corrected upon a gluten free diet.
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I suffered with constipation all of my life (as well as heartburn and
wind) and sadly that didn't connect with my medicos as Celiac. I am much
better now I am gluten free. In Aus we are encouraged not to eat oats
and as I have a lot of other health problems (asthma, osteoporosis,++++)I
am very strict with my diet - just helps me to stay on top of things a
bit better. I am not so constipated nowadays but still have to work on it
even though I am gf - I drink lots of warm water and pear juice! but I
will do anything to avoid going back to the dreaded constipation. I think
medicos should be considering any bowel irregularity as suspect symptoms
of CD. However, I also agree that not everyone with a bowel condition
has CD but considering the long-term health ramifications it's surely
worth testing for it.
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I have battled the "hunger blues" for 2 plus years. I have finally
eliminated enough foods to not have that reaction all of the time.
Initially, my reactions were EXTREME, chronic hunger whether or not I ate
monster portions or not. This eventually led to chronic nausea (among
many other health problems). Sometimes I would flip back and forth
between nausea and hunger. I finally pinpointed the cause to potato
family foods (potato, tomato, eggplant, peppers). Eliminating that food
group helped for awhile. Then the nausea began again. Each time I
finally determined the cause. One more food/food group gone from my diet.
I am at the state where I have enough good days that I can sometimes
pinpoint the food problems.
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[This one is from someone not diagnosed..yet] Rarely have diarrhea, but
since trying to eliminate gluten, I am more constipated than usual. I
have the same difficulty with digesting gluten that you described. Years
ago, I would eat a breakfast biscuit, or pizza from certain places, I
wouldn't be hungry for two days......knowing that I needed to eat, 'cause
my blood sugar tends to run low and feeling full and nauseated. Had a
visit with a gastro in January and it was a disaster. He ridiculed me
... saying... I should eat anything I want.
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CD also caused constipation for me. However, now that I am GF, if I
accidentally ingest some gluten I do get diarrhea. When seeking a
diagnosis I was GF for a month and then had to go back on gluten for 2
weeks before the biopsy. The first day back on gluten I had loose bowels
and the next day was back to constipation. So for me I think my body's
initial reaction is "Clean it out!", then "It's not going away, so shut
down!" My constipation also threw the doctors for a loop, but when I did
some reading and saw that CD causes diarrhea or constipation the whole
thing fit together. I then had to push the doctors to have the testing
done.
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I am a new member of the list, not officially diagnosed celiac but my
gastroenterologist is leaning in that direction (weakly positive blood
test, negative biopsies, malabsorption, weight loss). Your symptoms
sound close to mine. For the last year, when I eat wheat or potatoes or
dairy, my bowel shuts down and I am full and uncomfortable all day,
although I have occasional mucus squirts with no stool in them (sorry
to be so graphic) on those days. Since going gluten free (I also cut
out most other carbs to let my gut heal) I don't have those days.
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As a child/teen I was continuously constipated. I lived on Haley's MO,
Milk of Magnesia, Ex-Lax, Castor Oil, etc. Mom even packed Ex-Lax with
my stuff to take to summer camp, as it was inevitable that I would need
it during the week. Spent a lot of time in bathrooms when it worked.
Constipation continued into adulthood until 1986 when I had a D&C. ...
To make this long story short, I developed diarrhea following a medical
disaster, and the diarrhea lasted for 5 years. It was typical CD
diarrhea - foul, floating stools with visible blobs of fat and tons of
mucous - and it finally led to a CD diagnosis once I found a
knowledgeable doctor.
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Boy, we could be twins. I've suffered from constipation, bloating and
fullness for years. I don't recall what brought my attention to CD, but
almost four years ago I asked my GI to run the tests. The antibody blood
tests and biopsy were negative, but the blood test for malabsorption was
positive. I decided to go on the gf diet and see if my bloating and
constipation got better. They did, but not totally. Nine months after
beginning the gf diet, we discovered my gallbladder had stopped working.
Of course I was thrilled, thinking my gallbladder was the problem. My
gallbladder was removed and I went back to a regular diet, but felt
worse and worse as time went on.... I went to the ER a total of five
times with pain and vomiting. After the fifth trip, elevated liver
enzymes and no suggestions from my docs on the problem or a solution, I
went on the gf diet again. I haven't had to return to the hospital, my
liver enzymes are normal again, and I don't experience the constipation
or bloating like before - still a tad on the slow side, though, unless I
take special care to eat a high fiber veggie or fruit during the day.
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Yes, it too was the major reason that doctor's actually laughed at me
when I told them I felt I had celiac disease. I am also overweight so
that led them astray also. Now overweight and constipation has been put
on the symptom list, so things are improving for diagnosis.
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I too have never had diarrhea, except once when I picked up a bug in
Mexico. I have been diagnosed for 3 years now, and many women tell me
the same thing. I saw statistics once that 20% have constipation
instead. No doctor has been able to explain this to me, but when I ask
other female celiacs, far more than 20% say no diarrhea, lifelong
constipation. Wish I could explain any better, but that is all I really
know.
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...I am exactly the same way. Constipation has been my main symptom and I
have rarely experienced diarrhea. If I get even the smallest amount of
gluten, dairy or egg my system goes completely static. In fact, and this
is related to my whole digestive situation - not just food intolerances,
my bowel does not function without laxatives. I guess you could say I'm
chronically constipated, but even laxatives don't work after gluten or
dairy ingestion. I generally have to have enemas two or three days in a
row to remedy the situation. Needless to say, before diagnosis bowel
movements were very infrequent and I would end up vomiting or being
filled to the rim without even eating.
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I was never diagnosed until age 70 because my only overt symptom was
very, very, very, severe constipation. Sometimes I had bowel impactions
and my life was centered on my bowels. I had gas and bloating and
discomfort but not until I started throwing up and getting nauseous and
losing weight and having chemical imbalances was I diagnosed. They were
looking for cancer, not Celiac disease. Symptoms obviously vary greatly.
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Nope, I get diarrhea. It was my heavy reaction to oats that led me to
find out I had celiac. I ain't gonna buy his idea. All commercially grown
oats are heavily contaminated with wheat according to the wheat farmers
in this area. I might try some if I found some that were certified GF.
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