Have you been diagnosed in later life with a food intolerance?

[Kittytheteapot]

I have always had mild IBS - just a fact of life I have lived with, never been that troubling.

In the last couple of years though I have developed much more debilitating symptoms, both upper and lower tract. I've had an endoscopy (upper) which showed no obvious cause. The specialist I saw thought all my symptoms still equated to IBS. The GP goes along with the specialist.

Lately, things have become quite hard to live with and we are now thinking along the lines of a food intolerance. I have been referred to a dietician. Whilst I wait, I was just wondering, if you had been diagnosed with a food intolerance in later life (I'm mid 50s) what we're your symptoms before you were diagnosed? I just want to see how they match mine, and get an idea of how likely this is or what foods might be the trigger. It would also be good to hear some positive stories of how life has improved for you once your intolerance was diagnosed.

I was diagnosed coeliac in my 40s. It made sense of both IBS and a lot of fractures over the years. Like you,I had both upper and lower digestive tract issues. But what finally tipped the balance for me was when I actually couldn't leave the house because my stomach problems got much worse. I kept a food diary and found out that the problem was lactose.

Now I have cut both gluten and lactose, all is mostly fine. I have osteoporosis but other than that I'm fine unless I get glutened or lactosed outside the house, which is pretty unlikely this year. If you've had the endoscopy, coeliac disease would seem less likely. A food diary might be a good way forward, linked with your symptoms.

Thanks CrepuscularCritter. I have tried a food diary and couldn't find any clear pattern. I am pretty sure spicy food is a trigger, but that can't account for all my symptoms as I don't (didnt) eat much spicy food. I have a horrible feeling I am going to find out I am intolerant to something far more everyday, e.g. lactose or gluten.

I'm currently wondering if I have developed a food intolerance (age 49). My symptoms are: dull stomach ache (low down), bloating, slight constipation, gassiness (sometimes causing mild pain under bottom of right ribs). All of which is intermittent and pretty mild, but annoying. I can't spot a pattern either, but it's hard to know how long after you've eaten something it will cause symptoms! Haven't been to the doctor yet.

Could be lazylinguist. TMI, but i ate some beetroot a few weeks back which turned my wee red. Never happened before, very alarming! Fortunately, I googled and read it is common for people with low stomach acid as since I am taking esomeprazole, an acid inhibitor, I guess that accounts for the beetroot having this affect for the first time. Anyway.....didnt eat any more beetroot, and 4 days later (!) the loo was again turned red when I had a bowel movement. So it seems my digestion is very slow. Which all contributes to what you said about it being hard to tell how long after eating something you can still feel affects.

Mine is normally fairly slow I think, but it's slower than usual atm. I had a nasty feeling this could be gluten intolerance (or, even worse, coeliac disease). I ate no gluten at the weekend to see if it made any difference at all. It didn't seem to, so I went back to eating bread etc yesterday. By the end of yesterday I was feeling much better, and thought "Oh it can't be the gluten then - I've had bread and biscuits and all sorts today". But actually... the reason I felt better yesterday was probably because of the previous two days' lack of gluten, becauseit had probably taken a coupleof days to get it out of my system! Whereas I've got stomach pains again now, probably due to the bread and biscuits yesterday! Grrr - it's so difficult and annoying!

I understand completely. I don't think I could attempt an elimination diet myself, apart from anything, I know I dont know enough about foods to be sure that I wasn't eating e.g. gluten in something other than e.g. bread and biscuits. That is what I am hoping the dietician will help me with. The whole process fills me with dread if I am honest as I love my food and would hate to be told I can't eat gluten or dairy or something again. But needs must. Still hoping someone here will tell me the elimination diet approach has had amazing results. I am not sure
CrepuscularCritter reassured me with talk of osteoporosis!

I know - the thought of having to cut out gluten or dairy is a bit of a nightmare. Tbh I don't have a lot of confidence in going to the gp about it. I've found gps quite dismissive of food intolerances. Dd had ongoing symptoms. Doctor said "Oh I doubt it's a food intolerance- they're pretty unusual" and just sent her for a general blood test for anaemia etc, which showed nothing. So we didn't bother going back, but narrowed it down ourselves to coffee and chocolate. She now doesn't get the symptoms... unless she has coffee or chocolate. I've in the past managed to identify 2 things which give me hastro problems (quinoa and linseed). And I've had various allergies over the years. So I wouldn't be surprised to have added another no-no to my list.

Sorry - I'm moaning all over your thread! I hope you get some answers and that it's not an intolerance to something ubiquitous!

I'm 40 and have been gluten free for 18 months. I had a whole ruck of symptoms which have halved without it. So much better.

Worryingly though I seem to have developed a lactose intolerance too from what was initially a stress-related reaction to cheese. I can have milk in tea but not on cereal, and god forbid I have normal cheese! The reaction takes about 4 hours to kick in then I'm stuck on the loo for the following 12.

Never had issues before 38.

2 days is not long enough to go gluten free and notice any improvement. I've suffered with awful bloating, wind, stomach ache etc for a long time and was getting very fed up, I decided to try going gluten free (am also vegetarian so was very worried about how limiting my diet would be) after a week I started noticing a difference, then after a couple my symptoms had gone! I re-introduced some gluten gradually after about 6 months and was fine for a few weeks but then the symptoms start returning. Then it's another week or 2 of being gluten free before I feel better again. I've never gone to the Dr about it.

I do find it hard eliminating it from my diet as I love bread etc.

I'm being strict again now as I'm hoping to be ok to eat more of what I fancy at Christmas! 😁

OP I would suggest you try going gluten free for a good month to see how your symptoms go?

So, I don't want to appear stupid, but what does going gluten free actually look like? Does it mean eating nothing with flour in it? So, no bread, biscuits, cake, white sauce, also no weetbix......anything else? Isn't gluten in other foods too?

Basically anything with even a little bit of wheat, barley or rye in it, which includes a lot of other things apart from the obvious bread, crackers, cereals, pasta, cake, biscuits, breadcrumbed things. Loads of processed foods have wheat in - lots of sausages, hotdogs, other processed meat, sauces etc.

If you're coeliac it's not enough to just not eat those foods, you even have to avoid foods that might have been contaminated by foods containing gluten.

I am really going to need the dietician for this!

Thing is, if you do need to go gluten free, I'm not sure what a dietician can do after deciding that, aside from print you out a list of gluten/non-gluten foods which you could find on the internet anyway! For people who are gluten intolerant or coeliac it meand a lot of vigilance, patience and checking.

The GP who is referring me didn't mention gluten specifically. She talked about the FODMAP diet which, as I understand it, should only be attempted with a dietician. I don't know. This is a new world to me and not one I am keen to join, though obviously will try anything to feel better.

Yes, the FODMAP diet is pretty complicated, from what I've read about it! Good luck with it all - I hope you get some answers and some relief from your symptoms. I'm going to phone the gp I think, and then depending on what she says, I may try going gluten free for a longer period. I'm thinking I should really go lactose free at the same time, since the two intolerances often seem to go together. But the thought of doing both is not fun!

It is definitely manageable to avoid both gluten and lactose, and once you get used to it, it becomes a lot easier. I'd recommend using a supermarket site online when you can filter by allergy; even if you don't buy from them it will tell you what is ok. You can then make your own shopping list.

My top tips are to be careful with meat products especially sausages and chorizo (wheat in the former, lactose in the latter) and to watch out for anything that might contain a thickener. You can get lactose free milk, cream, cheese and yoghurt, plus plenty of gluten free options.

At first it took me ages to shop, but now it's usually quick. I would say that if you allow more time to shop at first, it will soon become simpler.

i am intolerant to gluten tomatoes potatoes and even soya and dairy iam in hospital haveing to ingest those fooods with agoniseing wind and stomaches at times 14th time in 4 monthes ive had no tea because intolerances are phycotic to doctors

Try looking into Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

Yes - well, in my early 30s I did a full FODMAP exclusion and discovered a bunch of trigger foods, most are fruits and are related to my seasonal hayfever.

Yes I was diagnosed with CMPA in my 40s. Have never felt better since cutting out all dairy.

Skin has cleared up, I've got more energy and I'm no longer bloated and swinging between constipation and diarrhoea.

I need to investigate this next year. I've had issues with very slow digestion, constipation bloating and gas. I also have constant rhinitis that I take a daily hayfever tablet for. I need to find out the causes.

@Kittytheteapot Have you looked up bile acid malabsorption [BAM ]?

I thought I had IBS for many years until my symptoms got so bad I was sent for a SECHAT scan [ I had an endoscopy which didn't show anything ]. The SECHAT scan reveled that I wasn't absorbing bile, which is what was giving me the symptoms. Now on medication for life, but it has made a huge difference. Apparently BAM is often mistaken for IBS.
The FODMAP diet is also good at working out your triggers, you don't need to see a dietician to try it.

gutscharity.org.uk/advice-and-information/conditions/bile-acid-malabsorption/

Just a word of caution, ask for a celiac test before going on an elimination diet as you need to be eating gluten for 6 weeks for it to be effective. I cut gluten first and it made such a difference to my health that I was not willing to start eating it again to get tested.

@Londonnight.thanks for that. I have not heard of BAM before. I am off to work right now but had an quick look at the site you linked to. It says the main symptom is diarrhoea which I think would rule me out as, despite having intestinal symptoms all day every day, the one thing that is quite good is the solidity of my bowel movements. An interesting one to read up on though.

@LongIslandIcedT

I need to investigate this next year. I've had issues with very slow digestion, constipation bloating and gas. I also have constant rhinitis that I take a daily hayfever tablet for. I need to find out the causes.

Trying looking into IMO (Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth). Sometimes it’s called SIBO-M or Methane dominant SIBO. The over main symptom is tendency to gain weight easily.