Advice needed...If Gluten intolerant am I likely to be intolerant to anything else?

[noonki]

Hi - I have been wheat free for a about 2 months and gluten free for about three weeks.

(in response to a whole range of symptoms including a massive bloated tummy, nausea and pain after eating)

cutting wheat and then gluten has hugely helped the above symptoms but still am having some bloating after eating.

I cut out dairy for 2 weeks but nothing changed. Not sure what to try for now.

Are there any known links between gluten intolerance and any other allergens?

thank you for any help

If gluten has caused wasting of the gut, then it can follow that there is a temproary period of other intolerances whilst the gut wall regenerates itself. Depending on how long the damage has been going on it may or may not fully regenerate so some traces of lactose and other intolerances (although lactose is the biggest culprit).

Are you 100% sure that you are cutting out all gluten and lactose, as they are often hidden ingredients in a lot of foods, especially gluten as it helps bump up the protein content of say ready meals.

It can take up to three months for the gut to regenerate after giving up gluten, so although your symtoms have massively improved, it may be a while yet until everything is back to normal.

Have you been tested for coeliac disease? You really need to get this done whilst still eating gluten otherswise the results will be skewed. If you are coeliac then you can join coeliac uk and get their gluten free food and drink directory for free. Otherwise you can buy it from their shop for about £10.

hth

LackaDaisycal - thank you ! that makes things much clearer.

I have been tested for Coelic and came back neagtive (biopsy),

didn't realise it could take that long for gut to heal, very useful to know

I am now getting an expert at label reading

there is some thinking that there is a genetic predisposition to be "allergic" "intolerant" etc (eg eczema and asthma often go together and so do food sensitivities)

would second lackadaisy that you sound like you need testing for coeliac (simple bloodtest initially, followed by biopsy if you screen positive, or if negative but still getting classic coeliac symptoms)

are you anaemic at all, this is another symptom because of poor absorption

the benefits of proper diagnosis would be not only prescription foods, but follow up checks with dietitian, sometimes bone scans depending on yr age/history/diet etc

if you ARE coeliac, then it is very likely that you are eating gluten without knowing it despite labelling being much better recently. there is also the "risk of contamination" from eating foods prepared in the same production line etc, which coeliacs are also advised to avoid (things like crisps)

its really important if you think this may be your prob to get tested before totally weaning off gluten, as it can be horrendous going back on long enough for antibody levels to rise enough to give a positive screen

also it is poss to be "supersensitive" like my dd who cannot eat some things labelled suitable for coeliacs, which are made from a processed wheat starch called "codex" with almost all the gluten removed. this still makes her ill. the other ingredient to beware of is barley malt extract.

coeliac Uk helpline is very good as is the website

was the biopsy before or after you gave up wheat? If you had already cut down on the amount of gluten you were ingesting it may have skewed the results, giving you a false negative.

I would have a chat with the coeliac UK helpline; they are very good on all things "testy".

Sympathies though, it is a bit of challenge to shop gluten free, but it does get easier.

lactose intolerance can be caused by the gut damage resulting from gluten intolerance and clear up when the gluten is removed from your diet.

I react badly to gluten (falling asleep, no energy) but my blood test was negative. I have since discovered that Biocare Glutenzyme Plus (digestive enzymes) allows me to eat some gluten without immediate symptoms. This is not sufficiently effective for coeliacs to eat gluten but it may reduce damage from contamination.

my son who is gluten intolerant ( not coeliac) also reacts to casein as the proteins affect him similarly.

But he is affected by loads of other stuff too.

thanks so much for all the replies- very informative!
will ring coeliac helpline now.

attention tatt - I have heard so many stories of people who have tested negative on the coeliac screen blood test, but who have had positive biopsy,both kids and adults, with and without any coeliac symptoms. if you are still having coeliac symptoms, its worth getting a second opinion. the test is known to be unreliable, coeliac UK will be able to advise you further

(we had to print off internet info for our GP who was unwilling to keep getting our toddler retested, thinking once tested negative, that was it. Even tho my son also continues to be borderline anaemic with no apparent reason, and has a sister and grandmother who are coeliacs, and is prone to dodgy tummy, GP said he was def not coeliac if blood test negative, but that is wrong!!DS now being retested at regular intervals - once he is a bit older DDs consultant might recommend we go straight to biopsy, to be certain)

If you are going to have a biopsy for coeliac disease you should be on a gluten containing diet for at least 8 weeks before otherwise you could have a false negative result. My son's first blood test was 'weakly positive', the 2nd one negative. I still wasn't convinced so took him for another blood test which was strongly positive, the first biopsy was negative but they said he had a genetic predisposition towards it because of me. About a year later he had a positive result. DON'T cut anything out of your diet until you have been tested, if the result is positive it may be worth cutting out dairy until the gut is healed. It can take up to a year or longer to be fully healed and you should have a follow-up biopsy to check everything is ok. Good luck, it will be worth it in the end!