Possibly a wheat intolerance? Is it worth seeing a GP?

[FluffyUnicornSocks]

The majority of the time I tend to follow a low carb lifestyle with intermittent fasting and rarely have processed food. I do break it occasionally usually if we’re eating out / as a treat.

I’ve been so busy lately having to cook a separate meal for me has become a PITA so I’m now having a couple of family meals stew and dumplings / pasta dishes and some days the family eat carb free / sometimes I add a carb portion for DH and DCs.

Some days since I’ve not been cooking for myself I’ve been feeling very unwell. My stomach swells massively and I’ve been in agony with stomach cramps. This was happening on and off and after looking into ingredients I noticed every time I ate wheat flour I had these symptoms.

I decided to go back to low carb and have been for a month. This weekend just gone we went to a afternoon tea party. Sandwiches, cakes, scones, pastries. I will admit I did eat quite a lot. My stomach immediately swelled and I started getting cramps. I was in agony, after a few hours the cramps stopped. My stomach is still swollen now, it has gone down a bit but I still feel very bloated 3 days on.

Does this sound like a wheat intolerance? Is it worth visiting the GP or should I just omit it from my diet?

[dementedpixie]

www.coeliac.org.uk/information-and-support/coeliac-disease/getting-diagnosed/blood-tests-and-biospy/

[dementedpixie]

You need a few portions of wheat/gluten each day for 6 weeks to ensure you get an accurate result

[WalnutBerry]

I had the test after eating wheat for a few days. Negative. Results took three months as they had to culture it in a lab.

I find a small amount is tolerable such as a slice of toast a couple of times a week. Sometime you have to weigh up what you love, I do love pizza so I will have one (usually sourdough) now and then. A binge is sure to result in all the bleurgh symptoms etc., for me anyway. The low FODMAP diet works really well at clearing up IBS.

There are some really nice gluten free pastas now.

[FluffyUnicornSocks]

Thanks for the replies.

I did a bit of googling and was concerned that you need to have wheat in your diet for quite a while before the test is done. I couldn’t find out how much tho. TBH that could be a deal breaker for me as I am now back to eating low carb.

I’m going to give the nurse a call for advice tomorrow and see if they suggest a test.

[Missillusioned]

I would visit the doctor to eliminate coeliac disease. You will need to eat gluten for a while before having a blood test or the antibodies won't show up.

If you do have coeliac disease you will need to do more than just cut out wheat, so it's worth finding out

[NanTheWiser]

Definitely sounds like wheat intolerance. I eat low carb too, mainly because anything high carb, especially wheat products, make me feel the same as you. There is some evidence that it's the fructans in wheat that cause this. However, I don't think a GP visit will help, as there's not much that can be done, apart from cutting it from your diet.