I got diagnosed with Lactose and Fructose intolerance at the start of this year and its been tough. Am not completely intolerant but should only eat it in small amounts. Its been so hard to try and change my diet and yet am still struggling with it.

Am starting to wonder if the underlining cause could be Gluten Intolerance? I had a swab taken from the Endoscope and they said it was clear that I was NOT Gluten Intolerant. But they could be wrong.

IBS is not a viable diagnoses, it just means that the doctors don’t know what's wrong with you. Therefore it most certainly an underlying issue that is the problem i.e. Lactose intolerant etc.

I just tried calling my dr. to make an appointment to get tested for both gluten intolerance and a problem with too much yeast in my system, but the office is closed until Friday. Grrr. I hate that. I don't understand why family doctors can't hold regular working hours like most people.

Anyways... I'm going on a no/low-carb diet (or I'm going to try to, at least) and see if that helps the foggy-head feeling. Hopefully it will at least help me lose a few kilos.

Thanks again for all the great advice on here. Will post again if I get tested and it shows that I am, in fact, gluten intolerant or have a problem with the yeast -- in case anyone else has experienced symptoms similar to mine and wonders what it is.

So if I start making unusually bitchy posts on the EF and/or seem out of character, blame on the lack of carbs.

Interesting. When I had my upper endoscopy done 2 months ago, the dr. said he took a couple biopsies, which showed nothing. I'm curious now, if one of the things he checked for was gluten intolerance...

The test shows that you are not coeliac. That doesn't mean that you are not gluten intolerant.

There is no test for non-coeliac gluten intolerance. The easiest way to confirm whether you have a problem is to eliminate ALL sources of gluten from your diet for a month and see if you feel better.

You could then introduce it and see what happens.

(This works better if you have a partner who introduces a placebo after a month and the real thing after another month (or the other way around).

Do certianly go back or call the doctor to check what he checked for. Sometimes they seem to miss things, they deal with lots fo people and at times dont pay attention to everything (just like me at times at work)..so please do double check.

I also had done a allergy test for all sorts, and it showed that i was allergic to Rye..maybe i should actually find out what products contain Rye that am eating!

People way way back in the days never used to have such issues, but these man made substances and food seems to be causing more and more problems for people. The Digestive system is like a 2nd brain, if its not healthy then many other issues occur i.e. back/joint pain, foggy head etc...a vast amount of issue exist due to digestive issues. We as humans put anything into our mouths and eat it..but we just dont know the real affects of what these things do to our bodies.

A few hundred years ago, the wealthy ate refined flour and sugar. They were obese and their teeth were rotten, that is why they carried handkerchiefs; to cover there mouths. The poor people had the healthier diets.

Its amazing how we feel we need to eat or drink certain things, most of which are not good for us. If it is not good for us then don't consume it. It is amazing how we look for solutions such as pill etc so that we can consumesomething tat is really not good for us

I have been suffering from digestive issues for the last few months, been to the doctors but they've not been mega helpful. I am now thinking of eliminating Gluten and Lactose (separately) to see if either is responsible.

Firstly, how long would i need to do this for to see an effect?

Second, where can Gluten be hidden? Obviously bread, pasta, cakes, cereal etc, but what about sauces and drinks and so forth? Sounds like a nightmare.

3-4 weeks would be a good start although you have to be careful as eliminating one thing may actually cause you to eliminate other things that may actually be the cause of your discomfort.

For example some people may feel better and/or lose weight when they stop eating gluten simply because they're avoiding donuts, cookies, cakes,pastries, pies etc and not because they've stopped eating pasta.

Beer, most soy sauces etc, corn flakes etc etc etc.

If you're serious about trying to find out what's wrong by doing an elimination diet - you really ought to avoid eating out and don't buy packets of sauce or anything else unless you are sure there is not gluten.

Even food that does not naturally contain gluten can be adulterated during processing.

You can get things like certified free porridge from the Reformhaus as the porridge at Migros/Co-op is likely to contain gluten.

Just keep it simple - fruit, veg, salad, porridge, fish, meat, potatoes and rice and you'll be fine.

...and polenta. It can really substitute bread for quite a few dishes....but well, probably not many people are familiarised with this golden goody.

But not beans on toast.

Ha ha, yes...but I think I'm able to eat it even in that combination ....

I love polenta. Need to locate some gluten free pasta.

It's things like gravy, bouillon etc that will be a pain I reckon.

I'm quite surprised at the recent surge in people saying they are gluten intolerant.... A new reaction, not diagnosed before, somatic symptoms, or a fashion fad ?

Perhaps not as simple as some are suggesting here, and worth consulting the medical info provided by your home-country (or other country) associations for better understanding than Google translating will provide

Eg
https://www.coeliac.org.uk/
http://www.coeliac.org.au/

1. In particular, coeliac disease is serious and warrants proper diagnosis, with a blood test done *while still eating lots of gluten* (and usually a biopsy). False negatives from the blood test are often attributable to people who have stopped eating it ahead of the test.

2. Non-coeliac gluten intolerance is different to coeliac disease, and may not always warrant the same extreme avoidance of gluten depending on severity (e.g. a bit in a sauce might be OK).

3. Allergies to gluten (or wheat, or some specific thing) is different again.

4. Low carb (low GI) isn't the same thing as any of the above e.g. white rice, mashed potato, sugary sweets and drinks don't contain gluten, but are high GI.

5. Completely unrelated causes can mimic the symptoms.
Young friends with symptoms that looked a lot like gluten and lactose problems turned out to have a gut parasite which thrived on gluten and lactose. With the parasite now eliminated, they no longer have any issues with gluten or lactose containing foods.

Just don't have them - it's only for a few weeks.

Co-op sells gluten-free pasta.



I ought to add a caveat: If you do find gluten is the problem then you need to go back on it for a few weeks before bothering a doctor to get tested for coeliac disease (which is serious).

Same as above, I would not advise going gluten-free without seeing the doctor first. They can do a blood test to screen for coeliac, check you don't have helicobacter, and a few other things.

If you are earing a gluten-free diet before you see the doctor, the screening tests don't work...

Going life-long gluten-free is a major effort... Eating gluten for someone with coealic increases their chances of osteoporosis and serious bowel problems down the track, besides being generally unwell for their lifespan...

Coop has gluten free gravy powder as well as bouillon. Look for the freefrom brand. Gravies in Restaurants you are better off avoiding though.
If you use the Schär brand bread from Coop, you can even have your beans on toast Both Coop and Micros carry gluten free pasta and cornflakes.

Maybe...

Coeliac disease is a medical condition. It is diagnosed by blood test and endoscopy with small-bowel biopsy. When my son was diagnosed at age 5, he was extremely unwell. Like a kid you see on the 'famine' TV type commercials for World Vision etc.

What has changed is the ability to diagnose it, as well as the availability and advertising of gluten-free foods. There is also a possibility of diagnosing with a genetic test.

Apart from that, there are also people who do not test positive for Coeliac (or have not been tested) who may or may not have an intolerance / allergy / reaction to wheat which may or may not be able to be tested for.

A significant proportion of people who were 'diagnosed' with 'irritable bowel disease' may well have Coeliac, or other illnesses.

It is also possible to test people easily these days for Helicobacter Pylori ("H. Pylori") which we now know is linked to stomach ulcers and some forms of stomach cancers. This is relatively new knowledge and treatment entails some quite heavy antibiotics etc but is quite effective.

I am a rational science sort of person. I don't like food fads and I don't like the assumption that because something is 'alternative' it must be either 'good for us' or alternatively 'quackery'.

My son was diagnosed by a Paediatric Gastroenterologist...ordinary medical science diagnosing a very ordinary sort of medical problem that has been able to be diagnosed for a significant period of time.

The down-side is that the endoscopy does usually mean a general anaesthetic for small children, something with we would normally prefer to avoid if possible due to the other risks...but for us it was straightforward (albeit stressful) with no complications and a much healthier child afterwards..

Not sure why anyone would want to be Gluten Intolerant. What a pain in the arse. I quite like bread and cakes etc. I'd rather have a dairy intolerance if I had to choose But I'm sick of being bloated and in pain so willing to cut it out for a bit and see if it helps.