soo confused...

So I've been having stomach problems for the last 5 or so years.  I've had 3 colonoscopies & 2 endoscopies.  About 4 years ago, they found stomach ulcers.  I was put on antibiotics and also told I have IBS.  My symptoms subsided for the most part.  I also discovered I was lactose intolerant and gave up dairy.  

About 2 years ago, I started having more severe problems.  I lost my appetite, had severe diarrhea, abdominal pain.  I got many tests done and again nothing was found.  I was told I have IBS.  I had blood tests for celiac as well as the biospies.

A few months ago, I had another colonoscopy & endoscopy after several months of symptoms.  I really started to think I had celiac but everything came back negative.  Problem is, I'm still having symptoms.  My main symptom is excessive gas.  It is very foul smelling.  I was eating cereal and oatmeal (a lot, everyday) and noticed that the gas gets worse when I eat these foods.  I have cut them out but I'm still eating other foods containing gluten and wheat.  I sometimes get bloated and stomach pain but my main complain is the gas.  It is seriously un-livable (if that's a word).  It is affecting my life.  Is it possible to be intolerant (but not allergic) to gluten or even wheat??  I know for a fact eating cereal and oatmea makes it worse.  Maybe it is an intolerance to complex carbohydrates??  

What can I do to find out what food/group of foods are causing this?  Is there an allergy test I could get or some other sort of test?  I would LOVE to find out what food(s) are causing this awful gas.  Thanks for any help!!!  

[GoingToMakeIt]

The easiest thing is to quit all gluten. (wheat rye barley and oats, unless they are certified gluten free) This is a good test to see if you get any better. Then go from there.

[CaseyMae]

thank you for your response.  i started a gluten free diet yesterday.  we'll see how it goes!

[Beeker6]

I hope the gf diet works for you!  It took me 12 years to find out that I couldn't eat gluten!  I hope you feel better really fast.  Keep us updated!

[Soonerman]

If you are concerned that it could be another problem food, besides gluten or in addition to gluten, you could try an elimination and reintroduction diet.  An easy to follow and complete one that I found is the UltraSimple Diet, it is a short book with easy reading.  I am sure there are others out there, or just go on the web for an outline of what to eliminate and for how long and how to reintroduce.  The ultrasimple diet worked wonders for me and gave simple steps to follow for one week and helping eliminate the toxins in your body and resetting it and then slowly and correctly re-introduce foods one at a time to monitor for a response/reaction.  I know that sounds like a testimonial or infomercial for this book, but I just know how great it worked for me; there may be another book/website that is easier for you to follow.  

As they said above if you are pretty sure gluten is the problem, then just eliminate it completely for a few weeks and see how things go.  Let us know how things go and if you have any questions.

[CaseyMae]

thank you all for your replies......

i'm happy to say that IT HAS WORKED!!!  while i've only been gluten free for 3 days, i can honestly say almost all my symptoms have gone away!  i am sooooo excited right now; i feel like i can have my life back!  i'm sure you all have felt the same way when you figured out that gluten was causing your problems.  THANK YOU ALL :)  i'm really hoping i continue to feel this good.  despite my negative biopsies, not eating gluten seriously has made such a huge difference in a small amount of time.  if this is what it takes to feel happy and normal and fully digested, then sign me up! haha.