HELP! - Why can't I digest poultry, such as chicken and turkey? Oddly
enough, eggs were never a problem until yesterday. Once eaten, the
meat will remain in my stomach for many days while I suffer with food
poisoning like symptoms. In nearly all cases, I have to forcibly
remove the meat from my stomach (yea...I know, a little gross) in
order to "cure myself". Even chicken that was eaten three days ago
comes up in the same state it was in when eaten. Yuk!! I found some
info that may indicate that this could be related to those allergic to
gluten, often called "Celiac's Disease". Thoughts?

yamaha1234...

Please read the Important Disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

Celiac's Disease, from what I've found, can certainly cause a
problem with digestion in general, due to the negative effect
of gluten on the small intestine. What you are describing 
sounds like the food is remaining in the stomach (allowing you
to 'forcibly remove' it 3 days later). This implies that the 
food has not yet made the journey to the small intestine. 
This would seem to indicate a lack of peristalsis - the 
rhythmic movement of the digestive tract which moves the 
food along from the stomach to the intestines. You note 
that the food is in the same state as when it was eaten.
This would seem to indicate a lack of acid in the stomach,
which would not seem to be related to Celiac's Disease.

I would very strongly recommend an immediate visit to a
doctor qualified to evaluate your condition with testing
and questioning - perhaps a specialist in internal medicine.

sublime1-ga

It is very unlikely that coelaic (or celiac by US spelling) disease,
also called gluten sensitive enteropathy or celiac sprue, is
associated with your inability to digest white meat. Coeliac disease
is an intolerance to the cereals wheat, rye and barley (possibly
oats). The intolerance manifests as a chronic immune response
(inflammation) in the gut, specifically in the small intestine. The
finger-like protrusions that give the gut a large surface area to
absorb nutrients are lost, and the disease can be easily diagnosed
through blood tests and biopsy from the small intestine. The symptoms
are sometimes vague and very varied - especially in adults. However,
inability to digest white meat is not one of the standard accepted
critera for considering this disease. I also strong suggest that you
contact your primary physician soon and arrange to be examined by a
gastroenterologist (a specialist in dsorders of the gut).

Bear in mind, however, that with a population frequency of 1:250 (even
in the US --relatively new data), coeliac disease is quite common.
Most patients are undiagnosed. So, you may have coeliac disease even
though it's not causally associated with your meat intolerance. That
said, if you don't have any other symptoms, you should ask yourself
whether it's worth finding out...

See www.celiac.com for more info. Good luck!

I am a memeber of the Canadian Celiac Association.  It doesn't sound
like you suffer from Celiac.  Celaics get symptoms after anything
containing gluten, where as fresh white meats do not.  Sound like you
may simply have a food allergy to it.  My suggested would be to see
your doctor and get a referral to an allergist, or go to a Naturopath
and have muscle testing done.

Regards,
Kristine L

I too have a problem digesting chicken.  I will always go through a 1-
3 day period feeling lousy with a lot of belching, and am unable to
sleep.  I get the same problem when I have something containing soy
protein.  I have seen a few doctors (before I had isolated it to these
specific food items), they could not find anything wrong with me.  I
was not tested for any food allergies at that time.  The doctor felt
it was too time consuming.  After all the many doctors & tests with no
answers, I have been reluctant to go see a doctor since.  I have been
using HCL (Acid supplements) that can be purchase off the shelve.  I
use it when ever I eat the wrong food.  It reduces the recovery period
a great deal.  I take 1 pill about every 10 minutes until I feel the
food gone out of my stomach.  The soy protein is nasty because it is
in many types of bread.