starrytrekchic

Yes, my exhaustion period didn't occur for a couple of months in, but I spent about a month pretty much unable to move.  It'll pass.  Might make sure you're not missing anything crucial in the vitamin/mineral department.

Wait, I'm confused...  Why did you suspect celiac at first?  Reactive hypoglycemia was one of the things that cleared up for me when I went gluten free--but the symptoms aren't like a glutening.  I'm curious what (all) your symptoms are that led you here.

The concussions could be causing the memory problem.  It's been a big deal in the world of college and pro football this past year how these minor concussions lead to brain damage and neurological problems later on in life, but by and large, they don't seem to occur at your age--it's more 40+ when the symptoms start occurring.  You might do a brief internet search on the buildup of concussions in sports, because the level of damage would be similar to yours (mild, multiple concussions) and it's been a hot topic recently.

That said, the memory problems are more likely from celiac.  It took me a year gluten free for my memory to start sorting itself out, and the 8 month-1year mark is when it was the worst.  It could be a diet thing--lack of carbs if you're not eating gluten free replacement breads, or it could be due to your low vitamin levels (lack of all three of those you listed can cause memory problems).

I have not had experience with obtaining insurance.  But, considering that Celiac Disease, in itself, does not require any medical intervention, *I* would not even mention it.

Nooo...you definitely have to mention it.  You have to declare anything that can cause health problems and death, and though celiac-caused lymphoma is rare, it does happen.  If the OP was to get celiac-caused lymphoma and hadn't told the agent about it, they could refuse to pay the insurance.

I'd go ahead and give the diet a try.  If your headaches and stomachaches are due to gluten, they should start clearing up in a few days (with lots of ups and downs--but slowly trending for the better over several months) assuming you follow the diet perfectly.  If you do have celiac, it might take a few months for you to start gaining weight, so I'd give it a 6 month trial.

Your ideal weight depends on a lot of things.  I'm the same height, 5'5", and my ideal weight is around 136.  But you have to take into account body build, muscle mass, chest size (for girls), whether you have narrow hips/shoulders or broad hips/shoulders, how fit you are, etc.  Pants sizes aren't a great indicator because they vary so much from manufacturer to manufacturer (and sometimes within manufacturers).

Really, it should be whatever you're comfortable with, makes you feel good, and is healthy.

Are you checking everything from a factory for cross-contamination?  Are you eating out?  Preparing gluten-containing foods for others?  Are you using replacement flours?  What about checking medication and supplements?

Can you post a list of the foods you eat on a regular basis?  Drinks too.

Stick with the diet!

A positive blood test indicates celiac.  Your immune system reaction may not be severe enough to have caused intestinal damage yet, or you might be a slow developer.  Additionally, the person who took the biopsy might not have biopsied the right spots (especially if your intestinal damage is intermittent) or may not have taken enough samples.

Keep in mind that celiac reactions aren't always immediate. You may have eaten something a day or more before the symptoms set in, and once your body starts reacting, it might feel like it's reacting to everything you eat for several days (or even up to a couple of weeks.)

I'm always hesitant to recommend someone remove more from their diet, especially so early on when you're still learning the diet.  Why don't you list everything you ate in the days leading up to getting sick again?  Someone might spot something.

I believe you can have the hives themselves biopsied to test for dermatitis herpetformitis.  That only occurs with celiac, so if it comes back positive, you'll have a celiac diagnosis.

That would be my first step.  My other would be to get copies of all your old test results, if you can.  Post them and one of the more knowledgeable posters might be able to help you decipher them.

Can you get a different doctor?  My understanding is that a few weeks on gluten isn't enough for an accurate bloodtest.  You'll almost certainly come up false negative.  The normal gluten challenge time is 6 weeks.

Your doctor shouldn't be asking this of you, at all.  You and your children aren't the same, and there is absolutely no reason you should be undergoing the test for them to get tested.

You may look into genetic testing, to see which, if any, of your kids have the same celiac-related genes as you.  You can get those without a doctor.  Otherwise, find a new doctor!

(To answer your actual question, I'd go with some wheat cereal--not fattening, but high in gluten.  But really, you need to put your foot down with the doctor and tell him to order the kids' test anyway.)

You're probably not healed enough to digest the gluten-free substitutes.  They can be hard on the digestive system (as can large amounts of dairy.)  I'd skip all the heavily processed stuff and go with a simple, easy to digest diet for a while, until your intestines have a chance to start healing.

Yes, there are different levels of intolerance.  Your first goal is to learn what all gluten hides in (and all the names it can go under) and get used to reading labels and making the main adjustments to gluten free life.  You'll also need to start checking things like vitamins, herbal supplements, and medicines--anything that goes through your stomach.

After that--you'll need to gradually work through the other steps, depending on if you remain sick.  Things like foods that might be cross-contaminated in factory, cross-contamination issues at home, gluten-containing toiletries and other stuff, that sort of thing.  You may not have to worry much about these.

No need to try to take it on all at once, especially with the holidays here.  One step at a time!

Hi!  We're actually kind of similar.  I was 29 last November when I found out about Celiac, after 11 years of stomach problems and a year of it getting steadily worse until it was a daily thing--and I'd been vegetarian since age 16.  The first few weeks are difficult, especially trying to learn everything (you will make mistakes, but that's expected.)

I've had no problems being veggie and on the gluten-free diet.  As far as I'm concerned, meat's just one less potential source of glutening that I have to worry about.  Don't worry about your teabags, either--that's a myth.  However, you will need to check your tea ingredients, including natural flavors.  I was glutened by some Tazo green ginger tea a few weeks ago, because I never thought to check it.

Keep reading, keep educating yourself, and you'll be fine.  As for Thanksgiving, try homemade mashed potatoes, a salad, pea salad, or dessert.  You may need to go easy on the gluten-free replacements foods (like non-wheat flour bread) until you've healed some.

You might have been glutened elsewhere, and it's just coincidence that it happened after visiting Panera.  I would give them another try.  I've eaten at the local Panera several times without incidence (they're one of only a couple of places around here that offer gluten free veggie food.)

Cross-contamination is an issue of course, especially if they make their bread in house (some don't.)

Make sure the tea was gluten free.  I don't know about Panera's specifically, but some teas aren't.  At any rate, don't let celiac socially isolate you.  I'd head right back to Panera for at least a second try.