porkchop60c

Hi, Im looking to get tested from enterolab to see if I have celiac or gluten sensitivities. I was wondering if anyone can give me any insight. Been suffering for years, and have had no luck with doctors in the past because they thought I was making all my symptoms up. A friend that has celiac mentioned it to me years ago, but I thought you only had gastro problems, which I did have as kid-very badly. But now, my whole body is really sick, as you all know how that goes, and after doing much reading up on it- I swear I've finally found out what it is. Not to mention, my friend was right! I just want to have conformation for myself before I go gluten free. I also am going to try talking to my new doctor to see if he can run some blood tests. BUT, will be getting tested by enterolab first. That way, I can show him my results-proof. Im desperate to figure this out, as I cannot stand being sick any longer. I am only 24, and have been suffering my whole life. "Trying" to keep this short, sorry. So I'll spare all the symptoms, but what tests should I order? Anyone else used enterolab before?
Thank you very much in advance!

My daughters and I have had lots of luck with entero lab and I believe they are accurate with results. Call and talk to Kathy and she will tell you what test to take(99 dollars and 3 weeks later you get results). The number is972-686-6869. She is great and will help you. If you can find a doctor that gets the celiac gluten thing that would be helpful. In the wheat belly book by William Davis it tells you what tests to get for celiac panel. Another place that could help you find doctors and good infor is a celiac support group in your area. I go to mine once a month and it is great to get support from others that understand what you are going through.

I was very sick 2 years ago and 2 years later I am on no meds just vitamins and have great energy. I had acid reflux, joint pain, stomach pain, brain fog, fatigue, rashes on hands, feet, knees/elbow, depression, and more. That is all gone. If I eat gluten by accident I get some of it back but then goes away in a few days. I am so grateful that I know about celiac. Otherwise I would be taking a drug for crohns disease right now because that is what the GI docs told me 2 years ago. I am so glad I did not take that awful drug. Start getting well by taking vitamins and eating well. It may take a while but it is all worth it. Good luck!!

I can't tell you which is better, never had either. I am going for allergy testing January 11. What about the skin test?

I think the skin test is IGE and does not test for delayed food problems which can be very bothersome and cause many problems.

I went to the eye doctor yesterday simply to get an exam for contact lenses so I can use my glasses as a back up. While examining me, we got on the subject of wheat and how I think I may have Celiac. He suggested hypothyroidism, which I tested negative for, and explained why many doctors use tests that just aren't good for diagnosing it. (I do have ALL of the symptoms for hypothyroidism...).

Anyway, as he was examining me, he did the light in my eyes thing to watch my pupils dilate, etc, and said that I had some issues with it (I forget what) and that is was a sign of adrenal fatigue. He asked if I had a lot of stress in my life (YES!!!) and then said adrenal fatigue can cause hypothyroidism.

After reading about it, I just wonder if there is a hypothyroidism/adrenal fatigue connection to Celiac or wheat intolerance? He said some things can cause intolerance to certain foods.

My symptoms:
- Migraines - moreso when I am under a lot of stress; especially in my eyes
- Dry, flaky skin and frizzy hair (it's straight and fine, but totally frizzed)
- Very sensitive to temperature; cannot tolerate cold at all
- Constipation unless I eat something very triggering - then painful, urgent diarrhea. When I have that kind of diarrhea, it makes my heart palpitate (so weird!) and drains my entire body. I feel so weak and lethargic the rest of the day. What is that? Usually the milk/wheat/fried oil combo makes me the sickest, the quickest
- Nervousness/Anxiety
- Depression at times/feeling low
- Brain fog. Like I am lost and confused! Sometimes answering questions like, "What's your name?" can throw me.
- Really bad memory. Short term memory is bad - even remembering a phone number.
- General aching/fluish feeling
- Sick to my stomach in the mornings; can't eat anything first thing
- Pelvic pain - no idea if bladder, intestines, cervix (had partial hysterectomy due to endometriosis, but wonder now if the pain all along was actually this - same sensation)
- Fatigue! I notice after I eat something genuinely wheaty - like real bread, I feel extreme exhaustion for the next 24 hours. Like lay down and fall asleep - cannot keep my eyes open.
- Bloating. I'm always bloated!
- Weight gain. This boggles me. I have always been underweight and have gained steadily about 20 lbs and I don't know why. I can't seem to lose it regardless of dropping calories and exercise. Something is wrong.
- I double over in pain sometimes - it's not consistent or predictable. Like something is passing. I have wondered about an ulcer or something in my digestive tract. One place is my lower right quadrant, or lower left ... and the other is right below my rib cage on the right side. Sharp stabbing knives, burning in that one.
- I have weird hunger cues. I will eat a big plate of food and be STUFFED, then 20 minutes later my stomach is growling. I know I'm not hungry. So I have strange eating habits.

The most recent thing though is when I eat wheat - like a big portion of genuine wheat (bread, etc), that evening I feel this strange sensation in my muscles and bones. It feels like ... jittery, but not shaking as with caffeine. More like... being tickled from the inside. Not quite numb and tingling ... but something along that line. Like I need to just get up and seizure or something - shake wildly to satisfy it. What on earth is that??

I have had the gluten panel, but it came back negative. Like not even on the charts negative. But I had been gluten free for about 6-8 weeks at that point. The test made me doubt myself so now I keep changing my mind because I am uncertain.

Will an endoscopy/colonoscopy absolutely diagnose you? Or can that have false positives too? If this isn't wheat/gluten... what else is it?

I know that stress intensifies it (my reactions to wheat) about tenfold, if not more. Maybe that is my variable ... the level of intensity of symptoms. They are always there - it's just a matter of how much.

I am so tired of being bloated, fatigued, low energy and generally not feeling good. I wouldn't have known this wasn't normal except I went off wheat for three days and felt GOOD all day! It was insane. I have not had that feeling since though...

We eat 90% unprocessed, chemical free but have been slacking after life got really chaotic. Overall though, we stay away from packaged foods. I have had blood work in December from a endocrinologist and then blood work again in April from an internist. Both said I am absolutely normal. Everything looks great.

Thanks all!!! I appreciate your time and insight.

I would try and go gluten free for a while. You sound like you could be celiac and the tests are not always accurate. The true way is to go off of it 100 percent and if you feel better then you know. You might have other food problems and could have a elisa food test.When i did the blood test and stayed away from foods I was reacting to I feel so much better. If I am glutened by accident I cannot sleep, get dry mouth, gums hurt, and the next day I get some joint pain. It is well worth it to eat healthy and get off of gluten. No one should eat the poison. Dr. william Davis that wrote Wheat Belly is so awesome writing that book. If I were still eating gluten I would be on many different drugs and would be very sick right now. I feel great and am on no meds except synthroid for my thyroid. The doctors told me 2 years ago I had crohns disease and I am so grateful I did not listen to the doctor because he wanted me to go on Imuran for the rest of my life which is a horrible drug that can cause cancer. It was gluten that made me so sick all of my life and I feel so good now.I do not trust doctors like I use to. I truly believe that if we eat whole foods, exercise, do yoga or something that is relaxing, and have a good attitude, we will not get sick. Drugs are not the answer.

I agree with you Irish! However, I would add that as much as I respect Dr. Green for his medical knowledge of Celiac, he is an AMA doctor and I don't always agree with him 100% with regards to things like this. I also do not agree with his stance on endoscopies. He is adamant about having one for diagnositic and follow up reasons but I don't agree. Not everyone on the planet needs to be scoped. Doctors have become too reliant on them and now they won't even render a diagnosis and use their little brains to figure things out using the many other avenues available because they want to "see" damage to believe it. This is the mentality that keeps millions from obtaining a diagnosis and their suffering goes on.

I have been using a very high quality, expensive probiotic for 25 years now because a long time ago, when I was having horrific stomach problems, my doctor decided to do stool testing and discovered I had virtually no good bacteria in my gut, due to the then undiagnosed Celiac and other problems I had. I started using them and never stopped because I find that my plumbing works better with them included in my diet. As far as I am concerned, you can never have too much good bacteria in your gut! There is so much crap in our food, antibiotics are taken too frequently (for some) that I think it a good idea for those with stomach problems. If you are having trouble with them, then by all means stop but that should be investigated because good bacteria should not cause problems in your system.

As far as the age old stance of the AMA in that anything not blessed by the FDA and the AMA is dangerous and the ingredients cause for worry....bunch of horse pucky. If you use a good probiotic from a reputable company, that should be sufficient to not cause worry. The FDA constantly approves drugs that go on to kill some people or cause serious harm so the FDA needs a dopeslap...it's all about control for them and a piece of the money pie.

I agree with you. After 2 years of staying off of gluten and taking probiotics, my gut is healing. The doctor I got the probiotic infor has gluten intolerance himself. This is what he takes, so I trust him.It is by Ortho Molecular Products and is called Ortho Biotic. I have had food sensitivities and it is getting better. Once I am all healed up, I expect I will be able to eat many things again as long as I rotate my foods.

Thanks Porkchop, but, as I said in my post, I live in the UK, where maltodextrin always wheat-based, so I doubt think it's a corn issue.
I have been rotating my (very limited range of) foods as much as possible, but my dietician said there wasn't a way to test for food allergies :S ???
Thanks again for the advice.

Your dietician is wrong.You can be tested for food allergies or I should say delayed food sensitivities. It has saved me. You can be tested through Entero labs (stool sample)and that is IGA which is more digestive and that is how my daughter found out she was gluten intolerant. When you do the blood test it is IGG testing and helps you figure out foods that you might react to a few days after you eat them. Sometimes you just can't do it on your own even if you journal which I do everyday. You might need to ask a different dietician or see natureopathic doctor or chiropractor. Someone has to do this testing. Go on line and google it. Hope this helps.