donwake

Celiac Disease does not make one immuno-compromised. It's just the opposite. We have an overactive immune system.

To the OP....if your doctor thinks you may be gluten intolerant, are you following the gluten-free diet also? Will that be something you stay with? I am happy you found a solution to your symptoms and hope you feel better and stay that way soon!

Thanks for the clarification: Celiac is auto-immune but not immune-compromising, good to know. I hate to spread misinformation by using the wrong terms.

I have been following a gluten-free diet for a couple weeks now, and my "movements" and facial flushing have been better than they've been in years.

I have no clue whether I definitely have a gluten allergy/intolerance, but I plan to stick with the diet because I feel better on it.

I may have something else going on too, but the doctors haven't pin-pointed anything. I really sympathize with the doctors because diagnoses are so hard with multiple things going on.

Plus I realized I am terrible at describing my symptoms. I had two different kinds of pain in my abdomen, neither of which were paricularly sharp, but I could describe them no better than "cramping" and "related to breathing" (both way too vague).

Hmmm, perhaps being celiac would count as being immunocompromised???

Yes I agree Celiac would definitely count, although I should have been more explicit, the endoscopy and biopsy showed no evidence of Celiac for me. The doctors ran a bunch of blood panels for auto-immune diseases such as Celiac, but they're still straining their brains to figure out what, if anything, was the underlying cause of the CMV infection.

I am simply counting myself very fortunate at my recovery. Believe it or not, I made it home literally just in time to see my 11-month-old daughter (our first) take some stabs at her first unsupported steps (inevitably followed by face-plant after face-plant into the mat, lol).

Wow, you are the only other adult I have "met" who had CMV!

I got it about ten years ago, in my 40s, and learned as you did that it's very rare in adults who are not immune-compromised. (Apparently most U.S. people get it without symptoms when they are little kids in preschool or kindergarten.)

I too, was tested for everything under the sun (except celiac, funny) before my doc figured it out. I also had the high liver enzymes — so much so that they thought I had hepatitis!

I did not know, though, that CMV affects the small intestines like that. Funny, I was diagnosed back then by an expert infectious disease specialist, who is the same one who diagnosed my gluten intolerance this year.

You make a good point, too... I think these days I tend to think every symptom anybody has points to celiac, when of course there is a world of diseases out there. Glad yours had a fairly swift resolution.

Hi Gatita,

Your experience sounds just like mine, I'm also in my 40s. The ER docs thought I had acute hepatitis for sure. I'm glad you recovered well.

It's strangely comforting to hear about others with shared illness experiences. Thanks for your comments.

Good luck to everyone trying to figure out!