Possible Celiac? Questions To Ask Doctor.

[Jessi81 0]

Hi, I'm Jessi and new here and just kind of stumbled across the fact that I might be celiac.  I miscarried for my third time last Friday (had 2 miscarriages, 1 healthy now 2 year old with Clomid, and then got pregnant after my cycle returned after doing a whole 30/gluten-free diet for a month but went back to eating normally after the month) and have an upcoming appointment with my OB/GYN's office this coming Friday to talk about possible testing.  She mentioned clotting disorders but that really doesn't fit me or my family history that well.  I got the gluten free bible a few weeks ago in a lot of books that I just kind of threw in because I know I have wheat sensitivities that give me migraines and I should probably try to avoid wheat but I've ignored it for the most part because I'd rather have my wheat and deal with a migraines once in a while... ha.  Well, I was flipping through the book on Saturday, right after I miscarried, and noticed it said that those with untreated celiac disease have a 50% chance of miscarriage.  I was ready to purge the house right then and there.  I got on the internet and started googling symptoms, and found that you have to still be eating gluten when you're tested so haven't purged the house yet.  I'm making a list of symptoms to bring into the doctor and I'll list them here, but what questions do I need to ask her, what blood draws do I need to request?  Do I need to wait for an endoscopy if I get multiple positive blood tests?  Does the house need to be gluten free, I've seen people who threw out their blender/pots and pans/etc.? If so, how do I convince my husband?

 

Gas-yeah, even my parents teased me about this as a kid.

Chronic constipation-again, since I was a kid.

Steatorrhea-I'm confused on what actually qualifies this one... if it is just poop that floats, yes.

Tingling in hands or feet-sometimes.

Delayed puberty-I didn't hit puberty until 16ish.

Migraine headaches-since I was 21.

Infertility-I have irregular periods, get pregnant when I *do* ovulate but that is only a few times a year it seems.

Miscarriages-three, 10 weeks, 5 weeks, almost 11 weeks.

Depression-I don't think this is extreme but I have had some depression at different times in my life, but it has been around difficult things in life too (abuse, miscarriages, marital problems, etc.)

Dermatitis herpetiformis-again, I am not positive on this one but when I read some descriptions of it it could definitely be a mild form of it.  I get small hard, blister-like, bumps on my knuckles/fingers that itch like crazy!! They went away on their own after a couple of months... then a year later I got it again.  Sadly, they just went away.  More sadly, I had it last time I went to the doctor and didn't mention it because well most doctors don't know what most rashes are and I knew it went away on its own last time but it would have been nice for her to have seen them a few months ago even if she didn't know what they were so when I mentioned it this time she could have looked it up.  Duh.

Hypothyroidisim-I had postpartum thyroiditis after the birth of my 2 year old, it cleared up around October of last year when she was about 17 months.

Late menarche-Do they mean I didn't get mine until 16 or my cycles are longer like 35+ days versus the normal 28 to 30?

Easy bruising-somewhat and my gums bleed if I don't have dark green leafy vegetables on a fairly frequent basis, vitamin K deficiency?

ADHD-Again, never diagnosed but it seems to run in my family.  I'm someone who goes to sleep easier after drinking a mountain dew...

Voracious appetite-uh, yeah. I work a desk job and out eat my construction working husband every time while staying a healthy weight, except when pregnant it amps up more and I gain a lot of weight.

Insomnia-had problems since I was a teen.  Melatonin is my new friend.

Stomach rumbling-Again, people have made comments on how loud my stomach is...

Blacking out-I didn't see this on any official list of symptoms but several stories on here.  I've been losing my vision/blacking out off and on since I was 10.  It is worse when I'm stressed emotionally or physically.  I was also told by doctors that they couldn't find anything wrong and I just stood up too quick.  I've had a ton of cardio and pulmonary tests done and everything came back fine. 

 

Okay, I think that is it.  Thank you all for being such a great resource!

[kareng 2,274]

I'm sorry about the miscarriages.  That is horrible.

 

You might want to take a few easy to read things to your doctor.  Make sure they are from reliable sources (and that prints) like a medical facility.  Maybe highlight the part about miscarriages.

 

http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/archives/faq/who-should-be-tested-for-celiac-disease

 

 

http://celiac.nih.gov/ReproductiveProblems.aspx

[nvsmom 334]

Welcome to the board.

 

Those symptoms could be celiac disease... and I'm very sorry for your losses. I would say that it is worth it for you to request celiac testing. This report has a LOT of info and lists the full celiac panel on page 12:

http://www.worldgastroenterology.org/assets/export/userfiles/2012_Celiac%20Disease_long_FINAL.pdf

 

I would hazard to guess that you might still be hypothyroid. Many of your symptoms point that way, I actually think almost all of your symptoms could be attributed to hypothyroidism too.  Have you had it checked recently? 

 

I have hypothyroidism and I have found that I still have ALL my symptoms when my TSH is firmly in the normal range (ie. a TSH of 2.5 when the normal reference range for my lab is 0.2-6.0).  People with hypothyroidism often do not feel their best even if they are in the lab's "normal" range, possibly because those ranges are for 95% of the population yet 10% of the population is thought to have hypothyroidism - that means that about half of all hypothyroid cases fall within normal ranges.

 

Anyway, some tests for the thyroid are:

TSH - should be near a 1

Free T4 and Free T3 - should be in the 50-75% range of your lab's normal reference range

TPO Ab - should be very low

 

I hope you feel better soon.

[Jessi81 0]

Thank you both for the links.

 

I had a TSH, Free T3 and T4 drawn a month before I got pregnant and everything was normal.  I was feeling hyperthyroid on 50 mcg of Synthroid and I went off of it for a few months before that last blood draw.  So, I'm pretty sure it has normalized or is very mild if at all.  I'm not sure what the Free T3 or T4 were, I didn't ask.  I'm not sure if they did the TPO Ab or not.  I'll try to remember to get a copy of the labs when I go in.  The TSH was 1.3 because I did ask what that was and I believe range for the lab was 0.45 to 4.5.  Hypothyroidism does run in my family though.  My mom and sister are both on long-term medication for it.