I Don't Know Where To Go From Here.

[student314]

I was feeling so encouraged...I had been to my university health clinic twice for my digestive issues. I finally convinced them that it might have been more than anxiety, and they ruled out other things in blood work, and the only thing that came back was that my blood iron is low (no anemia yet though), my ferritin is 2 points from being low, and my B12 was 243 (the range was 180-1000, but I've read in many places elsewhere that the low range should be higher in labs and 243 doesn't exactly scream "definitely high enough" in that range anyway). 

 

I went to the doctor, had the gall to mention gluten, and she immediately said "Oh, you don't have celiac. WHO mentioned that to you?". Mind you, I am a COMPLETELY new patient and all she knows about me is that I've been having diarrhea problems. She blew the anxiety and racing heart after eating off. She said that the diarrhea persisting for 7 weeks definitely isn't because of anxiety like I had been told a couple weeks ago though--The only positive. She wants to test my stool for bacteria or parasites. I am so frustrated/discouraged/angry. I can't afford to keep going and seeing doctors like this. I've lost ten pounds in the last month and 15 since the beginning of the summer. NEVER EVER in my life have I been able to lose weight without trying.This doesn't seem to concern any doctor though. 

 

I just don't know what to do now. My symptoms seem to cycle around my menstrual cycle (my symptoms calm down for a week before my period but then once it starts, it's full go diarrhea, racing heart rate after eating, constant stomach pain for the next three weeks. So I've only had mild symptoms this past week. It's about to start though and I'm dreading the miserable three weeks I have ahead of me. I don't know if this was to just rant or what, but I would appreciate ANY advice. This definitely doesn't seem like something a 19 year old should be dealing with, right? I wonder sometimes if I'm trying to make something out of nothing.

 

 

[1desperateladysaved]

Those symptoms that you have, I would  have trouble blowing off!  I have done some of them and it wasn't fun.  It is possible that a parasite may be causing you trouble, so you may want to get the results of that testing and see what happens.  If that is negative, or the treatment doesn't solve the problem, I would look for a doctor that is willing to help you.  Perhaps you can get a consultation to see what their attitude and knowledge of celiac is like.  Sometimes people post their location on Celiac.com and see if anyone knows of a doctor in their area.

 

Best wishes and get diagnosed and well,

 

D

[Salax]

Dang girl you sound like me. I would recommend a food journal. And once your done testing, I would try an elimination diet. Have they tested your thyriod?

[student314]

The clinic at my university just tested my TSH. I've gone through that battle of getting fT3 and fT4 tested before with my doctor at home, and I didn't really feel like pushing it with the clinic here since I was already pushing to try to get tested for Celiac. That would have been a whole other war to have with them. The doctor I went to of course took one look at my TSH (it was 2.17) and said I was fine.

 

The icing on the cake with the doctor was when she looked at my iron level of 35 (minimum is 50) and said it was a normal occurrence for "a menstruating woman" and moved right on. The clinic at school at least had the decency to call me to tell me it was low and to take supplements.  To be honest, I don't even know how a doctor could sit there and listen to my symptoms and not want test for SOME kind of food intolerance either...