Do I Have Gluten Allergy?

[Fireflash]

I'm a 17 year old male with no family history of celiac/gluten allergy.

But i do show the following symptoms:-

 

Poop floats in water (always has, always does and is sticky)

smelly farts and stool

I'm quite underweight (185cms, 64 kgs, 18.7 bmi) My weight never ever increases (7% bodyfat constant), but it does not decrease either

Thin hair with itchy scalp (diagnosed with seborrhoeic dermatitis), only scalp is itchy.

Anxiety, stress and depression (although this could be because i have important exams coming)

I get hungry soon after eating (food goes through my system very fast, i go stool twice a day)

Insomnia (takes 1-2 hrs to fall asleep, but this could be due to exam stress and because i sleep for some time during day after eating)

 

 

But i do not have a bloated abdomen (never had it)

no brain fog

I'm quite energetic

No diarrhoea

no stunted growth (height and bone strength wise)

 

Could i possibly be allergic to gluten? what scares me is i can't put on weight no matter how hard i try and my stool is stinky and floats always (it does show normal shape most of the time though) plus im quite flatulant (lactose intolerance maybe? but i dont feel bad after having dairy).

 

I eat pretty much what is available, no diet, no restrictions. I have eaten pretty much everything without showing other symptoms (except those shown above). I eat fruits, milk, veggies and yet my hair falls out and i can't put on weight.

I plan to go visit the doctor after my exams (1 month away)

I appreciate any info/advice, thanks for reading.

 

[GF Lover]

Hi FireFlash and Welcome to the Forum.

 

I would advise you have your Thyroid tested when you see your Doctor.  Then mention the symptoms to him.  I would also drop dairy for awhile to see if that helps.  

 

Colleen

[nvsmom]

What you describe could be celiac disease (an autoimmune disease - not actually an allergy) or non-celiac gluten intolerance (NCGI). There are numerous tests for celiac disease but none for NCGI yet except a positive response to the gluten-free diet. To accurately for celiac disease you will need to be consuming gluten in the two months prior to testing, so don't try the gluten-free diet yet.

 

I think you might as well see the doctor as soon as possible and arrange blood tests. All that can take weeks to months so you might as well get the ball rolling. It's only an extra hour or two out of your life, and I bet you can spare that by skipping an evening tv show or cut short a telephone call with friends. It might be worth it if it means feeling better by spring time rather than waiting until summer - healing is often a slow process. KWIM?

 

The celiac disease blood tests to request are:

tTG IgA and tTG IgG

EMA IgA

DGP IgA and DGP IgG

total serum IgA (control test)

AGA IgA and AGA IgG (older and less reliable tests)

 

There is also the endoscopic biopsy to look for intestinal villi damage.  Those with dermatitis herpetiformis (crazy itchy celiac disease rash) can also be disgnosed if the area beside the rash is biopsied.

 

This report has more info on diagnosing celiac disease from pages 8-12: Open Original Shared Link

 

I agree with dropping dairy. About half of all celiacs are lactose intolerant (lactase is made where our damage villi are) so removing dairy might help alleviate some symptoms.

 

Good luck!

[GFinDC]

Hi Fireflash,

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

You  got some good advice already.  Don't stop eating gluten (wheat, rye, barley) until the testing is done.  If you do the tests won't work.  The antibodie tests are used to detect antibodies to gliaden a wheat protein) in the blood.  When you stop eating gluten the antibodies decline so the tests are useless.

 

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, which means the bodies immune system attacks the body.  Usually with IgA, IgG type antibodie cells.  Allergies (which you might also have) are also an immune response, but they are caused by IgE antibodie cells.

 

You may not have bloating and pain now, but symptoms tend to get worse as people are sick longer.  Plus other symptoms can develop in may parts of the body due to mal-absorption of nutrients.  The body can't heal and maintain itself correctly without the right vitamins being absorbed.  With celiac disease your body is basically starving for nutrients while you are eating plenty of food.

 

I don't know where you are located, but it might be good to search for a celiac support group in your area.  They could probably suggest a good celiac disease aware doctor to go to.  Not all doctors are aware of the right tests to do and how to help celiac patients.  You should also ask for your vitamin and mineral levels to be tested.

 

By the way, some people have no symptoms but still have celiac disease.  That is called silent celiac.  So it is a tricky condition to diagnose because the range of symptoms is so varied.

 

Helpful threads:

FAQ Celiac com
https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/forum-7/announcement-3-frequently-asked-questions-about-celiac-disease/

Newbie Info 101
https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/91878-newbie-info-101/