Do I Have Celiacs? Or Is This A Bigger Issue?

[Linebackershortstop]

Hi girls and guys, I think I may have Celiacs; I'm not sure however, and I was hoping to receive some input from people who actually have this disease. First off I'm a guy and I'm only 19 years old, I hear it's rare for a man to have celiacs or gluten intolerance, so this kind of scares me. Anyhow, I have been on a gluten free diet for about 3-4 months, and needless to say I feel fantastic! My mind is sharper than ever, and I'm in a way better mood overall. I believe I developed a gluten sensitivity dating way back to junior year of high school (16 years old), and I didn't really begin adjusting my diet till mid-senior-year (Not gluten-free though). During my last 2 years of high school, I dealt with deep anxiety, depression, brain fog, inability to concentrate, tension headaches, bad moods, constipation (pooping only 1 or twice a week), bloating, fatigue, hypoglycemia,and weight gain. I barely communicated with friends, and my grades were ailing; I initially believed I was diabetic, or pre-diabetic as I heavily identified with hypoglycemic symptoms so I accustomed my diet to low carb (only 20 carbs per meal, 6 in total, eating every 2 hours), I gradually began to feel better as I cut out a lot of processed foods, I would occasionally have cheat meals and binges (eating a whole lot of pizza and burgers), on those cheat meals, I would feel like utter crap, and I only did it when I had no responsibilities for the next day, I would feel the effects of those cheat meals for the next week (I at the time believed it was a blood sugar issue, so I did not think a cheat meal on one day would constitute crappy feelings for a whole week). I started this pattern of dieting around this August of last year, and while I did feel better than I did in HS; I still wasn't quite up to par to my former self.

 

It was only until late March going into April of this year that I realized I may have a gluten sensitivity, as it was suggested to me by my cousin who is a nurse. So, I began eating more carbohydrates, and eating strictly on a gluten free diet! My typical food intake is Oatmeal, side of fruit, and eggs for breakfast; nuts and berries as a snack; brown rice, vegetables, and chicken for lunch; brown rice, vegetables and meat for dinner. Since doing this, I am smarter, wittier, stronger, and I go to the bathroom multiple times a day. It had been suggested to me that it's all in my head, but I highly doubt it; whenever I feel like crap I attribute to cross-contamination and I'm usually spot on with this (Case and point: carelessness at cracker barrel, ordered from their regular menu for eggs and ate them. Turns out they fluff their eggs with pancake batter. 1 hour later when I enter work, I feel lethargic, and dimwitted; I work in sales too so it was horrible.)

 

Anyhow, the only reason why I'm asking is because I'm nervous that this gluten sensitivity may be a sign of a bigger issue, also I've been worrying myself sick wondering how I developed this sensitivity (I think it may have been the combination of constantly skipping meals, and eating horribly as an adolescent). Also, there is more concern seeing how I tested my hormone levels about a month ago and my testosterone came back at 400 which is normal but rather low for a person of my age, I was wondering if gluten may have affected this. Anyhow guys, from all the information I have provided, do you believe that I have Celiacs? (I honestly hope it is, I just want an answer already, and I'm nervous to get tested only to find out that I don't have it which would lead to so many questions in my mind). Thanks in advance guys, I'm sorry for making such a long post, I just wanted to be thorough and paint a clear picture.

[SMRI]

It sounds possible that you have Celiac, but the issue now is you would have to start eating gluten to get tested to know for sure, for 6+ weeks.  Do you want to go that route?  If not, just accept you can't eat gluten and as long as you are feeling well, there is nothing to worry about.

[Linebackershortstop]

It sounds possible that you have Celiac, but the issue now is you would have to start eating gluten to get tested to know for sure, for 6+ weeks.  Do you want to go that route?  If not, just accept you can't eat gluten and as long as you are feeling well, there is nothing to worry about.

Hey, thanks for the reply. Would an endoscopy be better for my situation or would I have to consume gluten in order to find anything?

[SMRI]

Yes, you would have to consume gluten for both the lab work and the endoscope to be accurate, although, if you have enough damage in your intestines there is an off chance they may find it without eating gluten, but they might not even perform the test without you eating gluten.