Trying To Determine If I Have Celiac?

[eckert177]

Hello everyone. I have been lurking around this newsgroup for awhile

now. I finally have the courage to post and ask some questions. I am a 22

year old male. 5'6 138lbs. I have basically been this weight since I was

about 17 years old. About 3 years ago I started feeling stomach

discomfort.What I mean by that, is that everyone morning if I awake early I

get the runs. Or basically the pain of diahriaa. I have come to accept this

happening every morning. Not liquidly but soft. (I apologize for the terms

but you all are probably used to it:) At night time when I lay down and

through out the day my stomach just feels like there's always a knot in it.

During the day it growls even when I'm not hungry. It makes weird noises the

worst at night when I lay down. Its come to the point where I need some

background noise on in the background cause its embarrassing. It just seems

like its basically an overactive stomach.

But its effecting my life. I try to stay away from quiet rooms with

allot of people. The worst is the fact that in the morning my stomach is the

most discomforting. It feels like a knot and I'm not hungry for about an

hour or 2 after I wake up. So if I have to head to a meeting or class my

stomach is the worst then. I hope I have explained this well. I appreciate

all the feedback and know someone out there can recommend what to do. I know

I should head to the doctors. But what type of doctor and I feel more

comfortable going to one after getting feedback from everyone. Or if anyone

has had this in the past and know of little remedies. Thanks you all very

much. And God Bless.

Jim:)

[Guest jhmom]

Hi Jim and welcome!

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about from the morning runs to the burbling intestines!!! I have not found anything to stop either of these symptoms.

I have been gluten-free since last Sept and however I have seen some improvement I am not 100% better but at least the abdominal pain is gone. In my case there may be overlapping problems, the doctor is still trying to figure it all out but I suggest you try elimitating dairy and or other possible culprits, that is what I plan to do too.

Good luck to you and God Bless

[plantime]

Whenever I have an accident, my stomach gurgles so loud it can be heard over my teens' music. I can also feel whatever it was I ate as it passes each stage of my intestines. It feels like a jagged ball as it goes, and sometimes my abdomen is red and swollen where it is at. Try going gluten-free, see if it makes a difference to your body. The worst that can happen, is that you will have restricted your diet unnecessarily for 4-6 weeks. The morning runs is probably because you have not gone all night, and everything has slid through at once. The place to start is with your regular doctor. If you don't get answers there, then start looking for another doctor. My regular doctor is sending me to an allergist, and I am hoping the allergist will order the blood panels I want. I do hope you get better soon!

[travelthomas]

Hi Jim,

I went through the same situation in college. It was quite embarrassing.

I found out that I have celiac disease by living outside of the U.S. Every time I came back here, and went on a gluten filled diet, I got really sick. It was a no brainer for me to eliminate gluten from my diet.

You might give an Asian type diet a try to see what happens (or move to Thailand). Just stay away from the instant rice (it makes me sick), and frozen chicken (the chicken broth has gluten in it).

Good luck.

[Guest aramgard]

Jim, Thomas is right. It doesn't really take a doctor to diagnose us. Before I was diagnosed you could hear me over the TV or radio or grandchildren clear to the other side of the house. I visited doctors many times during the 53 years it took them to diagnose me and I was only diagnosed because I had seen someone on TV talking about Celiac and specifically requested the testing. The doctors reply was "Oh that couldn't be the problem". But he called and appologized after the results came back. Nighttime had slowly became hellish, with pain, bloating, cramping and then the constant diarrhea. It takes several months, usually, to feel better on a gluten free diet, but it is really worth the effort. I've been gluten free for three years and have only had the cramping and diarrhea once in the past year and that was because I forgot to read a label. If you need help with the diet, just tell us, we are all experts with this diet. It does become easier after a few months. Don't give up hope, just try the diet for a few months and see the difference. Shirley