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Why don't I ever feel good......... EVER.

All-Natural

By All-Natural
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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All-Natural Newbie
All-Natural
Posted

Im, not sure how all of this works of if this forum is for what I need but I'll give it a shot.  I've been diagnosed with celiac disease for over four years now.  Over these years I have struggled quite a bit but only recently I have been hit with CONSTANT fatigue, bloating, headaches, and I am always always tired.  Can anyone tell me possibly what the issue is.  I know whats wrong but I don't know much about it I guess.  I've been doing research online lately and what I am getting a lot of is that a gluten free diet is not the only thing that I need to be doing?  It is all confusing, I just cannot handle feeling like crap everyday for the rest of my life.  I used to be happy go lucky all of the time and I just want to get back to that state.  Keep in mind that I also "suffer" from a casein intolerance, or something, what ever it is my body doesn't like it.  (I don't know if that helps or not but I figured I would throw that out there.)  Im a first timer here so be gentle and I appreciate all the help I can get.  

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cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Welcome to the forum!  

Have you had any follow-up antibodies celiac testing?  You should first rule out any gluten sneaking into your diet before investigating other possible issues.  When intestinal villi damage occurs, it can prevent the necessary enzymes to digest foods easily (like lactose (milk sugars)).  So, many celiacs often have temporary or sometimes permanent intolerances to foods like soy, corn, lactose,etc.  It is also recommended that you eat a whole food diet and avoid processed foods and eating out as much as possible at least until you are feeling better.  

I think a visit to your GI is needed.  ?

lisas11lisa Apprentice
lisas11lisa
Posted

Welcome!!..We have been diagnosed about the same length of time..U sound alot like I did..Have u ever had your Ferritin level ckd??..It is ur iron stores..I am iron deficient anemic..and have to have periodic iron infusions..also..just had to have my gall bladder removed..it also can cause alot of trouble ..keep reading...I search everything I can..goodluck!!

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

I would make sure that you don't have a completely different medical issue.  Not everything is because of Celiac.

manasota Explorer
manasota
Posted

Perhaps keeping a food diary (writing down every single thing you ingest) might help?  It has helped me many times.  It has even helped me SIX YEARS after being diagnosed and going gluten free!!

Good luck!

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

I would start with the Newbie 101 page pinned to the top of the coping section here. You may well be getting cross-contamination. And yes, a food diary. And also yes, try to stick to whole foods.

If you must eat processed foods, try to stick to Kraft or Con Agra products because of their labeling policies, or to certified gluten-free foods.

And as Karen said, it might be something totally different so a follow-up with the doctor might be in order.

sunflower1860 Newbie
sunflower1860
Posted

I have at least 2 issues going on.   I found out I had celiac last fall.   But, when I had my gallbladder removed several years before some ducts were left in.  The bile just drips and drips causing diarrhea after eating.   I was given some medication for that and it's helped.  But yes, there are more things than celiac, more allergies, sensitivities and it's frustrating.  I wanted to feel better, like normal.  There are more of those days now, but still too many when I don't.   I think a diary is a great idea.  

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  • 1 month later...
DebbieAnnC Newbie
DebbieAnnC
Posted

For my daughter, we eliminated everything but meat, fish, veggies and fruits for two weeks. Then we slowly added in things about once every 5 days.  We found out she cannot tolerate corn! That means no corn syrup, which is in everything. Oats, even certified gluten free, are also an issue. Casein is an issue for a lot of people but not for her. She also was deficient in L-theanine, ferritin (makes you very tired), and zinc. L-theanine deficiency made her anxious. Maybe you could try an elimination diet and get tested for deficiencies.

 

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  • Recent Activity

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      - trents replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
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      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

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      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

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      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

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      Accuracy of testing concerns

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    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      So, essentially all of the nutrition in the food we eat is absorbed through the villous lining of the small bowel. This is the section of the intestinal track that is damaged by celiac disease. This villous lining is composed of billions of finger-like projections that create a huge amount of surface area for absorbing nutrients. For the celiac person, when gluten is consumed, it triggers an autoimmune reaction in this area which, of course, generates inflammation. The antibodies connected with this inflammation is what the celiac blood tests are designed to detect but this inflammation, over time, wears down the finger-like projections of the villous lining. Of course, when this proceeds for an extended period of time, greatly reduces the absorption efficiency of the villous lining and often results in many and various nutrient deficiency-related health issues. Classic examples would be osteoporosis and iron deficiency. But there are many more. Low D3 levels is a well-known celiac-caused nutritional deficiency. So is low B12. All the B vitamins in fact. Magnesium, zinc, etc.  Celiac disease can also cause liver inflammation. You mention elevated ALP levels. Elevated liver enzymes over a period of 13 years was what led to my celiac diagnosis. Within three months of going gluten free my liver enzymes normalized. I had elevated AST and ALT. The development of sensitivities to other food proteins is very common in the celiac population. Most common cross reactive foods are dairy and oats but eggs, soy and corn are also relatively common offenders. Lactose intolerance is also common in the celiac population because of damage to the SB lining.  Eggs when they are scrambled or fried give me a gut ache. But when I poach them, they do not. The steam and heat of poaching causes a hydrolysis process that alters the protein in the egg. They don't bother me in baked goods either so I assume the same process is at work. I bought a plastic poacher on Amazon to make poaching very easy. All this to say that many of the issues you describe could be caused by celiac disease. 
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      thank you so much for your detailed and extremely helpful reply!! I can say with absolute certainty that the less gluten containing products I've eaten over the past several years, the better I've felt.   I wasn't avoiding gluten, I was avoiding refined grains (and most processed foods) as well as anything that made me feel bad when I ate it. It's the same reason I gave up dairy and eggs- they make me feel ill.  I do have a bit of a sugar addiction lol so a lot of times I wasn't sure if it was the refined grains that I was eating - or the sugar. So from time to time I might have a cookie or something but I've learned how to make wonderful cookies and golden brownies with BEANS!! and no refined sugar - I use date paste instead. Pizza made me so ill- but I thought it was probably the cheese. I gave up pizza and haven't missed it. the one time I tried a slice I felt so bad I knew I'd never touch it again. I stopped eating wheat pasta at least 3 yrs ago- just didn't feel well after eating it. I tried chick pea pasta and a few others and discovered I like the brown rice pasta. I still don't eat a lot of pasta but it's nice for a change when I want something easy. TBH over the years I've wondered sometimes if I might be gluten intolerant but really believed it was not possible for me to have celiac disease. NOW I need to know for sure- because I'm in the middle of a long process of trying to find out why I have a high parathyroid level (NOT the thyroid- but rather the 4 glands that control the calcium balance in your body) I have had a hard time getting my vit D level up, my serum calcium has run on the low side of normal for many years... and now I am losing calcium from my bones and excreting it in my urine (some sort of renal calcium leak) Also have a high ALP since 2014. And now rapidly worsening bone density.  I still do not have a firm diagnosis. Could be secondary HPT (but secondary to what? we need to know) It could be early primary HPT. I am spilling calcium in my urine but is that caused by the high parathyroid hormone or is it the reason my PTH is high>? there are multiple feedback loops for this condition.    so I will keep eating the bread and some wheat germ that does not seem to bother me too much (it hasn't got enough gluten to use just wheat germ)    but I'm curious- if you don't have a strong reaction to a product- like me and wheat germ- does that mean it's ok to eat or is it still causing harm even if you don't have any obvious symptoms? I guess what you are saying about silent celiac makes it likely that you can have no symptoms and still have the harm... but geez! you'd think they'd come up with a way to test for this that didn't require you to consume something that makes you sick! I worry about the complications I've been reading about- different kinds of cancers etc. also wondering- are there degrees of celiac disease?  is there any correlation between symptoms and the amnt of damage to your intestines? I also need a firm diagnosis because I have an identical twin sister ... so if I have celiac, she has it too- or at least the genetic make up for having it. I did have a VERY major stress to my body in 2014-2016 time frame .. lost 50lbs in a short period of time and had severe symptoms from acute protracted withdrawal off an SSRI drug (that I'd been given an unethically high dose of, by a dr who has since lost his license)  Going off the drug was a good thing and in many ways my health improved dramatically- just losing 50lbs was helpful but I also went  off almost a dozen different medications, totally changed my diet and have been doing pretty well except for the past 3-4 yrs when the symptoms related to the parathyroid issue cropped up. It is likely that I had low vit D for some time and that caused me a lot of symptoms. The endo now tells me that low vit D can be caused by celiac disease so I need to know for sure! thank you for all that great and useful information!!! 
    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for a significant amount of time. It's called the "gluten challenge".  Yes, you can develop celiac disease at any stage of life. There is a genetic component but also a stress trigger that is needed to activate the celiac genes. About 30-40% of the general population possesses the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develop celiac disease. For most with the potential, the triggering stress event doesn't happen. It can be many things but often it is a viral infection. Having said that, it is also the case that many, many people who eventually are diagnosed with celiac disease probably experienced the actual onset years before. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning that symptoms are largely missing or very minor and get overlooked until damage to the small bowel lining becomes advanced or they develop iron deficiency anemia or some other medical problem associated with celiac disease. Many, many are never diagnosed or are diagnosed later in life because they did not experience classic symptoms. And many physicians are only looking for classic symptoms. We now know that there are over 200 symptoms/medical problems associated with celiac disease but many docs are only looking for things like boating, gas, diarrhea. I certainly understand your concerns about not wanting to damage your body by taking on a gluten challenge. Your other option is to totally commit to gluten free eating and see if your symptoms improve. It can take two years or more for complete healing of the small bowel lining once going gluten free but usually people experience significant improvement well before then. If their is significant improvement in your symptoms when going seriously gluten free, then you likely have your answer. You would either have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
    • trents
      Accuracy of testing concerns

      By trents · Posted

      The biopsy looks for damage to the mucosal lining of the small bowel from the inflammation caused by celiac disease when gluten is ingested. Once you remove gluten from the diet, inflammation subsides and the mucosal lining begins to heal. 
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