need advice

[l33andrewl33]

I'll keep this as short as possible, sigh.

I remember having constipation all the time till i was 10 or 11 then i started getting diarrhea all the time. Ive never been able to pin my diarrhea to a certain type of food it always has been at random. Or it seemed that way. Sometimes ill have normal BMs for a couple weeks then diarrhea for a week or normal for a day or two diarrhea for a day or 2. I started getting tingly numb hands this year, i get sick all the time, i had one rash on my stomach i couldnt get rid of for years the doc said was dermatitis. So many more symptoms that line up with celiac.

Heres the beef though- 7 months ago i had my first panic attack ever. I thought it was triggered by giving up chewing tobacco and the withdrawals coupled with stress at work and being a new dad but after reading about the connection between gluten im not so sure. The past 7 or 8 months have been hell. Constant anxiety, i dont get as kany panic attacks as i did in the beginning but now im suffering from depression.

So, i started gluten free 2 days ago. The second day i started having horrible anxiety and a panic attack like my first one. Extremely intense.  Is that a sign that maybe i do have celiac or intolerance that coming off would make symptoms worse? I want to get tested but ive been to the ER 3 times and seen so many docs, psychiatrists and therapists trying to figure out a cause, i cant afford anymore. I dont think i can just one day bam! Have all this anxiety without a cause. Can i just do my best to stay gluten free and see what happens or is it very important to be tested?

Also, will any gastro be able to test me?

If i go to a gastro should i even bring up the anxiety and depression? Everytime i do i get a response similar to " its all in your head " and they just want to throw pills at me.

I'm so lost to how my life got so messed up in 7 months. I need this to be the answer.

[cyclinglady]

Welcome! 

The only way to find out if you have celiac disease is to get tested.  Here are the tests that your GP can order for you:

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THIS IS IMPORTANT!  YOU MUST BE CONSUMING GLUTEN DAILY FOR THE BLOOD TESTS TO BE ACCURATE.  THIS ALSO INCLUDES THE ENDOSCOPY (BIOPSIES) WHICH ARE DONE BY A GI.  

Anxiety can be a symptom for celiac disease.  Please do some more research so that you can get a proper diagnosis.  Can you go gluten free?  Sure.  That's what my hubby did 15 years ago per the very poor advice of my allergist and his GP.   Twelve years later, I was diagnosed.  Weird, huh?  Anyway, hubby will tell you that I get way more support.  He get's a lot of eye rolling.  Plus, our kid (and my folks and siblings) get screened every few years because I have a diagnosis.  My kid gets tested every couple of years even without symptoms because you can be symptom free and still have celiac disease.  celiac disease is genetic.   It is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten.  It is the only autoimmune disorder that is triggered by something known.  If you have RA, MS or Lupus, for example, doctors do not know what actually triggers these other autoimmune disorders.  

So, Keep researching.