Could this be celiac or is it really just IBS?

[liab3499]

Hi! So I've never posted in a medical forum but y'all seem super helpful so I figured I'd throw this out there! Sorry if this is long lol.

Basically, I'm a 22 year old who has stomach problems for as long as I can remember and it's recently gotten worse. I remember having bad stomach aches and diarrhea off and on since I was little. I finally told my parents and saw a GI in high school who took an xray, said it was IBS, and told me to eat more fiber. Around the same time I was feeling weak all the time and I was having what kinda felt like panic attack symptoms without the actual psychological panic. It kind of felt like a hot flash or too much adrenaline? I just kept telling the doctors that I felt "off". I was also diagnosed with atrial flutter, sinus tach, and asthma for no apparent reason, and I just felt like crap in general some days with no explanation.  I leaned to deal with my stomach problems because everything seemed to come and go. Oddly enough when I went away to college it was a little better for my first year or two. Fast forward to about a year ago, and it started getting more consistent so I went to a new GI. She ordered an ultrasound of my abdomen and from there I actually found out that I had a poorly functioning gallbladder (without stones). I had that taken out in November and have not felt any better since. What's weird is that I never had what I would consider "gallbladder pain", as there really isn't a particular spot that hurts every time. Also I want to add that I am a super levelheaded person, so my doctor telling me it's IBS and to cut stress and see if it helps makes me roll my eyes. This is often how my diarrhea starts off these days: I'll feel bad hot flashes or just "off" and foggy for no reason, then hear the gurgles, get pain, and then diarrhea. Most of the time I feel better after that; sometimes I don't. But I think it's weird that I often feel fluish before my stomach even starts hurting.  Basically I just have all these weird vague symptoms that don't seem related and have been coming and going since at least high school.

My current GI doc ordered IGA and IGG tests last summer which came back negative. She also did a colonoscopy a few weeks ago and that was negative too. Now she wants to do a small bowel xray with barium. 

Here are my main symptoms:

diarrhea 2-6 x a day (it ranges from just loose stools to full-on watery) 

severe bloating to the point I look pregnant

weird hot flashes that seem correlated to my stomach problems

headaches

had my gallbladder taken out even though I'm 22 and normal weight

short stature (4' 10")

nausea

bad eczema

 

Does this really seem like IBS or could my blood results be wrong? My doctor seems to think she's thoroughly tested me for celiac. Would the small intestine xray show any of that?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

 

[cyclinglady]

Are you sure you had the complete celiac panel?  Here are the tests:

 

-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA and (tTG) IgG

-Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) IgA and (DGP) IgG

-EMA IgA 

-total serum IgA and IgG (control test)

 

 

-endoscopic biopsy - make sure at least 6 samples are taken

 

VERY IMPORTANT:  Keep eating gluten daily until ALL testing is complete or the tests can be inaccurate.  

 

(Source: NVSMOM -- ?)

 

Here is more information from a reputable site (and not just info from a crazy cyclist on the Internet!):

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

IBS, in my opinion, means "I Be Stumped!"  It is just a cop out!  So is the "stressed" thing.  

 

I also had my GB out too.   It was a non-functioning (0% per HIDA scan), no stones, and rotting.  

 

You seem to have many celiac disease symptoms.  Verify (obtain copies of your lab tests) to see if you got the complete panel. You might just have had the TTG IGA and TTG IGG tests.  Good for screening but it does not catch all celiacs.  My TTG tests are always negative even on follow-up testing.  The DGP test catches a positive for me.  My biopsies revealed moderate to severe damage.  If my celiac-savvy GI did not order the complete panel, my celiac disease diagnosis would never have been caught.

 

if celiac disease is really ruled out, research mast cell disorders.  The flushing and GI upset sound familiar!  You can have more than one thing going on!  But I would put my money on celiac disease!