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Anything Else I Should Be Doing?


BlueFenris

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BlueFenris Newbie

So I came across celiac disease completely by accident because I saw something about it and was curious so I looked up more info. As I was looking at stuff, I realized that the symptoms sounded a bit too familiar for comfort. I've struggled with anxiety, depression, bloating, constipation, and migraines for a long time. I also definitely have brain fog, I've had very low vitamin D test results, I've always been super pale, always tired, been very irritable, had major mood swings, insomnia, prone to canker sores, etc. The migraines became such a problem that last year I barely managed to pass my senior year of high school because I was having nearly daily migraines. We finally found a treatment that worked for a while but now the migraines are become more frequent again, and when I don't have a migraine I seem to have at least somewhat of a regular headache, and recently my stomach has been aching quite often too. So after seeing that all of these can be symptoms of celiac disease, I scheduled an appointment for Friday to talk to my doctor and have the blood tests done. I've got a list of my symptoms written down and am still on a gluten diet. Is there anything else I should do to prepare or does anyone have any pointers for me? On the one hand I hope it's not celiac, but on the other hand, if it is, a change in my diet could potentially change my life and take care of so many issues I didn't think were related to each other. 


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GFinDC Veteran

Hi,

If you are near a large city, you could look up a celiac support group now.  Contact them and ask if they know any good celiac aware doctors.  Many doctors don't seem to be aware of proper tasting processes.  If you do find a local celiac support group they may be able to help in other ways too.

Otherwise, it sounds like you are doing the right things so far.

BlueFenris Newbie

I do know there's a support group about an hour's drive from where I am. I'll get in contact with them! Thank you!

cyclinglady Grand Master

I would add that you request a full celiac panel (EMA, TTG and DGP).  Why?  Because the typical screening TTG test is very good, but it does not catch all celiacs (like me).  Here's the list of blood tests:

Open Original Shared Link

BlueFenris Newbie
1 hour ago, cyclinglady said:

I would add that you request a full celiac panel (EMA, TTG and DGP).  Why?  Because the typical screening TTG test is very good, but it does not catch all celiacs (like me).  Here's the list of blood tests:

Open Original Shared Link

Okay, I will be sure to request that! Thank you for the input!

BlueFenris Newbie

Update! Had my appointment today and the doctor said she was going to order a full celiac panel without me even having to request it! I was overall impressed with how well my doctor handled this and listened to my concerns rather than writing them off like some people's doctors have.

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    • trents
      You might consider asking for a referral to a RD (Registered Dietician) to help with food choices and planning a diet. Even apart from any gluten issues, you will likely find there are some foods you need to avoid because of the shorter bowel but you may also find that your system may make adjustments over time and that symptoms may improve.
    • Ello
      I wish Dr’s would have these discussions with their patients. So frustrating but will continue to do research. Absolutely love this website. I will post any updates on my testing and results.  Thank you
    • trents
      Losing 12" of your small bowel is going to present challenges for you in nutritional uptake because you are losing a significant amount of nutritional absorption surface area. You will need to focus on consuming foods that are nutritionally dense and also probably look at some good supplements. If indeed you are having issues with gluten you will need to educate yourself as to how gluten is hidden in the food supply. There's more to it than just avoiding the major sources of gluten like bread and pasta. It is hidden in so many things you would never expect to find it in like canned tomato soup and soy sauce just to name a few. It can be in pills and medications.  Also, your "yellow diarrhea, constipation and bloating" though these are classic signs of a gluten disorder, could also be related to the post surgical shorter length of your small bowel causing incomplete processing/digestion of food.
    • Ello
      Yes this information helps. I will continue to be pro active with this issues I am having. More testing to be done. Thank you so much for your response. 
    • trents
      There are two gluten-related disorders that share many of the same symptoms but differ in nature from each other. One is known as celiac disease or "gluten intolerance". By nature, it is an autoimmune disorder, meaning the ingestion of gluten triggers the body to attack it's own tissues, specifically the lining of the small bowel. This attack causes inflammation and produces antibodies that can be detected in the blood by specific tests like the TTG-IGA test you had. Over time, if gluten is not withheld, this inflammation can cause severe damage to the lining of the small bowel and even result in nutrient deficiency related health issues since the small bowel lining is organ where all the nutrition found in our food is absorbed.  The other is NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or just "gluten sensitivity") which we know less about and are unsure of the exact mechanism of action. It is not an autoimmune disorder and unlike celiac disease it does not damage the lining of the small bowel, though, like celiac disease, it can cause GI distress and it can also do other kinds of damage to the body. It is thought to be more common than celiac disease. Currently, we cannot test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out to arrive at a diagnosis of NCGS. Both disorders require elimination of gluten from the diet.  Either of these disorders can find their onset at any stage of life. We know that celiac disease has a genetic component but the genes are inactive until awakened by some stress event. About 40% of the general population has the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% develop active celiac disease. The incidence of NCGS is thought to be considerably higher. I hope this helps.
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