Mystery symptoms

[Ladyp]

Hello, I hope it is ok to post this here. I have been experiencing weird symptoms  and I don't know what to think. I wonder if I could have wheat or gluten intolerance?

First to sum it all up, this past summer I have experienced a bout of hemorrhoids/anal fissure  that took all summer to calm down. It started in May when I moved into a new apartment and ate sandwiches for the first two weeks until I bought some pots and pans. I am not a big bread eater but I bought some whole grain "healthy" bread. During this time I noticed numb tingling feet, I thought was because I was sitting slumped over and weird to ease my backside.  The hemorrhoids have eased but my right leg is still numb above the ankle. I also have tight muscles in my back and neck. Some days I get an "attack" where my vision blurs and I have pain in back of head and side of my face tingles.  I also noticed when washing my hair that it is shedding more than usual.  The most worrying thing is the vision loss. It starts in the morning and continues all day until bed. Then the next day I feel fine. I have started to keep a journal of my symptoms but don't know what this strange mix of symptoms could be. 

Another thing that makes me question wheat is because a few years ago I had an eye twitch that lasted for  months. I googled and read it could be caused by wheat so I stopped eating breads. I have always been lactose intolerant and discovered as a teen that pretzels could cause terrible constipation.  I do still have pizza and pasta but not all the time as I notice the constipation right away.

I went to an urgent care clinic after the symptoms got so bad I though I had a stroke on day. They didn't find anything and said it was muscle spasm and anxiety.  Am I crazy? If celiac, I want to know what to ask them to test for next time. Any advice? I am really scared. My vision is blurred right now.  The only thing I can think of is something I am eating because I usually feel the "attack" coming after eating or drinking something. 

[cyclinglady]

We are not doctors, but if you suspect celiac disease, ask your doctor for these tests:

Open Original Shared Link

The important thing is to keep eating gluten daily or the tests results will not be valid.  I hope you figure it out!  

[GFinDC]

Hi LadyP,

Your symptoms do sound like the might be celiac related.   If you can eat a 1/2 slice of bread daily for 3 months you can get the blood antibody tests.  Or you can get an endoscopy after 2 weeks.

If you can't manage the gluten challenge, then you may have to assume you are celiac and just go gluten-free.  But please read the Newbie 101 thread in the Coping With section before you do.  Going gluten-free is not like any other diet, it is a strict removal of all wheat, rye and barley from the diet.  Even microscopic amounts of gluten can make us sick.  Once the immune system is activated, it can keep attacking our guts for weeks to months.  So you have to really pay attention to what you are eating and not take any chances if you want to get better.

You should talk to your doctor about anal fissures.  Fissures are usually associated with Crohn's disease.  It is possible to have both Crohn's and celiac disease though.

Welcome to the forum LadyP!

[SusanNash]

I also have had some eye symptoms including eye wobble and ocular migraines and hair loss.  I'm still in the process of getting diagnosis.  My Dr suspects Hashimotos as well as celiac.  I got some improvement in my eye problems when I started taking CDP Choline.  (I buy the powder and capsule it myself because it is expensive.)  Alternatively eat eggs (I can't I think I'm allergic).

Hashimoto's can cause hair loss as well as constipation.

I pretty well have been  living on supplements for the past 5 years trying to figure out what was wrong, but things started getting better when I stopped gluten.

Good luck.

[Jmg]

I can't add much to the good advice above LadyP other than to say that if you do go through celiac testing and it turns out negative, do seriously consider giving the gluten free diet a try regardless.

I tested negative for celiac but I am majorly affected by gluten nonetheless, I also had eye twitches amongst many other symptoms. The good news is that avoiding gluten cleared almost everything up. 

Get to the doctor, ask for testing and best of luck!