Jump to content

  • You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

Should I get tested?

Reide

Recommended Posts

Reide Newbie
Reide
Posted

So, I am debating getting tested for Celiacs.  I don't want to because I don't like going to the doctor and I'd rather not have a disease. Ignorance is bliss, they say.

Anyways, I have some general symptoms, such as severe bloating when I eat bread, diarrhea, heartburn, nausea and fatigue. Also, recently I have started having achy joints when I eat bread.  From what I understand, my grandmother had celiacs before most people knew what it was (She passed 25 years ago, and she was diagnosed years before that) so the genetics are not in my favor.  Generally I can build my diet to stay away from it, but those pizza parties and PB&J sandwiches get me.  

Anyways, should I be tested?  Does it seem like celiacs is a possibility?  Also, what is the benefit of having a diagnosis rather than just staying away from gluten?  Trial and error suggests that even if I don't have celiacs, bread and pasta does not do well in my system, so I should just stay away from it anyways.  And I may not have it. I may just have IBS, who knows.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted
6 hours ago, Reide said:

So, I am debating getting tested for Celiacs.  I don't want to because I don't like going to the doctor and I'd rather not have a disease. Ignorance is bliss, they say.

Anyways, I have some general symptoms, such as severe bloating when I eat bread, diarrhea, heartburn, nausea and fatigue. Also, recently I have started having achy joints when I eat bread.  From what I understand, my grandmother had celiacs before most people knew what it was (She passed 25 years ago, and she was diagnosed years before that) so the genetics are not in my favor.  Generally I can build my diet to stay away from it, but those pizza parties and PB&J sandwiches get me.  

Anyways, should I be tested?  Does it seem like celiacs is a possibility?  Also, what is the benefit of having a diagnosis rather than just staying away from gluten?  Trial and error suggests that even if I don't have celiacs, bread and pasta does not do well in my system, so I should just stay away from it anyways.  And I may not have it. I may just have IBS, who knows.

Seriously consider getting tested.  It starts with a simple blood test.  

Open Original Shared Link

Is a diagnosis important?  It can be difficult for some to maintain a strict gluten free diet without a formal diagnosis, but it can be done.  A diagnosis can help, not just you but others in your family.  Let's face it, IBS is really code for "I be Stumped".  It can be good to know the source of your symptoms.  Finally, you may have more damage than you realize -- like osteoporosis.  Once you have one autoimmune disorder, you tend to develop others,  a diagnosis can possibly help your doctor identity those disorders faster.  

Easy to rule out celiac disease.  No sense guessing!  

Welcome to the forum.  

 

TexasJen Collaborator
TexasJen
Posted

Well, whenever I make a decision, I look at the plusses and the minuses. 

Getting tested: Minuses - actual testing - you have to see a doctor and pay a copay and any coinsurance for the blood tests (or go to an independent lab and order the tests yourself - about $300 out of pocket), blood draw - a little pain and annoying. If the results are positive, you have a big change in your diet, some social issues around having a eat a strict gluten-free diet

Plusses- you start a diet that makes you feel better. You avoid the long term side effects of untreated celiac - cancer, malabsorption symptoms including anemia, fast heart beat, restless leg syndrome, B12 deficiency( neuropathy of the arms/legs, depression/anxiety, falls, unsteadiness), Vitamin D deficiency (rickets, fractures, osteoporosis), weight loss, migraine headaches, worse PMS

Because the long term consequences are serious, I would get tested.  

Reide Newbie
Reide
Posted
  • Author

So, I decided to get tested.  I also noticed that I have several other things that are associated with it, including RLS, and the need to drink copious amounts of water.   It is probably the easiest thing to rule out regarding my symptoms, and my doctor had an appointment open today, so I've already had blood drawn.  That was quick, lol.  Now we wait. 

squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

Good to hear!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      134,077
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      10,442
    terrificterry
    Newest Member
    terrificterry
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.7k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      Edy's and Dreyer's ice cream

      By Aretaeus Cappadocia · Posted

      Sigh. I posted this yesterday based on the Safeway website. I went back again today to their website to double check. On the page where they are selling Vanilla Bean flavor, it has a distinct Certified Gluten Free label. Other flavors on the Safeway website didn't have the gluten-free statement. Today I went into the store. None of the flavors I looked at, including Vanilla Bean, have a Gluten Free statement. Is it safe? Who knows. The ingredients are either safe or nearly safe (some have "natural flavor"). There are warnings about "contains milk and soy" but not about wheat - this implies they are safe, but again, who knows. On the other hand, every flavor I checked of their Slow Churn line of ice creams has wheat as an ingredient. 100% not safe.
    • knitty kitty
      Edy's and Dreyer's ice cream

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Do keep in mind that many of the newly diagnosed have lactose intolerance.  This is because the villi lining the intestinal tract are damaged, and can no longer make the enzyme lactAse which breaks down the milk sugar lactOse.  When the villi grow back (six months to two years), they can again produce the enzyme lactAse, and lactose intolerance is resolved.  However, some people (both those with and without Celiac Disease) are genetically programmed to stop producing lactase as they age.   Do be aware that many processed foods, including ice cream, use Microbial Transglutaminase, a food additive commonly called "meat glue," used to enhance texture and flavor.  This microbial transglutaminase has the same immunogenicity as tissue transglutaminase which the body produces in response to gluten in people with Celiac Disease.  Tissue Transglutaminase (tTg IgA) is measured to diagnose Celiac Disease in blood tests.  Microbial Transglutaminase acts the same as Tissue Transglutaminase, causing increased intestinal permeability and inflammation.   New findings show that microbial transglutaminase may be able to trigger Celiac Disease and other autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.   Microbial Transglutaminase is not required to be listed on ingredients labels as it's considered a processing aid, not an ingredient in the U.S.  Microbial Transglutaminase has been GRAS for many years, but that GRAS standing is being questioned more and more as the immunogenicity of microbial transglutaminase is being discovered. Interesting Reading:  Microbial Transglutaminase Is a Very Frequently Used Food Additive and Is a Potential Inducer of Autoimmune/Neurodegenerative Diseases https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8537092/
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      Edy's and Dreyer's ice cream

      By Aretaeus Cappadocia · Posted

      There is a 10 year old post in this forum on Edy's and Dreyer's ice cream. The information is somewhat outdated and the thread is closed to further comment, so here is a new one. Edy's And Dreyer's Grand Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - 1.5 Quart is labeled "Gluten Free". This is a different answer than years gone by. I don't know the answer for any other flavor at this moment. On 1 May, 2026, Edy's website says: "As a general rule, the gluten in Edy's and Dreyer's® frozen dessert products is present only in the added bakery products, such as cookies, cake or brownies. We always label the eight major food allergens on our package by their common name. We recommend to always check the label for the most current information before purchasing and/or consuming a product. The exception to this rule is our Slow Churned French Silk frozen dairy dessert, which contains gluten in the natural flavors." https://www.icecream.com/us/en/brands/edys-and-dreyers/faq It seems that Edy's and Dreyer's are more celiac-friendly than they were 10 years ago. Once I found enough information to make today's buying decision, I stopped researching.
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      EDG 3 years ago fine, now it shows focal villous blunting,

      By Aretaeus Cappadocia · Posted

      probably not your situation @Mimiof2, but allow me to add one more to @trents list of celiac-mimics: "olmesartan-induced sprue-like enteropathy"  
    • knitty kitty
      Terrible Neurological Symptoms

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      My dad had an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.  Fortunately, it was discovered during an exam.  The doctor could feel my dad's heart beating in his stomach/abdomen.  The aneurysm burst when the doctor first touched it in surgery.  Since he was already hooked up to the bypass machine, my dad survived ten more years.  Close call! Triple A's can press on the nerves in the spinal cord causing leg pain.  I'm wondering if bowing the head might have increased the pressure on an aneurysm and then the nerves.   https://gulfcoastsurgeons.com/understanding-abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-symptoms-and-causes/ Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Presenting as a Claudication https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4040638/
×
×
  • Create New...