Could I have celiac’s?

[Katieann24]

I’ve eaten Gluten all my life and never had noticeable issues- or so I thought. I’ve had lots of bouts of bloating after drinking beer, certain foods, but doesn’t everyone? I’ve also struggled with anxiety my whole life, but it runs in my family and I have a very stressful job. This fall, I got a terrible case of the flu that turned into pneumonia and took strong antibiotics and Prednisone. Ever since then, I’ve had more gastric issues. A few weeks after getting over the flu, I was eating at a restaurant and immediately after eating had to run to restroom and almost didn’t make it. I projectile vomited and then had diarrhea later that night.  I’ve also had serious vertigo for the past few months for the first time ever. I get headaches often and also chest pains which I contribute to the anxiety. My stomach gurgles a lot, and I feel hungry all the time. A few days ago after eating a really gluten filled meal, I got really bad heartburn and loose stool. I’ve been sick ever since- using the bathroom immediately after eating, stomach pains and gurgling, etc. I thought it was a stomach bug, but after talking with a friend she suggested I get tested for Celiac’s. It was so surprising, and now that I’ve been reading more about it- it seems like a possibility.  I can’t get in to see my doctor until next Thursday due to the holiday, but am considering asking her to do the blood test just to rule it out. Any thoughts or suggestions? 

 

As a side note- my six year old daughter has had two serious bone breaks in the past three years, and my sister was diagnosed with lupus (her rheumy is still unsure if she possibly has other AI disorders) and after researching all this I think she has many of the same symptoms of a person with Celiac’s.  I did not know Celiac’s was an autoimmune disorder. I always thought it was a severe food allergy, so I find this all very coincidental. 

Thanks in advance for any insight. 

[squirmingitch]

You should get tested. Be SURE to continue eating gluten until ALL testing is complete! If your insurance allows it, then make sure you get the FULL celiac serum panel rather than just a 2 test screening. Here is the full panel:

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgA
Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgG
Anti-Endomysial (EMA) IgA
Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA
Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) IgA and IgG
Total Serum IgA 

Also can be termed this way:

Endomysial Antibody IgA
Tissue Transglutaminase IgA 
GLIADIN IgG
GLIADIN IgA
Total Serum IgA 
Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) IgA and IgG

Some insurance will not pay for the full panel unless a GI doc orders it.

 

[Ennis-TX]

Keep eating gluten and get the blood test as mentioned above. Funny thing about this disease, you can have minor symptoms like I did all my life and just thought those quirks where "Normal" you think that way after living with them for 20+ years. As with me seems you also had a substantial hit happen to your immune system, and like me one day after getting really sick from something unrelated my symptoms evolved into a much more severe case......this disease always has changing symptoms and if you do something that shocks your immune system they change.....this is a genetic disease you say you noticed other issues in the family...they all need to be tested also. Imagine if you life can become much less stressful, more normal, less bloated, less anxiety, more energy, happy feeling, etc. Just by changing eating habits and avoiding certain foods....it is bit more difficult then that but pretty much sums it up. Get tested figure it out and report back we can see if we can help you cope from there and how to get you on track.

[Katieann24]

Thank you both for the advice. I’ll let you know if/when I find anything out!