My Daughter

[AWhitz]

My daughter is 18 and all the sudden she started having stomach issues. It's been going on for 2 years now and almost every time she eats, she gets bloated, nauseous, and has stomach pains, even with things like plain tuna, or salad. Since tuna doesn't have gluten would celiac cause pain with eating tuna or other gluten free foods?

[GFinDC]

Hi,

Yes, celiac can cause us to react to many different foods.  Imagine the stomach and intestines are made of balloons.  Instead of filling those balloons with inert air you fill them with caustic gas.  The balloons are now irritated and inflamed.  So you add some regular inert gas but the irritated balloons are not happy to see any new thing coming in.  They are already infammed and irritated and reacting.

Celiac disease is an AI (auto-immune) condition.  Once the immune reaction starts it can go on for months.  Since the immune system reacts to even microscopic germs, it can surely detect and react to a tiny crumb of gluten.

I suggest you take her to be tested for celiac disease.  Ask for the full celiac panel.. Do not have her go gluten-free before all testing is completed.  The testing measures antibodies in the blood stream.  If she went gluten-free before hand the antibody numbers won't be accurate.  If the antibodies are positive they will schedule an endoscopy.  In the endoscopy they take 4 to 6 biopsy samples of the small intestine lining.  They check them for damage characteristic of celiac disease with a microscope.

There are some genes associated with celiac disease.  Those genes are also associated with a slew of other AI diseases.  So a family history might include a variety of AI diseases.  Also, family members have a higher chance then usual of developing celiac disease if they have the genes.

Welcome to the forum.  There is a Newbie 101 thread in the Coping with Celiac section with more info.

I was going to say something else, but I forgot what.  So, something else.

Oh yeah, celiac disease can have multiple symptoms, and not all are digestion related.  There is a skin rash some people get also.  Joint pain, insomnia. hair loss, infertility, nerve problems, thyroid problems, short temper, etc, etc.  Since celiac impairs the ability to absorb nutrients, people can become deficient in several vitamins and minerals.

She may feel better if she eliminates dairy from her diet.  Celiac damage makes it hard to digest dairy sugars.  Pepto Bismol can help with pain and peppermint tea or peppermint Altoids can help with gas.