Not Tested For celiac disease

[sabrinajanae]

Hi,

Welcome aboard! It does sound like you have Celiac or gluten intolerance. If you feel better gluten-free, then by all means stick with it. From what I've experienced, read, and heard, a reaction to gluten can last anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. So it's very likely that you're feeling the effects from Monday.

Also, have you eliminated ALL the "hidden glutens" in foods, toothpastes and other personal care products? I knew I had a problem with gluten, but didn't realize I was still getting small amounts in things like rice crispies, rice dream and sharing a toaster with wheat bread. It will make you feel even better. As for being tired of gluten-free, stick with it and keep experimenting with different foods. I make pretty much the same type of food as "normal" people, but with alternate ingredients. It does help if you like to cook.

Good luck!

Liz

liz--

I finally had an endoscope done, bloodwork, & cat scan of abdominal cavity. My GI doc only had me eat gluten containing foods about 2 wks. All my tests came bac negative. He said that it is just IBS and that I need to accept. He was not able to give me a good reason as to why when I eat gluten containing foods that I get the above statesd sms. I was so pissed b/cI now when my ibs is flaring and when I have eaten something with it. Any suggestions?

thans sabrina

[lonewolf]

liz--

I finally had an endoscope done, bloodwork, & cat scan of abdominal cavity. My GI doc only had me eat gluten containing foods about 2 wks. All my tests came bac negative. He said that it is just IBS and that I need to accept. He was not able to give me a good reason as to why when I eat gluten containing foods that I get the above statesd sms. I was so pissed b/cI now when my ibs is flaring and when I have eaten something with it. Any suggestions?

thans sabrina

Sabrina,

Only eating gluten for 2 weeks wouldn't be long enough for positive tests. I've never been "officially" diagnosed with anything other than "colitis" and IBS, but a wheat-free, gluten-free diet helped me tremendously when I started it several years ago. (I also had to cut out eggs, dairy and soy.) I had never heard of Celiac or gluten intolerance, so I thought I'd be able to eat gluten again. When I tried to start adding some gluten back, in the form of spelt and some barley, I started getting sick again. After I went fanatically gluten-free I started feeling better.

Doctors definitely don't know everything, so you need to do what you know will make you feel good. If eating gluten makes you feel sick, then you need to avoid it. I know it's hard - I have 4 kids and I work part-time, and it takes a lot of my "free time" to shop and cook. It's gotten to be second nature now, and believe me it's worth it to feel good - no more D, no more C, no more cramps or stomach aches, arthritis and all the other stuff I had. Really, you just need to decide to do what you need to do to feel good.

Keep coming here for advice and support - everyone here is great.

[sabrinajanae]

Sabrina,

Only eating gluten for 2 weeks wouldn't be long enough for positive tests. I've never been "officially" diagnosed with anything other than "colitis" and IBS, but a wheat-free, gluten-free diet helped me tremendously when I started it several years ago. (I also had to cut out eggs, dairy and soy.) I had never heard of Celiac or gluten intolerance, so I thought I'd be able to eat gluten again. When I tried to start adding some gluten back, in the form of spelt and some barley, I started getting sick again. After I went fanatically gluten-free I started feeling better.

Doctors definitely don't know everything, so you need to do what you know will make you feel good. If eating gluten makes you feel sick, then you need to avoid it. I know it's hard - I have 4 kids and I work part-time, and it takes a lot of my "free time" to shop and cook. It's gotten to be second nature now, and believe me it's worth it to feel good - no more D, no more C, no more cramps or stomach aches, arthritis and all the other stuff I had. Really, you just need to decide to do what you need to do to feel good.

Keep coming here for advice and support - everyone here is great.

Liz - thanks for answering.. I was so ticked off at the doctor b/c he made me feel like it was all in my head / IBS only. I asked him about taing gluten for 2 wees vs the month and said that 2 weeks would be fine. And I had read that you needed a month too!! I know it does suck but I am going to keep trying to be gluten free. I also do need to work on stress management b/c there have been days when the IBS has made itself known. Do u think an allergy serum test would be of any help? thank-you soooo much for the advice!

sabrina

[lonewolf]

Liz - thanks for answering.. I was so ticked off at the doctor b/c he made me feel like it was all in my head / IBS only. I asked him about taing gluten for 2 wees vs the month and said that 2 weeks would be fine. And I had read that you needed a month too!! I know it does suck but I am going to keep trying to be gluten free. I also do need to work on stress management b/c there have been days when the IBS has made itself known. Do u think an allergy serum test would be of any help? thank-you soooo much for the advice!

sabrina

I had an ELISA test (blood test for food sensitivities) and it was very helpful. My naturopath did it - it was just a blood draw sent to a lab in N. Carolina. Getting rid of all the offending foods was a huge help to my health. If you have a doctor that knows about the test, go for it. Most insurance won't pay for it though.