Scared to go to a doctor because of fear of being written off as a hypochondriac/being depressed

[jaebowie]

I do not know if I have celiac disease or not. For the past three months I’ve been experiencing a very sharp pain right behind my belly button. It comes on and off but it makes my stomach feel like it’s very full. Even though my body feels hungry I honestly know that I would feel better if I did not eat anything at all for weeks. I feel hungry but at the same time don’t. The pain at times is like a knife and it radiates from one spot. Also I’ve been getting very sleepy during the day no matter how much sleep I get. It usually follows any meal. It’s starting to progress into me having vertigo and somewhat blurred disoriented vision. When I basically do not eat for over 6 hours the symptoms of being tired go away but the stabbing knife in the chest is there. I also have low grade fevers after eating meals.  I really do not want to tell my GP that I have fatigue or that I get vertigo because it will sound like I am depressed and they will just write it off as such. I feel completely deadlocked because I deep down know that I have something going on with me. Does this sound like common symptoms of celiac disease. 

[trents]

Several of the symptoms you describe are not uncommonly experienced by Celiac sufferers but they could also be due to other medical issues such as peptic ulcers or gastritis. The one that doesn't fit Celiac Disease from what I know is the low grade fever after eating. Do you live in the USA or some other part of the world where people have less say so in their medical lives?

Why do you think doctors will conclude you are a head case? Has this been your experience before? Even so, you will cut yourself off from the possibility of find out what thing or what things are causing these symptoms and the potential for resolution if you do not seek help from the medical community. Celiac Disease can be pretty much diagnosed with some antibody blood tests these days.

[knitty kitty]

Jaebowie, 

Yes, these symptoms and ones mentioned in your other posts do sound like Celiac Disease.  There are 300 symptoms of Celiac Disease.  We aren't doctors and can't diagnose, but many of these symptoms are familiar to us here because we've had them ourselves.

Ulcers and gastritis could be reasons for the pain, as trents said.  It could also be something else like pancreatitis or small intestinal damage from Celiac.  A gastroenterologist can do an endoscopy to find out.  

The sleepiness, fever, vertigo and blurred vision after meals are all symptoms of Type Two Diabetes.  I have Type Two Diabetes and got these same symptoms before diagnosis whenever I ate carbohydrate heavy meals.  Type Two Diabetes is another autoimmune disease that frequently occurs with Celiac Disease.

The body needs thiamine (Vitamin B1) to digest carbohydrates and turn those carbs into energy.  Thiamine is also needed to make insulin.  When you consume lots of carbohydrates but you are low on thiamine, your body may not be able to make enough insulin, resulting in high blood glucose levels which makes you sleepy and tired.  After several hours of slowly making insulin, your blood sugar levels come back down and you feel better.

You should write all your symptoms down before you go to the doctor. Take several days to do this to be sure you don't forget any symptoms.  Dates when you first noticed symptoms, circumstances when symptoms occur, and details of the progression of symptoms can be helpful.  Your doctor can put this in your medical chart for easy reference. Writing out symptoms ensures clear communication.  Your doctor doesn't have to ask you twenty questions, and you won't forget to mention something.  

Ask for testing for Type Two Diabetes, a full Celiac panel of blood tests, thyroid function tests, and testing for vitamin and mineral deficiencies.  

Depression and anxiety are also symptoms of Celiac Disease, so do include these symptoms as well if you are experiencing them.  You can refuse antidepressants. 

Keep us posted on your progress!

Hope this helps!

 

 

 

 

[Kate333]

Depression/anxiety is a real, serious problem.  And, like celiac disease and other diseases, they can cause physical symptoms, including extreme fatigue, daytime sleepiness, aches and pains, dizziness, chills/sweats, headaches, and indigestion.  https://www.bustle.com/p/7-physical-symptoms-of-depression-that-arent-feeling-sad-7583238.   Chronic insomnia can also lead to these issues.  (I speak from experience.)    

For your sake, I hope you don't have celiac disease.  But if you spend a lot of time worried about it, esp. to the point where it disrupts your sleep, you might want to consider getting a simple TTG blood test (to hopefully rule it out as one less worry).  

BTW, there is no shame in suffering from depression and thinking of at least consulting a MH counselor, esp. helpful during a high-stress pandemic.