Concerned I may have Celiac

[Wilk]

I am a 40 male that just realized I may have celiac disease and trying to get tested. I have most of the characteristics. Last week my stomach was bloated and I was gassy for 5 days, 3 of which had liquid stools. Unfortunately I have been drinking regular beer daily (6 or more per day) for the past year (quit during this week of the above episode).

What damage could I have caused and how long could it take to clear out all the gluten I ingested?
 

I am really concerned being 40 years old and just now finding out I may have celiac.

[trents]

First of all, don't attempt to eliminate gluten from your diet until you get tested or you will likely invalidate the test. Many doctors don't know or don't think to tell their patients this. You should be eating at least 2 slices of wheat bread or the equivalent amount of gluten for 6-8 weeks before the serum antibody test and at least two weeks before the endoscopy/biopsy of the small bowel lining, should your physician order both.

I was in my early 50's when diagnosed with celiac disease and it took several years for my small bowel lining to completely heal. However, I probably was not being as consistent as I should have bee in avoiding gluten. You can expect a couple of years for complete healing but substantial healing will typically happen sooner than that. If you really are consistent from the get go in avoiding gluten then you should start feeling better in weeks.

It took me 13 years from the onset of symptoms to get diagnosed so your damage may be less. I would not worry about the amount of damage already done as you should experience good overall recovery in your body if you are consistent once starting on the gluten free diet. And "consistent" doesn't mean you will never get "glutened" again, it means being as diligent as you can. We all have a glutening accident once in a while but as long as it doesn't happen frequently you should be on the path to healing once your testing is done and you can focus on educating yourself about where gluten is hidden in the food supply and how to avoid it. There is a significant education curve in this regard.

 

[Scott Adams]

Many people on this forum found out they had celiac disease in their 50s, 60s, or even 70s, so I would not worry too much about your age. The important thing is to get tested and diagnosed so you can regain your health. Keep in mind that there is also a condition called non-celiac gluten sensitivity that perhaps ~12% of people have, and unfortunately a celiac disease test won't show if you have this...unfortunately there is not test for it. This means that if your CD test is negative you may still want to try a gluten-free diet to see if you feel better. There are many gluten-free beers available.

[Wilk]

6 hours ago, Scott Adams said:

Many people on this forum found out they had celiac disease in their 50s, 60s, or even 70s, so I would not worry too much about your age. The important thing is to get tested and diagnosed so you can regain your health. Keep in mind that there is also a condition called non-celiac gluten sensitivity that perhaps ~12% of people have, and unfortunately a celiac disease test won't show if you have this...unfortunately there is not test for it. This means that if your celiac disease test is negative you may still want to try a gluten-free diet to see if you feel better. There are many gluten-free beers available.

I appreciate the responses. Since that episode happened last week, my stomach hasn’t been right. I feel & hear like bubbles above my belly button. Today I ate two hot dogs for lunch and my hands were shaking afterwards when trying to put together a drone at work. Would non-celiac gluten sensitivity have similar issues after eating gluten? 

[trents]

1 hour ago, Wilk said:

I appreciate the responses. Since that episode happened last week, my stomach hasn’t been right. I feel & hear like bubbles above my belly button. Today I ate two hot dogs for lunch and my hands were shaking afterwards when trying to put together a drone at work. Would non-celiac gluten sensitivity have similar issues after eating gluten? 

Yes. The symptoms are largely the same. And the antidote is the same.