Symptoms & waiting on blood test results

[Jaylan]

Hi there! 

I’ve recently been tested for celiac disease, along with other autoimmune diseases.

My symptoms started back in 2018 with joint pain in my knees. Since then, it has progressively worsened. I now have joint pain in both knees, elbows, and sometimes my shoulders. The pain is almost unbearable. I feel so stiff in the mornings, and this stiffness can last the whole day. I also experience swelling and warmth around those areas.

 

Other symptoms include IBS (diagnosed at age 16), restless legs, chest pain, tiredness, miscarriages, bloating, and sharp pain on the right side of my stomach. In the past, I’ve also had problems with a vitamin D deficiency, and my serum folate levels recently came back very low.

 

My question is: How likely is it that I have celiac disease?

 

 

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, @Jaylan!

Almost all of the symptoms and medical conditions you describe have been found to be associated with celiac disease. But they can also be caused by other things as well. There certainly is enough circumstantial evidence in your list of medical problems to warrant being tested for celiac disease. Ask your physician to order a celiac panel consisting of, at the very minimum, these two blood antibody tests: total IGA and tTG-IGA. Please do not attempt to limit your gluten intake before the blood draw is taken or you will invalidate the testing. Incidentally, celiac disease is often misdiagnosed as IBS.

[Scott Adams]

This article might be helpful--it would be a good idea for you to get tested for celiac disease BEFORE you go gluten-free.