Hi - Diagnosis Not Yet Official But, I Feel Ive Come Home!

[bev40]

After years of suffering which became so much worse in the last year, i have been gluten free now for 3 weeks and already i feel so much better than i have in such a long time. And its a wonderful feeling!

I am a 41 year old female from England and up until 3 years ago i was fit and active and had a wicked sense of humour, i loved life and i lived it to the full, well, almost

My problems started with a constantly bloated stomach, constant constipation and a weight gain that seemed to be out of my control. I also had a general malaise with a feeling of depression that i could just not shift. I spent hours and many pounds in health shops trying to find a solution. Everything that was happening was complete;y out of character for me. Over the following years my problems persisted but added to them was skin blemishes and a chronic fatigue and the depression increased. The problem got so bad and i felt so miserable and unwell but i just couldnt put my finger on why i was feeling like i was.

Things came to a head last july when i collapsed at work and the doctors thought i had had a stroke as i had numbness and pins and needles in my face, arms and legs. After further tests its was thought that i had MS as by this time i couldnt walk properly and i was having problems with my balance and suffering from night blindness as well as burning in my limbs. I felt as though i was dying on my feet. I suffered from a constant brain fog, not being able to recall or remember anything.

A month ago i went to my GP with exhaustion, i just did not have the energy to move let alone do anything else. Blood tests revealed that i am anaemic and my GP being the good egg that she is wanted to know why so she referred me for tests on my bowel stomach. I had more bloods taken, an endoscopy and a very unpleasant colonoscopy. While taliking to the consultant he said he was going to test me for coeliac disease. I had never heard of this before so once i had recovered from the camera action i decided to look it up on the internet. Oh boy! It was like a light bulb going on!

Thirteen years ago i was dx with thyroid disease which i discovered can be linked to coeliac disease. My thyroid has never ever been stable. I have blood tests every 3mths and my medication ranges between 175mg and 200mg. I also discovered that unteated coeliac disease can cause the exact neurological problems i was experiencing.

I was so excited at all i discovered that i decided i had nothing to lose by giving gluten free a go. And here i am, 3 weeks later, brain fog gone, jpint pain gone, fatique much improved and i can walk properly!!!

I am not self diagnosing or anything like that, im not jumping the gun beofre i get the test results and saying that i have coeliac disease but, i know for sure that i am feeling so much better than i have in a long time. Regardless of the test results i will stay gluten free.

I have recently gone dairy free too after realising that i wasn't reacting very well to milk. When you have experienced feeling well after feeling so ill you certainly recognise when you are feeling ill again

I discovered your site whilst doing my research. I hope you dont mind my introducing myself and saying hello. Im sorry if i have waffled on a bit and i hope i haven't bored you too much. Its the excitement - i can hardly contain it

I could have gone into more detail but i don't want to be 'expelled' at such an early stage

I would welcome any responses, especially from people who may have experienced similar problems to myself.

Thanks for listening

[jerseyangel]

Hi Bev, and welcome into the board! Your symptoms sound very familiar, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if your tests come back positive. The best test is how you feel after going gluten-free. I'm glad to hear that you're feeling so much better. Continue to come and chat, and ask any questions that may come up along the way. Glad you found us

[mmaccartney]

as you put it, welcome home!

It sounds quite probable that you have some form of gluten intolerance. If you are already feeling better and the only change was the gluten-free diet, it sure does sounds like it!

[mommida]

Welcome to the board! Sounds like you belong here, whatever the test will say.

L.

[Canadian Karen]

Hi! Welcome to the board!

You definitely have come to the right place! It sounds like a classic case of celiac to me. Even if your tests come back negative, the fact that you have reacted so positively to the gluten-free diet that at the very least, you are gluten intolerant. Also, if you do have villi damage due to celiac, it is extremely likely that you are also lactose intolerant (at least until your villi grow back), as the end tips of the villi is where we digest the milk.

Any questions you have, just fire away! We've all "been there/done that"!

Hugs.

Karen

[TCA]

Welcome to the board. I'm so glad you feel better. I hope the improvement continues. My kids couldn't tolerate dairy at first, but are fine with it a little while into the diet...

[lonewolf]

Welcome Bev! You're definitely in the right place. Glad you're feeling better already. Let us know how we can help!