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Acid Reflux Connection And Celiac/gluten Intolerance?

teankerbell

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teankerbell Apprentice
teankerbell
Posted

I know some one who has been diagnosed with having Acid Reflux for years. When her kids were born, they had it and were medicated for it. She breast fed her babies because the fake stuff would make it worse. They also were on heart monitors for the first few months of their lives and one of them has sinus allergies and takes meds for that.

Anyway, this mom now thinks she has a hiatal hernia. I have long suspected she is a Celiac or at the very least Gluten Intolerant. She also has had several miscarriages (no problem getting pregnant just has a hard time hanging on to the preganancies) and thoracic outlet.

I have tried to subtlely suggest that Celiac is connected to a couple of her issues in a short list of diseases and illness I sent to her when she asked me about my Celiac problem. But she is educated in the Medical Field as an Occupational Therapist so she is not getting it.

What do you all think? She is a Celiac or at least Gluten intolerant? Or am I off base here?

How can I approach her a little louder on this subject. Any links anyone knows of that I could send her to "prove" medically that these issues are related to Celiac and to get tested?

Thank you for you help!

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key Contributor
key
Posted

I honestly don't know why some people refuse to recieve help when it is offered to them, but they do. I don't think I am that way. I wanted to be well so bad I would have done almost anything to figure it out. If you have showed her that she could have these disease and she still isn't interested, then I guess that is all you can do.

Monica

penguin Community Regular
penguin
Posted

You could beat her with some medical journals, but I doubt that would help. If she wants to get better, or wants to look for a solution, she'll be receptive.

All you can do is bring it up every once in a while (not enough to be obnoxious) and see if she bites.

Green12 Enthusiast
Green12
Posted
I know some one who has been diagnosed with having Acid Reflux for years. When her kids were born, they had it and were medicated for it. She breast fed her babies because the fake stuff would make it worse. They also were on heart monitors for the first few months of their lives and one of them has sinus allergies and takes meds for that.

Anyway, this mom now thinks she has a hiatal hernia. I have long suspected she is a Celiac or at the very least Gluten Intolerant. She also has had several miscarriages (no problem getting pregnant just has a hard time hanging on to the preganancies) and thoracic outlet.

I have tried to subtlely suggest that Celiac is connected to a couple of her issues in a short list of diseases and illness I sent to her when she asked me about my Celiac problem. But she is educated in the Medical Field as an Occupational Therapist so she is not getting it.

What do you all think? She is a Celiac or at least Gluten intolerant? Or am I off base here?

How can I approach her a little louder on this subject. Any links anyone knows of that I could send her to "prove" medically that these issues are related to Celiac and to get tested?

Thank you for you help!

Just to add my thoughts on the reflux,

I had severe reflux while eating a non-gluten diet, I suspect corn ( and corn derivatives), dairy, and sugar (or a combination of any of these synergisticly) as triggers for me. So in my experiences, and from many testimonials on this board, any allergenic food/substance can cause reflux, not just gluten.

This does not rule out your friend having celiac, but it is possible that her reflux is from another source.

IMO, the best you can do is give her all the information and let her know you care and that you are are available to help if needed, and then leave her to make her own decisions. Health is a very personal thing and everybody has their own philosophies and approaches.

shai76 Explorer
shai76
Posted

Here's a link to a peer reviewed gastroenterology journal on the association between gluten intolerance and reflux disease: Open Original Shared Link

I've had life long reflux,a nd my son was also born with it two years ago. We are both on prilosec twice a day which helps some, but not completely. Since going gluten free and eliminating my food allergies my reflux has improved. I'm not saying all cases of reflux are related to food allergies or intolerances, but in my opinion, it's worth a try to see if the symptoms improve. Reflux is a very uncomfortable and sometimes painful condition. And a lot of people here and on other food allergy foprums I have visited suffer from it.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

This is interesting to me. I'm not sure if I've posted this before (I lose track!) but since I've determined my additional food intolerances, my reflux has all but gone away. I never had reflux before going gluten-free. It began about 4 months into the diet, at the same time the other intolerances showed up. I did not realize the connection then. I did a month of Prevacid, which I stopped due to side effects. It's been a good 3 weeks now that I've cut out all of the troublesome foods listed in my signature. Although I've been gluten-free for 1 year (tomorrow!!), I feel better now than ever. All of the GI issues are better as well as the reflux. I really think some cases of reflux are due to food intolerance--of course not all. But, if it is applicable, it is worth looking into. It took me about 6 months of trial and error, but it is proving to be well worth it.

elonwy Enthusiast
elonwy
Posted

The first thing I was diagnosed with was acid reflux and a supposed hiatal hernia, both of which I did not have. The reflux meds never worked on me, and once I went gluten free, all my reflux issues went away.

Don't really have any references, but there is definitly a connection.

Elonwy

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dlp252 Apprentice
dlp252
Posted

My GERD also got worse after going gluten free, but I also think I have other intolerances I haven't singled out yet. I definitely have GERD--there is damage to my lower esophagus...funny thing is I never felt the reflux so not sure when the damage happened. The only sign I've ever had is an intense burning if I wake up in the middle of the night--the burning is in my stomach, not my esophagus. I'm on Zantac OTC right now, but not for that oddly enough (although it does seem to help). My GI wants me to take it for a couple of months to reduce acids so that when I have my 3rd endoscope in a month or so, we can be sure that acid isn't the reason we're seeing changes in the cells of my bile duct opening.

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