Questions To Ask

[pturse]

First a little background:

I have been diagnosed with Celiac since 2004 (I think). Have been on and off the diet for various reasons and I have been trying to stick with it since February w/a few minor slip ups. I don't get immediate symptoms just malabsorption, bloating and other stomach discomforts.

Even on the diet I have terrible bloating and stomach issues. I am 29 and have never in my life time had a solid BM (sorry if TMI). I am also very active, always have been. I am currently training for a 1/2 Ironman so fatigue was never an issue. I used to be very low in weight but not horrible (5'7" and 120) and since starting the diet (numerous times) I am now 140 (a lot of it being muscle from training).

I had a terrible doctor to begin with and later changed insurances & doctors. First doc diagnosed me which was great but wasn't into maintenance and I am stubborn and didn't stick with the diet etc. My new doc is constantly on my case, emailing and calling etc. Which I guess is good.

On to my question . . .

Recently, I went for blood work. I have severe iron deficiency. I have had a colonoscopy which was how I was diagnosed (very flat villi) and my new doc wants me to do an Endoscopy soon like next week. I am okay with that (though very nervous).

My concerns are that even while on the diet, I still suffer even though I know I am being 100% gluten free. I am a vegetarian and vegetables kill me. All foods cause terrible bloating etc. I have lurked and see you guys mentioning Enterolab and other tests.

Is there anything I should ask my doctor to do when I see him tomorrow in addition to him ordering my endoscopy? He is also forcing me to take iron pills. He wants it 3 times a day. I am doing 1 a day right now.

Thanks for any input.

[jennyj]

I have severe iron deficent anemia also but instead of pills I get an IV iron infusion about every 6 months. This could be something you could ask him(her) about. I couldn't tolerate the pills. I hope you get to feeling better and get some good advice from the doc.

[penguin]

I've got severe anemia also, and I take a liquid supplement called Open Original Shared Link, it's the only one I've ever been able to stomach. It's also completely vegetarian, if you're concerned about heme iron.

Don't skimp on the iron, it could be very dangerous.

[BRUMI1968]

My case is similar to yours, except I've always been on the C side of things. I quit dairy and wheat two years ago, and felt great. But then I started to wonder - if quitting wheat made such a difference, I should make sure I'm not Celiac and doing damage to myself with spelt and the like. Sure enough, I tested positive. So I quit the oatmeal and the spelt, and the various assundry other things with hidden gluten. Suddenly, I didn't feel so good anymore. I was constantly bloated, I had C so bad it caused me to bleed, etc. etc. It was frustrasting as all getout because I knew I should be healing and doing better, and I felt worse.

So I've gone through a series of other dietary changes and finally I seem to have stumbled upon the one that works best for me.

1. I quit all grains

2. I quit all legumes

3. I quit all sugar (including maple syrup, honey,etc., though this is temporary)

4. I went on yeast-killing diet

Everyone is different. Many people on here can't do dairy; many can't do soy; many can't do legumes. You might be one of those folks...so....

I'd ask the doc about getting a food allergy panel done. You dont' want the test where they poke you with a bunch of stuff. YOu want the ELISA test. You can actually get it done for 150 bucks without your doctor - I have a brochure at my office that if you're interested, I can type from to let you know who to call.

I'd also start taking PRE biotics (enzymes). My nutritionist also put me on Betain-HCI which is supposed to increase stomach acid. Both of those seem to have helped the quality of my stool - obviously I was digesting things for the first time in a while. Studies have shown that folks often don't make enough stomach acid. There is some debate as to whether or not Betain-HCI helps with this, but the concept is, you need more tummy acid to properly digest.

I'd start taking PRObiotics - a lot at first, then even out. These can actually cause bloating when you slam them - but if your intestines were all messed up, then you need these. There is one that is not a good bacteria but is a good yeast, called FLORASTOR that is expensive, but seems to do the trick.

For me what finally killed the bloat was going on the yeast-killing diet for a week and a half. You'd have to know that you'll lose energy immensely - are supposed to take it easy on the damned thing, and believe me, if you're like me, you'd have to take it easy. BUT now I feel great. I'm starting back on my exerise, I've gotten invited to play tennis once a week and I'm excited about that. I've added fruit back and it's not making me bloat like it was before for the most part (I did somethng wrong a couple days ago and am still shrinking down from that episode).

Good luck. sorry to ramble on.

[pturse]

Thank you so much for the reponses! I really appreciate it and Bully4You, you didn't ramble. That is the kind of thing I am looking to ask and inquire about. Never thought about Yeast . . . will have to google that I guess and find out what it is in etc. I do eat primarily veggies and such but they tend to be the worst on my stomach. It's hard since I don't eat me. I do eat a lot of rice (white basmati or jasmine - brown is too harsh). I am trying to cut out sugar but I am addicted to candy sometimes . . . lots of small things I know I could do in my diet it is just really hard sticking with stuff since I feel so limited already.

I don't feel weak from the lack of iron at all and I get my period so it is just odd that my #s are so low w/o any side affects. No bruising either.

Might try the yeast removal after my 1/2 ironman if you think I'll feel weak . . .

Thanks everyone!

[penguin]

Even if you don't feel the effects of severe anemia, it can still be serious. You'll not only wear out faster, but it puts A LOT of stress on your heart. Remember that the red blood cells carry oxygen to your muscles, including your heart. When you're severely anemic, doing a lot of strenuous exercise can be bad news, because your red blood cells can't carry oxygen well at all.

TAKING IRON IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT!!!!

[jennyj]

A few years ago I was feeling very tired so I went to the doctor. She did a blood test and called me a few hours later and told me to get to the hospital NOW. Apparently my hemoglobin was 6 and by the time I got to the hospital it had dropped. I had to have a blood transfusion. Please do not take iron problems lightly.

[pturse]

Thanks. I appreciate your concern and advice. I have started the iron pill again. I do train w/a heart rate monitor so I can keep track of my heart rate while training and I never push it too hard.