Newbie Alert

[Callyboy]

HiGuys, sorry if this post is in the wrong place, but i am at home at the moment and on dial up, which is a pain as its soooo slow.

I am new to this and would like some advice please.

My sister has just been diagnosed(spelling ?) with celiac disease and told me that i should check things out with my doc (genetic right ?). Anyway, she has just popped over from Canada and we got talking about it in the pub !! she descrbed some of the symptons she has, and i was horrified that all the things she said i seem to suffer from !!! fatigue, flatulence,lower back pain in the morning, sudden need to go to the toilet and crap(sorry)(been caught out a few times after drinking down the pub(beer!!!!)- so bad !!)stomach feels very acidic, depression - need i go on ? anyway, what you guys reckon ?

I have ordered a blood test kit from the internet that test for it, and for some reason i am kinda hoping i have it, as my life is pretty crap health wise at the moment. I have had a lot of stress in the last 3 years, and i have read that this can trigger things off. right ?

Look forward to hearing from you guys.

cheers

Pete

[CarlaB]

Since your sister has is and you have the symptoms, there's a high probability you have it. If you're going to be tested, unless it's by Enterolab, you need to keep consuming gluten until after the testing.

[happygirl]

who did you order the test from?

Its good you are being tested. Celiac is genetic, and leading Celiac experts recommend that ALL first degree relatives (siblings, parents, children) are tested for it.

[Callyboy]

Hi Carlab,

Whow that was a quick reply - Thanks.

Yeah, i had read that you should contiue eating as normal. I hope the kit comes soon. I really need to know what is going on with my body. I want to feel "alive" again.

thanks again.

Pete

Hi Laura,

thanks for the reply as well

got the test kit from here :

Open Original Shared Link

Cheers

Pete

Oh my god -what if i have got it ? NO MORE BEER/PIZZA OR PASTA RIGHT

[Jestgar]

Oh my god -what if i have got it ? NO MORE BEER/PIZZA OR PASTA RIGHT

No,

Just different beer, pizza and pasta

[Callyboy]

No,

Just different beer, pizza and pasta

PHEW !!

[Jestgar]

Think of it as your chance to get out of the rut we all get into.

You'll try new foods you never thought to look for (Almond crackers! Yum!)

You'll challenge your creativity (Hmm, how can I replicate that fried chicken)

You'll have more chances to talk about poop then you ever thought was possible! (check out some of the threads on this site)

[Ursa Major]

Hi Pete, and welcome to this board. As the others said, it is very likely that you have celiac disease, too. And there are gluten-free beers, pizzas and pasta out there.

Even if you test negative with your kit, you should not assume you don't have celiac disease. If it is negative, you should either keep eating gluten and go after formal testing with a doctor, or if you don't want to do that, just try the diet to see if it helps.

Either way, we are here for you!

[Carriefaith]

Welcome

I've read that all first degree relatives should be tested for celiac disease. The Tissue Transglutamase blood test (tTg) is highly specific for celiac disease. However, you need to be eating gluten in order to avoid false negative results.

I believe that stress may have triggered or worsened my celiac disease.

You can make almost any food you want on the gluten-free diet. I have recipes for lots of different foods if you are interested. Some people prefer my food over normal gluten food.

[Callyboy]

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the replies.

Will let you know how i get on with the test. Hope it arrives today.

Cheers

Peter

[Callyboy]

Hi again,

Well i did my home test last night and it came out negative :shock:

So where do i go from here ? In a way i was kinda hoping that it would be positive- strange. But at least i would know where i was at.

Should i just try a gluton/wheat free diet for a month and see if i feel better ?

I have also seen a food allergy test you can have which test for about 150 allergies - worth a try ?

Any help and advice appreciated.

Cheers

Pete

[Guest nini]

my personal opinion is that positive dietary response is the most valid diagnostic tool, so if you do decide to forego further testing which is just costing you extra money and extra time when you could be getting better, just try the diet for at least six months, then if you aren't convinced by then, try adding gluten back into your diet and monitor your body's responses. You may not be celiac YET, but just gluten intolerant, which the only way you would be able to determine that is by the diet. Elimination diets are very valid tools for detecting other food intolerances as well.

[AmandaD]

Go to your family practiitoner, tell them your sister was diagnosed with Celiac and you should have the TTG Iga antibody test done.

That's what my family's been going through.

[happygirl]

pasta: try the Tinkyada (rice based) pasta...it is hands down (well, to most of us!) the best. I love it.

keep us updated!