Not Sure If I Have Celiac Or Not

[artsygal]

Hi everyone-

I'm a newbie here and I'm glad to have found this site. I only recently heard about Celiac disease but I am wondering if I have it. My doctor is very good. She is one of the holistic types and she has drawn blood for two seperate tests to see if I have Celiacs disease. All I know is that these blood test are expensive she is running. It will be interesting to see what happens. She is also running a "food sensitivities" test. Heres some of my symptoms and history...maybe you can give some feedback.

-history of depression/mood swings/ lethargic type depression

-stomach bloats after eating sometimes (especially the upper portion of my tummy)

-get bad constipation

-was diagnosed last year with Lichen Sclerosis which is another autoimmune thing that they dont know the cause of.

-Dad has diabetes and mom has Graves disease.

-dizziness at times

-I seem to CRAVE pasta and cheese. After I eat it I get down and tired, moody, etc. but amazingly these are the exact foods I crave.

-I have a dry and flaky scalp.

-white tounge in the morning and bad breath after consuming breads and pastas especially.

-The doc said I dont have enough "good" bacteria in my vaginal area and she suggested acidophilus pills and yogurt.

I dont know if this is from Celiac or not but I will find out soon from the doc. It would be nice to know if there was something I could do to help these mood swings and lethargic stuff. Also the puffy tummy.

Thanks!

-artsy

[Rusla]

Welcome to the forum and to the world of Celiac disease. Now, I am not a doctor but it sure sounds like Celiac to me or gluten intolerant. Which is pretty well the same as Celiac. Let us know how the tests turn out and there is lots of great info and people in this forum.

[AndreaB]

Welcome Artsy!

I have read that those foods we tend to be intolerant to are often the ones we crave.....especially gluten and dairy.

Keep us posted on your test results.

[CarlaB]

Welcome!

I think celiac is a possibility, but it also sounds like you have a candida problem because of your white tongue. When you get your blood test results, post them here and we can help interpret them with you.

Candida is not uncommon among celiacs, I had it myself. The anti-candida diet is similar in many ways to a gluten-free diet. The probiotics are good. I would also add coconut oil -- I use it instead of butter, and use it on about everything every day. It's good for candida, and good for you, too. Also, I take garlic pills because garlic kills off candida.

Since you crave dairy, I'd be suspicious of it, too. I am intolerant of casein as well as gluten -- it gives me about the same symptoms.

[kbtoyssni]

The thing that stood out to me was the cravings for gluten-filled food. If you have celiac, gluten acts as a poison to your body and people will often have "addictions" to it. I read somewhere that gluten is like morphine to celiacs in terms of the addictive properties. I also used to crave gluten foods and noticed after about eight months that the cravings are gone!

I also had depression and that's gone now, too. That's the symptom I hate most when I get glutened.

[Guest nini]

just a thought, you might want to try the gluten-free diet if your test results are negative for Celiac, you might still be gluten intolerant

[artsygal]

Thanks everyone for your feedback! Well, I did try to go gluten free for a day...I don't really want to stop totally without knowing my test results to see if it is even necessary as I really enjoy breads and pasta! But, today I just tried going without the breads and such. I started to feel a little more stable and had more energy. But tonight I had 2 slices of pizza. I am curious as to what will happen with the results. Ill keep everyone posted! It does make sense that you would crave those things that give you the problems!

[nursegirl]

Hello~I am new to this post and came to it googling 'lichen sclerosus and gluten-free diet".

I was diagnosed with lichen sclerosus 1 year ago (my mom and sister have it too). I will be very curious to know the outcome of you celiac test results..

[CarlaB]

Thanks everyone for your feedback! Well, I did try to go gluten free for a day...I don't really want to stop totally without knowing my test results to see if it is even necessary as I really enjoy breads and pasta! But, today I just tried going without the breads and such. I started to feel a little more stable and had more energy. But tonight I had 2 slices of pizza. I am curious as to what will happen with the results. Ill keep everyone posted! It does make sense that you would crave those things that give you the problems!

Much of the time people crave what they're allergic to. Did you get your test results yet?

Welcome nursegirl!