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Is This Celiac's?


lizzy21

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lizzy21 Newbie

Hi, I'm new to the boards. Could my symptoms be Celiac's disease? I almost constantly feel gassy and bloated, and I have diarrhea almost on a daily basis, combined with bouts of constipation. I have also been feeling nauseated after everything I eat lately. For years I believed I had lactose intolerance, but I have been dairy free for several days and I still feel ill. I am constantly fatigued, I can sleep for 12 hours a day and still feel tired. A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with Celiac's, and my symptoms seem similar. Could this be my problem? It would be wonderful to finally figure out why I have been feeling terrible for years. Thanks!


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Rikki Tikki Explorer

It sounds like it could be. You can either go gluten free and see if you feel better or go to the doctor and have the blood test. Just don't go gluten free and then see the doctor, it could cause a false negative.

Hope you feel better soon and welcome

Guest nini

it sure sounds like it could be, like Rikki Tikki says, you can either go get tests done or just try the diet and see if it helps. Ultimately how you do on the diet is your best diagnostic tool as the blood tests and biopsies have a high rate of false negatives. NO false positives though so if the testing came back positive you could be assured you have it. However, as I said, the diet is your best indicator and if you are comfortable with self diagnosis you can simply try the diet and see if it helps you, but if you do want to pursue official testing do not start the diet until testing is complete and then regardless of the results you could try the diet then. (so see why you could just avoid the delay and try the diet now?) Ultimately it's your decision if you need official proof or if you just want to see if the diet helps you.

If you do not improve on the diet that will not affect further testing, you can still be tested for other things (not celiac) once on the gluten-free diet. Keep in mind most of us take an average of 2 years to heal (not the 6 months most Dr.s will tell you) and some people even if they do have celiac, still don't get better. Either from refractory sprue or other intolerances or other health conditions.

Mayflowers Contributor

It could be celiac but I wouldn't base all your symptoms on that. I went gluten free and I'm still tired. I have a lot of allergies and other intolerances too.

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    • par18
      Thanks for the reply. 
    • Scott Adams
      What you’re describing is actually very common, and unfortunately the timing of the biopsy likely explains the confusion. Yes, it is absolutely possible for the small intestine to heal enough in three months on a strict gluten-free diet to produce a normal or near-normal biopsy, especially when damage was mild to begin with. In contrast, celiac antibodies can stay elevated for many months or even years after gluten removal, so persistently high antibody levels alongside the celiac genes and clear nutrient deficiencies strongly point to celiac disease, even if you don’t feel symptoms. Many people with celiac are asymptomatic but still develop iron and vitamin deficiencies and silent intestinal damage. The lack of immediate symptoms makes it harder emotionally, but it doesn’t mean gluten isn’t harming you. Most specialists would consider this a case of celiac disease with a false-negative biopsy due to early healing rather than “something else,” and staying consistently gluten-free is what protects you long-term—even when your body doesn’t protest right away.
    • Scott Adams
      Yes, I meant if you had celiac disease but went gluten-free before screening, your results would end up false-negative. As @trents mentioned, this can also happen when a total IGA test isn't done.
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