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So I Have A Twin Brother Right....


JerryK

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JerryK Community Regular

Probably some of you remember my discussion about my tooth enamel loss. Brother has that also and had to have all his teeth capped. His gums and teeth were in terrible shape.

Now I've had a difficult time convincing my brother that our tooth enamel loss, is clearly something genetic and could be consistent with Celiac. He complains frequently that he hurts all over, is tired all the time..he's on an antidepressant, he takes Xanax...etc....AND he weighs about 30 lbs more than my

170.

Now I think, just because he doesn't have glaring gastro symptoms, he's still displaying a lot of

symptoms of Celiac and it could well be the cause of his pain/fatigue/depression.

I sent him a list of symptoms and he mentioned that he gets mouth ulcers all the time....

Any thoughts on this....


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Rusla Enthusiast

Yup, it sounds like some of my symptoms and yes Celiac can cause all of that and more.

Now some people don't want to know because they believe if they hide their head in the sand and they can't see you then you can't see them. So he figures if he ignores it and does nothing about it then it will go away. He is so wrong, it will only get worse. He should get tested because not just being your brother but your twin makes him highly probable to being Celiac.

Tell him not to be such a chicken and get something done before this disease leaves him with as little teeth as I have or worse, kills him.

covsooze Enthusiast

I feel for you - me and my sister both have coeliac and we are convinced our father does because of his symptoms, but he had a negative blood test (he didn't have the full panel) and is not willing to take it any further, despite us telling him he could end up feeling so much better. it's a really difficult one.

Guhlia Rising Star

Jerry, perhaps when you get a positive diagnosis it will motivate him to seek help. If not, just make sure he KNOWS exactly how GREAT you feel after going gluten free. You could mention that you're much less tired, have more energy, etc... Focus on his symptoms that you share... Perhaps this will motivate him.

mommida Enthusiast

My sister has some obvious symptoms of celiac disease. i.e. vomiting after some meals and always anemic. :huh:

She is very happy to be thin and be able to eat anything she wants and will not get tested until..... Well I really don't know what would make her ever get tested. :blink:

L.

If your brother is at least looking at the information, listening to you, and asking questions he is doing more than any of my siblings. :ph34r:

eleep Enthusiast

I also have a twin brother! He's also got symptoms that look a lot like celiac -- worse anxiety than I've ever experienced, however, and also a tendency to be pigheaded (okay -- I do that too sometimes). He's actually been to the hospital a number of times for what they thought were thyroid issues, but no clear diagnosis ever seems to have surfaced from that.

I sent him my Enterolab results and talked with him about what they meant a couple of times, but I don't think I got anywhere -- as my other brother pointed out, we don't know how my twin could ever handle going gluten free since he seems not to know how to cook at all and lives off of hot pocket-type things.

Frustrating, but all I can do is provide the information, discuss the risks of being an untreated, undiagnosed celiac, and strongly recommend that he see a doctor about this. It's nice to hear about people with siblings who are a little more able to accept their influence!

Kody Rookie
Probably some of you remember my discussion about my tooth enamel loss. Brother has that also and had to have all his teeth capped. His gums and teeth were in terrible shape.

Now I've had a difficult time convincing my brother that our tooth enamel loss, is clearly something genetic and could be consistent with Celiac. He complains frequently that he hurts all over, is tired all the time..he's on an antidepressant, he takes Xanax...etc....AND he weighs about 30 lbs more than my

170.

Now I think, just because he doesn't have glaring gastro symptoms, he's still displaying a lot of

symptoms of Celiac and it could well be the cause of his pain/fatigue/depression.

I sent him a list of symptoms and he mentioned that he gets mouth ulcers all the time....

Any thoughts on this....

Sounds like me... err, except the denial part.

Uh oh, typo... I mean to say sounds like he could be a Celiac :D (Celiac causes all of those symptoms).


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    • Theresa2407
      Usually when I digest gluten or wheat I have a 4 hour window before reacting.  If it is immediate it may be an intollerence to another food.  Dairy, Frutose, and bacteria (SIBO) will react with many of the celiac disease symtoms.Has your Doctor ran a  Fructose test which is measuring your Fruit Sugar?  A Hydrogen Beath Test which checks your intestinal bacteria and Dairy?After my biopsy and blood work, these (3) tests were also ran, along with allergy tests, which allery test was sent out of State.  It was a mouth swab. How fast you heal depends on the diet you are following… The following are my personal recommendations to healing. I talk to many newly diagnosed people who start the gluten-free diet with pasta, breads, snacks, and pizza. After a month or so, they do not know why they don’t feel any better and still are sick with their original symptoms: They worry the diet is not working for them. For some there may be other factors involved, but most just aren’t letting their body heal properly. I blame the internet, and misinformation it contains. People want a quick fix, not realizing this is a life long disease. They need a good support group, with people who have been through this and knows what works!  This is what I have found will work for you.                                                                                            First 6 weeks should be:                                                                                                                                 lean meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, salmon, sardines, buffalo, deer)                                                   fresh vegetables (steamed or roasted with a little Olive Oil) with 2 cups per day being raw (5 servings; a serving is 1/2 cup)                                                                                                                                      fresh fruit (3 servings; include strawberries, blackberries and blueberries daily)  Makes good shakes with Almond milk.                                                                                                                                        A hand full of almonds daily (pecans and walnuts can be substituted)                                                        brown rice, lentils, Citrucel daily (or the equivalent) Good source of fiber. I use Calm because my body doesn’t absorb Magnesium and I only need to take once in evening.                                                    No dairy of any kind (milk, cheese, yogurt, No breads, No past,  No oats, No pizza, No gluten-free beer, No snacks like cake, biscuits, pies, donuts.                                                                                                Many dietitians will tell you to follow a gluten free diet but you have to heal first. Don’t misunderstand me, dietitians are our friends and help us.                                                                                              10% of people with gluten-free will be intolerant to dairy                                                                                  10% can not tolerate oats                                                                                                                     After the six weeks, you can start to add these foods back into your diet. 1 new food every 4 days; this way you know if you react to this food.                                                                                                  Oats shouldn’t be tried for 1 year after being diagnosed; then start with 1/3 of a cup. Only gluten-free Oats are acceptable.                                                                                                                                              You should have results within 3 days of following a correct healing diet. Bloating should be leaving, migraines should be gone. Might take bowels a little longer to respond. If you start with 5 times a day on the Citrucel and cut back as your bowels return to normal; then use 1 Tbsp. daily. This works if you have constipation or diarrhea.                                                                                                        Meanwhile make sure you have had a Dexa test (bone density) and a blood test to check your vitamin and mineral levels: Zinc, D,K,B,C and iron levels.                                                                                  Don't take supplements while healing as your body is not accepting them and they will flush through your body.                                                                                                                                              Have you had a breath test for Dairy, Fructose, and bacteria overgrowth? Should have done when first diagnosed.                                                                                                                                        How fast you heal depends on the diet you are following… The following are my personal recommendations to healing. I talk to many newly diagnosed people who start the gluten-free diet with pasta, breads, snacks, and pizza. After a month or so, they do not know why they don’t feel any better and still are sick with their original symptoms: They worry the diet is not working for them. For some there may be other factors involved, but most just aren’t letting their body heal properly. I blame the internet, and misinformation it contains. People want a quick fix, not realizing this is a life long disease. They need a good support group, with people who have been through this and knows what works! This is what I have found will work for you. First 6 weeks should be: lean meat (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, salmon, sardines, buffalo, deer) fresh vegetables (steamed or roasted with a little Olive Oil) with 2 cups per day being raw (5 servings; a serving is 1/2 cup) fresh fruit (3 servings; include strawberries, blackberries and blueberries daily) a hand full of almonds daily (pecans and walnuts can be substituted) brown rice lentils Citrucel daily (or the equivalent) Good source of fiber. No dairy of any kind (milk, cheese, yogurt) No breads No pasta No oats No pizza No gluten-free beer No snacks like cake, biscuits, pies, donuts. Many dietitians will tell you to follow a gluten free diet but you have to heal first. Don’t misunderstand me, dietitians are our friends and help us. 10% of people with gluten-free will be intolerant to dairy 10% can not tolerate oats After the six weeks, you can start to add these foods back into your diet. 1 new food every 4 days; this way you know if you react to this food. Oats shouldn’t be tried for 1 year after being diagnosed; then start with 1/3 of a cup. Only gluten-free Oats are acceptable. You should have results within 3 days of following a correct healing diet. Bloating should be leaving, migraines should be gone. Might take bowels a little longer to respond. If you start with 5 times a day on the Citrucel and cut back as your bowels return to normal; then use 1 Tbsp. daily. This works if you have constipation or diarrhea. Meanwhile make sure you have had a Dexa test (bone density) and a blood test to check your vitamin and mineral levels: Zinc, D,K,B,C and iron levels. Don't take supplements while healing as your body is not accepting them and they will flush through your body. Have you had a breath test for Dairy, Fructose, and bacteria overgrowth? Should have done when first diagnosed. Remember to have a tTg IgA blood test repeated at 6 months then every year after, with another scope done in 3 years. Only way to know if you are healed. I don’t have all the answers; we are learning everyday new ways of doing things, but this is a start! Remember to have a tTg IgA EMA blood test repeated at 6 months then every year after 
    • Wheatwacked
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    • Rogol72
      I cut out the rice because it was affecting my stomach at the time ... not necessarily dermatitis herpetiformis. It was Tilda Basmati Rice, sometimes wholegrain rice. I was willing to do whatever it took to heal. Too much fiber also disagrees with me as I have UC.
    • trents
      But you didn't answer my question. When you consume gluten, is there an identifiable reaction within a short period of time, say a few hours?
    • Scott Adams
      You can still have celiac disease with negative blood test results, although it's not very common:  Clinical and genetic profile of patients with seronegative coeliac disease: the natural history and response to gluten-free diet: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5606118/  Seronegative Celiac Disease - A Challenging Case: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9441776/  Enteropathies with villous atrophy but negative coeliac serology in adults: current issues: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34764141/   
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