Ileum Question

[Guest zoomom]

I have been thinking.........If I am GI, how did I get it as I can not think of any family members who have had issues with gluten.

However, I did have a surgery about 3 years ago where the doctor removed 4 inches of my Ileum. About 5 months after that surgery, I began having "IBS" symptoms. I would eat some foods and an hour later spasms would start and bam D. The D could last hours. Luckily, that lasted only a few months and I have been fine until April 06 when I began having my current issues (abominal/lower back pain, bloating, acid, & tingling in legs).

So, I just realized that maybe it was that Ileum surgery that has caused this. What does everyone think?

Robin

[SchnauzerMom]

I read somewhere that surgery, stress, illness and so forth could trigger it. So I guess that's what happened to you.

[penguin]

OK, I was just diagnosed with Crohn's, so not to make everything into Crohn's, but...

Did they remove the section of your ileum because of Crohn's disease? Beacause the majority of Chron's disease occurs in the ileum and it's not all that uncommon to remove sections of the intestine when they don't respond to treatment. Have you been on management medications for Chron's disease?

The disease that causes inflammation, ulceration, narrowing, and obstruction in the ileum is Crohn's Disease. That's quite the definition of it actually, except that it can occur anywhere from mouth to anus. The difference between celiac disease and Crohn's is that Crohn's reacts to all food and inflames, ulcerates, and obstructs, while in celiac disease the villi are flattened by the presence of gluten.

I happen to also be gluten-intolerant, but both are autoimmune diseases, and autoimmune diseases come in clusters when they aren't under control.

[Gamecreature]

I've heard that said, though I really can't say. I do know that my celiac was diagnosed a year after gall bladder surgery that never seemed to clear up. But I was also dealing with the stress of having moved halfway across the country. I suspect my celiac was always there, just that the gall bladder condition made me more aware of what was going on in my gut.

[par18]

I have been thinking.........If I am GI, how did I get it as I can not think of any family members who have had issues with gluten.

However, I did have a surgery about 3 years ago where the doctor removed 4 inches of my Ileum. About 5 months after that surgery, I began having "IBS" symptoms. I would eat some foods and an hour later spasms would start and bam D. The D could last hours. Luckily, that lasted only a few months and I have been fine until April 06 when I began having my current issues (abominal/lower back pain, bloating, acid, & tingling in legs).

So, I just realized that maybe it was that Ileum surgery that has caused this. What does everyone think?

Robin

Out of a family of 5 (late father, mother, brother and sister) I was the only one to "ever" have symptoms which were diagnosed as Celiac Disease. Stress, trauma, or illness does trigger the gluten intolerance which in turn causes IBS symptoms. This is where the problem occurs. The doctor in some cases sees the IBS as a diagnosis rather than a symptom. Medication is given for the stress thinking it will cure the IBS. The fact of the matter is that if this is truly GI or Celiac disease it will never be cured removing the stress. An ongoing battle will continue between the patient and doctor over what is really wrong. If the patient is lucky the doctor will have some knowledge of Celiac and may suggest a diet challange in the beginning. If not he/she will defer to a Gastro specialist who will know and maybe try this same approach. Worst case is that the primary doctor will continue to treat with medication and convince you it is in your head. Unfortunately I see this happening in a lot of cases. I think a big reason for this is lack of other family members with similiar symptoms to compare. Don't think because you are the only one it cannot be this. The other thing that makes diagnosing Celiac difficult is that if you accidently remove gluten from your diet then you could see improvements which make you think it was something else.

Tom