Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Help For A Newbie


lbonnell

Recommended Posts

lbonnell Newbie

Hello, I have been watching for some time and decided I need help! I have had some kind of autoimmune problem for many years. Every test came out negative. I recently (because of this site) asked a Doc to do a celiac test which presented as "neg" (in his words, don't have the details). I have gone gluten-free on and off and feel great. When I eat gluten, I blow up like a balloon, my abdomen swells to about three times its size. My throat burns, I itch and become very "foggy". I am seeing a new Doc very soon and would like to know what to ask her. If I do not have celiac, I am sure I have at least an allergy. I struggle with gluten free, I know I need to expand my foods. I get bored eating the same things and end up going back to bread. Any help is appreciated! I am 42 years old and am trying to be the healthiest person I can be.

Thanks!

Lisa


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Lisa Mentor

Welcome Lisa.......there are many Lisa's here.

If you are going to a new doctor soon, I would suggest that you stay on a gluten diet. Providing that you are going to be tested, by way of blood test. If you eliminate gluten from you diet now, you will not have an accurate test. What testing have you had done?

If you have already have the testing done. Try being totally gluten free and see how you feel. It may take some time to feel better. I have been gluten free (as best) for about a year and a half, and I still have some ups and downs.

If you have been reading here, there is more to be gluten free than staying away from breads and pastas. Gluten is in a great deal of things.... lotions, creams, lipsticks, toothpaste (?), shampoo.....

If you do have Celiac Disease, you have it for life. A gluten free lifestyle is the cure.

If you are tired of eating the same thing, this site has the most wonderful recipes. Please search this site and there are boundless options for wonderful dining, gluten free and delicious.

lbonnell Newbie

Thanks for your response! I actually had a Dr. appt today. She was WONDERFUL! She is testing (blood) tomorrow. She did day that I need to remain gluten free, regardless of the test because it may not show anything. She also recommended a support group. I was very pleased, all other Dr.s dismissed me. I went out and bought some gluten-free flours. I wanted to ask if Guar Gum is the same as Xantham (sp?) gum to use in recipies.

Thanks Again

Lisa

breann6 Contributor

good for you, and good for your doctor. sounds like your feeling better off gluten from your first post so thats telling you something. hopefully you continue on getting better and expanding your diets. i love how i eat more fresh fruits and veggies....im feeling better all the time and i'm only at a bit over a month....drink lots of water during the beginning too. Try and cut back on the processed foods at first too and see if that helps, it helped me a lot...

take care!

Breann :)

oh and welcome to the board!!

CarlaB Enthusiast

Lisa, welcome!

If you feel better gluten-free, then stay gluten-free, as your doc said. I also feel better gluten-free, but testing does not show I have a problem with it.

There are some pretty good breads out there .... EnerG and Kinnikinnick. They get better the longer you've been away from "real" bread!! :P They are also better toasted or microwaved.

Tinkyada makes great pasta.

If your health problems go away gluten-free, then stay gluten-free. If you still have some problems but feel better gluten-free, then stay gluten-free and keep looking for what else is wrong .... some of us who are non-celiac gluten intolerant have other health issues that may or may not be causing the food sensitivities ... some just feel better off gluten and have no other problems.

Rebecca47 Contributor

Hi Lisa, If you think its apropriate I would also suggest that you have a bone density test. If you haven't alreay asked her about it. My doctor had one done on myself , because of all the years of not absorbing calcium and vitamin D etc. :) It gets better seems like it takes forever.

GFBetsy Rookie

Guar gum does the same thing as xanthan gum, and I understand that it can be substituted teaspoon for teaspoon in recipes.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



clhsc Apprentice

Where can you find Tinkyada pasta? Can you order it online?

breann6 Contributor
Where can you find Tinkyada pasta? Can you order it online?

i get it at Whole Foods, or at Nutrition Depot- you can also buy it online. there is typically a small selection of gluten free pasta's in our Natural Foods section at Kroger or Publix but they aren't as good as Tinkyada pasta in my opinion.

~breann :)

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - trents replied to Ello's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Small Bowel Resection 12 inches

    2. - Ello replied to Ello's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Small Bowel Resection 12 inches

    3. - trents replied to Ello's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Small Bowel Resection 12 inches

    4. - Ello replied to Ello's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Small Bowel Resection 12 inches

    5. - trents replied to Ello's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Small Bowel Resection 12 inches

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,830
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Pamigayle
    Newest Member
    Pamigayle
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Losing 12" of your small bowel is going to present challenges for you in nutritional uptake because you are losing a significant amount of nutritional absorption surface area. You will need to focus on consuming foods that are nutritionally dense and also probably look at some good supplements. If indeed you are having issues with gluten you will need to educate yourself as to how gluten is hidden in the food supply. There's more to it than just avoiding the major sources of gluten like bread and pasta. It is hidden in so many things you would never expect to find it in like canned tomato soup and soy sauce just to name a few. It can be in pills and medications.  Also, your "yellow diarrhea, constipation and bloating" though these are classic signs of a gluten disorder, could also be related to the post surgical shorter length of your small bowel causing incomplete processing/digestion of food.
    • Ello
      Yes this information helps. I will continue to be pro active with this issues I am having. More testing to be done. Thank you so much for your response. 
    • trents
      There are two gluten-related disorders that share many of the same symptoms but differ in nature from each other. One is known as celiac disease or "gluten intolerance". By nature, it is an autoimmune disorder, meaning the ingestion of gluten triggers the body to attack it's own tissues, specifically the lining of the small bowel. This attack causes inflammation and produces antibodies that can be detected in the blood by specific tests like the TTG-IGA test you had. Over time, if gluten is not withheld, this inflammation can cause severe damage to the lining of the small bowel and even result in nutrient deficiency related health issues since the small bowel lining is organ where all the nutrition found in our food is absorbed.  The other is NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or just "gluten sensitivity") which we know less about and are unsure of the exact mechanism of action. It is not an autoimmune disorder and unlike celiac disease it does not damage the lining of the small bowel, though, like celiac disease, it can cause GI distress and it can also do other kinds of damage to the body. It is thought to be more common than celiac disease. Currently, we cannot test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out to arrive at a diagnosis of NCGS. Both disorders require elimination of gluten from the diet.  Either of these disorders can find their onset at any stage of life. We know that celiac disease has a genetic component but the genes are inactive until awakened by some stress event. About 40% of the general population has the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% develop active celiac disease. The incidence of NCGS is thought to be considerably higher. I hope this helps.
    • Ello
      I have always eaten gluten and never stopped until my recent episode. I started more wheat products as my Dr. requested for the Tissue Transglutaminase Iga Antibody. mye result Value <1.0 Value interpretation: <15.0 Antibody not detected > or =15.0 Antibody detected I do not understand any of it. After eating all that wheat product my body exploded with all sorts of symptoms. I stop gluten ASAP. I am still in the healing process. I started having issues after my surgery. 
    • trents
      Welcome to the celic.com community @Ello! You say you had a blood test for celiac disease after eating gluten for 2 weeks. Were you gluten free before that? Had you ever been officially diagnosed with celiac disease previously? You say the result of the blood test was 1.5. Can you provide the name of the test and the reference range for negative vs. positive for the test? I ask because different labs used different reference ranges so scores without a reference range aren't very helpful.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.