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[OreoCookie]

Hello All! My name is Stephanie and I am 26. I stumbled upon this site after researching for days about Celiac disease. I've always had stomach issues. As a baby my mother was told I had a Lactose intolerance. It got better through my tweens but got worse in college. Well, within the past year I've been getting sick a lot. I think I've had that neuro stomach virus twice in the past year. The first time I attributed it to food poisoning because no one else around me came down with it. The second time my husband did get the virus. Both times I had the virus I had uncontrollable vomiting and D. Since October I've had tonsillitis once a month through February. I've always had stomach issues and recently have gotten fed up with it and requested that I be seen by a GI Dr. I told the doctor these symptoms:

1. I frequently have heartburn and it wakes me up at night.

2. I can't drink alcohol without having bad heartburn, upset stomach that night and loose stools the next day

3. I am in pain if not as soon as I am done eating then a few hours after.

4. On a normal day I have bowel movements 3-4 times a day on a bad day 6.

5. Chronic tonsillitis in the past 4 months that comes back negative on a strep test.

With all this info the doc prescribed me "Prilosec" and told me to only take Tylenol for aches and pains when needed. He told me he wanted to have do a Endoscopy on me and to start taking the Prilosec a.s.a.p.

In the meantime, I've been researching and asking questions to my friends and family. I've found other symptoms that apply to me that i would've never thought had anything to do with Celiac disease. For example:

1. Bad teeth. I brush twice daily but i do not floss :-( yet I still have cavities every time I go to the dentist which is every six months.

2. Canker sores like no other. Anbesol is my best friend. I don't have them all the time but when i do it's murder.

3. Foot and leg cramping at night. Hands occasionally cramp during the day

4. Inablilty to sleep throughout the night w/o waking up 2-3-4 times. (I usually wake up severely congest but I've fixed this problem and the sleeping problem temporarily w/a humidifier).

5. Fatigue (even if i sleep sound throughout the night)

6. Uncontrollably itchy skin, however, I have no signs of a rash. I itch mostly on my shins, forearms, face, scalp and back.

After having all this info I told the nurse these additional symptoms when I went for my Endoscopy today. They drugged me up and didn't find anything in my stomach except that I have a "Hiatal Hernia". They did not take any bloodwork initially nor did they take an biopsies of my stomach.

I apologize for this extremely long post but I am at my wits end. I'm tired of scratching in between key strokes and constantly feeling like I may be self diagnosing myself or that others see me as a hypo. So, someone please help me or guide me. Is Celiac disease a strong possibility with all my symptoms?? Please help!

[wowzer]

It is a possibility that it is celiac. You could try going gluten free and see if you get some relief. I had negative blood tests, but decided to try the diet the first of the year. It got rid of a lot of the itchiness. I had the same problem with sleep, now I've been sleeping through the night more. My sinuses even improved. I have found that I'm more sensitive to gluten now. I wish you luck, I know it is so frustrating.

[sherylj]

Hello All! My name is Stephanie and I am 26. I stumbled upon this site after researching for days about Celiac disease. I've always had stomach issues. As a baby my mother was told I had a Lactose intolerance. It got better through my tweens but got worse in college. Well, within the past year I've been getting sick a lot. I think I've had that neuro stomach virus twice in the past year. The first time I attributed it to food poisoning because no one else around me came down with it. The second time my husband did get the virus. Both times I had the virus I had uncontrollable vomiting and D. Since October I've had tonsillitis once a month through February. I've always had stomach issues and recently have gotten fed up with it and requested that I be seen by a GI Dr. I told the doctor these symptoms:

1. I frequently have heartburn and it wakes me up at night.

2. I can't drink alcohol without having bad heartburn, upset stomach that night and loose stools the next day

3. I am in pain if not as soon as I am done eating then a few hours after.

4. On a normal day I have bowel movements 3-4 times a day on a bad day 6.

5. Chronic tonsillitis in the past 4 months that comes back negative on a strep test.

With all this info the doc prescribed me "Prilosec" and told me to only take Tylenol for aches and pains when needed. He told me he wanted to have do a Endoscopy on me and to start taking the Prilosec a.s.a.p.

In the meantime, I've been researching and asking questions to my friends and family. I've found other symptoms that apply to me that i would've never thought had anything to do with Celiac disease. For example:

1. Bad teeth. I brush twice daily but i do not floss :-( yet I still have cavities every time I go to the dentist which is every six months.

2. Canker sores like no other. Anbesol is my best friend. I don't have them all the time but when i do it's murder.

3. Foot and leg cramping at night. Hands occasionally cramp during the day

4. Inablilty to sleep throughout the night w/o waking up 2-3-4 times. (I usually wake up severely congest but I've fixed this problem and the sleeping problem temporarily w/a humidifier).

5. Fatigue (even if i sleep sound throughout the night)

6. Uncontrollably itchy skin, however, I have no signs of a rash. I itch mostly on my shins, forearms, face, scalp and back.

After having all this info I told the nurse these additional symptoms when I went for my Endoscopy today. They drugged me up and didn't find anything in my stomach except that I have a "Hiatal Hernia". They did not take any bloodwork initially nor did they take an biopsies of my stomach.

I apologize for this extremely long post but I am at my wits end. I'm tired of scratching in between key strokes and constantly feeling like I may be self diagnosing myself or that others see me as a hypo. So, someone please help me or guide me. Is Celiac disease a strong possibility with all my symptoms?? Please help!

I was just diagnozed celiax and yes,,,I have always had itchy skin but no rash,,,(the itchiness has almost gone away),,,I can even wear an "scratchy" sweater that previously would have driven me crazy.

My stomach pain was in my upper left so it sounded like reflux. And yes,,,I was prescribed the Prilosec a few years back

I really would suggest you ask for a biopsy of the small intestine to rule out celiac. If I had done that ten years ago I would have saved my self frequent over night pain that seemed like heart burn, do you have bloating and excessive gas??

the hiated hernia may just be the tip of the iceberg. I think there is something else going on here and I would not be satisfied with assuming this is all that is wrong. Good luck,,Find another dr if this one is not being helpful. dont give up!!

[jerseyangel]

Hi Stephanie, and welcome

It's possible that your symptoms could point to Celiac or a gluten intolerance. I'm disappointed that your doctor didn't take several samples from your intestine to biopsy while they were doing the endo.

If you would still like to get a firm diagnosis, I would suggest having the full Celiac Blood Panel run. It consists of 5 tests, and they need to run them all. Do not go gluten-free or even gluten-lite before having the test--doing so will skew the results.

Another way to go would be to try going 100% gluten-free for a month or so and see if it makes a difference for you. The positive response to the gluten-free diet is a valid diagnostic tool in and of itself. If you feel better on the diet, you can just go on eating gluten-free--as simple as that.

[OreoCookie]

I was just diagnozed celiax and yes,,,I have always had itchy skin but no rash,,,(the itchiness has almost gone away),,,I can even wear an "scratchy" sweater that previously would have driven me crazy.

My stomach pain was in my upper left so it sounded like reflux. And yes,,,I was prescribed the Prilosec a few years back

I really would suggest you ask for a biopsy of the small intestine to rule out celiac. If I had done that ten years ago I would have saved my self frequent over night pain that seemed like heart burn, do you have bloating and excessive gas??

the hiated hernia may just be the tip of the iceberg. I think there is something else going on here and I would not be satisfied with assuming this is all that is wrong. Good luck,,Find another dr if this one is not being helpful. dont give up!!

Thank you for your comment. Yes I occasionally get bloated and I feel as if I am always excessively gassy Typically, I used to only get gassy from dairy, greasy foods or carbonated drinks. Lately I can drink a glass of water and be burping and or the other for hours on end, lol. The doc prescribed this Prilosec and I do take it daily, however, I feel as though I hurt more. I don't know if its is b/c of the Prilosec or not. The only relief that comes from taking it is no more heartburn. The pain, gas pressure and other symptoms are still going on. Did you feel this way when you took Prilosec?