Possible Celiac?

[Big Baboon]

Hi,

I've just had my gastroscopy cancelled for the second time and the doctors don't want to do a blood test for Celiac disease. They say that I should wait until I've had the gastroscopy done (probably in about 2 months on the NHS) as it is the "gold standard" for diagnosis.

Is it possible that I've got celiac disease?

My symptoms are:

Quite bad indigestion/reflux and use a bottle of gaviscon each week

Problems sleeping and keep waking up in the early hours and struggle to get back to sleep

Stomach pain + nausea

Tiredness/Weakness

No energy- I've had to stop almost everything that I do during the week, apart from going to work which I still do, though this can be awkward when I have to do anything physical

Irritability

Breathlessness when walking up the stairs

Pain in legs, as if I have just walked miles and miles, even though I haven't

Very dry skin on face- though have had this for about 5/6 years

Depression every so often- again, had this for several years

Had tingling in my testicles for some reason- this lasted about 3 months and stopped almost as suddenly as it started

Quite bad breath

Faintness/Dizziness

Times when I have lots of gas

Bloatedness- sometime I have tight trousers, yet other times they're quite loose

I can't eat anything after about 8:30pm otherwise I wake up feeling sick + have to reach for the gaviscon

There are times when I can't concentrate and can't be bothered doing anything- which is pretty bad as I'm trying to do my accounting exams at the moment

I have had problems with acne on my back- when I first started feeling ill my back was quite bad and six months later it has almost cleared

There are times when I feel quite hot- though the doctor says that this has nothing to do with celiac disease

I'm 23 and the tiredness, sickness and stomach pain started exactly 6 months ago and show no sign of stopping.

I was first given domperidone to speed up my stomach movements (or somthing like that) but I had to take it all the time otherwise I would feel sick, then lansoprazole and omeprazole (not at same time!). This stopped the reflux but not the other symptoms.

I have had a blood test for glandular fever which came back negative, a normal blood test where everything was normal, and an ultrasound on my stomach- again, normal.

I'm thinking about getting a celiac blood test done with BUPA- it's only

[gdobson]

Sorry for your frustration. So I guess you have to continue to eat gluten until your tests...bummer.

When I first mentioned celiac disease to my doctor he about laughed me out of his office. That was about 7 years ago. My son and I are both celiac...and living gluten free and much more comfortable.

Your symptoms sound all too familiar, right down to the depression. When I have something accidentally even now, the pain and the fatigue and the irritability - oh my poor husband. It was the pain in my bones that actually sent me the message that something was wrong. I was way too young for that.

Best wishes to you. I am more than hopeful that after you can begin a gluten free diet you will begin to feel like a 23 year old should.

Gina

Portsmouth, VA