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pixiegirl

By pixiegirl
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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pixiegirl Enthusiast
pixiegirl
Posted

I just wanted to say hi. I'm sure you all have stories to tell in getting diagnosed and here is mine. I've had stomach problems and diarrhea for 8 years. I've seen my doctor a few times for them and first it was a lactose intolerance (which I'm not sure I have) and then he finally decided I have ibs. Two weeks ago he ran some blood tests for celiac and they came back "normal" and he said I don't have it. However..... when he mentioned that we were testing for celiac disease I went on the internet and read about it and immediately went gluten-free.

By the time the tests came back all my symptoms were gone, no diarrhea, no noisy stomach, and I'm eating milk products with no symptoms (which is why I don't think I'm lactose intolerant). When I told my doctor this he said, go back on gluten products it has nothing to do with it. Well, two days ago I mistakenly ate a little bit of gluten and my belly was all upset again (along with other symptoms).

I'm going to get some further testing at that Entrolab in Tx. and see what they can tell me but for now this is where I stand, my Dr. won't even give me a referral to another doctor (i'm in an HMO and can't see anyone with his referral) as he said based on this one blood test, that I'm fine and that its in my head. (wrong end!)

Its frustrating but I know that the gluten is not working for me.

I'm a single mom on Cape Cod (not a lot of doctors) and I just thought I'd say hi and that I look forward to learning a lot more about this.

Susan

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darlindeb25 Collaborator
darlindeb25
Posted
:D welcome susan------your story sounds so much like so many others of us--i too was told IBS, spastic colin and the best one--too much stress and to keep the stress away :blink: only an idiot would say something that stupid-----anyways--i went almost 20 years before finding out about celiacs and i do not need a doctor to tell me that gluten is my problem and a gluten free diet can not hurt you, especially when we know the gluten does--once again, welcome :D and feel free to email me at my aol addy if you want---deb ;)
stef-the-kicking-cuty Enthusiast
stef-the-kicking-cuty
Posted

Hello Susan,

my tests were negativ, because i did the same thing you did. I made research and found out about celiac disease and started to cut out the gluten in my food. When the doctor wanted to make some blood tests i told him, that i'm worried, that the blood tests wont show anything, because i already started the glutenfree diet. He replied, no, that should be ok. Well, of course the blood tests were negativ then. But i feel perfect when i eat glutenfree. And he said, well, that's pretty strange, but when i feel better with glutenfree food i should just go on eating that and come back in about 3 month. And he said, if i'm feeling better after eating glutenfree food, that's as good as a diagnosis in his eyes. And that was it. I feel so much better since i'm on a glutenfree diet, that i never want go back to eat gluten again. I cut the gluten out since July this year. But i would like to make this test in Texas too.

I think, you don't need positiv tests to know, that you feel better on a glutenfree diet.

That is just my opinion here. Lots of greetings, Stef

Guest barbara3675
Guest barbara3675
Posted

Hey there pixiegirl......a similar story here, negative blood test, so I did the complete test with Enterolab including gene testing. Came back gluten and casein intolerant and I had been eating gluten-free already. They are wonderful. The test in non-invasive and the results came back in less than two weeks although they ask you to be patient for 3-4 weeks. I was very pleased with Enterolab. They send you the results via email. My granddaughter who is now 6 has had celiac disease for 5 years and we always wondered where she got it from as it is highly heriditery...now we know. I am feeling much better too, although I wanted going gluten-free to cure my fibromyalgia and it hasn't done that yet. Darn. Best wishes, do the Enterolab thing for sure. Barbara

Canadian Karen Community Regular
Canadian Karen
Posted

Hi!

I'll start by welcoming you to the forum!! There is a great bunch of people here who are really supportive, knowledgeable, and helpful......

My story is a bit different from yours, my bloodwork and biopsy showed without a doubt that I had celiac, but from all the posts I have read here, it is not uncommon at all that the bloodwork came back negative. I would also recommend to you that you to the Enterlab testing, I have heard nothing but wonderful things about them....

Good Luck and Welcome!

Karen

flagbabyds Collaborator
flagbabyds
Posted

Welcome@!!!

This is a great message board and it is really hard for me to do my HW when I am posting on this board. LOL wow if you have any questions you can e-mail me, i have been living with celiac disease for 13 years, all my life

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    • knitty kitty
      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @rei.b,  I understand how frustrating starting a new way of eating can be.  I tried all sorts of gluten-free processed foods and just kept feeling worse.  My health didn't improve until I started the low histamine AIP diet.  It makes a big difference.   Gluten fits into opioid receptors in our bodies.  So, removing gluten can cause withdrawal symptoms and reveals the underlying discomfort.  SIBO can cause digestive symptoms.  SIBO can prevent vitamins from being absorbed by the intestines.  Thiamine insufficiency causes Gastrointestinal Beriberi (bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea or constipation).  Thiamine is the B vitamin that runs out first because it can only be stored for two weeks.  We need more thiamine when we're sick or under emotional stress.  Gastric Beriberi is under recognised by doctors.  An Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test is more accurate than a blood test for thiamine deficiency, but the best way to see if you're low in thiamine is to take it and look for health improvement.  Don't take Thiamine Mononitrate because the body can't utilize it well.  Try Benfotiamine.  Thiamine is water soluble, nontoxic and safe even at high doses.  I thought it was crazy, too, but simple vitamins and minerals are important.  The eight B vitamins work together, so a B Complex, Benfotiamine,  magnesium and Vitamin D really helped get my body to start healing, along with the AIP diet.  Once you heal, you add foods back in, so the AIP diet is worth doing for a few months. I do hope you'll consider the AIP diet and Benfotiamine.
    • captaincrab55
      Finding gluten free ingredients

      By captaincrab55 · Posted

      Imemsm, Most of us have experienced discontinued, not currently available or products that suddenly become seasonal.   My biggest fear about relocating from Maryland to Florida 5 years ago, was being able to find gluten-free foods that fit my restricted diet.  I soon found out that the Win Dixie and Publix supper markets actually has 99% of their gluten-free foods tagged, next to the price.  The gluten-free tags opened up a  lot of foods that aren't actually marked gluten-free by the manufacture.  Now I only need to check for my other dietary restrictions.  Where my son lives in New Hartford, New York there's a Hannaford Supermarket that also has a gluten-free tag next to the price tag.  Hopefully you can locate a Supermarket within a reasonable travel distance that you can learn what foods to check out at a Supermarket close to you.  I have dermatitis herpetiformis too and I'm very sensitive to gluten and the three stores I named were very gluten-free friendly.  Good Luck 
    • rei.b
      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By rei.b · Posted

      Okay well the info about TTG-A actually makes a lot of sense and I wish the PA had explained that to me. But yes, I would assume I would have intestinal damage from eating a lot of gluten for 32 years while having all these symptoms. As far as avoiding gluten foods - I was definitely not doing that. Bread, pasta, quesadillas (with flour tortillas) and crackers are my 4 favorite foods and I ate at least one of those things multiple times a day e.g. breakfast with eggs and toast, a cheese quesadilla for lunch, and pasta for dinner, and crackers and cheese as a before bed snack. I'm not even kidding.  I'm not really big on sugar, so I don't really do sweets. I don't have any of those conditions.  I am not sure if I have the genes or not. When the geneticist did my genetic testing for EDS this year, I didn't think to ask for him to request the celiac genes so they didn't test for them, unfortunately.  I guess another expectation I had is  that if gluten was the issue, the gluten-free diet would make me feel better, and I'm 3 months in and that hasn't been the case. I am being very careful and reading every label because I didn't want to screw this up and have to do gluten-free for longer than necessary if I end up not having celiac. I'm literally checking everything, even tea and anything else prepacked like caramel dip. Honestly its making me anxious 😅
    • knitty kitty
      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      So you're saying that you think you should have severe intestinal damage since you've had the symptoms so long?   DGP IgG antibodies are produced in response to a partial gluten molecule.  This is different than what tissue transglutaminase antibodies are  produced in response to.   TTg IgA antibodies are produced in the intestines in response to gluten.  The tTg IgA antibodies attack our own cells because a structural component in our cell membranes resembles a part of gluten.  There's a correlation between the level of intestinal damage with the level of tTg antibodies produced.  You are not producing a high number of tTg IgA antibodies, so your level of tissue damage in your intestines is not very bad.  Be thankful.   There may be reasons why you are not producing a high quantity of tTg IgA antibodies.  Consuming ten grams or more of gluten a day for two weeks to two months before blood tests are done is required to get sufficient antibody production and damage to the intestines.  Some undiagnosed people tend to subconsciously avoid lots of gluten.  Cookies and cakes do not contain as much gluten as artisan breads and thick chewy pizza crust.  Anemia, diabetes and thiamine deficiency can affect IgA antibody production as well.   Do you carry genes for Celiac?  They frequently go along with EDS.
    • rei.b
      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By rei.b · Posted

      I was tested for celiac at the same time, so I wasn't taking naltrexone yet. I say that, because I don't. The endoscopy showed some mild inflammation but was inconclusive as to celiac disease. They took several biopsies and that's all that was shown. I was not given a Marsh score.
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