This Forum Has Helped Me Immensely!

[Desertdweller]

I just wanted to let everyone here know how much this site has helped me. I have yet to be officially diagnosed, and I am waiting for an appointment. I have had IBS for over 10 years. In the last 2 years things have got really bad, to the point of not wanting to eat at all. My most significant symptom is severe gas and a terrible burning/cramping feeling in my intestines. I stumbled onto this site last Aug. when researching IBS. So many of the symptoms of Celiac sound exactly what I'm feeling. I decided to try a gluten free diet to see if it would make a difference, and boy has it! The change was immediate! I feel like my old self again. This forum has helped me know what foods to steer clear from, and how to live gluten free. A couple weeks ago I started having a hard time sleeping ( I usually sleep like the dead), and my joints were killing me. I could not figure out for the life of me why I suddenly felt so much pain. I once again come to the forums and read that many Celiac sufferers typically have joint pain, and sugar can make things worse. With my coworkers bringing in their left over Halloween candy at work, I had been eating much more sugar than usual in the last few weeks. I stopped eating sugar 4 days ago, and I am already feeling 100% better!

Thank you people, without you I would still be suffering!

[ravenwoodglass]

Welcome to the boards. Sounds like you are already diagnosed to me. Be prepared because your doctors when you go for that official diagnosis are going to do one of two things. They will either blood test and endo you without a challenge which will lead to a false negative, or they will insist you poison yourself for three months then blood test and endo which will also have the posibility of a false negative. Have you thought of going with enterolab? They can test for antibodies and do gene testing if you need more validation than your body has already given you. Dietary response is the best test though IMHO but others do sometimes feel the need for that doctors slip. You don't need the doctors permission to stop eating poison.

[Desertdweller]

Raven, that was my next question, what is the point in being diagnosed when I feel great once I find out what is causing the problem? It's probably been addressed here before on these forums, so forgive me for being redundant. I am dreading going to the doctor because it always ends up being a huge hassle, and my health insurance always ends up messing up the billing. Because I've been in pain so long, and I finally figured this out all on my own, I just don't have much faith in doctors anymore. I did check out Enterolab, it looks like I have a lot to learn. I hate the idea of buying my own tests, but if it is beneficial I will. If I order my own tests, will my doctor accept those tests from Enterolab as accurate?

Overall, my health is good. I am not overweight ( 5'5", 123lbs) , my BP is good to low, my doctor says my thyroid is fine, I am not anemic, I eat very healthy for the most part, and I am very active.

My symptoms would always start right after eating, and main symptoms were:

SEVERE GAS!!!

bloating

nasty burning feeling and screaming sounds from my upper intestines

mostly diarrhea, but some constipation

I also have:

joint and muscle pain

muscle cramping

skin allergies

tooth enamel problems

irregular periods

I have mostly been eating unrefined fruits, vegetables, corn, potato and rice products, meat and nuts. No dairy, gluten, and now I am cutting refined sugar out. I do use Splenda. Oh yah, and I am 42. My mother has suffered from digestive problems all her life, and has had polyps removed from her bowel. I also have an 18 year old daughter that also has digestive problems, and suffers from depression and ADHD. Thanks again for the help!