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

Where Do I Go From Here?


lizard00

Recommended Posts

lizard00 Enthusiast

hello all!!!

i am pretty new to this website and this whole gluten free thing, so thanks in advance!

for the past year, i had terrible headaches, and all i wanted to do was wake up one morning and feel good. my headaches were occuring almost every day, and i after i ate i would have this naseous feeling in my stomach like i needed to eat more, but it never helped. i was literally exhausted, and somedays it was all i could do to not lay around. it didn't matter what time i went to bed, i woke up exhausted.

over the course of a few months and chiropractic visits (the headaches) i decided to try an elimination diet on my own. i discovered that it was at least wheat, but i noticed it with beer and other things too, that was causing my headaches. i quit eating gluten strictly for two or three weeks and noticed that i stopped waking up tired and my headaches all but quit.

last week i went to the dr for a physical and had her run a celiac panel along with the rest of my bloodwork. i just talked to her today and she said i tested negative for celiac, which would be ok if she hadn't looked at me like i was crazy when i told her my symptoms. i tried to eat gluten on and off for the week or so before i went, and the day before i had gluten.

i'm not sure at this point if i'm just being overly freaked out, or if i should pursue a gastro dr. part of the reason i am concerned is that gluten intolerance seems to run on my dad's side of the family; my aunt, my two cousins and my brother. although none of them have been tested for celiac. i also have a 2 1/2 yr old boy and since it is hereditary, it is a bit of a concern with him, although he doesn't seem to have any symptoms...

any suggestions? and any suggestions on drs for the raleigh/durham area in NC (if there are any fellow Carolinians out there)

THANKS!!!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



jerseyangel Proficient

Hi and welcome to the board :)

You mentioned going strictly gluten-free for 2-3 weeks--was the Celiac Panel done at that time? If so, it could have been a false negative, as going gluten-free will tend to skew the results.

Since your symptoms have begun to clear with the gluten-free diet, you have actually done the diet challenge and that in and of itself is valid.

lizard00 Enthusiast

In answer to your question; I ate bread, had a beer and some multi grain chips that day before, and some bread type food a few times the week before.

How common is a false negative on those blood tests?

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. - GlorietaKaro replied to GlorietaKaro's topic in Super Sensitive People
      3

      Am I nuts?

    2. - trents replied to GlorietaKaro's topic in Super Sensitive People
      3

      Am I nuts?

    3. - lalan45 replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      29

      My journey is it gluten or fiber?

    4. - Russ H posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      0

      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

    5. - Scott Adams replied to JoJo0611's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      Just diagnosed today

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

    • Total Members
      132,806
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    IleneG
    Newest Member
    IleneG
    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

    • GlorietaKaro
      Thanks to both of you for your responses!  Sadly, even after several years of very strict gluten avoidance, I remember the symptoms well enough that I am too frightened to risk a gluten challenge— heartbeat and breathing problems are scary— Scott, thank you for the specific information— I will call around in the new year to see if I can find anyone. In the meantime, I will carry on has I have been— it’s working! Thanks also for the validation— sometimes I just feel crushed by disbelief. Not enough to make me eat gluten though—
    • trents
      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @GlorietaKaro! As Scott indicated, without formal testing for celiac disease, which would require you to have been consuming generous amounts of gluten daily for weeks, it would be not be possible to distinguish whether you have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). Their symptoms overlap. The difference being that celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the lining of the small bowel. We actually no more about celiac disease than we do about NCGS, the mechanism of the latter being more difficult to classify. There are specific antibody tests for celiac disease diagnosis and there is also the endoscopy/biopsy of the small bowel lining. Currently, there are no tests to diagnose NCGS. Celiac disease must first ruled out. Researchers are working on developing testing methods to diagnose celiac disease that do not require a "gluten challenge" which is just out of the question for so many because it poses serious, even life-threatening, health risks. But we aren't there yet.
    • lalan45
      That’s really frustrating, I’m sorry you went through that. High fiber can definitely cause sudden stomach issues, especially if your body isn’t used to it yet, but accidental gluten exposure can feel similar. Keeping a simple food/symptom journal and introducing new foods one at a time can really help you spot patterns. You’re already doing the right things with cleaning and separating baking—also watch shared toasters, cutting boards, and labels like “may contain.”
    • Russ H
      I thought this might be of interest regarding anti-EMA testing. Some labs use donated umbilical cord instead of monkey oesophagus. Some labs just provide a +ve/-ve test result but others provide a grade by testing progressively diluted blood sample. https://www.aesku.com/index.php/ifu-download/1367-ema-instruction-manual-en-1/file Fluorescence-labelled anti-tTG2 autoantibodies bind to endomysium (the thin layer around muscle fibres) forming a characteristic honeycomb pattern under the microscope - this is highly specific to coeliac disease. The binding site is extracellular tTG2 bound to fibronectin and collagen. Human or monkey derived endomysium is necessary because tTG2 from other mammals does not provide the right binding epitope. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/3/1012
    • Scott Adams
      First, please know that receiving two diagnoses at once, especially one you've never heard of, is undoubtedly overwhelming. You are not alone in this. Your understanding is correct: both celiac disease and Mesenteric Panniculitis (MP) are considered to have autoimmune components. While having both is not extremely common, they can co-occur, as chronic inflammation from one autoimmune condition can sometimes be linked to or trigger other inflammatory responses in the body. MP, which involves inflammation of the fat tissue in the mesentery (the membrane that holds your intestines in place), is often discovered incidentally on scans, exactly as in your case. The fact that your medical team is already planning follow-up with a DEXA scan (to check bone density, common after a celiac diagnosis) and a repeat CT is a very proactive and prudent approach to monitoring your health. Many find that adhering strictly to the gluten-free diet for celiac disease helps manage overall inflammation, which may positively impact MP over time. It's completely normal to feel uncertain right now. Your next steps are to take this one day at a time, focus on the gluten-free diet as your primary treatment for celiac, and use your upcoming appointments to ask all your questions about MP and what the monitoring plan entails. This dual diagnosis is a lot to process, but it is also the starting point for a managed path forward to better health. This article has some detailed information on how to be 100% gluten-free, so it may be helpful (be sure to also read the comments section.):    
×
×
  • 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.