My Story

[dankou]

hello everyone..

my problems started 5 months ago, it all began with a strange itch that i've never experienced

before. the itch will move from one part of my body to the other but it wasn't severe then stomach

pain and diarrhea itchy face and eyes dry skin (forehead) area, later on i had a period of two weeks

of dizziness i would only stand up if i had to, my legs were stiff and i was tired. eventually these

symptoms disappeared on the third week and now i'm having sleeping problems, i can't sleep like i

used to sometimes i only get 3 hours of sleep i wake up to the slightest noise flipping in my bed from

one side to the other. during the past 5 months i hade seen my family doctor for several time i did so

many blood testing all negative, 2 weeks ago my doctor recommended i do celiac blood screening,

he told me after all tests we did and the symptoms i'm having most likely i'm gluten intolerent. the

test came back negative but my doctor told me that the blood work can't be 100% and chances are

celiac hasen't done enough damage to be traced by a blood test and that the only way to find out for

sure is to go on gluten free diet. to those with similar symptoms what do you think of my condition .

i'm male 45 years old very healty i work in the construction industry.

[Ursa Major]

Hi, and welcome to these boards. You appear to have one of the extremely rare smart doctors, who understands about gluten intolerance.

Gluten intolerance may or may not be your problem. At this point the only way to find out is to try the gluten-free diet, your doctor is right. What have you got to lose?

If you decide to give the gluten-free diet a try, I recommend that you also eliminate all dairy for at least the first few months, as dairy can stop you from healing.

It would also be better if you didn't replace your gluten products with ones containing soy. The best would be pretty much to start out with just plain food that is naturally gluten-free, like meat, vegetables, nuts and fruit. You can add the specialty foods later on, once you feel better.

[dankou]

Hi Ursa and thanks for the reply, as for the dairy products i've done allergy testing including dairy products all were negative. for now i'm on my third day of a gluten free diet and it's not that easy but i'm trying hard.

[Ursa Major]

Hi Ursa and thanks for the reply, as for the dairy products i've done allergy testing including dairy products all were negative. for now i'm on my third day of a gluten free diet and it's not that easy but i'm trying hard.

Allergy testing won't show intolerances. You can be intolerant to dairy in spite of it not showing up on allergy testing.

The problem with dairy is, that if your villi are damaged, they can't produce the enzyme lactase which is needed to digest dairy. That is why it is recommended that everybody who starts a gluten-free diet eliminate dairy for at least a while.

[dankou]

Allergy testing won't show intolerances. You can be intolerant to dairy in spite of it not showing up on allergy testing.

The problem with dairy is, that if your villi are damaged, they can't produce the enzyme lactase which is needed to digest dairy. That is why it is recommended that everybody who starts a gluten-free diet eliminate dairy for at least a while.

hello again ursa and thanks for your concern. you seem very knowledgeable when it comes to food allergies, therefore i wonder if you can tell me if Celiac symptoms are permanent once you have them, or if there's temporary symptoms that only take place for certain periods of time. in my case most of my symptoms disappeared even before going on diet (diarrhea, itch, dizziness, urinating more often, tiredness, stiff legs, bolting and stomach cramps). I'm still having sleeping problems dry skin especially forehead and i feel a bit dizzy sometimes. thanks in advance.

[vxaxv17]

hello again ursa and thanks for your concern. you seem very knowledgeable when it comes to food allergies, therefore i wonder if you can tell me if Celiac symptoms are permanent once you have them, or if there's temporary symptoms that only take place for certain periods of time. in my case most of my symptoms disappeared even before going on diet (diarrhea, itch, dizziness, urinating more often, tiredness, stiff legs, bolting and stomach cramps). I'm still having sleeping problems dry skin especially forehead and i feel a bit dizzy sometimes. thanks in advance.

Most symptoms of celiac tend to go away after being gluten free. Some may be quicker than others though.

I have not been formally diagnosed (blood test was negative) but have what I believe to be very clear symptoms. I get very dry skin (mostly on my face and forehead), excema, rashes on my arms and chest, hair loss, joint pain (mostly in knees and ankles), muscle pain (mostly in my legs), irritability, lack of concentration, constant tiredness, mouth sores, diarhea, abdominal pain on my right side and visible abdominal swelling. After being gluten-free for 5 months, pretty much all of these have gotten better except for the hair loss. That actually didnt start happening UNTIL i went gluten-free but i think its just a delayed reaction and will take many more months before i see a difference.

At this point I am not willing to go back to eating gluten so I can get a biopsy just to prove what I already know. I am happy just knowing that by going gluten-free most of my symptoms have gotten better. I hope that within another few months I can begin feeling like my old self again. BTW, I am 28 and have been dealing with this for just over a year now.

Good luck.

[AliB]

After being gluten-free for 5 months, pretty much all of these have gotten better except for the hair loss. That actually didnt start happening UNTIL i went gluten-free but i think its just a delayed reaction and will take many more months before i see a difference.

Hair loss can apparently be due to Anemia, but it can also be due to a sluggish liver. Whatever affects the gut can also affect the Liver. My hair was falling out something awful - every time I ran my fingers through it my hands would be covered in hairs and my husband got fed up pulling it out of his dinner! I took some Milk Thistle for a few weeks to give my liver a boost and hey presto! my hair has stopped falling out and looks much healthier.

If the hair loss is due to Anemia though, it can take a while for the iron reserves to build back up to a 'normal' level.