Various Questions......

[Swartzmj]

I was recently diagnosed with celiac in early March of this year after 3 months of bouncing around from doctor to doctor. I

[happygirl]

A short piece of advice:

Get copies of your medical records, including bloodwork for Celiac and biopsy reports. Call a local Celiac support group and ask for an experienced GI that their members use (that is educated about Celiac). Take your records and get to a doctor that will be able to provide the follow-up care and support that you need.

And welcome to the board! I'm sure others will chime in.

[ksymonds84]

I

[Ridgewalker]

Firstly, I second what happygirl suggested. It's what you need to do if you think that something else is going on on top of the Celiac.

Having said that, is it possible that you're still getting gluten somewhere? You said you've done a lot of reading, so are you pretty familiar with common areas of--

* Cross contamination? (i.e. toasters, collanders, cutting boards, dishcloths, communal jars of mayo, etc.)

* Have you checked your shampoo and conditioner, and soap?

* All vitamins and medications you're taking?

* Maybe even your girl friend's lipstick?

Are you eating oats? Mainstream oats/oatmeal are virtually always contaminated with wheat. Some Celiacs can't tolerate even certified gluten-free oats.

And of course, as you said... it often takes a long time for symptoms to completely go away. It's quite possible, maybe likely, that you had Celiac for much longer than your acute symptoms. It takes time for that damage to heal.

[AliB]

It often takes something to trigger the external symptoms off - it can be anything. Mine was a change of medication for my diabetes but for others it can be surgery, a trauma, an accident, well, anything and sometimes very little at all. I would suspect that your stomach problem was lurking in the background but it might have taken the 'binge' to set it all off, even if it was only a 'minor' one in the scheme of things.

Cross contamination is a definite possibility, but I would consider other foods also as possible antagonists. Some often have problems with other foods like corn, or soy, for instance. My stomach problem came on fairly quickly and although I was taken off the medication it did not recover and gradually got worse and I would also suffer dizziness and sweating/clammy spells. Eventually my digestion all but collapsed in January but like you, nothing was found.

I did my own research and stumbled upon Celiac, went for the blood test then started it immediately. Within 5 hours the pain was gone. The difference is that I not only stopped gluten, but also dairy and most carbs and sugar. Because I was still getting some reactions I realised it wasn't just gluten but carbs per se, plus some other things.

I have been focusing on the Specific Carbohydrate style of eating which is based on plain foods - 100% meat, fish and poultry, fresh fruits and veg and a little honey. Whilst it is not always easy, it is helping my gut heal quicker and now, after 2 months i can cope with a few foods that I couldn't a few weeks ago, like eggs.

I took some Milk Thistle capsules for a while to support my liver and have been taking some good supplements and whilst I still get tired, I am getting more energy and am sleeping better, so can now begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Bacterial overgrowth can sometimes be a catalyst for stomach and bowel problems too. Damage to the gut can mean that the carbs we consume ends up as food for the 'bad' bacteria and encourages its proliferation. Your drinking spree undoubtedly involved a major dose of carbohydrates which would have done nothing but exacerbate the situation. Most carbs are a problem but anything sugar-based sends the bacteria into absolute ecstasy!!! The only way to control is to not feed it the food that feeds it! Unfortunately it likes what we like, so we don't always help ourselves!

[MDRB]

I agree with what has already been written but have a couple of things to add.

A lot of celiacs have a problem with dairy, but only until their body has healed.

I would try cutting out the dairy for a while and re examining your diet for sources of gluten (ie additives in sauces etc) a food/symptoms diary is a good way to pin point what might be making you sick.

Also watch out for cross contamination. Buy a new toaster and chopping boards and rid your house of anything containing gluten.

I personally would not bother with a nutritionalist, most of them have no clue about celiac disease and will likely just tell you to eat less fatty foods and eat only organic produce.

Come back to this forum instead, the people are really knowledgeable and happy to help out.

Good luck