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

So Confused! Need Doctor?

LuvMoosic4life

Recommended Posts

LuvMoosic4life Collaborator
LuvMoosic4life
Posted

Hi...

this is really lengthy, but I dunno how else to get my point/concern accross...

I have had digestive issues my whole life, but they started getting really bad around age 17. I am 22 now, and ever since then they just seemed to get progressivly worse. My symptoms are mostly severe gas/bloating and frequent constipation and then diarhea. My gas was so bad to the point where I would avoid social events and sometimes go w/o eating before going to school or going somewhere important because I knew I would be in such discomfort. I figured having gas is just the way I am since I grew up in a family where almost everyone, especailly my dad had the same problems... everyone in my family just told me, and still tells me it is normal, although by age 18 it started getting to the point where it was an everyday thing, I would eat, and then 1- 3 hours later I felt like I swallowed a balloon with a knife stuck in it. I had heartburn problems in high school and began to come down with viral infections that increasingly got worse, until in this passed year I got sick nearly 10 times and went on antibiotics 3 times. At one point I had pink eye, sinus infection and strepp throat all at the same time. Just recently I developed soars in my mouth and had a buring tounge for no appearent reason. I had my blood checked to find out I was borderline anemic ( I was very anemic around age 16/17 with my hemoglobin down to 8 and hospitalized b/c I kept passing out.) NO doctor or physician could ever give me an answer to my getting sick all the time, and the heartburn problems they were cluless about.

About a year ago I started linking my heartburn to eating bread, so I slowly cut it out of my diet as much as possible, it was something I would have every morning, either toast, or some type of whole wheat cereal. I was eating a lot of wheat pasta also and noticed that I was having diarhea on a regular basis, and even worse just before my menstrual cycles. I would go for days being constipated and then all of a sudden I couldn't leave the bathroom... I tried switching over to regular "white" pasta and it actually was having a worse effect on me.

By the time 2008 rolled around I stopped eating pasta, unless I knew I wasnt going anywhere. At the beginning of this year I started having bad reactions to beer. sometimes it would bother me, other times it wouldn't, but I never really had a problem before. I was talking to a friend about my symptoms and she suggested I may have gluten intolerance. So tried going compltely gluten free and I couldnt belive my symptoms nearly disapeared! My family thinks I'm making this all up and I've been doing a lot of research on celiacs, I'm almost convinced this may be what I have and what half the people in my family have...

...after eating gluten free for a couple weeks, I went home fore easter and ended up spending a whole day on the couch after eating pretzels, the discomfort was horrible!!!! I started getting a headace, something I rarely get anymore. I used to get migranes as a child after eating all the time, but never really thought anything of it....by the third day of being home I had painful gas, constipation, heartburn and a headace.

I know I have to be eating wheat before getting a blood test done for celiacs, but I'm having a hard time going back b/c I feel so good gluten free! Actually, I feel so good I almost am thinking I dont have a problem now and it is all in my head like my family is telling me. I dont have a doctor and am trying to find one. I just fear that he/she may not take me seriously or be knowledgable about this disease/intolerance. I went to the health center at my school and the nurse practitioner was trying to hide a smile when I explained to her my problems, and then I had to explain to her what celiacs is!!!!! and how its tested!!!!!

does anyone know anywhere to go in/near buffalo NY???? or is celiacs something that all doctors should be familar with???? I don't even know how i should approach a doctor with this. I dont know for sure I have celiacs, but I know for sure that wheat/gluten is a main source for my digestive problems. and even if I get tested and its negative, I'm still avoiding gluten. I just think I should get tested to find out if I have celiacs so that way I'll know how serious of a gluten free diet to follow.......

this is really stressing me out!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


tom Contributor
tom
Posted

Hoo-boy it IS a tough call for many - this part about eating gluten for a test when you already know it makes you sick.

Though it doesn't make a definitive dx for Celiac (no S, sorry if anyone's offended that I've again corrected someone new), the Enterolab tests can provide proof of a gluten problem & also whether you have the "usual" genes for celiac disease or Gluten Intolerance. (There is still much work to be done on the genetic side - a few wks ago, 7 more genes were reported to be involved)

It seems easy to see that much of your family would also benefit from a gluten-free diet - not that they'll ever believe it. <sigh>

LuvMoosic4life Collaborator
LuvMoosic4life
Posted
  • Author

yeah thats true. but I'm also worried I wont find a doctor that even knows that-ha

yeah, trying to explain a gluten free diet to my family= the response : what? thats insane. thres nohing you can eat!!! you're crazy......

plus they are almost all italian.......that doesnt help. :lol:

bareden Newbie
bareden
Posted

You can have a DNA test done to see if you have the gene for Celiac. It doesn't matter about your diet because it will show up anyway. I had all the classic blood test and showed Celiac but the doctor ordered the DNA to be 100%. It is hard to find a DR who is educated on this but you know your body better than anyone.

tom Contributor
tom
Posted
You can have a DNA test done to see if you have the gene for Celiac.

I don't recall the #s exactly but there are at least a few % of biopsy-confirmed celiacs w/ neither DQ2 nor DQ8.

nora-n Rookie
nora-n
Posted

About italian, there are so many Italians that are celiac , that all school children get screened for ceilac over there. It is really easy to get gluten-free food in Italy and they have gluten-free pasta and pizza etc.

Enterolab has a gene test too (you have to pay privately for all Enterolab tests I think) and they will tell you what the genes are, as opposed to most other labs wholy use the commercial test kit for DQ2 or DQ8.

There are many of us here with gluten-sensitive genes (like DQ5 or DQ7) but doctors usually say that only DQ2 or 8 can be celiac, but I find lots of medical articles out there that say otherwise. There are proven cleiacs out there with other genes.

nora

LuvMoosic4life Collaborator
LuvMoosic4life
Posted
  • Author

I heard that with the DNA test, it just shows wether or not you carry the gene for celiacs. Just because you have the gene doesnt mean you will get it...

....but I know less than people here :)

does anyone feel deyhdrated after eaten gluten?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,733
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Debydear
    Newest Member
    Debydear
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Theresa2407
      How Come Gluten Didnt Bother Me In Italy

      By Theresa2407 · Posted

      Maybe you have a low  intolerance to Wheat.   Rye, Barley and Malt are the gluten in Celiac disease.  It has always been stated Wheat and Gluten, not just a Wheat intolerance.  Barley will keep me in bed for (2) weeks.  Gut, Migrains, Brain fog, Diahrea.  It is miserable.  And when I was a toddler the doctor would give me a malt medicine because I always had Anemia and did not grow.  Boy was he off.  But at that time the US didn't know anyone about Celiac.  This was the 1940s and 50s.  I had my first episode at 9 months and did not get a diagnosis until I was 50.  My immune system was so shot before being diagnoised, so now I live with the consequences of it. I was so upset when Manufacturers didn't want to label their products so they added barley to the product.  It was mostly the cereal industry.  3 of my favorite cereals were excluded because of this. Malt gives me a bad Gut reaction.
    • Gigi2025
      How Come Gluten Didnt Bother Me In Italy

      By Gigi2025 · Posted

      Thanks much Scott.  Well said, and heeded.   I don't have Celiac, which is fortunate.
    • Scott Adams
      Possible celiac - need advice

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Do you have the results of your endoscopy? Did you do a celiac disease blood panel before that?  Here is more info about how to do a gluten challenge for a celiac disease blood panel, or for an endoscopy: and this recent study recommends 4-6 slices of wheat bread per day:    
    • Scott Adams
      Celiac or not??

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      It is odd that your Tissue Transglutaminase (TTG) IgA level has bounced from the "inconclusive" range (7.9, 9.8) down to a negative level (5.3), only to climb back up near the positive threshold. This inconsistency, coupled with your ongoing symptoms of malabsorption and specific nutrient deficiencies, is a strong clinical indicator that warrants a more thorough investigation than a simple "satisfactory" sign-off. A negative blood test does not definitively rule out celiac disease, especially with such variable numbers and a classic symptomatic picture. You are absolutely right to seek a second opinion and push for a referral to a gastroenterologist. A biopsy remains the gold standard for a reason, and advocating for one is the most direct path to getting the answers you need to finally address the root cause of your suffering. Here is more info about how to do a gluten challenge for a celiac disease blood panel, or for an endoscopy: and this recent study recommends 4-6 slices of wheat bread per day:    
    • Scott Adams
      How Come Gluten Didnt Bother Me In Italy

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      There is a distinction between gluten itself and the other chemicals and processing methods involved in modern food production. Your experience in Italy and Greece, contrasted with your reactions in the U.S., provides powerful anecdotal evidence that the problem, for some people, may not be the wheat, but the additives like potassium bromate and the industrial processing it undergoes here. The point about bromines displacing iodine and disrupting thyroid function is a significant one, explaining a potential biological mechanism for why such additives could cause systemic health issues that mimic gluten sensitivity. It's both alarming and insightful to consider that the very "watchdog" agencies meant to protect us are allowing practices banned in many other developed countries. Seeking out European flour and your caution about the high-carb, potentially diabeticgenic nature of many gluten-free products are excellent practical takeaways from your research, but I just want to mention--if you have celiac disease you need to avoid all wheat, including all wheat and gluten in Europe.
×
×
  • 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.