Could My 29 Yr Old Daughter Be Celiac Too?

[AliB]

As several of you already know from previous postings my Mum was 99% certainly Celiac. I may be Celiac or very Gluten Intolerant. My eldest grandson who is 6 has just been tested for Celiac. I am wondering if his Mum, my daughter could also be Celiac.

She had a lot of Colic as a baby, was very insecure as a child, suffered with night terrors and 'growing pains'. She had, and still has an extremely vivid imagination and has very stressy dreams either bordering on or as nightmares.

She does not display any obvious stomach or bowel problems, although like I used to she does get severe colic from time to time. Unlike me she does not have a weight problem but does suffer with low blood sugar problems at times which certainly does not help.

Her main problems seem to be neurological. She suffers with depression and anxiety, only held at bay to a certain extent by St John's Wort (she reacted badly to SSRI's). When hit by any trauma or major stress she just goes into mental free-fall - bordering on bipolar, with mood swings changing from hour to hour or even minute to minute! She loses control of her emotions and is constantly in a state of stress and panic. All we can do is stand helplessly and watch.

She is relatively settled at the moment and I would love it to stay that way. With Connor having been taken off gluten she is adopting a less gluten-oriented diet for them all and as we are gluten-free here, she did seem better and happier whilst they were here for their last visit

I would be interested in your feedback on this and any similar experiences.

[AliB]

Anyone?

[Ed-G]

All I can tell you is that I was colicky as a baby also. Actually I had the classic symptoms from the very beginning, including a distended stomach. The family doctor just happened to hear of celiac (This was way back in the 50s) and suggested that my parents try the diet on me. And it happened to work.

It's interesting that you mentioned your daughter having a vivid imagination and dreams. I also tend to have a pretty wild imagination, and a a young kid I had this recurring dream which I was lifted off the ground. It frightened me terribly. I would never think of that being even remotely connected to celiac. I need to hear from others on this.

I heard that some kids with celiac can have neurological problems, usually something similar to ADHD or being bipolar. I can't exactly help you there....while I have epilepsy it is unrelated to celiac.

I never really had any stomach problems either -- eaten gluten never caused any pain. It seems that after the first two years my celiac went into a "silent mode" in which I didn't show many symptoms at all, except that I was rather on the short side, terribly thin and lightweight, and constantly hungry. I did, however, have floating stools, occasional d for no apparent reason, and was constantly passing gas. I said that i had a cast iron stomach, but the rest of my digestive system seems to be garbage.

I hope this helps. I would suggest that your daughter go completely gluten-free just to see what happens. Or you could have her tested.

Ed in MD

[Ed-G]

oops...sorry....we are having transmission problems...

[ryebaby0]

My husband was dx when he was 40, only because we all had celiac panels after my son was dx. DH had no obvious and glaring symptoms, but once on a gluten-free diet he felt, digested, and thought better. He had of course assumed that his minor symptomatic episodes were how everybody felt about life. Anyway, my point is that yes, your daughter could be celiac and ought to have a tTg run to find out. Knowledge is power....

[KristaleeJane]

If you are suspecting that she may be celiac and that it may run in your family why not have her tested. This would be the best time since she is currently consuming some gluten I expect. Just get the bloodwork done or you can buy your own test these days and do it with a prick of the finger for 50.00.

Good luck!

[veggienft]

Yes, I think gluten is causing your daughter's symptoms, and so do you. But your daughter doesn't think so. Every family member around her has celiac. She's acting bipolar, and ignoring the celiac facing her from every direction.

I can't make her try gluten free, and apparently neither can you. I face the same thing with family members. I've even told some of them to try gluten free ........the ones I could get away with telling. Some of them improved their diets as a result, but didn't go gluten free.

One stubborn family member has a distended stomach, (autoimmune) macular degeneration, recurring intestinal myelomas...... I know there's no future in telling this person to try gluten-free. I talk about the autoimmune effects of celiac, and this person offers to share ice cream sandwiches

.......between doctor visits.

The foods which harm us most are the foods we are most addicted to. Sugar and gluten are two of the most addictive.

Open Original Shared Link

Another of my family members was schizophrenic. This person absolutely HATED to be treated in any way, because treatment removed the symptoms. And that's standard fare for schizophrenics. They're addicted to schizophrenia.

And now that we recognize schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are enabled by exorphins, the mechanism is clear. It's a physical addiction.

I'm not wielding harsh criticism of minor pleasures. For many people these pleasures are deadly, and the addictions should be viewed by their threat. Everyone has demons. All people are naturally addicts, and remain so until we recognize and cure our addictions.

.......baby steps.

..

[AliB]

She is not averse to trying although she's not convinced it is the cause of her problems (unlike me!). Her eldest son who is six has had a blood test which has come back negative/borderline although her doc thinks he probably is Celiac, and he's seeing the Ped next month. She is trying to implement the diet and we both feel his younger brother would probably benefit too, but I think she just finds it so daunting.

Everything gluten-free is so much more expensive and as a single Mum on a limited income its a struggle. I think if the Ped confirms the diagnosis she will consider getting both herself and his brother tested and I am certainly trying to encourage her to do that. A diagnosis would mean that their father would have to comply so she at least would not be battling against the regular glutening of the boys any more.

I was interested to see if others thought her symptoms may well be indicative of the disease. It is difficult when you are dealing with something which can present in absolutely any form, depending on the individual.

Gluten is evil stuff - it just takes over your life and you become putty in its hands. It eats into the brain. What chance do people have against the stuff??!! You're over a barrel either way - if you eat it you are sick, if you avoid it you then have the hassle of trying to find foods that don't contain it!!

Thanks for the responses.