Could I Be Celiac?

[mhb]

I don't get diarrhea or cramps, but I have been bloated for years. It seems like anything I eat causes it. The other thing is I wake up starving at night - usually just once - even after eating right before bed. I've always been a grazer with fast metabolism, but this is only within last number of years. I am 46. It could be the Metformin I take at low dosage for PCOS (I am not diabetic). Are these symptoms sufficient to reflect possible gluten intolerance? I could not describe it as "getting sick" after gluten. Or should I be looking at other food intolerances?

[RiceGuy]

A fair percentage of celiacs do not have outward symptoms, even though the intestinal damage is still occurring. Intense hunger is a common symptom, so I don't rule out a possible connection. I'd suggest trying a week or two completely gluten-free and see if it makes any difference, though some people find it takes months before noticing any change (it was six months for me).

I also thought I had a fast metabolism. Turns out it was malabsorption.

Welcome to the board!

[mhb]

Thanks. Is the malabsorption of all nutrients or just certain ones? I am overall very healthy and don't suffer fatigue unless there's an obvious reason.

[veggienft]

Is the malabsorption of all nutrients or just certain ones? I am overall very healthy and don't suffer fatigue unless there's an obvious reason.

I have always run for exercise, with periodic re-dedications. As I grew older my stamina waned, and muscle and joint pain got in the way. I was forced through shortness of breath and fatigue to successively shorten my running distance, and run less often. If I hadn't been running, I probably wouldn't have even noticed these things.

I thought they were normal signs of aging ......until other symptoms brought me to the celiac diet.

Within two weeks of starting the diet my muscle and joint pain disappeared, I doubled my running distance, and was able to run at will with no sign of fatigue. It was miraculous.

The point is that I too thought that I didn't suffer from fatigue. But because I was testing the limits of my endurance, I was able to quantify how wrong I was.

There are sooooooooo many people who's bodies are letting them down, who simply don't recognize what life could be.

..

[AliB]

I agree. When it happens gradually over a period of time you are not always aware of the difference. It's when you suddenly wake up one morning and your joints are stiff, or you start to feel unusually tired, etc., that it begins to bite.

Many have found after adopting a gluten-free diet that their PCOS (amongst many other things) has cleared up. It could actually be low-level malabsorption that is causing it. Not everyone is affected in the same way, that's what makes Celiac so elusive to diagnose.

If you have 'silent' Celiac you are even more likely to be missed. Your malabsorption issue may be completely different to mine - it depends where the gut damage is. It might even be different to your closest relatives. It is not unknown for all in a family to present with totally different symptoms to gluten intolerance/Celiac! Mine is diabetes, fatigue and weight gain; my husbands' is Fibromyalgia and brain-fog, our daughters' is depression and anxiety, one grandson gets stomach pain and diarrhea/constipation and the other is small for his age and has learning delay. And so it goes on...................

Gluten is behind so many illnesses and diseases. It's not until you realise that and start to look around you at everyone you know that you realise that they are all being affected by it to a greater or lesser degree!

[mhb]

Thanks for the replies. I understand your point. I do have more energy lately but also have other factors helping ... acupuncture, not working, more exercise, off coffee ... I was getting much better already before going off gluten about 48 hours ago. Do have lots of consistently high energy the last several days. But, I am still soooo bloated. How long does that take to go away? I'm pretty sure there's no CC and my only med and vit pills do not have gluten, unless the Chinese herbs have gluten ... back from researching this online, and both preparations have rehmanniae which can cause abdominal distention! Okay , I'll stop those and see what happens next.

[mhb]

Update: Went off the Chinese herbs and was better than before going off gluten and then the herbs. But while "deep" inside I felt better off gluten, I was still somewhat bloated, though not as much as before going off gluten. So I started eliminating dairy and discovered it was the second problem, incl, no yogurt or goat milk products ( I'd hoped goat's milk would work). So I've been gluten-free about six weeks and DF about two weeks with good results. Then today I took my 90 yo mom-in-law to her favorite - Perkins. I was starving when I got there and the service was unusually slow. By the time my usually gluten-free meal of "breakfast potatoes' and egg beaters was there, I ate the accompanying three pancakes I usually give my MIL. I'd planned a gluten challenge so took it on then. Also had the sugar-free syrup but no butter. When I got home I was somewhat bloated, but sick to my stomach and burping, a reaction I've never had. A couple hours later that's subsiding - some of the bloating and the sick to my stomach feeling. Normally I'd be bloated for 2-3 days before it resolves. So is this a gluten reaction, the new stomach symptom, and maybe the bloat won't last as long 'cause I'm not piling dairy and more gluten on top?

TIA

[RiceGuy]

Update: Went off the Chinese herbs and was better than before going off gluten and then the herbs. But while "deep" inside I felt better off gluten, I was still somewhat bloated, though not as much as before going off gluten. So I started eliminating dairy and discovered it was the second problem, incl, no yogurt or goat milk products ( I'd hoped goat's milk would work). So I've been gluten-free about six weeks and DF about two weeks with good results. Then today I took my 90 yo mom-in-law to her favorite - Perkins. I was starving when I got there and the service was unusually slow. By the time my usually gluten-free meal of "breakfast potatoes' and egg beaters was there, I ate the accompanying three pancakes I usually give my MIL. I'd planned a gluten challenge so took it on then. Also had the sugar-free syrup but no butter. When I got home I was somewhat bloated, but sick to my stomach and burping, a reaction I've never had. A couple hours later that's subsiding - some of the bloating and the sick to my stomach feeling. Normally I'd be bloated for 2-3 days before it resolves. So is this a gluten reaction, the new stomach symptom, and maybe the bloat won't last as long 'cause I'm not piling dairy and more gluten on top?

TIA

I'd wait a few days while watching for more symptoms, even subtle ones. Take a good look in the mirror each morning and evening. I've even noticed changes in the way my tongue looks. But yes, I would expect the symptoms of a glutening to worsen if consumption continued.

[mhb]

I'd wait a few days while watching for more symptoms, even subtle ones. Take a good look in the mirror each morning and evening. I've even noticed changes in the way my tongue looks. But yes, I would expect the symptoms of a glutening to worsen if consumption continued.

Now almost 3 months gluten and mostly casein free (doing raw milk kiefer), I find I can sometimes eat gluten without any *noticeable8 consequence. My PCOS symptoms are better (regular periods without meds!) but I also get acupuncture now and don't know if it's that. Overall though, chronic bloatoing *gone*, constipation only really helped with raw milk kiefer. What fdrives me nuts is the strong hunger I have to get up for in the middle of the night, even after eating until uncomfortable before going to bed. When I do this, I need a meal's worth of food. A quick snack will not do. It is not related to how much carbo or protein or fat I get during the day or before bed. I am lean. I have a bit of insomnia lately, but can attribute that to perimenopause and PMS, but otherwise am very healthy. I don't know anyone who can eat so much, including plenty of healthy fats, and need to eat a lot in the middle of the night while staying lean. Any thoughts? My thyroid, iron and A1C counts are all good. I still avoid gluten if if I can get away with it in case it's affecting the PCOS, but this morning I just couldn't get a full feeling from *any* kind of food and craved something refined and filling and ate a bagel. It wordked. I normally do not crave these kinds of foods and eat only whole grains, presoaked for full nutritional benefits.

[MELINE]

is it difficult for you to get tested for celiac before going gluten free? I know these tests are expensive, I just suggest them cause if you go gluten free then you will not be able to run them. on the other side many people don't trust the tests and only trust the results of the gluten free diet. so it is up to you. my bloating was because of lactose intolerance caused by celiac. before going gluten free i had absolutely no clear symptoms of celiac. just extreme bloating and terrible abdominal pain with everything i ate. good luck.

[mhb]

is it difficult for you to get tested for celiac before going gluten free? I know these tests are expensive, I just suggest them cause if you go gluten free then you will not be able to run them. on the other side many people don't trust the tests and only trust the results of the gluten free diet. so it is up to you. my bloating was because of lactose intolerance caused by celiac. before going gluten free i had absolutely no clear symptoms of celiac. just extreme bloating and terrible abdominal pain with everything i ate. good luck.

I found out about this testing issues after going gluten-free, but I'm one of those who, because of all the ambiguities in the various tests, is comfortable just staying away if I feel better, and overall I really do. I may do the genetic test as a way of determining how worried I should be about the occasional slip-up. Nevertheless, i've read the reasons why one just shouldn't slip up no matter what. I do think my issue is more digestion related than immune related, but I'm still evaluating that.

[mhb]

I take it back ... a little while after eating the bagel (a few hours?) I felt sick to my stomach. I was on my way to eat lunch with my mother-in-law at Perkins (her favorite). So I had gluten-free Egg Beaters and "breakfast potatoes" and that seemed to "cover it up" along with focus on conversation. I don't get strong reactions, but I have consistently been getting mild ones. I think I must've ventured into denial since I could always come up with another possible reason for these reactions, and they're always mild. So many variables all the time! I think the pattern is starting to overwhelm the possibility of it always being another variable, esp. since I never had stomach issues other than bloating and sluggish bowel before going gluten-free. Now I have new symptoms having gone off it.

[GFinDC]

Hi Meline,

Once your gut is healed up you may be able to tolerate gluten better as far as GI symptoms. At least at first. If you have celiac though and keep eating gluten the damage builds up and the symptoms could get worse over time. Regardless of the GI symptoms the immune response damage to other parts of your body is still a possibility. Some celiacs don't have GI symptoms at all but still are diagnosed after developing some associated autoimmune disease.

If your gut is already inflamed and irritated then anything can set off a series of GI symptoms. So an untreated celiac (not on the diet) can have problems like gas and bloating for days. Once your gut heals the GI symptoms may go away faster. But if they continue to eat gluten the gut would return to that irritated / inflamed state and things would get nasty again. They say that the basteria balance gets out of whack in the gut also and that cause some of the GI symptoms. In theory a healthier gut would have a better bacteria balance than a unhealthy gut.