Could It Be Celiac?

[alleigh826]

Hi. My name is Allison. After doing a little researching of my symptoms, I came across Celiac Disease.

A little history: In 2005, I had my gallbladder removed. Last year, I saw a GI due to pain in my upper abdomen and irregular bowel patterns. He performed an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. The colonoscopy came back normal. The endoscopy showed GERD and some erosion on part of my esophagus. The dr put me on omeprazole (sp) twice a day. Over the past year, my symptoms have gotten worse. The irregular bowels continued (diarrhea one time, constipation the next). I have always explained my stool as "frothy" to my husband. Then the pain in the my abdomen got worse. It's in the top, center part of my abdomen. When it flares (about once every week or so), it is sore to the touch. (It hurts if my dog lays her head on my stomach). Lately, I have been getting alot of trapped gas. This is VERY painful and uncomfortable. It takes about a day to release, and then I can't stop passing gas. There are almost always rumblings or movement in my stomach, and most of the time there is some sort of pain.

I am going to call my dr next week and get an appointment. Does it sound like it could possibly be Celiac? I have thought of IBS or an ulcer too? I don't know what to think!

[Ursa Major]

Hi Allison, and welcome to this board. Yes, it sounds like you may have celiac disease. If you are going to get tested, don't stop eating gluten, otherwise the testing won't be accurate. But since those tests aren't all that reliable, you should try the gluten-free diet after all tests are done, even if they come back negative. Because the diet trial is the best test of them all.

Lots of doctors 'diagnose' people with IBS because they are too lazy or ignorant to find out what is causing the irritable bowel. IBS is a collection of symptoms (which is why it is considered a syndrome), and there is a reason for those symptoms. Many of us here were misdiagnosed with IBS for years before finding out we are gluten intolerant.

I hope you figure it out!