Post Diagnosis

[jen71]

So I was diagnosed with Celiacs over a year ago after tested via endoscopy from a Gastrointestinal Doctor. Now I'm wondering what now? I've been good about adhering to the gluten free diet (although I still have some unintentional slips, which I pay for dearly).

I haven't gone back to the gastro specialist since my diagnosis and my PCP is worthless, he didn't even know what Celiacs was until I told him. I've been trying to find another local doctor in the Los Angeles area that has some knowledge but nothing yet.

So my question is: I'm still having major bowel problems which I assume can be related to the traces of gluten that have slipped through occasionally. But is there anything else I can/should be doing or checking for?

I don't know anyone with Celiacs and this seems to be one of the only places I can go for questions/answers so thanks in advance.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

At the top of the list for most people with continued problems after going gluten-free is

#1) Other food intolerances. Dairy intolerances seem to be most common, but many people have trouble with soy, other grains, nightshades, and/or lectins.

#2) would be things like preservatives, MSG, maltodextrin (which is nearly always NOT gluten, yet many people here seem to react to it), and even gluten-free breads, pastas, and cookies, which can hit the tummy like a load of bricks! Your best bet is UNPROCESSED foods. If you haven't made it from scratch, it is a PROCESSED food. Most of us here were very surprised how much JUNK we were eating before going gluten-free.

#3) would be candida (a systemic yeast infection).

#4) might be an overactive thyroid, which can cause diarrhea, or an underactive thyroid, which can cause constipation.

#5) might be Lyme Disease, which affects a truly astonishing number of people on this board, and seems to be able to CAUSE gluten-intolerance.

There are many other possibilities, and I'm sure others will come up with them (feel free to change the order of the numbers I've written!).