Celiac With No Symptoms?

[healthyme]

I was having chest pains later to find out it wasn't the chest it was my stomach. I spent the night in the hospital. It come on suddenly - I got light headed and very weak. I when though countless tests - blood work, biopsy, etc. I took them a week and many conversations with other doctors to tell my I had Celiac disease. I went for a second opinon as I have NO symptoms of celiac disease but the tests come up positive. The second doctor said "I don't know what to tell you, as the tests come up positive but you have none of the symptoms of celiac disease." I'm eating anything and everything a celiac disease person shouldn't be eating and I feel great. I asked if I could retake the tests but he said they would still come up positive. Do I go for a 3rd opinion? Should I obey the celiac diet or should I just say enjoy life the way I am right now. I did lose 60 lbs. in 10 months recently.

[celiac3270]

Without question, you should start the gluten-free diet. A majority of all celiacs are asymptomatic, which is why so few are diagnosed, yet 1 in 133 people has it.

Asymptomatic celiacs are more common than the symptomatic celiacs, but you hear more of symptomatic celiacs since those without symptoms don't get diagnosed (no problems, so no tests run).

Also, weight loss is a symptom

[KaitiUSA]

Celiac is not symptomatic. You can feel perfectly fine while the gluten is tearing up your intestine. Weight loss is a symptom of celiac. I lost like 15 pounds in a short period, when I went off of gluten it all came back.

If the tests came back positive you have it. When your blood tests are elevated that means something is in fact going on. Be glad that they picked it up now. Celiac is very underdiagnosed because not only do some peope with it feel fine but others are misdiagnosed because some of the symptoms relate to other things.

You should definately go on a gluten-free diet. Celiacs that do not follow the diet have an overwhelming increase in the chance of cancer and other serious illnesses.

It may seem like a pain in the butt at first until you learn what you can have but don't let that discourage you because it does get easier. If you would like help with things you can have I would be more than happy to help you.

Hope this helps and good luck!

[dsrcmr]

Defenitely start a gluten free diet. My husband didn't seem to have any symptoms either and he is 33. He felt good too. After an x-ray at the chiropractor, and then a bone density scan- it was determined he had osteoporosis. He didn't feel pain- just was a new patient xray. After blood tests and 2 scopes it was determined he has celiac disease. Now we are going through different tests with my 9 year old daughter who is regular weight and height, feels fine, but yet antibodies are very elevated. Good luck to you.

Amy

[MySuicidalTurtle]

You may show symptoms later. You cause great damage to your body by eating gluten even if you don't think you are. Many different diseases and complications occur to Celiacs who continue to eat gluten. It will be ebtter for you in the long run to go on the diet and take care of yourself.

[tarnalberry]

As has been noted, MANY people do not feel obvious intestinal symptoms. Some may still get fatigue or joint pain or foggy-headedness or weight loss as symptoms, some not even those. But if you're positive on the antibody test, you've got damage being done to your intestines, and not following the diet will increase your chances of developing osteoporsis, anemia, lymphoma, other intestinal cancers, etc. and generally increase the chances of dying early. False positives are virtually unheard of (particularly if you've had two tests). You may find that you would develop symptoms in a few months or a few years if you continued eating gluten.

[Merika]

All this is probably not what you wanted to hear ..... but maybe this will give you a different perspective.

If I could go back in time and get positive celiac diagnosis when i first exhibited symptoms - sudden weight loss, rapid heart rate, dizziness, hospitalization (with no ultimate diagnosis) - I would be immediately gluten-free and positively celebrating *all night long*!! Why? Because after being seemingly perfectly healthy, then a sudden onset of symptoms, which did eventually recede somewhat, and a high gluten diet - fastforward to 13 years later my health is shot, I feel like cr&p every day, and my body may never fully recover. I've been gluten-free one year now, and it is getting better, but if i could have gotten a diagnosis THEN????? Oh my goodness, I'd take it! Yes, it took 12 years before i got a diagnosis, and even then it was almost accidental - i don't exhibit the classic external GI signs of celiac.

Merika

[grannynanny]

Again, I can only add to the chorus of "take your diagnosis and run with it" messages you are getting. I suspect that you are "younger" and have not yet done the horrific damage to your small intestine that I have. I was in my early fifties when I began to have awful gastric symptoms. Seven years, many tests, and significant numbers of trips to the emergency room later, I am finally a (self) diagnosed celiac. Having been on the gluten-free diet for about 7 months now, I am feeling SO much better. But had I gotten a diagnosis in my twenties or thirties, and had I taken it seriously (since I was symptom-free then), I would have saved myself a lot of pain and suffering. You are, indeed, lucky!