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Anyone With Undiagnosed Celiac Disease Take Pain Pills To Get Rid Of Symptoms?

pinkdljj

By pinkdljj
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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pinkdljj Rookie
pinkdljj
Posted

I was recently diagnosed with celiac disease. Dairy and gluten were both making me ill for over 10 years. I had very strange symptoms that no doctor could understand. Migraines, pain in shoulder, severe IBS, intestinal flushing feeling, tingling, anxiety, depression, insomnia, brain fog, and the list goes on.... Anyway, I was given codeine after my first childs birth. I found it helped all these symptoms. I would order it online and always felt like a drug addict. It was the only way I felt I could survive. I have had 2 other children since and the symptoms just got worse after each child. Well to make a long story short I ended up getting so sick from the disease and could not take care of my children. Every internal doc I went to see said it must be psychological since they could find no reason for all of my symptoms and when you mention anxiety they send you to see a psychiatrist. I would see a psychiatrist and mention my IBS symptoms and then they would say it was a GI doc's issue. Back and forth for 10 years and no one thought to test me for celiac. I should have done more research!!

Finally after I was basically on my death bed, my sister made some phone calls and found me the best naturopath in the state of Washington. She immediately saw me and knew what was wrong. Well after the tests came back it revealed what was causing all the distress. Gluten and casein. I've been off of them now for 7 months and have not had one headache, ibs, depression, etc........ and never think about taking codeine. If I ever mentioned my secret to my docs they would have judged me as an addict. The gluten attacked my nervous system and the codeine was just a way to calm the damage done.

I guess I wanted to find out if I was the only one out there trying to use things to cover up this disease. Thanks for your support. This board has been my saving grace. That and getting off the poisons.

Leslie

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jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Hi Leslie,

I was sick for over 20 years before being diagnosed. I--like you-- went from doctor to doctor and no one ever thought to test for Celiac.

I'm not proud of this, but I leaned on steroids to help me feel well enough to function and be a mother to my kids. My doctors at the time had no qualms whatsoever about giving me injections of decadron--which would help for weeks at a time.

I'm sure the first time I was given this, the doctor was trying to get me out of her hair <_< Knowing what I do now, I never would have consented to taking it, but at the time, I had still had confidence that the doctor always knew best. Gawd.....

Gutbomb Rookie
Gutbomb
Posted

I don't have a diagnosis for celiac buthave been diagnosed with IBS and UC. When I am on Lexapro and keep from being too stressed out I have very few symptoms and can live normally. I recently went off of lexapro to try andget pregnant and now I am on the couch home from work with vomiting, the runs, cramping, no energy etc.

What shocks me is you talking about shoulder pain. I have that too in fact a dr just talked me into surgery to find out what the problem is. He thought I had a tear but found my shoulder was healthly except for a buford complex. It has been 3 months and I having a hard time getting back to the gym and lifting.

I am still waiting for my blood test results. Praying that it isn't Celiac.

pinkdljj Rookie
pinkdljj
Posted
  • Author
Hi Leslie,

I was sick for over 20 years before being diagnosed. I--like you-- went from doctor to doctor and no one ever thought to test for Celiac.

I'm not proud of this, but I leaned on steroids to help me feel well enough to function and be a mother to my kids. My doctors at the time had no qualms whatsoever about giving me injections of decadron--which would help for weeks at a time.

I'm sure the first time I was given this, the doctor was trying to get me out of her hair <_< Knowing what I do now, I never would have consented to taking it, but at the time, I had still had confidence that the doctor always knew best. Gawd.....

pinkdljj Rookie
pinkdljj
Posted
  • Author

Hi Patty,

Wow, 20 years. That's a long time. So you know all about the doctor game! So glad to hear you're doing better now. It's amazing what gluten can do. Had no idea!

pinkdljj Rookie
pinkdljj
Posted
  • Author
I don't have a diagnosis for celiac buthave been diagnosed with IBS and UC. When I am on Lexapro and keep from being too stressed out I have very few symptoms and can live normally. I recently went off of lexapro to try andget pregnant and now I am on the couch home from work with vomiting, the runs, cramping, no energy etc.

What shocks me is you talking about shoulder pain. I have that too in fact a dr just talked me into surgery to find out what the problem is. He thought I had a tear but found my shoulder was healthly except for a buford complex. It has been 3 months and I having a hard time getting back to the gym and lifting.

I am still waiting for my blood test results. Praying that it isn't Celiac.

The shoulder pain was one of the first symptoms I had. It then spread to my head, stomach and restless leg syndrome. Maybe you have an interolance to gluten and/or casein but don't have celiac disease. I have been on Lexapro and feel so much better now that I am off everthing. It took my brain about a year to finally get used to no Lexapro, after being on it since the start of my disease. Have you done the gluten challenge yet? Try it for a week if you haven't. You might be amazed.

Sorry you're feeling bad now. Things will get better.

Leslie

DeLina Newbie
DeLina
Posted

2 Years ago I became really, really sick unexplained weight loss, a pain in my abdomen........I was admitted to the hospital after test after test after test they said I had a sluggish gall bladder and removed it.......sent me home with percocett (sp) which sent into a fit a of violent vomiting and back to the hospital for a week........sent me home with vicodin six weeks later I talk to my Dr I was still sick he said I had to give it time to heal........2 months later I went looking for a different Dr..........4 months ago I was so sick that I quite working and went on a quest to find out what was wrong with me..........I had contracted pancreatitis I've never been in such pain........on to a new Dr......a GI, a Gyno, a new MD, they kept telling me I was fine........and I was still taking vicodin.......My husband was sure I would need to go to rehab.........I was sent to shands hospital in gainsville to another specialist.........4 procedures later.........they still could figure it out.......I found a new Dr a D.O........I explained it all to her......I was taking 23 pills a day, pain meds, and pancreatic enzymes and something to settle my stomach.......nothing helped...........she send me for a blood test and then a colonoscopy.......2 weeks later at my next appointment she explained to me that I had Celiacs and all I needed was a change in diet......I'm not there yet but I'm off all the Meds....and now I finally know that I'm not crazy.......truth is as a read more and look back on my life......my difficult pregnancies, my "weak" stomach as my mother put it......I have had joint pain for years, I have a digestive issues for as long as I can remember, I've been in the hospital for dehydration I don't even know how many times and I had a Dr tell me I had bulimia nervosa.........which I went for treatment of and the clinic I went to told me I had a health issue not an emotional one......So back to the Dr again......but he said I was fine.....I wonder why it took so long to find out what it was........and the new Dr just listen to me.......I must tell you I will no longer let a Dr dismiss me.......EVER!......I suffered needlessly for years!

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pinkdljj Rookie
pinkdljj
Posted
  • Author
2 Years ago I became really, really sick unexplained weight loss, a pain in my abdomen........I was admitted to the hospital after test after test after test they said I had a sluggish gall bladder and removed it.......sent me home with percocett (sp) which sent into a fit a of violent vomiting and back to the hospital for a week........sent me home with vicodin six weeks later I talk to my Dr I was still sick he said I had to give it time to heal........2 months later I went looking for a different Dr..........4 months ago I was so sick that I quite working and went on a quest to find out what was wrong with me..........I had contracted pancreatitis I've never been in such pain........on to a new Dr......a GI, a Gyno, a new MD, they kept telling me I was fine........and I was still taking vicodin.......My husband was sure I would need to go to rehab.........I was sent to shands hospital in gainsville to another specialist.........4 procedures later.........they still could figure it out.......I found a new Dr a D.O........I explained it all to her......I was taking 23 pills a day, pain meds, and pancreatic enzymes and something to settle my stomach.......nothing helped...........she send me for a blood test and then a colonoscopy.......2 weeks later at my next appointment she explained to me that I had Celiacs and all I needed was a change in diet......I'm not there yet but I'm off all the Meds....and now I finally know that I'm not crazy.......truth is as a read more and look back on my life......my difficult pregnancies, my "weak" stomach as my mother put it......I have had joint pain for years, I have a digestive issues for as long as I can remember, I've been in the hospital for dehydration I don't even know how many times and I had a Dr tell me I had bulimia nervosa.........which I went for treatment of and the clinic I went to told me I had a health issue not an emotional one......So back to the Dr again......but he said I was fine.....I wonder why it took so long to find out what it was........and the new Dr just listen to me.......I must tell you I will no longer let a Dr dismiss me.......EVER!......I suffered needlessly for years!

Hi,

Wow, your story is amazingly similar. I had horrible pregnancies too, bad morning sickness. I used vicodin too when things got bad and it was only to "settle" my stomach. It was always nervous, sick or just not right. Do the memories of what you went through ever haunt you? I can't stand going to the doctors. The thought of ever having to be in a hospital is more than I can stand.

Are you doing better now? Is your gut healed yet? I still have days when it bothers me and I have to be careful with tomato sauce and coffee, etc... I also wonder if the narcotics hurt my stomach lining as well. At least I am almost 100% and thank God every day that I finally found out what was wrong with me.

Take care,

Leslie

DeLina Newbie
DeLina
Posted
Hi,

Wow, your story is amazingly similar. I had horrible pregnancies too, bad morning sickness. I used vicodin too when things got bad and it was only to "settle" my stomach. It was always nervous, sick or just not right. Do the memories of what you went through ever haunt you? I can't stand going to the doctors. The thought of ever having to be in a hospital is more than I can stand.

Are you doing better now? Is your gut healed yet? I still have days when it bothers me and I have to be careful with tomato sauce and coffee, etc... I also wonder if the narcotics hurt my stomach lining as well. At least I am almost 100% and thank God every day that I finally found out what was wrong with me.

Take care,

Leslie

Hi Leslie,

Not completely healed but getting better......The pain in my abdomen has gone away and some of vomiting and diarrhea has gone away as well I have had a hard time getting all the gluten out of my diet but I am making progress........Are feeling better?? Do you still use the pain meds? It is very possible that pain meds cause damage to your stomach and your kidneys as well.

Gutbomb Rookie
Gutbomb
Posted

Gluten Challenge? I am assuming that is just going gluten free. I have not yet because I had some tests for it. I should be getting those results anytime. I don't want to stop eating gluten until I get those results in case I need to go for further testing.

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