Celiacs Or Ibs?

[MinMin]

At the beginning of this year I started noticing the onset of some symptoms I hadn't previously experienced (I've always been sickly since a kid including kawosakis, aneamia, depression, chronic fatigue, constant complaints of just generally feeling unwell). I've always been very skinny 99pounds 165cm

It was mostly constant nausea, fatigue, lack of concentration, hot/cold esp in poorly ventilated areas which developed into headaches/migraines with the vision tearing/visual snow. It seemed to happen after eating esp in restaurants.

It progressively got worse until I went to Italy which was a really different diet than I was used to in July and it turned into full on reflux with the constant need to burp and the huge urge to throw up but never did.

After this I was constipated, was treated and tried to go back to normal. My bm then changed in Sept and drs thought I had giardia but turned out I had moderate feacal loading despite feeling no discomfort in the bowels just the changed pattern in bm.

After blood tests/endoscopy/colonoscopy/CT scan/x rays the GI has said I have IBS and also gave me somac for the gastritis causing reflux but it was only after doing all the enemas, picoprep, glycoprep and movicol that pain started in my bowels and has changed my bm and it seems it is just staying that way.

I was wondering if this sounds like anything other than IBS because my sister appears to have classic IBS D and since changing her diet is symptom free whereas I have done the same though I've always eaten well and remained active but there has been no improvement.

[ravenwoodglass]

At the beginning of this year I started noticing the onset of some symptoms I hadn't previously experienced (I've always been sickly since a kid including kawosakis, aneamia, depression, chronic fatigue, constant complaints of just generally feeling unwell). I've always been very skinny 99pounds 165cm

It was mostly constant nausea, fatigue, lack of concentration, hot/cold esp in poorly ventilated areas which developed into headaches/migraines with the vision tearing/visual snow. It seemed to happen after eating esp in restaurants.

It progressively got worse until I went to Italy which was a really different diet than I was used to in July and it turned into full on reflux with the constant need to burp and the huge urge to throw up but never did.

After this I was constipated, was treated and tried to go back to normal. My bm then changed in Sept and drs thought I had giardia but turned out I had moderate feacal loading despite feeling no discomfort in the bowels just the changed pattern in bm.

After blood tests/endoscopy/colonoscopy/CT scan/x rays the GI has said I have IBS and also gave me somac for the gastritis causing reflux but it was only after doing all the enemas, picoprep, glycoprep and movicol that pain started in my bowels and has changed my bm and it seems it is just staying that way.

I was wondering if this sounds like anything other than IBS because my sister appears to have classic IBS D and since changing her diet is symptom free whereas I have done the same though I've always eaten well and remained active but there has been no improvement.

You do sound like one of us. IBS is not a diagnosis, although many doctors make it sound like one. When your doctor did blood tests and the endo did he look for celiac disease? If he doesn't do the right blood tests or biopsy the correct areas you have no chance of him finding it. I would ask if celiac testing was done and if not I would get at least the full celiac panel run. However the blood tests and the biopsy do both have a high rate of false negatives so after you have finished all the testing you want to have done do give the diet a good strict try for at least a couple of months.

[MinMin]

You do sound like one of us. IBS is not a diagnosis, although many doctors make it sound like one. When your doctor did blood tests and the endo did he look for celiac disease? If he doesn't do the right blood tests or biopsy the correct areas you have no chance of him finding it. I would ask if celiac testing was done and if not I would get at least the full celiac panel run. However the blood tests and the biopsy do both have a high rate of false negatives so after you have finished all the testing you want to have done do give the diet a good strict try for at least a couple of months.

Thanks Ravenwoodglass for your advice. I have only done bloodwork that shows one indicator for celiac, not a full panel. The biopsy was only taken from ulcerated areas in the upper stomach not near the small intestine. I had a colonoscopy and he mentioned he took a biopsy from the small intestine and still awaiting the results.

Despite the thoroughness of my GI I feel when I talk to him, he thinks I'm a stupid girl who is just really stressed out. I got him to squeeze me in for all the tests because I have visited doctor after doctor who diagnose everything from 'oh you're skinny so you're likely to get dizzy' through to hypotension, PCOS, depression, giardia, IBS, reflux, stress. I am not stressed out at all, only a bit down because these symptoms are really impacting on my life. I also don't want to take all these medications because they surely can't be good. The giardia medication threw my stomach into a downward spiral. It's also hard to convince my family something is not quite right because I've complained about being ill since I was little so they think it's all in my head. Is it really important that celiacs is found in family members? If I was gluten intolerant or celiac, I would be the first in mine.