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Any One Over 60 Living With Celiac


Guest bananababy

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Welda Johnson Newbie

My name is Welda. I am 64 years old and have had Celiac symptoms since age 8. Mine manifested as severe Asthma, and at age 19, with two little babies, I was told that I would be bedridden by the age of 25 if I didn't take the scratch skin tests for allergies, and follow up with 3 years of shots. I did that, and still was so sick. By age 22 I had 3 babies, and was suffering terribly. I started eliminating foods--all grains, then all milk and dairy, then egg whites, yeast, casein, whey and modified food starch. Unfortunately, I would feel great when off those foods, and would think I could go back to eating them when I felt well. Wrong. Eventually in my fifties, I went for a colonoscopy and the nurse looked at my food intolerances and mentioned Celiac. I had heard that name before, and so I got on this website. It changed my life. I started stringently sticking to the Celiac diet, and have experienced a wonderful life change. I now eat mostly fruits and vegetables, and my weight has normalized. At five feet tall, I feel so much better now than I ever did before. I walk five miles almost every day, usually sleep great, and make sure that I eat every few hours to keep going strong. I thank God for the new direction my life has taken. I have an aunt in Texas who is 98 years young. Perhaps I'll live that long too. Every day gets better. Welda

  • 3 weeks later...

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PinkLady Newbie
has any one , lived with undiagnosed celiac for over 60yrs or their abouts and has now been diagnosed I would love to see on the boards about seniors living and coping with the disease this would help much thanks

Yes, I was diagnosed jjust a week ago for the first time and I am 61! It is kind of fun to try out all these gluten free products and restaurants! What part of

the country do you live in and how old are you?

Chizlib Newbie
Yes, I was diagnosed jjust a week ago for the first time and I am 61! It is kind of fun to try out all these gluten free products and restaurants! What part of

the country do you live in and how old are you?

I am 64 years old suffering with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia with a soupcon of Coeliac thrown in for good measure. I have only recently been diagnosed with Coeliac, and ridiculous as it may sound, previous to diagnosis my digestive system was well under my control, much more controlled than your average set of guts, with no symptoms of Coeliac. (OK !So I could fart {pardon me} for my country, but so can many people.)

I have a recto-vaginal fistula which for the last 28 years I have managed and controlled rigidly to the point of knowing what, and when to eat to prevent accidents, it had become second nature. Bearing in mind the female anatomy, there is no way you can stick a colostomy bag over that !!! So dietary control was/is of paramount importance.

Following endoscopy - it will NEVER catch on as a hobby - and diagnosis of Coeliac Disease I dutifully changed my diet to Gluten free. OH! MY GIDDY AUNT! (I dare not use the words I really want to use, I will be excommunicated from the message board/forum/ decent society and probably Life itself!! :o I don't know, quite literally whether I am coming or going, or more to the point WHEN! Do I sound ungrateful when I say I wish nobody had thought to investigate and find the coeliac problem? I am struggling at the moment, in fact I am on fluids only, and have to say that my guts are at peace for the first time since the biopsy and change of diet. Trouble is, having achieved peace and tranquility, I am reluctant to start n solid food again.

  • 3 months later...
Dan300 Newbie

I just turned 61 , 2 weeks ago, and have had a skin problem (DH ?) for 25+ years, after 10 doctors, I had to do my own research and went Gluten free at the end of march. my lessions are healing (always took a while) and hadn't had any new break outs except for about 3 weeks ago when I had a six pack of Mikes Hard lemon aid ,Malted? (over 3 days ) and a large bag of candie ( bulls eyes, caramel cremes,,,,wheat flour) while driving back from Florida.......... broke out the next day !!! so I'm 99% sure I'm Gluten intolerant, this is after the doctors insisted that I didn't have Celiac disease . Went to a lecture by Dr Tom O'Bryan, he showed us a graph on what ages people where finially getting diagnosed ( average 5 doctors and 8 to10 years ) it showed that 25% finially got diagnosed at 60years and older.... he showed that Celiac ( official biopsi of the gut ) and Gluten intolerance are the same,,,,,,,,, just a matter of degrees and how long , and also that it can affect any organ in your body including your Brain (migraines , depression ect ) He also said that we still don't know all the DNA genes yet as a lot of people have this problem and don't have the gene trigger , I've also seen on the web reciently that "as much as 30% of the American population is Gluten sensitive" I was at a talk tuesday night at a Whole Food store, on gluten free cooking with also a certified dietitian nutritionist, as her family was from India she reminded us that 2/3 rds of the world is on a gluten free diet, some thing to think about..... I know the drug companies don't want to hear about a cure without drugs $$$$$$$ and I think that the doctors are only trained it treating problems with medications so thank you to forums and web sites like you and the intertnet we are learning on our own how the world works , no we're not doctors but knowledge is power Dan

nutralady2001 Newbie

Yes I am 61 also

Was diagnosed over 2 years ago via biopsy and antibodies after nearly 50 years of being stuck with "other labels" the most persisent one being "IBS"

marfa62 Newbie

senior, senior?? middle age, I just started living 2 years ago. I still can remember the time I took them all to Spain for the last family vacation. I spent the week in the bathroom or the bed, zoning out and sleeping when I wasn't angry.

Now I have a neat racing bicycle, cross country ski and after years of fighting muscle fatigue, am getting some serious exercise. I have always felt that this disease attacks my muscles. I cannot keep up with other people my age- or twenty years older! But every year is better. I have a disabled son ( a direct result of undiagnosied celiac and pregnacy) who is a joy, he is my partner in running around.

The tiredness has lessened. the fight is to exercise, then nap or do a low key day. But I am looking forward to being a hellion. M

has any one , lived with undiagnosed celiac for over 60yrs or their abouts and has now been diagnosed I would love to see on the boards about seniors living and coping with the disease this would help much thanks

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    • Ginger38
      I refused to do the gluten challenge for a long time because I knew how sick I would be: I have always had and still have positive antibodies and have so many symptoms my  GI was 💯 sure I would have a positive biopsy. I didn’t want to make myself sick to get a negative biopsy and be more confused by all this.  He couldn’t guarantee me a negative biopsy meant no celiac bc there may not be damage yet or it’s possible to miss biopsies where there’s damage but he was so sure and convinced me I needed that biopsy I went back on gluten. It was a terrible experience! I took pictures of the bloating and swelling and weight gain during the challenge. I gained 9 pounds, looked pregnant, was in pain , couldn’t work or function without long naps and the brain fog was debilitating. And in the end he didn’t get a positive biopsy… so I wish I had never wasted my time or health going through it. I haven’t been truly straightened  out since and I am currently battling a shingles infection at 43 and I can’t help but wonder if the stress I put my body under to try and get an official diagnosis has caused all this. Best of luck to you - whatever you decide. It’s not a fun thing to go through and I still don’t have the answers I was looking for 
    • Scott Adams
      It's completely understandable to struggle with the gluten challenge, especially when it impacts your health and studies so significantly. Your experience of feeling dramatically better without gluten is a powerful clue, whether it points to celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. It's very wise of you and your doctor to pause the challenge until your holidays, prioritizing your immediate well-being and exams. To answer your questions, yes, it is possible for blood tests to be negative initially and become positive later as the disease progresses, which is why the biopsy remains the gold standard. Many, many people find the gluten challenge incredibly difficult due to the return of debilitating symptoms, so you are certainly not alone in that struggle. Wishing you the best for your exams and for obtaining clearer answers when you're able to proceed.
    • Scott Adams
      It's smart that you're seeing the gastroenterologist tomorrow. While it's possible this is a severe and persistent inflammatory reaction to gluten, the fact that the pain is movement-dependent and localized with tenderness is important for your specialist to hear. It could indeed be significant inflammation, but it's also worth ruling out other overlapping issues that can affect those with celiac disease. Is it possible you got some gluten in your diet somehow? This could be a possible trigger. Hopefully, tomorrow's appointment will provide clearer answers and a path to relief so you can get back to your lectures and enjoy your weekend. Wishing you all the best for the consultation.
    • knitty kitty
      What exactly are you taking from doterra? 
    • Xravith
      Hello, I'm back with a second post. The first time I wrote, I mentioned the possibility that my symptoms were related to gluten. I did a genetic test in which I resulted to have the predisposition, but the results of my blood test were all negative without IgA deficiency. My doctor suggested that it was necessary to do a biopsy to rule out Celiac Disease. However, he said, because of my family history and my symptoms were strongly related to gluten, it was very possible that my Celiac Disease is developing and my antibodies may become positive in the future.  I tried to continue the gluten challenge for the biopsy, around 2-3 g of gluten per day, but it was enough to make me feel worse each passing day. I started developing anemia and other mild nutritional deficiencies, and it was really affecting my daily life. I'm a student and exams are coming up, so my doctor suggests me to strictly remove gluten until I feel better so I could study without problems until I could do the gluten challenge when I come back home for holidays. Since going gluten free, I feel like a completely different person. My mind is clearer, I have no stomach pain during the day, and even my nails improved within just two weeks. It could also be Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, but of course I’ll need the biopsy to know for sure. I was wondering, has anyone else had negative blood tests at first and later tested positive? And has anyone struggled with the gluten challenge because of symptoms?
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