Newbie Here

[KenzieGirl]

Hi all! I'm new to this forum. Glad I found you.

Just a little background: Ever since I had my first baby (she's now 2), my instestines have been a disaster. At first my PCP thought it was the Spenda I was using so I stopped, and the diarrhea stopped. I switched to Equal and about a year later I started having the same problems (cramping, gas, diarrhea, etc.) Once I stopped using that, the diarrhea stopped although the cramping and gas never subsided. I had pre-eclampsia during my pregnancy and my ankles and feet swelled terribly; the swelling never completely went away and is still present today. My hands are so dry they crack and bleed. My fingernails grow like this ~ ~ ~ . I hiccup every time I eat bread. Triscuits and certain cereals make me a walking gas bomb (I'm a 37 year old female and the gas issue is SO humiliating!).

I recently went to a GI who ordered a colonscopy. He found inflammation in my terminal ileum and is leaning towards Crohn's, although he saw no "classic" signs of Crohn's in the biopsies. My current diagnosis is Ileitis. I will have another colonscopy in one year to determine if the inflammation is still present.

My sister and a good friend of mine both brought Celiac's to my attention and suggested I get tested for it. So many of my symptoms seem to point in that direction. I called my GI yesterday, and while he is more than willing to send me for a blood panel, he opined that one has nothing to do with the other (in other words, if I do have Celiac's, it has nothing to do with the inflammation in the ileum). He will send me for the blood panel when I see him next - in about a month. Interestingly, he asked me if I have Irish blood in me which I do - and a lot of it! That, coupled with the fact that I NEVER had any problems until post-pregnancy, plus my other symptoms has me suspicious that it could be Celiac's.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone who has been officially diagnosed with Celiac's has also been diagnosed with bowel issues.

Thanks so much!!

[sick-of-being-sick]

Hi all! I'm new to this forum. Glad I found you.

Just a little background: Ever since I had my first baby (she's now 2), my instestines have been a disaster. At first my PCP thought it was the Spenda I was using so I stopped, and the diarrhea stopped. I switched to Equal and about a year later I started having the same problems (cramping, gas, diarrhea, etc.) Once I stopped using that, the diarrhea stopped although the cramping and gas never subsided. I had pre-eclampsia during my pregnancy and my ankles and feet swelled terribly; the swelling never completely went away and is still present today. My hands are so dry they crack and bleed. My fingernails grow like this ~ ~ ~ . I hiccup every time I eat bread. Triscuits and certain cereals make me a walking gas bomb (I'm a 37 year old female and the gas issue is SO humiliating!).

I recently went to a GI who ordered a colonscopy. He found inflammation in my terminal ileum and is leaning towards Crohn's, although he saw no "classic" signs of Crohn's in the biopsies. My current diagnosis is Ileitis. I will have another colonscopy in one year to determine if the inflammation is still present.

My sister and a good friend of mine both brought Celiac's to my attention and suggested I get tested for it. So many of my symptoms seem to point in that direction. I called my GI yesterday, and while he is more than willing to send me for a blood panel, he opined that one has nothing to do with the other (in other words, if I do have Celiac's, it has nothing to do with the inflammation in the ileum). He will send me for the blood panel when I see him next - in about a month. Interestingly, he asked me if I have Irish blood in me which I do - and a lot of it! That, coupled with the fact that I NEVER had any problems until post-pregnancy, plus my other symptoms has me suspicious that it could be Celiac's.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone who has been officially diagnosed with Celiac's has also been diagnosed with bowel issues.

Thanks so much!!

Welcome!

I was told I had "IBS" years before they diagnosed me with celiac disease via biopsy. I've had diarrhea and gas problems since I was a child.

Gas, diarrhea, digestive problems, and bowel issues can all be symptoms of celiac disease. It's kind of interesting that your D went away temporarily when you stopped the artificial sweeteners, though.

I'm glad your doctor is willing to do the celiac panel. Unfortunately it will be necessary for you to eat LOTS of gluten before being tested; make sure that the doctor runs the FULL celiac panel.

The Irish do have a high percentage of people with celiac disease.

Good luck!

rissa

[Amyleigh0007]

I was dx with IBS when I was a young teenager. I have been ill on and off for the last 19 years with this last year being the worst by far. I had my second C-section in August 2007 and that pushed me over the edge. My allergist (who knew much more about Celiac then my primary doctor) said pregnancy and surgery (C-sections) can be triggers for Celiac so perhaps that pushed your body over the edge too. My son (who has Celiac) had nails that grew in that same wavy pattern. Now that he has been gluten free for 9 months they look normal. I believe they were wavy due to malnutrition. His body was not absorbing nutrients.