Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Is It Worth Going To A Doctor?

glutenfreejenny

By glutenfreejenny
in Doctors

Recommended Posts

glutenfreejenny Apprentice
glutenfreejenny
Posted

I don't have heath insurance because I'm a poor college student ;) Growing up I've been to MANY doctors who have been no help whatsoever. An allergist who told me I was allergic to soy, corn, and tomatoes and sent me on my way. I had to REQUEST an epi-pen. And he simply told me not to eat anything I couldn't. I've been to natural healers, regular docs, gastro docs, etc. After many years of trying to go allergy free and still being really sick I gave up gluten and now I feel waaaay better. It's only been about 2 weeks but it's going really well.

I still have a skin rash and trouble sleeping but my stomach feels 100% better and I'm finally properly digesting my food. My question is should i go see a doctor? Does anyone think it would be worth it? I've heard so many horror stories about docs and celiac, and since i've been Gluten-Free for a while I probably won't test positive. I know I have celiac and don't need a doctor to tell me that and don't want to waste my money if they are no help.

Any suggestions? I know there are some specialists around the SF area where I live, but it could get expensive. I really just want to spend my money on food. Thanks :)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Hi Jenny, and welcome. Glad to hear that gluten free eating is going well for you. Congratulations on figuring it out!

Yes, many of us have a very hard time finding doctors to take us seriously and who know much about celiac (the minority, it would appear). The answer to your question depends on what's right for you. If you are happy with your self-diagnosis and it resolves your symptoms, than the official diagnosis is not going to be of much use to you. What would be of use to you though is a blood test to determine your nutritional deficiencies. Or you could just decide to supplement in the things that you are likely to be deficient in as a celiac, such as Vitamins D, B12 (use a sublingual) methylcobalamin), folic acid, and calcium, magnesium, zinc, and take a good multivitamin and multimineral.

On the other hand, if part of you doubts your self diagnosis or if your symptoms do not resolve, testing could be of benefit (although it could come back negative too). You would have to resume eating gluten for a couple of months for testing to be valid and even then there are false negatives. The downside of an official diagnosis is that it can sometimes affect insurance issues (life and health).

Good luck on your gluten free journey. :)

  • 2 weeks later...
MrsClaus Newbie
MrsClaus
Posted

The other info. was good advice. My two point to add is you seem serious most people need to be diagnoised to be convienced to go to that extreme.

2nd Celiacs have a hard time absorbing Iron and may need to get shots or IV therapy to get it built up in the blood. as well as the other things mentioned above. Celiacs are often allergic or sensitive to other things like Dairy so keep that in mind. I have just had 6 treatments of IV Iron.

  • 4 weeks later...
glutenfreeeugene Newbie
glutenfreeeugene
Posted

Yes if you can find a doctor that not just give you a drug. 25 years ago I had DH and I could

not find one doctor who would help me. They all said it was in my head, no it was on my arms.

I finally decided to go see a Naturopath physician and he ran the saliva test, and told me to eat gluten through the weekend. On Monday they would test me and I turned out to be positive for Celiac.

Now 25 years later the MDs are slowly coming on board. If you dont like your present doctor keep looking and I promise you, you will get some answers.

GottaSki Mentor
GottaSki
Posted

Seems to me that if you have found your answer by living gluten-free and your health continues to improve there isn't a compelling reason to get an official diagnosis.

If your symptoms don't continue to improve or you desire an official diagnosis in the future look for a gastroenterologist that takes/wants a Celiac case as many doctors, even GIs don't yet understand Celiac Disease -- although this seems to be improving.

Good Luck to you!

Serversymptoms Contributor
Serversymptoms
Posted
I don't have heath insurance because I'm a poor college student ;) Growing up I've been to MANY doctors who have been no help whatsoever. An allergist who told me I was allergic to soy, corn, and tomatoes and sent me on my way. I had to REQUEST an epi-pen. And he simply told me not to eat anything I couldn't. I've been to natural healers, regular docs, gastro docs, etc. After many years of trying to go allergy free and still being really sick I gave up gluten and now I feel waaaay better. It's only been about 2 weeks but it's going really well.

I still have a skin rash and trouble sleeping but my stomach feels 100% better and I'm finally properly digesting my food. My question is should i go see a doctor? Does anyone think it would be worth it? I've heard so many horror stories about docs and celiac, and since i've been Gluten-Free for a while I probably won't test positive. I know I have celiac and don't need a doctor to tell me that and don't want to waste my money if they are no help.

Any suggestions? I know there are some specialists around the SF area where I live, but it could get expensive. I really just want to spend my money on food. Thanks :)

I selfdiagnosed myself as being gluten intolerance, though lately I have been aware of other health problems. One is my thyroid, I need to get it tested. Second, I need to get my candidia diagnose, and basicall a look at my immune system etc... biopsy. I found out that many with candida may cause a food intolerance.... so I'm really just waiting for my next appointment, this is dire.

I would suggest you to take the candida home test, you can be a suspect of candida. Just google candida spit test, though you can only correctly do the test right after awakening in the morning.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,857
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Sonya Haskin
    Newest Member
    Sonya Haskin
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Jillian83
      Celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis has taken Me from Me

      By Jillian83 · Posted

      He is. Which makes everything even more difficult. I’m not a believer in “staying for the kids” but I have nowhere to go and it’s not just me, it’s me plus my babies. We live in a beautiful place, lots of land in the country and me and the kids love the place we’ve called home for their entire lives. But Im seeing that he’ll never change, that my kids deserve a happy healthy Momma, and that staying in this as is will be the early death of me. Then I look at the scars covering my entire body…this disease and the chronic stress I’ve been enduring for years that tell me I’m no longer beautiful and no one will ever look at me with interest again. I try self care, try to give myself grace so I can just start loving myself enough to gain strength but the slightest sparkle in my eye and skip in my step attracts his wrath and it all comes crashing ten fold. Life is just absolutely railing me from every single direction leaving me wanting to wave that white flag bc I don’t feel like there’s much hope no matter what happens. 
    • trents
      Celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis has taken Me from Me

      By trents · Posted

      Is this man the father of your children?
    • Jillian83
      Celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis has taken Me from Me

      By Jillian83 · Posted

      Hi, I was recently diagnosed with Celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis after years of suffering without answers. I lost my mind. I lost my job. I lost so much time. I lost Me. Conventional doctors are opulent come near me and the one who did sat across the room, misdiagnosed me, pumped me full of steroids which collapsed my entire hip for 6 months. So without answers I began my holistic journey. Fast forward a couple of years and still struggling with a mysterious whole body itchy, crawling “skin hell”, perfect teeth now deteriorating, thick hair now thinning rapidly and no more than a day or 2 at most relief….An acquaintance opened up a functional medicine practice. Cash only, I found a way. Within a month tests clearly showing my off the charts gluten allergy/sensitivity as well as the depletion of vital nutrients due to leaky gut and intestinal damage. dermatitis herpetiformis was more than likely what I was experiencing with my skin. I was happy. I thought this is easy, eat healthy Whole Foods, follow the diet restrictions and I finally get to heal and feel confident and like myself again very soon! 😔 Supplements are very pricey but I got them and began my healing. Which leads to the other major issue: not working, stay at home Mom of young kids, entirely financially dependent on my man of 7 plus years. He’s never been supportive of anything I’ve ever done or been thru. He controls everything. I’m not given much money ever at a time and when he does leave money it’s only enough to possibly get gas. His excuse is that I’ll spend it on other things. So my “allowance” is inconsistent and has conditions. He withholds money from me as punishment for anything he wants. Since being diagnosed, he’s gained a new control tactic to use as punishment. He now is in control of when I get to eat. He asked for proof of my diagnosis and diet bc he said I made it up just to be able to eat expensive organic foods. Then after I sent him my file from my doctor he then said she wasn’t a real doctor. 😡. I go days upon days starving, sometimes breaking down and eating things I shouldn’t bc I’m so sick then I pay horribly while he gets annoyed and angry bc I’m not keeping up with all the duties I’m supposed to be doing. His abuse turns full on when I’m down and it’s in these desperate times when I need his support and care the most that I’m punished with silence, being starved, ignored, belittled. He will create more of a mess just bc I’m unable to get up and clean so that when I am better, I’m so overwhelmed with chores to catch up that the stress causes me to go right back into a flare from hell and the cycle repeats. I’m punished for being sick. I’m belittled for starving and asking for healthy clean water. I’m purposely left out of his life. He won’t even tell me he’s going to the grocery or to get dinner bc he doesn’t want me to ask him for anything. I have no one. I have nothing. Im not better. My supplements ran out and I desperately need Vitamin D3 and a methylated B complex at the very minimal just to function….he stares at me blankly…no, a slight smirk, no words. He’s happiest when im miserable and I am miserable.  this is so long and im condensing as much as I can but this situation is so complicated and disgusting. And it’s currently my life. The “IT” girl, the healthy, beautiful, perfect skin, perfect teeth, thick and curly locks for days, creative and talented IT girl….now I won’t even leave this house bc Im ashamed of what this has dont to my body, my skin. Im disgusted. The stress is keeping me from healing and I think he knows that and that’s why he continues to keep me in that state. He doesn’t want me confident or successful. He doesn’t want me healed and healthy bc then how would he put the blame of all his problems on me? This journey has been hell and I’ve been in Hell before. I’ve been killed by an ex, I’ve been raped, robbed, held hostage, abused beyond nightmares but the cruelty I’ve experienced from him bc of this disease is the coldest I’ve ever experienced. I’ve wanted to give up. Starving and in tears, desperate…I found a local food pantry in our small town so I reached out just saying I had Celiac and was on hard times. This woman is blessing me daily with prepared gluten free meals, donations, educational info, people who know this disease and how they manage life and the blessings just keep coming. But it’s overwhelming and I feel like I don’t deserve it at all. He just glared and I know he’s going to sabotage it somehow. I don’t even know what to do anymore. I’m so broken and just want peace and healing. 
    • cristiana
      Ibuprofen

      By cristiana · Posted

      @Colleen H   I am just curious,  when you were tested for coeliac disease, did the doctors find out if you had any deficiencies? Sometimes muscle pain can be caused by certain deficiencies, for example, magnesium, vitamin D, calcium, and potassium.   Might be worth looking into having some more tests.  Pins and needles can be neuropathy, again caused by deficiencies, such as iron and B12,  which can be reversed if these deficiencies are addressed. In the UK where I live we are usually only tested for iron, B12 and vitamin D deficiencies at diagnosis.   I was very iron anemic and supplementation made a big difference.  B12 was low normal, but in other countries the UK's low normal would be considered a deficiency.  My vitamin D was low normal, and I've been supplementing ever since (when I remember to take it!) My pins and needles definitely started to improve when my known deficiencies were addressed.  My nutritionist also gave me a broad spectrum supplement which really helped, because I suspect I wasn't just deficient in what I mention above but in many other vitamins and minerals.  But a word of warning, don't take iron unless blood tests reveal you actually need it, and if you are taking it your levels must be regularly monitored because too much can make you ill.  (And if you are currently taking iron, that might actually be making your stomach sore - it did mine, so my GP changed my iron supplementation to a gentler form, ferrous gluconate). Lastly, have you been trying to take anything to lessen the pain in your gut?  I get a sore stomach periodically, usually when I've had too much rich food, or when I have had to take an aspirin or certain antibiotics, or after glutening.  When this happens, I take for just a few days a small daily dose of OTC omeprazole.  I also follow a reflux or gastritis diet. There are lots online but the common denominators to these diets is you need to cut out caffeine, alcohol, rich, spicy, acidic food etc and eat small regularly spaced meals.   When I get a sore stomach, I also find it helpful to drink lots of water.  I also find hot water with a few slices of ginger very soothing to sip, or camomile tea.  A wedge pillow at night is good for reflux. Also,  best not to eat a meal 2-3 hours before going to bed. If the stomach pain is getting worse, though, it would be wise to see the doctor again. I hope some of this helps. Cristiana    
    • Me,Sue
      Knowing what to do when feeling unwell.

      By Me,Sue · Posted

      I was diagnosed with coeliac disease a couple of years ago [ish]. I love my food and a variety of food, so it's been hard, as it is with everyone. I try and ensure everything I eat doesn't contain gluten, but occasionally I think something must have got through that has gluten in. Mainly I know because I have to dash to the loo, but recently I have noticed that I feel nauseous after possibly being glutened. I think the thing that I have got better at is knowing what to do when I feel wiped out after a gluten 'episode'. I drink loads of water, and have just started drinking peppermint tea. I also have rehydration powders to drink. I don't feel like eating much, but eventually feel like I need to eat. Gluten free flapjacks, or gluten free cereal, or a small gluten free kids meal are my go to. I am retired, so luckily I can rest, sometimes even going to bed when nothing else works. So I feel that I am getting better at knowing how to try and get back on track. I am also trying to stick to a simpler menu and eat mostly at home so that I can be more confident about what I am eating. THANKS TO THOSE WHO REPLIED ABOUT THE NAUSEA .
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.