Newbie... Possible Celiacs?

[njm22]

hello. im new here and i wanted to get some input or thoughts on some symptoms ive been having for a long time. im 22 and for as long as i can remeber ive always had stomache aches all the time and latley they have gotten worse. i also get canker sores all the time and im constanlty feeling hungry no matter what i eat and tired. i want to go to the doctor but im afraid they may not think much about it. any thoughts?

[nasalady]

hello. im new here and i wanted to get some input or thoughts on some symptoms ive been having for a long time. im 22 and for as long as i can remeber ive always had stomache aches all the time and latley they have gotten worse. i also get canker sores all the time and im constanlty feeling hungry no matter what i eat and tired. i want to go to the doctor but im afraid they may not think much about it. any thoughts?

Those symptoms could possibly be from celiac disease or gluten intolerance. You should definitely go to a doctor. It would be best to go to a gastroenterologist who is up on the latest info about celiac disease if possible. Go to the "search" box on this site and type in "doctor" and the name of your city (or the closest big city). That will tell you if anyone has ever posted about a good doctor in your area. Whomever you see, tell him/her you want the full celiac panel run, which consists of:

1.Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) both IgA and IgG

2.Anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA) - IgA

3.Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) - IgA

4.Total IgA level.

Don't worry if the doctor tries to brush your concerns aside. Be calm and polite but firm; say that you want to be tested whether or not the doctor thinks it's necessary. I know it's hard to be assertive with a doctor at 22, but try!

If you are going to be tested you must keep eating plenty of gluten-y foods (bread, pasta, crackers, etc)! Otherwise you risk a false negative. You should also ask for a biopsy of the small intestine. Ask for them to take at least 6 samples while they're in there.

Good luck!

JoAnn

[mom26boys]

hello. im new here and i wanted to get some input or thoughts on some symptoms ive been having for a long time. im 22 and for as long as i can remeber ive always had stomache aches all the time and latley they have gotten worse. i also get canker sores all the time and im constanlty feeling hungry no matter what i eat and tired. i want to go to the doctor but im afraid they may not think much about it. any thoughts?

I'm a newbie too, but I wanted to respond to your post. Definitely go to the doctor! I'm 42 and have been battling problems my whole life. Because I'm obese, I've always been told to go on a diet or get weight loss surgery. The problem is that they assumed obesity was the cause of my problems and never thought it was a result of them. I wish I had known about gluten at 22 and have saved myself 20 years of suffering. You are the very best judge of what is going on with your body. If you know something isn't right then don't give up until you find a doctor that will listen to you. They don't have to live with your symptoms, you do. Like the previous poster said, be polite but firm and get the answers you are looking for. Good luck!

[haylols]

Hi there, I'm hoping someone can give me some advice!!! I'm a 24 year old girl and have been suffering with stomach problems nearly all of my life!!!

When I was 4 years old I was admitted into hospital with gastroenteritis and developed a protein infection in my stomach at the same time. Needless to say i became extremely ill and was kept on fluids as i was unable to keep anything down (or up!) for two weeks. After that i was plagued by gastroenteritis at least once a year, sometimes twice every year until I was 16 then it seemed to die down until i was 19 and got hit hard again!!! I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome when i was 17 as I frequently suffer with bouts of chronic diarrhea and stomach pain which alternates with bloatedness and constipation sometimes lasting 2 weeks until i have to take laxatives to go to the toilet! I was put on an antispasmodic medication called propantheline which seemed to help although i do have put up with the bowel changes with less pain and less diarrhea. However last december I got really sick. I put it down to lots of rich food at christmas, and the stress of working 7 days a week. I was ill over christmas and admitted into hospital for a further week over the new year. I had chronic diarrhea, stomach pains to the point where i cried out everytime I was touched, bloatedness, and nausea. The docs thought it might be appendisitis so I was given ultrasounds, blood tests, rectal examinations - you name it i had it!! After I seemed to get better on a nil by mouth diet and constant fluids, I was allowed to go home. I have since had two colonoscopies the first was incompleted due to the level of pain it caused me, so the second had to be done under a general anaesthetic. It came back normal as did all of my biopsies. They were checking me for chron's disease or ulcerative colitis. Now after giving up dairy and alot of bread and pasta I seem much better and have hardly any symptoms so now they want to test me for celiac disease!!! I thought that was gliten and nothing to do with dairy products....I just wondered if anyone else has ever experienced anything like this? I've checked out celiac symptoms and to be honest I tick quite alot off including the joint pain and arthritis which the doc says I am developing in my hands already!! I'm always tired, even beforfe working 7 days a week i would fall asleep early in the evening or of an afternoon at the weekends. Don't get me wrong i'm not contanstly ill, but I seem to be having a lot of flare ups of whatever it is I've got lately and i'm fed up! My weight keeps going up and down and I can't maintain it...which i can't understand as i don't eat junk food very often! I fluctuate between 7lbs heavier and 7lbs lighter!?!?!?!! And i'm fed up with being told how pale and pasty I look!!!!!

I'm just worried about what comes next if it turns out not to be celiac!! I don't think i could go much more testing!!

Thanks!!!

[ang1e0251]

I'm so sorry you're feeling so bad! You sure do show a lot of the signs of celiac disease but to be tested you know you must go back on the gluten. If you find it impossible to do so, then your choices are to carry on with the diet without a dx or see if your dr of another dr will agree to dx you based on dietary response and other factors. Other factors could be family history of like illnesses, a gene test to see if you carry the common genes recognized for celiac disease/GI or a positive test DH. You didn't mention having rashes but if you do, a positive test for DH is a positive dx.

Let us know how you're doing!