Possible Celiacs?

[alcie27]

I had never considered I might have celiacs until a couple of weeks ago. I always thought you had to have major stomach pains but when I came across something that mentioned 40% of people don't have pain at all I started looking into gluten intollerance more. I'm still not sure I could have it, or even a gluten intollerance but please take a look at the symptoms below and let me know what you think.

Acne - especialy bad on my chin and jaw line. I've had acne on and off since I was a teen but after the birth of my oldest child almost 5 yrs ago it's been horrible.

Keratosis Pilaris - had this for as long as I can rememeber

Granuloma Anulare - I have a mild case of this, so far it only shows up on my elbows and occasionaly my left hand. I've had this since college.

Headaches/Migranes - These started almost daily after the birth of my oldest child. If I go to bed with a headache I'm almost guaranteed to wake up with a migrane. I also get a migrane roughly once a month just on it's own (without a regular headache first).

Achy legs - this comes and goes, it's almost like the bones themselves hurt. If I take enough vitamins (usualy 1-2 multis per day plus a separate vit B complex, omega 3 and calcium plus magnisium) it seems to happen a lot less.

Candida - diagnosed by a naturopath. She tried to treat me for it but I don't know that it really went away.

Fatigue - tired most days but I can still function. Could easily take a nap probably 3-4 days per week and go to bed by 9:30 most nights, up around 6.

Depression and Anxiety - these started after the birth of oldest child. Drs said it was PPD and put me on Lexapro. I'm almost off of it now but still have episodes of mild panic attacks 5 yrs later.

Hypoglycemia - I've had this for a long time as well, I'm not sure when it started. I have to eat every 4 hours at the LEAST, preferably every 2-3 hours to avoid brain fog, fatigue, sluring words, irritability, shaky, dizzy, light headed (get tunnel vision if I stand up to quick as well). I've started trying not to eat too many baked sweets because of this.

Digestive issues - Not many. I have quite a bit of gas, especialy in the evenings for some reason. BM's can range from light and floating to dark colored and heavy (sorry - TMI).

Family history:

My mother had colon cancer (caught early) and a heart attack at 50. Has had hypothyroidism since she was in her late 20's. She's also on anti anxiety and depression meds. Used to have dibilitating panic attacks but resolved these on her own.

My sister has been diagnosed with fybromialgia, chronic fatigue, restless leg syndrome and endometriosis. They're now testing her for PCOS. I'm also pretty sure she has blood sugar issues just by watching her around meal times or if she skips a meal but she dosen't think she does.

[The Fluffy Assassin]

I had never considered I might have celiacs until a couple of weeks ago. I always thought you had to have major stomach pains but when I came across something that mentioned 40% of people don't have pain at all I started looking into gluten intollerance more. I'm still not sure I could have it, or even a gluten intollerance but please take a look at the symptoms below and let me know what you think.

It's possible. Why don't you try the gluten free diet and see if some of these resolve? I'm sorry to say that it doesn't seem to fix hypoglycemia. I've given up fruit and amped up my vegetable consumption considerably. The two together seem to have fixed my remaining digestive troubles, but while the hypoglycemia is getting better, it's not gone yet. I suspect that at bottom, it's a fructose malabsorption problem for me; you might want to look into this as well.

It's quite possible to be celiac and have no noticeable digestive problems; we're called silent celiacs. I never would have noticed had I not developed lactose intolerance, and I'd be ready to say that I was mistaken in thinking I was celiac except that the lactose intolerance went away after about a year of being gluten free.

Good luck to you, and welcome to the board.

[alcie27]

I forgot to add that since I was a kid I've gotten severe nose bleeds. My mom took me to get cutirization (sp?) when I was in mid-school but it didn't seem to help.