Feels Like Pulled Ab Muscle -- Could It Be Celiac?

[jat237]

I've been served notice of possible celiac. Endoscopy was inconclusive (clueless doctor only took one tiny biopsy), but I have osteopenia. Until recently, I have had few other symptoms. I'm supposed to get further testing in a few months.

For the past three weeks, I've had abdominal pain that felt like a pulled muscle. It sometimes affects my mobility, though it's not terribly intense. Just recently, I've realized it's probably not muscular. I have discomfort deeper than the muscle, especially when I apply pressure. It doesn't get better with time.

I'm sort of in denial about the possibility of celiac. But does this pain sound at all consistent with others' experience with celiac?

Thanks for any input!

Jeff

[ravenwoodglass]

Have you had a blood test? If so what were the results. Also if you post your results from the endo folks may be able to shed some light. Inconclusive can sometimes mean damage is there but not enough to say total villi destruction. Some doctors will have you keep eating gluten until you get sick enough so that the villi are totally destroyed before they diagnose. Have you tried the diet and if so did you get any relief from your symptoms?

[Ahorsesoul]

Before I went gluten free I had a lot of abdominal pain and it felt deep, not on the surface. I use to think about kicking those doctors who always wanted to press on my abdominal area. Now it is not bad at all.

Resist all you want but you will end up going gluten free after talking to a few of us. It certainly can't hurt you and you will be amazed at how good you can feel. I also have osteopenia but it's not getting worse since I went gluten free. I'll never go back to eating glutenized food.

[jat237]

My blood test was positive for celiac, but I am also IgA deficient, which makes the result difficult to interpret. The biopsy showed normal intestinal mucosa, but the doctor removed only one small fragment, so that result doesn't tell me much.

I really appreciate your responses and your willingness to help, but I have to say that I struggle when celiacs speak as if removing gluten from your life is a relief, like ridding yourself of an evil villain. Food brings me great joy. It's at the heart of how I relate with my family and friends. Our traditions are full of wonderful gluteny foods. I love fine cuisine, and whole grains have been a cornerstone of my diet for years. For most of the world, they are marvelously healthy foods. They are not culprits. If anything, my intestines are. To say goodbye forever to something I have loved all my life, and that is one of my most virtuous of passions, is devastating. Perhaps my tummy would feel a little better if I give up gluten, but it will break my heart.

It will also complicated my wife's life tremendously. It's already hard enough for her to find foods that all five kids enjoy.

Please don't tell me it's going to be easy or make me much happier. I can't believe it.

[AKcollegestudent]

Please don't tell me it's going to be easy or make me much happier. I can't believe it.

You don't want me to tell you it'll be easy? Good, because I can't. It will make you happier in the long run, but yeah, right after everything goes topsy-turvy, that's cold comfort.

I'm a college student on a campus that is surrounded by interesting restaurants. And every time I go out to eat with friends, I have to double check--and then check again, just in the case the server has missed something. But I made dinner for three of us last night, dinner that will feed me for a couple days, and it turned out well. I went out with friends a couple weeks ago and didn't come home and curl up in the bathroom. And hey, even when a miscommunication occurs, at least everyone has something to be amused by.

Cooking something that's gluten-free takes creativity and a little bit of effort. I won't say every recipe I've made turned out fabulously, but most of them have. Are you going to be eating the gluten-free equivalent of a three course meal tomorrow? Not unless your wife is a complete saint and a miracle worker. But there are plenty of things to play with--most of the pastas are good; you can even make your own. (If you know, you have the time for it.) Vegetables are easy to play with; so is meat. This isn't as hard as it looks at first glance. (If you want hard, feel free to start a casein-free diet at the same time.) Creme brulee's still gluten-free, so there's something, at least.

I hope things turn out well for you, all sarcasm aside. There are plenty of easy mixes and whatnot; there are dozens of recipes. And if you do start feeling better, then you might understand why folks around here tend to see the diet as a good thing.

[Evie4]

My blood test was positive for celiac, but I am also IgA deficient, which makes the result difficult to interpret. The biopsy showed normal intestinal mucosa, but the doctor removed only one small fragment, so that result doesn't tell me much.

I really appreciate your responses and your willingness to help, but I have to say that I struggle when celiacs speak as if removing gluten from your life is a relief, like ridding yourself of an evil villain. Food brings me great joy. It's at the heart of how I relate with my family and friends. Our traditions are full of wonderful gluteny foods. I love fine cuisine, and whole grains have been a cornerstone of my diet for years. For most of the world, they are marvelously healthy foods. They are not culprits. If anything, my intestines are. To say goodbye forever to something I have loved all my life, and that is one of my most virtuous of passions, is devastating. Perhaps my tummy would feel a little better if I give up gluten, but it will break my heart.

It will also complicated my wife's life tremendously. It's already hard enough for her to find foods that all five kids enjoy.

Please don't tell me it's going to be easy or make me much happier. I can't believe it.

I hear the saddness in your words and I can identify with many of the things you are saying. I grew up in Europe and learned to cook from my Euro mom...wonderful baked goods, noodles etc. I can say this transition hasn't been that difficult for me, but that is because my lifestyle is different. I can imagine if I lived near Mom, was accustomed to going out to eat (which is rare for me) and didn't deny myself goodies (which I've always done to maintain my weight), it would be MUCH harder. I think of "if" Mom found out that she is celiac, how devestating it would be--she had a ROUGH time when Dad was diagnosed with type II diabetes--it turned her world upsidedown.--how was she going to cook! She has a different relationship with food than I do. Though I love it (and I do have a pretty experienced palette) I seem to be able to eat because I need too not because I enjoy it. But don't get me wrong, I REALLY like food.

I've been sick a very long time and it really has affected my life in a negative way. It has prevented me from persuing some of my dreams and career goals. I've experienced a lot of pain, malaise, fatiuge, missed work, but I never got depressed-- as early on (before diagnosis) I decided I wasn't going to let it bring me down. Having said that, being sick for so long and FINALLY finding a reason was incredibly powerful and I easliy embraced cutting gluten out of my diet.

I just found out I have reaction to casein. I was surprised when my test came back--I thought it quite possible that lactose might be a problem but not casein. So now that is out. I have struggled the past few days over how I'm going to have that capuccino my husband shoots for me every morning. Americano isn't going to work, coconut milk was a little easier, but kinda funky. I could probably just give it up, but roasting beans and shooting coffee is one of his hobbies that just wouldn't be the same for him if he's not sharing it with me. So I'm going to invest some time in trying to find something I can use as a milk/cream substitute knowing nothing will be the same as good old frothed milk. I'm refraining from thoughts of not eatting butter-that's a hard one too.

I could be sad sometimes...I think I'm just controlling my thoughts right now and not allowing myself to think about some of those wonderfully lovely foods I can never eat again. I'm a little worried that as I start to feel better I'll think about them more and that's when the real struggle will begin for me.

Evie

[chiroptera]

Well, I am not trying to sound sarcastic, and yes, it is frustrating that food makes people sick, BUT please think about what the gluten is doing to your body. A lot of people love smoking, but geez, it makes them sick, full of cancer, etc. I try to consider myself and three young children lucky that we found out our problem, hopefully before it is too late.

No pleasure is worth your health. We only get one body!

[ang1e0251]

It's normal to feel sad about changing a lifetime of habits but at some point you will have to accept this gift you've been given. I know, you don't want to hear it's a gift. If it was one of your five children who was dx'd, how would you react? How would you help them cope with the same problems you've been expressing here?

Don't brush off the question because you feel it doesn't pertain. celiac disease is passed from parent to child. This can be DX'd in one of your children in the near future because they carry your genes. You need to handle this because they are watching you very carefully to see how you will react. They rely on your example as to how to face the problems in life. You are their hero.

You seem very emotionally attached to your food. We all are to different levels. I'm just asking you to choose to be more emotionally attached to your family than to your food.

[jat237]

Thanks for some kind and sensitive words! I can imagine that a gluten-free diet is truly a blessing if you have been sick for a long time without a clear diagnosis. I'm very glad for those of you who have found great relief. I suffered Lyme Disease a few years back and lived with horrible symptoms for months before getting a diagnosis. It was one of the darkest times of my life!

But with this possible celiac, you have to understand that I don't feel sick! My discomforts are so minor. I could easily live the rest of my life with the occasional slight issues I'm having -- which are subtle enough that I'm not convinced that I even have celiac. I'm coming to understand the long-term threats of celiac, though. And I AM committed to my family (yes, more than to food), so I will pursue another endoscopy in the coming months if my GI recommends it. But having a most unwelcome and permanent life change looming ahead of me when I really feel pretty dang good is just such a bitter prospect to me.

If I'm going to have to make a go of this depressing change, I will need to hear from people for whom it was REALLY hard, but figured it out anyway. Healthy as I feel, I have a difficult time relating to folks for whom the gluten-free diet is a wonderful passage to relief. I'm so glad you found that passage, but I feel like I'm on a much different journey. Can anyone relate?

Jeff