Had My Blood Draw Today

[Idahonick]

Hi everyone. Today I went to the lab and had a blood draw to test for Celiac (ordered by my doctor). I have been having symptoms for years, not knowing what the cause could be. I break out regularly on my scalp with pimple-like sores that come and go. Sometime they will go away completely and sometimes I will have recurring outbreaks for months on end, always coinciding with bowel problems. I was on Adkins for a time and it seemed to help. This has been going on for over ten years. I have always had a "sensitive" stomach as have my father and siblings. In the last 5 to 6 years it has gotten worse to the point where (not to be crass) I have 5-6 bowel movements/day that are incredibly messy and I have a hard time staying clean. About a month ago I had a sudden onset of bad cramps in my upper intestine, followed by diarrhea, until there was nothing left. I went to the Dr. and he tested me for Giardia,e.coli,samonella, shigella, and some others thinking it was food poisoning or bacterial infection. He put me on Cipro @x 500mg for 10 days as a precaution. All tests were negative. Well, the scalp cleared up as it has when I have taken other antibiotics, and my stool firmed up and became normal. All of the symptoms came back five days after I finished the Cipro. Then my wife said the other night "Maybe it's sprue". I started doing some research on the internet and saw that it was a possibility. I am telling you all of this because I am really looking for some feedback on the possibility that it might be Celiac. Sorry to be so straightforward, but I don't know of any other way to get my symptoms across.

Thanks for your help,

Nick

[SD77]

With your symptoms, it does sound like it might be celiac disease; ask your doctor to be tested. In the meantime, research it more, and you may find more symptoms that you didn't ever realize you had. Actually, probably make sure you've researched alot before asking your doctor....(been there...and doctor's do not always know so much about it...) And you can always try going gluten free for a while, and see if it makes a difference...I'd give it at least 3-6 months (though many people will see changes within a few weeks).

Shannon

[ravenwoodglass]

Do ask your doctor to test you for it. Do not go gluten free until they are done with all testing but do keep in mind that testing does have a higher than we would like rate of false negatives. After you are done with all the testing you choose to do then give the diet a good strict try. If a doctor derived diagnosis is not important to you then you can choose to just give the diet a strict try. However if you do this and then later decide you want to be formally diagnosed you will need to go back on gluten for 3 months. For many of us that means becoming very ill.