So Tired Of Being Tired And Not Being Taken Seriously!

[amberlynn]

Hi, I'm new, my name is Amber... I'm 95% sure I've got Celiac's. And I think my 4 year old might too.

My symptoms have been passed over for YEARS - I'm 29, and just yesterday my best friend of 20 years and I were talking about when I was 10/11 and I would complain about my stomach ALL the time. Everyone thought I was a hypochrondriac. In 3rd grade (so 8 years old), I can remember going to the school nurse EVERY day, complaining of a stomachache - but, divorced parents, kids got a rough home life, blah blah blah (my home life was relatively stable, BTW - I lived 3 blocks from my Dad's house and could see him whenever I wanted!).

High school, tired EVERY day, couldn't focus. Seasonal allergies started. Occasionally would wake up unable to breathe in the night. No prior allergies before the age 14.

It occured to me yesterday, that I'm nauseated ALL the time. I constantly think I'm pregnant again, its that bad. In fact, I actually got sick a few weeks ago, and that never happens.

I complained last year to my doctor about being tired all the time. Again. He looked at my 2 rambunctious boys, and said "Yeah, I would be too!" My oldest son has mild Autism (he's very high functioning), and is a little high maintenance. I also have a 2 year old, and well, enough said, lol. I explained to him though, I've been tired EVERY day for as long as I can remember. The last time I felt good was when I was on a total elimination diet for my oldest son when he was a year old (breastfeeding, had to eliminate dairy, corn, gluten, eggs, & soy). I felt fantastic! It didn't even occur to me that once I got the gluten back, that I started feeling awful again - til the headaches started again. And the lethargy. And I can't lose weight. And I'm hungry, ALL the time. I seriously could not go 2 hours without eating something. I've put 40 pounds on in 2 years.

So, my husband convinced me that something is up, whether the doc thinks so or not (God love him, lol). He said to try the diet again, and see what happens. One month - that should be enough to see if that's the problem, right? It's been 3 days, and I'm starting to feel a little bit better! Instead of waking up tired, its taking a few hours at least, lol . I'm also not as hungry!! I had a boiled egg about 3 hours ago, not hungry at all right now!

I guess my question is, is this typical? I'm not deathly sick (in fact, I'm rarely sick at all), I just feel like crap - all the time. I also have skin problems. Acne on my face, and odd red bumps on my upper legs and upper arm - not like zits, but the doc that looked at me in high school said it was acne?? They're not big, just tiny little red bumps. No one has ever thought anything of them. But I've never seen them on anyone else (except my little brother & Dad - andDAd is a type 1 diabetic, BTW). And, TMI, but I range from diarrhea to constipation ALL the time.

I'm also concerned about my 4 year old that has constant diarrhea. I'm trying to switch him over to gluten-free also, but its a struggle b/c he's sooo picky (and def. a carb lover!!).

[celiac-mommy]

Sounds suspicious to me. Have you thought of having the blood testing done before going gluten-free? I would also look at your son for sure. I thought my son had a higher functioning level of Autism before he was diagnosed-he had every classic austism symptom except for being very affectionate (but only with me). He went from abnormal to normal in less than a week. It was the most AMAZING thing I've ever seen.