Possibly Celiac/gluten Intolerance?

[BeSeeingYou]

Hello! I'd like to thank you in advance for any help, however small, you might be able to throw my way; it looks like you get a lot of similar posts to this but I'm so unsure! I'm sorry if this is a little TMI, but it's the nature of the beast I guess!

I'm going back and forth over whether I should be tested or not, I guess I just hate the idea of going to all the trouble and it turning out to be nothing, but though my symptoms are rather mild (especially compared to some of the complaints I've read from others) they have gotten more severe over the past couple of years and I experience some of them every day to a level of some discomfort (especially in public!) and though mild it would be great to have some relief.

I never considered gluten intolerance until just this Thanksgiving. I don't eat meat and so replaced the traditional turkey with a fake meat product that is comprised almost entirely of wheat gluten (it's got a meaty texture); over the following days I experienced worse bloating than normal (and my close fit snugly but I wouldn't necessarily say my stomach was distended) as well as uncomfortable constipation and gas that was extremely foul smelling.

Outside of the more "extreme" symptoms I had following my thanksgiving meal, I experience gas and constipation on a daily basis, and diarrhea almost once a week, sometimes more and sometimes accompanied with the constipation, as well as some mild bloating throughout the week.

Daily I have this rumble in my stomach accompanied by mild gas. At work I excuse myself to the bathroom three or four times because of it, but it usually returns after ten or twenty minutes and always continues throughout the night. It feels like I need to pass gas or use the toilet but when I reach the rest room rarely does anything come.

Over the past six months or so I have had two experiences of painful sores around the corners of my mouth that I could not explain, they could be anything I guess but they were so random and having seen them on the list of possible symptoms makes me more curious if gluten intolerance or celiac might be my problem.

I bruise extremely easily, but it could be attributed to my fair skin; a hard poke will result in a bruise and I am constantly finding bruises that I can't remember getting. It got to a bit of an extreme a couple of years ago and when I was taken to the doctor for an bout of extreme fatigue I mentioned it, and she tested my hematocrit, which turned out to be low.

As a kid I had problems with ulcers as a child that the cause of was never determined; they became less frequent as I got older and disappeared for some time but I've started to experience that same pain infrequently over the past several months.

Having put them all down they seem so ambiguous and that they could be anything or a whole host of minor things, but so many appear on the list of possible symptoms that I can't help but wonder, especially after my experience after Thanksgiving.

Does this sound at all similar to anyone else's experience? Would it be worth it to be tested? Also can you experience any benefit from going gluten free in a short enough amount of time to determine whether it has any effect or not? I would love to have some kind of solution to my daily symptoms but I don't want to overreact.

Thanks again, sorry it's so rambly.

[Wolicki]

Hello! I'd like to thank you in advance for any help, however small, you might be able to throw my way; it looks like you get a lot of similar posts to this but I'm so unsure! I'm sorry if this is a little TMI, but it's the nature of the beast I guess!

I'm going back and forth over whether I should be tested or not, I guess I just hate the idea of going to all the trouble and it turning out to be nothing, but though my symptoms are rather mild (especially compared to some of the complaints I've read from others) they have gotten more severe over the past couple of years and I experience some of them every day to a level of some discomfort (especially in public!) and though mild it would be great to have some relief.

I never considered gluten intolerance until just this Thanksgiving. I don't eat meat and so replaced the traditional turkey with a fake meat product that is comprised almost entirely of wheat gluten (it's got a meaty texture); over the following days I experienced worse bloating than normal (and my close fit snugly but I wouldn't necessarily say my stomach was distended) as well as uncomfortable constipation and gas that was extremely foul smelling.

Outside of the more "extreme" symptoms I had following my thanksgiving meal, I experience gas and constipation on a daily basis, and diarrhea almost once a week, sometimes more and sometimes accompanied with the constipation, as well as some mild bloating throughout the week.

Daily I have this rumble in my stomach accompanied by mild gas. At work I excuse myself to the bathroom three or four times because of it, but it usually returns after ten or twenty minutes and always continues throughout the night. It feels like I need to pass gas or use the toilet but when I reach the rest room rarely does anything come.

Over the past six months or so I have had two experiences of painful sores around the corners of my mouth that I could not explain, they could be anything I guess but they were so random and having seen them on the list of possible symptoms makes me more curious if gluten intolerance or celiac might be my problem.

I bruise extremely easily, but it could be attributed to my fair skin; a hard poke will result in a bruise and I am constantly finding bruises that I can't remember getting. It got to a bit of an extreme a couple of years ago and when I was taken to the doctor for an bout of extreme fatigue I mentioned it, and she tested my hematocrit, which turned out to be low.

As a kid I had problems with ulcers as a child that the cause of was never determined; they became less frequent as I got older and disappeared for some time but I've started to experience that same pain infrequently over the past several months.

Having put them all down they seem so ambiguous and that they could be anything or a whole host of minor things, but so many appear on the list of possible symptoms that I can't help but wonder, especially after my experience after Thanksgiving.

Does this sound at all similar to anyone else's experience? Would it be worth it to be tested? Also can you experience any benefit from going gluten free in a short enough amount of time to determine whether it has any effect or not? I would love to have some kind of solution to my daily symptoms but I don't want to overreact.

Thanks again, sorry it's so rambly.

Welcome! There would be absolutely no harm in trying the diet. Most experience at least some relief immediately. Caution, if you want to be tested, you have to be consuming gluten, so get tested first if you want an "official" diagnosis.