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Ibs Or Celiac?

Rjravenw40

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Rjravenw40 Newbie
Rjravenw40
Posted

Hello All,

I just joined the site today and am looking for a tidbit of information.

I was once told that I had a high blood level which steered me towards gluten intolerance but then a new doctor said no way your not under nourished. I just had a colonoscopy and doc says IBS. I have been researching on IBS and I have alot of the celiac symptoms except for weight loss. I have the most tremendous pain sometimes and I am constantly constipated. Would it be a good idea to cut out gluten anyway just to see if maybe its a source of my distress? I really don't see much of a difference between the two disorders. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Raven

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mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Hello All,

I just joined the site today and am looking for a tidbit of information.

I was once told that I had a high blood level which steered me towards gluten intolerance but then a new doctor said no way your not under nourished. I just had a colonoscopy and doc says IBS. I have been researching on IBS and I have alot of the celiac symptoms except for weight loss. I have the most tremendous pain sometimes and I am constantly constipated. Would it be a good idea to cut out gluten anyway just to see if maybe its a source of my distress? I really don't see much of a difference between the two disorders. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Raven

Welcome to the board, Raven.

It is a fiction many doctors still believe, that you must be undernourished to be celiac/gluten intolerant. Just as many are overweight because their bodies are desperately storing any nutrients they can find because of malnourishment from not absorbing the beneficial nutrients. Were you initially given the celiac test which showed the "high blood level"? If the celiac test was positive then most likely you are. Can you go back to that doctor and get a copy of your test results? Did your doctor just do the colonoscopy, and not the endoscopy with biopsy which could have shown celiac? It is very frustrating when doctors don't know what they are doing and you end up with a junk diagnosis like IBS--IBS because the drug companies make medication to treat that so that is what doctors focus on.

There is, in many ways, little difference between celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Certainly the symptoms of both can be identical, and some believe that people who are gluten intolerant just have not developed celiac yet. There have, however, been specific genes identified as connected with celiac and different genes for gluten sensitivity. It is an area which researchers are currently exploring.

So what can you do? One choice is to find a doctor who knows something about celiac (you can post on here under doctors, "Looking for a doctor in Podunk, whatever state", or contact your local Caliac Society where they should know of celiac literate doctors. If the actual diagnosis is not important to you, but feeling better is, you can trial the gluten free diet and see how it works for you. Many of us have done just that. There are some consequences, depending on your age, of not have a diagnosis, so you need to consider whether you can live without one. Bear in mind that if you later decide you want to be tested, you would have to go back to eating gluten for at least six weeks, and once feeling better you may not want to do that. I didn't.

Rjravenw40 Newbie
Rjravenw40
Posted
  • Author

Welcome to the board, Raven.

It is a fiction many doctors still believe, that you must be undernourished to be celiac/gluten intolerant. Just as many are overweight because their bodies are desperately storing any nutrients they can find because of malnourishment from not absorbing the beneficial nutrients. Were you initially given the celiac test which showed the "high blood level"? If the celiac test was positive then most likely you are. Can you go back to that doctor and get a copy of your test results? Did your doctor just do the colonoscopy, and not the endoscopy with biopsy which could have shown celiac? It is very frustrating when doctors don't know what they are doing and you end up with a junk diagnosis like IBS--IBS because the drug companies make medication to treat that so that is what doctors focus on.

There is, in many ways, little difference between celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Certainly the symptoms of both can be identical, and some believe that people who are gluten intolerant just have not developed celiac yet. There have, however, been specific genes identified as connected with celiac and different genes for gluten sensitivity. It is an area which researchers are currently exploring.

So what can you do? One choice is to find a doctor who knows something about celiac (you can post on here under doctors, "Looking for a doctor in Podunk, whatever state", or contact your local Caliac Society where they should know of celiac literate doctors. If the actual diagnosis is not important to you, but feeling better is, you can trial the gluten free diet and see how it works for you. Many of us have done just that. There are some consequences, depending on your age, of not have a diagnosis, so you need to consider whether you can live without one. Bear in mind that if you later decide you want to be tested, you would have to go back to eating gluten for at least six weeks, and once feeling better you may not want to do that. I didn't.

Rjravenw40 Newbie
Rjravenw40
Posted
  • Author

Welcome to the board, Raven.

It is a fiction many doctors still believe, that you must be undernourished to be celiac/gluten intolerant. Just as many are overweight because their bodies are desperately storing any nutrients they can find because of malnourishment from not absorbing the beneficial nutrients. Were you initially given the celiac test which showed the "high blood level"? If the celiac test was positive then most likely you are. Can you go back to that doctor and get a copy of your test results? Did your doctor just do the colonoscopy, and not the endoscopy with biopsy which could have shown celiac? It is very frustrating when doctors don't know what they are doing and you end up with a junk diagnosis like IBS--IBS because the drug companies make medication to treat that so that is what doctors focus on.

There is, in many ways, little difference between celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Certainly the symptoms of both can be identical, and some believe that people who are gluten intolerant just have not developed celiac yet. There have, however, been specific genes identified as connected with celiac and different genes for gluten sensitivity. It is an area which researchers are currently exploring.

So what can you do? One choice is to find a doctor who knows something about celiac (you can post on here under doctors, "Looking for a doctor in Podunk, whatever state", or contact your local Caliac Society where they should know of celiac literate doctors. If the actual diagnosis is not important to you, but feeling better is, you can trial the gluten free diet and see how it works for you. Many of us have done just that. There are some consequences, depending on your age, of not have a diagnosis, so you need to consider whether you can live without one. Bear in mind that if you later decide you want to be tested, you would have to go back to eating gluten for at least six weeks, and once feeling better you may not want to do that. I didn't.

Rjravenw40 Newbie
Rjravenw40
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the information. Yes it was a positive blood test but not sure of the exact test. The doctor who diagnosed me abandoned his practice a couple of years ago. Thats why I now have the new doctor who said no way your not. Yes they did check my stomach too, acid reflux of course which is blamed on the IBS. I am looking for a new doctor right now. The gastro doc that did my colonoscopy just tells me nothing we can do its a syndrome. My primary doc (the one that said no way) wont even take me serious. he says if it bothers you don't eat it. Not much help or answers for me. Personally I think IBS is just a way of saying I don't know whats wrong with you and suck it up. :(

sandsurfgirl Collaborator
sandsurfgirl
Posted

IBS means " I don't know what's wrong so I'll hand you a line of B.S."

Go with the first doctor's diagnosis and change docs ASAP!!! If your doc said you're not malnourished he knows NOTHING about this disease and he is putting you in grave danger by telling you do whatever. He should not be second guessing the other doctor's diagnosis unless there is a VERY good reason to do so. Not just willy nilly say "Naah, you don't have that." I would never go back to that doctor.

It's very hard to get a doc to say you have celiac disease because of ignorance and inaccurate testing, and you already had one give you that official diagnosis. If you feel better on gluten free then do it.

One of my worst symptoms was that all of a sudden I went from being a thin person to gaining weight that I just couldn't lose no matter how much I worked out or what diet I went on. I've been struggling for 7 years now and did the South Beach Diet religously and could not lose weight. Went to Weight Watchers for 6 weeks following the program perfectly and they all looked at me with such sadness because none of them knew what to tell me. Bought the Bodybugg and tracked all my calories and food for several weeks and didn't lose weight. The coach that I spoke with looked at my diet and exercise and said "There is something wrong. You should be losing weight with the way you are eating and exercising."

Rjravenw40 Newbie
Rjravenw40
Posted
  • Author

IBS means " I don't know what's wrong so I'll hand you a line of B.S."

Go with the first doctor's diagnosis and change docs ASAP!!! If your doc said you're not malnourished he knows NOTHING about this disease and he is putting you in grave danger by telling you do whatever. He should not be second guessing the other doctor's diagnosis unless there is a VERY good reason to do so. Not just willy nilly say "Naah, you don't have that." I would never go back to that doctor.

It's very hard to get a doc to say you have celiac disease because of ignorance and inaccurate testing, and you already had one give you that official diagnosis. If you feel better on gluten free then do it.

One of my worst symptoms was that all of a sudden I went from being a thin person to gaining weight that I just couldn't lose no matter how much I worked out or what diet I went on. I've been struggling for 7 years now and did the South Beach Diet religously and could not lose weight. Went to Weight Watchers for 6 weeks following the program perfectly and they all looked at me with such sadness because none of them knew what to tell me. Bought the Bodybugg and tracked all my calories and food for several weeks and didn't lose weight. The coach that I spoke with looked at my diet and exercise and said "There is something wrong. You should be losing weight with the way you are eating and exercising."

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Rjravenw40 Newbie
Rjravenw40
Posted
  • Author

Thanks. I came to that conclusion today actually. I have been 3 days with no gluten. I feel better already. Less tired and for the first time in months no bloat. I am still having colon pain beneath my rib cage but if the constant constipation eases that will go away (fiber supplements are not an option for me lol). How long does it take for the body to get rid of the gluten? Should I be doing something to help it along? i really appreciate the info.

Raven

orchid1 Newbie
orchid1
Posted

You are doing fine. Just avoid gluten like the plague. Here is a book that helped me heal from the symptons caused by malabsorption because of a damaged small intestine. Open Original Shared Link

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