No Symptoms

[HeatherCarter]

Is it weird that I have no symptoms...the only reason I got tested was because I was anemic. I ate wheat chex every single day and never felt sick once. Just doesnt make sense ot me. I feel like I am starving constantly. Hate to be on this diet for nothing. I cannot afford to lose weight, I only weigh 102 pounds. Anyone else have this problem?

[zero]

Is it weird that I have no symptoms...the only reason I got tested was because I was anemic. I ate wheat chex every single day and never felt sick once. Just doesnt make sense ot me. I feel like I am starving constantly. Hate to be on this diet for nothing. I cannot afford to lose weight, I only weigh 102 pounds. Anyone else have this problem?

I never had a reaction to gluten before my diagnosis so naturally I thought it was wrong. After going gluten free for a few weeks I started having reactions to accidental glutening. I also gained back 6 pounds. It takes time to adjust to a new diet and basically a new life style. Out of curiosity, how were you tested?

[T.H.]

Yeah, I definitely did, although looking back, there WERE symptoms, just not gut ones. Vitamin deficiencies caused me to get sick more often, get well more slowly, and I had soft tissue stuff like carpal tunnel. My father had his hips and spine destroyed and early arthritis from lack of nutrients. On top of that, you're immuno-compromised whenever you have gluten, so you can get some nasty diseases that you might not usually get. That happened to me, as well.

I was diagnosed because of a cough! Never had gut issues in my life. After going gluten free, felt very hungry, just like you said - a number of people here have experienced that. And man, it is crummy, yuck. Seems to last from a few weeks to a couple months. When you're gut has healed, then you will be getting all the nutrients you're actually eating, and the calories, and that seems to make the hunger go away.

Also, a recent study found no relationship between how badly you feel eating gluten vs. the damage it's doing. People who feel almost no symptoms can get severe intestinal damage.

Is it weird that I have no symptoms...the only reason I got tested was because I was anemic. I ate wheat chex every single day and never felt sick once. Just doesnt make sense ot me. I feel like I am starving constantly. Hate to be on this diet for nothing. I cannot afford to lose weight, I only weigh 102 pounds. Anyone else have this problem?

[Kelly&Mom]

I've had symptoms on and off pretty much since about 6 yrs. old. I remember having a barium swallow for something at about 6, having problems with constipation and being fed wheat bread and such to try to help it..... When I was around 14-18 was probably the worst. Horrible stomach issues, saw many Dr's, never really got a diagnosis except to say that maybe I had issues because I'd been on so many antibiotics for ear and kidney infections. As a young adult, I don't recall too many symptoms but had preterm labor with all 3 of my daughters which can be related to celiac, some stomach issues I attributed to being pregnant. Always had a tempermental stomach if I didn't eat on time. Got diagnosed after all these years because my middle daughter got diagnosed. Please stay on your diet. My mom died of a celiac related cancer, never was diagnosed with celiac disease so the gluten is doing damage even though you might not know it! Hang in there. I'm hoping the other things such as arthritis since I was in my mid-twenties are going to get better!!

[VioletBlue]

Actually you DO have symptoms. You are anemic. That is a symptom of Celiac Disease. You have trouble gaining weight and keeping it on. That is a symptom. You DO have symptoms.

Is it weird that I have no symptoms...the only reason I got tested was because I was anemic. I ate wheat chex every single day and never felt sick once. Just doesnt make sense ot me. I feel like I am starving constantly. Hate to be on this diet for nothing. I cannot afford to lose weight, I only weigh 102 pounds. Anyone else have this problem?

[RiceGuy]

Actually you DO have symptoms. You are anemic. That is a symptom of Celiac Disease. You have trouble gaining weight and keeping it on. That is a symptom. You DO have symptoms.

Absolutely!

You also have increased hunger, which is a symptom as well, and is related to the deficiencies.

[ravenwoodglass]

I absolutely agree with the two previous posters. There may also be things that you never imagined were connected to celiac that just disappear. Celiac is so much more than an upset tummy and sometimes the upset tummy aspect is one of the last things to appear. I was in very bad shape by the time I was diagnosed and never in a million years did I think so many of my health issues were related to gluten. I do hope you are strict with the diet, it is not as restrictive as many think when they first start. There is a whole world of naturally gluten free food out there and some of it is high calorie. Once you heal I am sure you will find that gaining the weight you need to gain is easier than ever before.

[kitgordon]

If you feel like you are always starving, EAT! That's your body asking for the nutrients it needs to heal. And if you want to GAIN weight, you can eat ice cream and gluten free goodies - the breads and cookies are actually higher in calories than regular versions. Protein and fiber-filled fruits and veggies may help you feel full longer. I was always hungry the first month or so of the diet; my appetite is starting to normalize now after almost 2 months. Hang in there; you're not on the diet for "no reason" - your health is so worth it! And it does get easier, I promise.

[tarnalberry]

Many celiacs are "silent" celiacs - no GI symptoms. Of course, they may not realize that their headaches, fatigue, or joint pain was a symptom. You are symptomatic, since you were anemic and are low weight, which means that your body is not properly absorbing what you eat. Stick, strictly, to a gluten free diet to avoid the long term complications of untreated celiac (continued anemia, infertility (for women), osteoporosis (for men and women), and digestive tract cancers). It will get easier with practice, and I find that I eat a far wider variety of foods, despite being gluten and dairy free, than many other people I know who have no food restrictions.

[Coinkey]

Many celiacs are "silent" celiacs - no GI symptoms. Of course, they may not realize that their headaches, fatigue, or joint pain was a symptom. You are symptomatic, since you were anemic and are low weight, which means that your body is not properly absorbing what you eat. Stick, strictly, to a gluten free diet to avoid the long term complications of untreated celiac (continued anemia, infertility (for women), osteoporosis (for men and women), and digestive tract cancers). It will get easier with practice, and I find that I eat a far wider variety of foods, despite being gluten and dairy free, than many other people I know who have no food restrictions.

I went gluten free because I ran out of pasta and bread (I ran out of student loans), so I had to eat the rice and potatoes I'd been ignoring. A week of that and things that I didn't even realize were there, disappeared. "Something" lifted and freed me, I still don't have words to describe it. I also stopped taking crash naps on the couch after work, became motivated to clean up that sty I call my house, started willingly talking to people at college (I consider myself a shy person- I'm not really, apparently I can't keep my mouth shut), my naturally irregular periods have become regular and are becoming heavier, and after 2 weeks free of gluten I realized why and shortly after that I realized my stomach hadn't hurt in a while either.

I have also found that I eat a much larger selection of food now and have opened the door to a variety of cuisines from around the world. Food is more interesting and I am even expanding on what vegetables I am willing to try. I no longer stick to the "socially expected" food of the student. After a month, I have found that I feel sated with less volume of food.

[Tigercat17]

Is it weird that I have no symptoms...the only reason I got tested was because I was anemic. I ate wheat chex every single day and never felt sick once. Just doesnt make sense ot me. I feel like I am starving constantly. Hate to be on this diet for nothing. I cannot afford to lose weight, I only weigh 102 pounds. Anyone else have this problem?

Hi Heather!

You really are so lucky you got diagnosed before you started having more serious symptoms. I was always like you always slender-100-106 lbs, 5'1", always a big eater & my only symptom was anemia 10 years ago. I was able to eat everything & never had any problems at all. Now, my body has been so through much because I was misdiagnosed for the last twenty years. 20 years ago it started with, sinus infections (4 times a year), bronchitis (once a year) and infertility. I couldn't fight of any colds & I had to take two sets of antibiotics every time I got one. No one thought to test me for celiac disease but now I know I had it then. 10 years ago I started having problems with my thyroid & was hypothyroid. Then two years ago I got a rare form of thyroid cancer. And a year ago I started having serve acid reflex for three months & started to lose weight pretty fast even though I was eating five meals a day. I went to eight different doctors & no one could figure out what was wrong with me. Finally they did the biopsy and I was diagnosed.

What makes me the saddest is that I was never able to conceive & now that I'm almost 40 years old I may never be able to have my own family because of this disease.

I know the diet is hard , but you are Very Lucky you found out when you did.

Hang in there!

[Tina B]

Is it weird that I have no symptoms...the only reason I got tested was because I was anemic. I ate wheat chex every single day and never felt sick once. Just doesnt make sense ot me. I feel like I am starving constantly. Hate to be on this diet for nothing. I cannot afford to lose weight, I only weigh 102 pounds. Anyone else have this problem?

My husband is an internist and has diagnosed quite a few people who had no GI symptoms but the common symptom was an iron deficiency anemia that did not respond to iron replacement. Whenever he has a patient with an iron deficiency anemia and no cause of bleeding he checks for celiac.

[jen.mor]

The exact same thing happened to me! I used to eat pasta and breads all the time and never had the typical celiac "tummy ache". I'm 18 years old and went to the doctor because my period was late. They found that it was a symptom for anemia and that eventually lead to the diagnosis of celiac, and an endoscopy confirmed that. I've been on a gluten-free diet for abot 5 months now (or trying to be but there's so much hidden) and so far I haven't really felt a difference. I guess I'm not as tired but I figured my tiredness before was just because I'm a new university student... Either way I'm like you and wondering if it's worth all this hassle. I guess it's all internal and I am helping my body for later on in life?

[thleensd]

We can certainly sympathize that getting used to the diet is rough. When you have some time, look through some of our stories here and hopefully you will see what your future could've held without the early diagnosis. If I was diagnosed based on my anemia and low weight, I would've saves many years of pain, suffering, and tremendous expense. I, too had no stomach problems, ate wheat all the time for the first 30 years of my life. A little anemia here and there, took iron, ate more. ... Three years later I was being loaded into an ambulance on the side of the road, had to have a caretaker for a very long time, and went into debt for not being able to work for two years.

I know it sucks. It's not fair. But you've just dodged a potentially huge bullet.

[csb]

Sometimes you dont need a symptom.

I am a normal height, normal weight, all my nutrient levels are fine but have just been diagnosed with celiac

[ShawnieB]

Is it weird that I have no symptoms...the only reason I got tested was because I was anemic. I ate wheat chex every single day and never felt sick once. Just doesnt make sense ot me. I feel like I am starving constantly. Hate to be on this diet for nothing. I cannot afford to lose weight, I only weigh 102 pounds. Anyone else have this problem?

Same here. I do have RA and they saw high levels of something in my blood and i had to get tested. Just a day before that i was scarfing down whatever I wanted without feeling a thing. every now and then I would get a sharp pain but i noticed it whenever I had a late breakfast. So should I still be as careful since I don't have bad pain or sickness?

[ShawnieB]

I've had arthritis since I was 16 =(

[ShawnieB]

Actually you DO have symptoms. You are anemic. That is a symptom of Celiac Disease. You have trouble gaining weight and keeping it on. That is a symptom. You DO have symptoms.

huh. Never thought about those things. Thanks