Celiac Disease?

[cusefan15]

Hello all,

My symptoms began approximately 18 months ago. Essentially, I was suffering from extreme bloating and constipation. My pcp ran a celiac panel. The results were as follows:

IGA AGA: 86

Ref range: >45 pos

IGG AGA: 46

Ref range: >45 pos

IGA TTG: 13

Ref range: >19 pos

The gi doc ran an EMA (which came back negative; at that pt. I had been gluten free for a couple weeks). After reviewing the results he said that my symptoms didn't fit celiac, and that the negative ttg test was a far more accurate indicator. As a result he dxed me with ibs.

Since then I have developed and been diagnosed with the following:

Chronic Fatigue (this is the worst of my symptoms)

Episodes of hypoglycemia

constipation

bloating

diffuse/radiating hand pain

recurring fungal infections

clouded thought pattern

dry eyes (this one sucks too)

low vitamin d (had been supplementing)

floating stools

muscle spasms

dizziness upon stnading

stomach growling

slight macrocytic anemia (but b12 was 485)

decreasing wbc (lost 40% since the start of this, now right at borderline)

This may, I went to another gi doc. He didn't want to biopsy. So I decided to go gluten free. Its been ~ 6 weeks and my gi symptoms have seemingly gotten better but I am still constantly tired. Anyways, I am going to yet another gi doc this week. Not really sure what to expect since I have been gluten free for a month and a half but I am wondering if I can expect any of my other symptoms to resolve/ whether I have celiac disease. Anyways, does anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks,

Jake

[Marz]

Hi there and welcome

I think it can take a while to start feeling 100%, especially if your vitamin levels are low. Many people recommend probiotics, digestive enzymes, liquid vitamins to promote a healthy gut and support your gut while it's healing.

You might find that you have another food intolerance on top of gluten that's keeping you down - try eliminate dairy and maybe soy for a week and see if your energy level improves? In the case of dairy, the milk protein casein is similar in structure to gluten, and can cause existing antibodies to continue reacting to the dairy ingested. The gluten/dairy intolerance combo is fairly common I'm afraid. (Somebody shout if I'm wrong here )

If you've been off gluten for a month, the new GI doctor might need you to do a gluten challenge for a few weeks - otherwise the biopsy may show normal villi since it hasn't been damaged by gluten the whole month and has recovered somewhat. Keep in mind that you might find yourself 10x more sensitive to gluten now, and that would be a strong indication that you are gluten intolerant, if not full blown celiac.

Sorry about the fatigue - I'm not sure what else to suggest, but it's a common symptom in celiac disease. Hope you find the cause soon!

[Skylark]

Sorry to hear about all the trouble. Between the high AGA and feeling better not eating wheat, some of your symptoms could definitely be gluten intolerance. You wouldn't have AGA if your body was completely nonreactive to gluten. You can't worry too much about a "celiac" diagnosis. If gluten makes you sick, don't eat it. I know someone with dry eyes and fatigue from another autoimmune disorder called Sj