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Problems Getting Diagnosed


fughawzi

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fughawzi Rookie

I've had issues with misdiagnoses forever, starting with depression at nine when it really was Hashimoto's thyroiditus. I'm getting extremely frustrated. I've had many doctors tell me that I most likely have celiac disease but they are are not comfortable diagnosing me because my Prometheus blood panel was inconclusive and I've been off gluten too long for a biopsy to be any good.

History: I'm eighteen and have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditus, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, IBS, and have suddenly developed a ton of food allergies in the last year (soy, rice, apricots, bananas, almonds, chocolate, coffee, sweet potatoes, pineapples, dairy, shellfish, and turkey) when I have never had any before. In April of 2009, my GI ran the blood test and called for an upper endoscopy due to other issues I was having, but implied that I should probably go off gluten. I did and felt a thousand times better (fibro pain basically went out the window and I could actually function). I had to remind the GI to check for celiac, which he forgot about, but he said that he didn't see anything and celiac was very patchy (I had been off gluten for a few weeks). There was no biopsy. I've since been trying my best to avoid gluten, but have been extremely strict for about seven months now.

These are the Prometheus results:

tumblr_l6c6joUTLP1qd01p5o1_500.webp

This has been an extremely frustrating experience and I'm not quite sure what to do. It's very annoying to have doctors tell you that you probably have a disease but refuse to diagnose it, which is something I need for it to be taken seriously by my insurance and other doctors. If there are any suggestion for doctors in the Los Angeles area that may be able to help me, that would be fantastic and I would love you forever.

When I eat gluten: headaches, severe body pain, can barely function for a week or more, severe abdominal pain, body swelling (up to 9 inches at the waist), dermatitis herpetiformis (as told by an immunologist at Cedar Sinai but never biopsied), etc.


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sb2178 Enthusiast

If you've been diagnosed with DH, you have Celiac. Can you get a letter from the immunologist or a copy of your record?

Or the next time you get the rash, get a skin biopsy done correctly?

fughawzi Rookie

If you've been diagnosed with DH, you have Celiac. Can you get a letter from the immunologist or a copy of your record?

Or the next time you get the rash, get a skin biopsy done correctly?

I have the rash currently but my dermatologist said it was too small of an area to biopsy and it was "just dermatitis." I'll try contacting the immunologist again, thank you!

I forgot to mention that I can't even touch something containing gluten. I once tried to bake for someone and the flour actually ate through the skin on my hands. Is this normal?

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    • Colleen H
      Thank you so much for your response  Yes it seems as though things get very painful as time goes on.  I'm not eating gluten as far as I know.  However, I'm not sure of cross contamination.  My system seems to weaken to hidden spices and other possibilities. ???  if cross contamination is possible...I am in a super sensitive mode of celiac disease.. Neuropathy from head to toes
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      EXACTLY! I was asked yesterday on my LAST video call with Standford and I stated exactly yes absolutely this is why I need the name! One, get proper care, two, not get worse.Im falling apart, stressed out, in pain and just opened email from Stanford stating I was rude ect.I want that video reviewed by higher ups and see if that women still has a job or not.Im saying this because I've been medically screwed and asking for help because bills don't pay itself. This could be malpratice siit but im not good at finding lawyers
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      We feel your pain. It took me 20+ years of regularly going to doctors desperate for answers only to be told there was nothing wrong with me … when I was 20 pounds underweight, suffering from severe nutritional deficiencies, and in a great deal of pain. I had to figure it out for myself. If you're in the U.S., not having an official diagnosis does mean you can't claim a tax deduction for the extra expense of gluten-free foods. But it can also be a good thing. Pre-existing conditions might be a reason why a health insurance company might reject your application or charge you more money. No official diagnosis means you don't have a pre-existing condition. I really hope you don't live in the U.S. and don't have these challenges. Do you need an official diagnosis for a specific reason? Else, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as you're diligent in remaining gluten free, your body should be healing as much as possible so there isn't much else you could do anyway. And there are plenty of us out here who never got that official diagnosis because we couldn't eat enough gluten to get tested. Now that the IL-2 test is available, I suppose I could take it, but I don't feel the need. Someone else not believing me really isn't my problem as long as I can stay in control of my own food.
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