Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Pregnant And Wondering If My Ibs Is Really Celiac Disease

proud mommy

By proud mommy
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

proud mommy Newbie
proud mommy
Posted

About six years ago I began having stomach cramping and side panes when I was was going to school and working full time (I was under a lot of stress). I began going to Dr.'s to see what the problem might be. None of the Dr.'s I was seeing were able to find anything wrong and then I became pregnant so they were unable to continue doing tests on me. During my pregnancy the stomach and side cramping seemed to go away. After I had my son (who was very healthy) My pains returned, this time they were worse, I also had bloating and diarrhea. I saw a GI Dr. who told me that it was IBS and to cut gluten and dairy out of my diet. I did it for a while and my pains and other problems went away. Little by little I added gluten and dairy back into my diet and the pain and bloating (etc.) would return until I cut out gluten and dairy for a while. I've gone back and forth with cutting these things out of my diet for several years now. But as soon as I became pregnant this time (I'm 13 weeks now) I have not been able to tolerate gluten at all (much worse than before). I have started cutting out gluten and lactose form my diet and I am feeling much better. I'm concerned that I might really have Celiac Disease instead of IBS for a few different reasons A. I don't think I was ever tested for it B. I've been borderline anemic on and of and C. I already have an autoimmune disease, Vitiligo. Should I ask to be tested during pregnancy? I'm wondering this because I heard you have to eat gluten for several months for the tests to be accurate and I'm afraid that if I do have it that it will be bad for the baby. Or should I just continue trying to eat a gluten free diet and maybe ask just to talk with a specialist? Any advice? Thanks for reading!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


lamegirl Newbie
lamegirl
Posted

If you are preggers and are very sensitive, it could be a cue from your baby - so I would stick to whatever diet you need to. When your baby is born, get her/him tested as soon as they start on solid foods for celiac, etc.. You'll know quickly if they can stomach milk products.

But for you, it could be you have a mild intolerance to gluten that is helped by a gluten-free and diary free diet. It also could be the case that you might have gallbladder issues (?), another allergy, or maybe something completely different.

The keys for when you are pregnant are to make sure you are getting enough vitamin D/ omega 3's, folic acid (of course), but also make sure your B vitamins are high enough (especially B12)... these are routine tests.. better to get b's by injection - less loss through gut.

I would see how you feel on a gluten-free and diary free diet for the rest of your pregnancy. If you feel better, keep with it. It might be the case that you can take some time later to get diagnosed, but really when you are pregnant, I would do whatever feels best.

Dixiebell Contributor
Dixiebell
Posted

Hi. It sounds like you might be on the right track. As for testing you could get the blood work done while you are pregnant and get your vitamin levels checked too. If you feel better not eating gluten and dairy, don't eat it. After you have your baby you could go back to eating gluten for three months or longer and have the blood test and an endoscopy. Be aware that the tests are NOT 100%. My blood test were negative but I feel like a different person since I cut gluten. Oh, the IBS diagnosis usually means 'we don't know what is wrong with you'. You said you have vitiligo, did you see a derm. for that? I think my 9yr old may have it. He is fair skinned so I am trying to get him tanned again so his ped. can see it better. I also read on web md that it can be connected with diabetes.

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

Here's what I would do in your situation:

1) stay gluten free during the pregnancy and during breastfeeding. yes, that may mean the next two to three years.

2) IF you want a formal diagnosis after that, then go back to eating gluten for at least four months prior to any testing.

the reason I say to stay gluten free is because you KNOW that you react to gluten. you don't know if it's a random sensitivity or actually celiac. but IF it IS celiac, you do not want to ingest gluten during your pregnancy (the autoantibodies in celiac also attack the placenta), and I wouldn't want to pass the antibodies in breastmilk either. (no particular research I know of addressing the later issue, but it's why I'm being fairly paranoid about gluten while I'm breastfeeding.)

you know gluten bothers you, and you don't need a prescription to eat gluten free. so stay gluten free until you can be tested without impacting the baby.

(of course, all of this is just my own opinion, and there are other ways to go if you want.)

proud mommy Newbie
proud mommy
Posted
  • Author

Thanx for all of the advice! I will for sure stay away from gluten during this pregnancy not only because of concerns about the baby, but also because I feel a lot better when I do! But as far as dairy is concerned I'm still a little confused, dairy does bother me but I seem to do OK with Lactose free things. Just assuming (for safety sake) that I really do have Celiac disease or an intolerance, is it OK to eat/drink things that are lactose free or products that are gluten free but may contain a small amount of dairy? That wouldn't hurt the baby, right? Oh and yes I went to a derm. for my Vitiligo when I was little, it hasn't really been much of a problem except you just have to make sure you always keep sunscreen on the spots that have no skin pigment because those spots are more at risk for skin cancer, because there's no pigment to protect the skin from the sun. I am fair skinned also which is good because you can hardly see the spots up against my light skin!

Dixiebell Contributor
Dixiebell
Posted

I wouldn't think dairy would hurt the baby. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. You may just be lactose intolerant too. If you continue to have problems lactose free then I would try dairy free.

gflooser Contributor
gflooser
Posted

I wouldn't think dairy would hurt the baby. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. You may just be lactose intolerant too. If you continue to have problems lactose free then I would try dairy free.

i totally agree with what everyone is telling you. definately stay gluten-free durning and after pregnancy. BUT, you do need to have the dairy so have you tried introducing just a little dairy without the gluten??? you might be able to tolerate just dairy. if not, then of course there are other ways to get those vits!

stay away from gluten!!!!!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted

Some people with celiac just don't do well with dairy for one reason or another. For me it is an allergy. For many it is because the damage done to the intestinal villi also affect the ability to digest lactose. Lactaid would help in this situation. For others, difficulty with dairy may be for other reasons. You can be blood tested for an allergy now. If you just stopped gluten, you MIGHT still be able to get a positive on the celiac blood test. I would trust a positive, but not a negative result in that situation. If you think you can tolerate dairy with the lactaid, then stick to that. Otherwise, no point irritating your intestines. But hey, what do I know.

Congrats on baby and stick gluten free.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. trents
      - trents replied to marion wheaton's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

      @BlessedinBoston, it is possible that in Canada the product in question is formulated differently than in the USA or at least processed in in a facility that precludes cross contamination. I assume from your user name that you are in the USA. And it is also possible that the product meets the FDA requirement of not more than 20ppm of gluten but you are a...
    2. BlessedinBoston
      - BlessedinBoston replied to marion wheaton's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

      No,Lindt is not gluten free no matter what they say on their website. I found out the hard way when I was newly diagnosed in 2000. At that time the Lindt truffles were just becoming popular and were only sold in small specialty shops at the mall. You couldn't buy them in any stores like today and I was obsessed with them 😁. Took me a while to get around to...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      14

      My only proof

      @Jmartes71, I understand your frustration and anger. I've been in a similar situation where no doctor took me seriously, accused me of making things up, and eventually sent me home to suffer alone. My doctors did not recognize nutritional deficiencies. Doctors are trained in medical learning institutions that are funded by pharmaceutical companies...
    4. Jmartes71
      - Jmartes71 replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      14

      My only proof

      I have been diagnosed with celiac in 1994, in remission not eating wheat and other foods not to consume my household eats wheat.I have diagnosed sibo, hernia ibs, high blood pressure, menopause, chronic fatigue just to name a few oh yes and Barrett's esophagus which i forgot, I currently have bumps in back of my throat, one Dr stated we all have bumps in...
    5. marion wheaton
      - marion wheaton posted a topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

      Wondering if anyone knows whether Lindt chocolate balls are gluten free. The Lindt Canadian website says yes but the Lindt USA website says no. The information is a bit confusing.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,407
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    H2HPizzaWagon
    Newest Member
    H2HPizzaWagon
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

      By trents · Posted

      @BlessedinBoston, it is possible that in Canada the product in question is formulated differently than in the USA or at least processed in in a facility that precludes cross contamination. I assume from your user name that you are in the USA. And it is also possible that the product meets the FDA requirement of not more than 20ppm of gluten but you are a super sensitive celiac for whom that standard is insufficient. 
    • BlessedinBoston
      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

      By BlessedinBoston · Posted

      No,Lindt is not gluten free no matter what they say on their website. I found out the hard way when I was newly diagnosed in 2000. At that time the Lindt truffles were just becoming popular and were only sold in small specialty shops at the mall. You couldn't buy them in any stores like today and I was obsessed with them 😁. Took me a while to get around to checking them and was heartbroken when I saw they were absolutely not gluten free 😔. Felt the same when I realized Twizzlers weren't either. Took me a while to get my diet on order after being diagnosed. I was diagnosed with small bowel non Hodgkins lymphoma at the same time. So it was a very stressful time to say the least. Hope this helps 😁.
    • knitty kitty
      My only proof

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Jmartes71, I understand your frustration and anger.  I've been in a similar situation where no doctor took me seriously, accused me of making things up, and eventually sent me home to suffer alone.   My doctors did not recognize nutritional deficiencies.  Doctors are trained in medical learning institutions that are funded by pharmaceutical companies.  They are taught which medications cover up which symptoms.  Doctors are required to take twenty  hours of nutritional education in seven years of medical training.  (They can earn nine hours in Nutrition by taking a three day weekend seminar.)  They are taught nutritional deficiencies are passe' and don't happen in our well fed Western society any more.  In Celiac Disease, the autoimmune response and inflammation affects the absorption of ALL the essential vitamins and minerals.  Correcting nutritional deficiencies caused by malabsorption is essential!  I begged my doctor to check my Vitamin D level, which he did only after making sure my insurance would cover it.  When my Vitamin D came back extremely low, my doctor was very surprised, but refused to test for further nutritional deficiencies because he "couldn't make money prescribing vitamins.". I believe it was beyond his knowledge, so he blamed me for making stuff up, and stormed out of the exam room.  I had studied Nutrition before earning a degree in Microbiology.  I switched because I was curious what vitamins from our food were doing in our bodies.  Vitamins are substances that our bodies cannot manufacture, so we must ingest them every day.  Without them, our bodies cannot manufacture life sustaining enzymes and we sicken and die.   At home alone, I could feel myself dying.  It's an unnerving feeling, to say the least, and, so, with nothing left to lose, I relied in my education in nutrition.  My symptoms of Thiamine deficiency were the worst, so I began taking high dose Thiamine.  I had health improvement within an hour.  It was magical.  I continued taking high dose thiamine with a B Complex, magnesium. and other essential nutrients.  The health improvements continued for months.  High doses of thiamine are required to correct a thiamine deficiency because thiamine affects every cell and mitochondria in our bodies.    A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function.  The cerebellum of the brain is most affected.  The cerebellum controls things we don't have to consciously have to think about, like digestion, balance, breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, hormone regulation, and many more.  Thiamine is absorbed from the digestive tract and sent to the most important organs like the brain and the heart.  This leaves the digestive tract depleted of Thiamine and symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a thiamine deficiency localized in the digestive system, begin to appear.  Symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi include anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, headaches, Gerd, acid reflux, gas, slow stomach emptying, gastroparesis, bloating, diarrhea and/or constipation, incontinence, abdominal pain, IBS,  SIBO, POTS, high blood pressure, heart rate changes like tachycardia, difficulty swallowing, Barrett's Esophagus, peripheral neuropathy, and more. Doctors are only taught about thiamine deficiency in alcoholism and look for the classic triad of symptoms (changes in gait, mental function, and nystagmus) but fail to realize that gastrointestinal symptoms can precede these symptoms by months.  All three classic triad of symptoms only appear in fifteen percent of patients, with most patients being diagnosed with thiamine deficiency post mortem.  I had all three but swore I didn't drink, so I was dismissed as "crazy" and sent home to die basically.   Yes, I understand how frustrating no answers from doctors can be.  I took OTC Thiamine Hydrochloride, and later thiamine in the forms TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) and Benfotiamine to correct my thiamine deficiency.  I also took magnesium, needed by thiamine to make those life sustaining enzymes.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins, so the other B vitamins must be supplemented as well.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   A doctor can administer high dose thiamine by IV along with the other B vitamins.  Again, Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine should be given if only to rule Gastrointestinal Beriberi out as a cause of your symptoms.  If no improvement, no harm is done. Share the following link with your doctors.  Section Three is especially informative.  They need to be expand their knowledge about Thiamine and nutrition in Celiac Disease.  Ask for an Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test for thiamine deficiency.  This test is more reliable than a blood test. Thiamine, gastrointestinal beriberi and acetylcholine signaling.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12014454/ Best wishes!
    • Jmartes71
      My only proof

      By Jmartes71 · Posted

      I have been diagnosed with celiac in 1994, in remission not eating wheat and other foods not to consume  my household eats wheat.I have diagnosed sibo, hernia ibs, high blood pressure, menopause, chronic fatigue just to name a few oh yes and Barrett's esophagus which i forgot, I currently have bumps in back of my throat, one Dr stated we all have bumps in the back of our throat.Im in pain.Standford specialist really dismissed me and now im really in limbo and trying to get properly cared for.I found a new gi and new pcp but its still a mess and medical is making it look like im a disability chaser when Im actively not well I look and feel horrible and its adding anxiety and depression more so.Im angery my condition is affecting me and its being down played 
    • marion wheaton
      Are Lindt chocolate balls gluten free?

      By marion wheaton · Posted

      Wondering if anyone knows whether Lindt chocolate balls are gluten free. The Lindt Canadian website says yes but the Lindt USA website says no. The information is a bit confusing.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.