Not Sure How To Proceed

[ewooder]

This is my first post and I'm looking for some input. So I'll start with some background.

I'm a 28 yr old man with a long history of "sensitive stomach." I have had bouts of diarrhea a couple times a week for years, usually w/in an hour of eating. I assumed I was lactose intolerant because cereal for breakfast always made me sick - though generally yogurt/cheese don't. My Grandpa, an uncle, and a great uncle all had histories of "stomach problems," though I'm not sure of the specifics. I have a lousy immune system, I had shingles when I was 18, hospitalized with mono when I was 19 and had it reoccur at least once. My lymph nodes swell periodically since.

Lately things have gotten worse. I have been getting occasional pain in the lower right abdomen and have been having difficulty sleeping because of restless legs. The D problem has started to alternate with a C problem - which frankly seemed like a blessing at first. Also, my appetite has been tremendous, I thought it was because of working out, but now I'm not sure. Either way I haven't gained weight in ~12 years.

10 days ago I went to a prompt care family clinic after a bad bout of insomnia/rls. They took a lot of blood samples and had me go in for a CT scan. I believe everything has come back negative (except for elevated RBC), though it turns out this place is understaffed and I can't get finalized results until Friday. I plan on getting a better Doc here shortly. Anyway I'm relieved that cancer seems to be semi-ruled out, but I don't feel like I have any direction at this point.

Anyway, the doctor suggested I try a gluten free diet during my visit, which I'm doing, but if everything comes back negative what do I need to do next? I've felt somewhat better this week, but how long do I need to go gluten-free to be sure? Should I see a nutritionist or allergist or something?

[Skylark]

I'm glad to hear you didn't find cancer or any other severe problems. Stick to the gluten-free diet for a couple months. There is no harm in seeing a nutritionist. You don't sound particularly allergic so I don't know that you would get much out of an allergist visit.

[ravenwoodglass]

Hopefully one thing the doctor tested for with all the blood work was celiac, do call the office and make sure that was done. Some doctors don't realize that you will have a false negative on blood tests if you are already gluten free and will try to test after you come back telling them the diet is helping. That will make a for sure negative on the celiac panel and even on a gluten diet false negatives are all to common. After your blood panels are drawn if you are not going to have an endoscopy go ahead and follow the diet strictly for at least a couple of months. Untimately the body will know the answer.