Could I Be?

[absentee thoughtlord]

Hi Everyone,

Sorry if this isn't the right part of the forum for asking this, but...

I'm still awaiting the results of a blood test for Celiac disease, but wondered if any of the following makes sense or suggests that I might be. Truth is, I'm so worried about my health at the moment, especially as I have two young children and I can't be the dad I ought to be.

Here goes...

I'm a 39 year old male.

Eighteen months ago I can honestly say that I've never felt fitter in my life, but around a year ago I started to feel a bit "off colour" and mild pains in my upper abdomen (more to the right than left). I had a course of antiacids which seemed to work, but I had the same ups and downs when I wasn't on the PPI's.

About 4 months ago the malaise became more "foreground" and I've been losing weight ever since. Truth is, I've always been slim despite eating well, but it's been a gradual decline since mid Summer. Furthermore, tehre have been days when I thought I've been dying (literally) and others when I feel comparatively well.

I've just had a CT scan on my Pancreas (no results yet) but blood tests suggest that it's working fine. Similarly, an ultrasound about six weeks ago showed no obvious signs of anything untoward.

A gastroscopy two weeks ago showed a mild/moderate gastritis, but nothing that should account for the weight loss.

Other things worth mentioning:

I have consistently had slightly elevated levels of bilirubin for over a decade.

Eight years ago I had a biopsy on one of my raised lymph nodes - no cancer - but they remain permanantly up.

I don't have any diarrhoea or such.

I had some nausea a few weeks ago but that seems to be a lot less now.

Does this sound familiar to anyone???

Any thoughts are very, very gratefully received.

Christian

[Kay DH]

There are so many symptoms and potential symptoms of celiac and gluten sensitivity. It can hit anything, and not everyone has GI symptoms or damage. Even with negative blood and biopsy results, the best test is to see how you are when gluten-free. My symptoms started a year ago, a couple of weeks after getting the flu. My symptoms are fairly typical for celiac, but all my tests have been negative except for having the HLA-DQ8 genetic marker. My health is great as long as I don't get glutened. I assume you have also been tested for allergies, thyroid function, and had the poop test for GI pathogens. Being gluten-free can result in false negatives for blood and endoscopy biopsies, so after all your tests are done, you might try going gluten-free. Also, a lot of people have problems with dairy. It might be good for you to check with a nutritionist that is trained in gluten and other food intolerances for help in your diet. It is very frustrating trying to find out what is wrong and how to fix it, not knowing is emotionally so draining. We have all been there. Life is much better once you know.

[RiceGuy]

I agree with Kay DH's comments. Nothing jumps out at me to suggest it can't be Celiac. Since antibodies generally remain for about two weeks or so after the last exposure to a given invader, you should be able to try a few days gluten-free and see if you notice anything, without impacting test results. However, as was stated, it is highly advisable to try a gluten-free diet after any testing you desire to have done. Many people don't experience significant improvement for several weeks or more, so it is important to give it time enough to be sure. And yes, dairy is often problematic as well, especially in the early stages of healing.

[lovegrov]

Like you I felt amazingly fit until ... Boom! Are you anemic? Unexplained anemia and fatigue are MAJOR symptoms. And I had very little diarrhea but plenty of gas.

richard

[absentee thoughtlord]

Like you I felt amazingly fit until ... Boom! Are you anemic? Unexplained anemia and fatigue are MAJOR symptoms. And I had very little diarrhea but plenty of gas.

richard

First, thank you all for your replies. Very much appreciated.

As for anaemia? No. In fact, according to my blood tests I'm Usain Bolt - except he can run the 100 in 9.6 seconds, and I can't get out of the house.

[absentee thoughtlord]

First, thank you all for your replies. They are greatly appreciated.

As for anaemia? no. In fact, my blood tests say that I'm Usain Bolt - except he can run the 100 in less than 10 seconds and I can't get out of the house some days.

[Loey]

First, thank you all for your replies. Very much appreciated.

As for anaemia? No. In fact, according to my blood tests I'm Usain Bolt - except he can run the 100 in 9.6 seconds, and I can't get out of the house.

What's Usain Bolt?

Loey

[sb2178]

Who. Wicked fast runner, sorta famous if you follow the sport. That's the 100 meter (bout the length of a football field).