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

Going To Md Today, Asking About Celiac/gluten

sickoftummyaches

Recommended Posts

sickoftummyaches Newbie
sickoftummyaches
Posted

Hello

I am new here, but so far have found the info fantastic.

I'm in my late 20's female. I began having stomach issues about 4 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child...with that pregnancy I'd have excessively LOUD and frequent stomach gurgling noises...almost sounded like a wounded animal! I had issues with alternating constipation + diarrhea + abdominal pain, excessive gas. I figured this is all the joys of pregnancy, until I had my daughter and it didn't go away!

This January I was dx with gallstones, so I had a lap chole and got that sucker out!

Now, here I am with the same issues :excessive gas, pain, distention (like looking 5 months pregnant), FATIGUE (so bad!), a couple days of feeling good and then back to tummy aching, constipation, then loose stools, pain, gas, loud bowel sounds etc.

I am actually headed to my internist in a little bit to follow up on my antidepressant (wellbutrin), which I started in August after coming down with some nasty depression. Wellbutrin is supposed to help with the fatigue, but so far I feel the same...could always sleep, and always sleep 12+ hours if I could (not with kids!).

I suppose I am scared to get "you have IBS". I do like my MD, so if I bring up gluten issues I'm guessing she'd test me. I have a PPO and I can see specialists (GI) if needed too. Oh and I am in nursing school and we tested our blood sugars and mine, at 8:30am, two hours after I ate an eggwhite flatbread sandwich was 66? Huh? Pretty low for non-fasting? I don't know. I guess I was just looking for some answers. I HATE feeling this way and my husband is sick of me complaining about stomach pain,etc! Oh, and he's not a fan of the gas ;)

Does this sound like it could be gluten issues? IBS? Thanks in advance!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


littlesmiles Newbie
littlesmiles
Posted

I had a similar situation w/ the antidepressant, but I was taking paxil. i'm wondering if the two cause each other to flare. let me know how your appointment goes, and good luck.

Dixiebell Contributor
Dixiebell
Posted

Welcome sickoftummyaches!

I was severely depressed, or so I thought and had terrible fatigue. My Dr. put me on wellbutrin also(pre gluten free) and it helped for a while then the fatigue came back with a vengance. Then she put me on prozac and I still didn't feel better. She actually told me to see a 'mental health care specialist'. I didn't, I started eating gluten free, weaned myself off the prozac(I had done this before), got some higher IU of vit D, fish oil, B complex and I started to feel like a new person.

Yes it does sound like gluten problems. BTW, IBS is a symptom and Dr.s like to use it when they just don't know what is wrong.

If you have testing and the results are negative please do try gluten free, it helped me so much.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Get the testing, then try the diet. You have nothing to lose but all that stomach trouble and depression.

By the way, I was treated with Prozac for the celiac fatigue and depression. My mood is normal now with proper nutrition and a gluten-free diet. The antidepressants don't cause celiac - the depression can be an early sign of it!

sickoftummyaches Newbie
sickoftummyaches
Posted
  • Author

Thank you all sooooo much.

Shockingly enough, my doctor claims IBS. She said my Vit D was low and put me on the rx 50000 IU once weekly for 4 weeks. She feels like Vit D is a major factor of my fatigue...yet I'm not so sure since I've been fatigued for 4 years and my vit D has been normal besides this time. She said to eat a high fiber diet with lots of water and take Align probiotics. If the issues keep up she would like me to see a GI doc. She even mentioned an ulcer...but I don't have any heartburn/indigestion issues.

I really do eat more fiber than most people. I think I'll give it 2 more weeks before I make an appt with a GI doc.

Also, I had a great effect from the wellbutrin on my energy at first and it also went away...bummer....But my mood is better, I'm just so damn tired! I think the root cause of my depression was always feeling so tired, and when my kids would wake up early I'd feel like I slept 2 hours when I'd slept 8 or 9. The constant urge to sleep just made me crabby and led to depression. A vicious cycle!

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

So did you get the celiac bloodwork you were wanting?

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Thank you all sooooo much.

Shockingly enough, my doctor claims IBS. She said my Vit D was low and put me on the rx 50000 IU once weekly for 4 weeks. She feels like Vit D is a major factor of my fatigue...yet I'm not so sure since I've been fatigued for 4 years and my vit D has been normal besides this time. She said to eat a high fiber diet with lots of water and take Align probiotics. If the issues keep up she would like me to see a GI doc. She even mentioned an ulcer...but I don't have any heartburn/indigestion issues.

I really do eat more fiber than most people. I think I'll give it 2 more weeks before I make an appt with a GI doc.

Also, I had a great effect from the wellbutrin on my energy at first and it also went away...bummer....But my mood is better, I'm just so damn tired! I think the root cause of my depression was always feeling so tired, and when my kids would wake up early I'd feel like I slept 2 hours when I'd slept 8 or 9. The constant urge to sleep just made me crabby and led to depression. A vicious cycle!

Or the root cause of your depression could be celiac. It can have that effect on people. There is some new research that is encouraging doctors to test folks with depression that do not respond to meds. Did the doctor do the celiac panel or just blow you off with the IBS 'diagnosis'?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Raebies Newbie
Raebies
Posted

Shockingly enough, my doctor claims IBS. She said my Vit D was low and put me on the rx 50000 IU once weekly for 4 weeks. She feels like Vit D is a major factor of my fatigue...yet I'm not so sure since I've been fatigued for 4 years and my vit D has been normal besides this time.

I went to my doctor for extreme fatigue and re-occuring sinus infections. She said my vitamin D levels were lo, she gave me the RX suppliment and told me to get a dietary suppliment with Vit D in it and that was that. The thing is... I drink about a gallon of milk, fortified with Vit D, a WEEK. I shouldn't have had low Vit D levels.

I went gluten-free 6 weeks ago and the fatigue is pretty much gone (except for the fact I'm fighting off the flu right now, rather effectively I might add). I'll have to see how my levels are next time I get a blood test.

Looking for answers Contributor
Looking for answers
Posted

Be sure to also try digestive enzymes. Many people find they have trouble with digestion and nausea after they have their gallbladders removed. While we can live without them, they do serve a purpose and help break down food.

Looking for answers Contributor
Looking for answers
Posted

I went to my doctor for extreme fatigue and re-occuring sinus infections. She said my vitamin D levels were lo, she gave me the RX suppliment and told me to get a dietary suppliment with Vit D in it and that was that. The thing is... I drink about a gallon of milk, fortified with Vit D, a WEEK. I shouldn't have had low Vit D levels.

I went gluten-free 6 weeks ago and the fatigue is pretty much gone (except for the fact I'm fighting off the flu right now, rather effectively I might add). I'll have to see how my levels are next time I get a blood test.

Two thoughts to share here: vitamin D fortified in milk (meaning it's added and synthetic) is hard for the body to absorb. You should try taking supplements and be sure it's Vitamin D3, not Vitmain D2 (which is found in milk). Also, it's fat soluble, so be sure to take it with fat. I take mine with my Omega 3 supplements. Also, many people find that dairy leads to chronic sinus infections/allergies. It does for me. I tried to be brave two weeks ago and ate some yogurt, just to come down with a sore throat later in the day, that turned into a full-blown cold that lasted a week. Not pleasant. You may want to try to eliminate milk for a while and see if it helps.

sickoftummyaches Newbie
sickoftummyaches
Posted
  • Author

Oh, no, she did zero bloodwork on me. She had vit D levels from my previous visit.

I went ahead and set up an appt with a GI doc. I won't get in until Dec. 13th. I hope she has some answers...even if it IS IBS, I'd like to rule out other stuff.

Thanks for all the advice here.

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,919
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    globello
    Newest Member
    globello
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celic.com community @Dizzyma! I'm assuming you are in the U.K. since you speak of your daughter's celiac disease blood tests as "her bloods".  Has her physician officially diagnosed her has having celiac disease on the results of her blood tests alone? Normally, if the ttg-iga blood test results are positive, a follow-up endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining to check for damage would be ordered to confirm the results of "the bloods". However if the ttg-iga test score is 10x normal or greater, some physicians, particularly in the U.K., will dispense with the endoscopy/biopsy. If there is to be an endoscopy/biopsy, your daughter should not yet begin the gluten free diet as doing so would allow healing of the small bowel lining to commence which may result in a biopsy finding having results that conflict with the blood work. Do you know if an endoscopy/biopsy is planned? Celiac disease can have onset at any stage of life, from infancy to old age. It has a genetic base but the genes remain dormant until and unless triggered by some stress event. The stress event can be many things but it is often a viral infection. About 40% of the general population have the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% actually develop celiac disease. So, for most, the genes remain dormant.  Celiac disease is by nature an autoimmune disorder. That is to say, gluten ingestion triggers an immune response that causes the body to attack its own tissues. In this case, the attack happens in he lining of the small bowel, at least classically, though we now know there are other body systems that can sometimes be affected. So, for a person with celiac disease, when they ingest gluten, the body sends attacking cells to battle the gluten which causes inflammation as the gluten is being absorbed into the cells that make up the lining of the small bowel. This causes damage to the cells and over time, wears them down. This lining is composed of billions of tiny finger-like projections and which creates a tremendous surface area for absorbing nutrients from the food we eat. This area of the intestinal track is where all of our nutrition is absorbed. As these finger-like projections get worn down by the constant inflammation from continued gluten consumption before diagnosis (or after diagnosis in the case of those who are noncompliant) the efficiency of nutrient absorption from what we eat can be drastically reduced. This is why iron deficiency anemia and other nutrient deficiency related medical problems are so common in the celiac population. So, to answer your question about the wisdom of allowing your daughter to consume gluten on a limited basis to retain some tolerance to it, that would not be a sound approach because it would prevent healing of the lining of her small bowel. It would keep the fires of inflammation smoldering. The only wise course is strict adherence to a gluten free diet, once all tests to confirm celiac disease are complete.
    • Dizzyma
      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      By Dizzyma · Posted

      Hi all, I have so many questions and feel like google is giving me very different information. Hoping I may get some more definite answers here. ok, my daughter has been diagnosed as a coeliac as her bloods show anti TTG antibodies are over 128. We have started her  on a full gluten free diet. my concerns are that she wasn’t actually physically sick on her regular diet, she had tummy issues and skin sores. My fear is that she will build up a complete intolerance to gluten and become physically sick if she has gluten. Is there anything to be said for keeping a small bit of gluten in the diet to stop her from developing a total intolerance?  also, she would be an anxious type of person, is it possible that stress is the reason she has become coeliac? I read that diagnosis later in childhood could be following a sickness or stress. How can she have been fine for the first 10 years and then become coeliac? sorry, I’m just very confused and really want to do right by her. I know a coeliac and she has a terrible time after she gets gluttened so just want to make sure going down a total gluten free road is the right choice. thank you for any help or advise xx 
    • xxnonamexx
      Fermented foods, Kefir, Kombucha?

      By xxnonamexx · Posted

      very interesting thanks for the info  
    • Florence Lillian
      gluten free cookie recipes

      By Florence Lillian · Posted

      More cookie recipes ...thanks so much for the heads-up Scott.  One can never have too many.  Cheers, Florence.
    • Russ H
      Severe severe mouth pain

      By Russ H · Posted

      Hi Charlie, You sound like you have been having a rough time of it. Coeliac disease can cause a multitude of skin, mouth and throat problems. Mouth ulcers and enamel defects are well known but other oral conditions are also more common in people with coeliac disease: burning tongue, inflamed and swollen tongue, difficulty swallowing, redness and crusting in the mouth corners, and dry mouth to name but some. The link below is for paediatric dentistry but it applies to adults too.  Have you had follow up for you coeliac disease to check that your anti-tTG2 antibodies levels have come down? Are you certain that you not being exposed to significant amounts of gluten? Are you taking a PPI for your Barrett's oesophagus? Signs of changes to the tongue can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron, B12 and B9 (folate) deficiency. I would make sure to take a good quality multivitamin every day and make sure to take it with vitamin C containing food - orange juice, broccoli, cabbage etc.  Sebaceous hyperplasia is common in older men and I can't find a link to coeliac disease.   Russ.   Oral Manifestations in Pediatric Patients with Coeliac Disease – A Review Article
×
×
  • 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.