Look, Bread, It's Been Nice, But...

[Chiana]

I'm 22, and I've had problems with depression since I was a small child. I have been on various antidepressants since I was 15 years old. For a long time I felt like I'd come to terms with it, but in the last few years I have been so exhausted that I can barely function. I sleep for 16 hours at a time some days, and can't focus on anything for more than a few moments.

About two years ago, my doctor ran some tests. My thyroid was fine, and I wasn't anemic (this is still a surprise), but my b12 levels were low. I began to get b12 shots twice a month, but the cause of the deficiency was never investigated.

Last year, I got a new doctor. She did every test she could think of, which included tests for kidney function, thyroid function, b12, D, and various other issues. Everything looked ok. Being the new family physician, she knew about my father's recent (successful) surgery and assumed the stress had just aggravated my depression. She did have one misgiving: the glands on my throat were swollen, but I wasn't sick. Strange. She asked me to come back a week or two later, but I just assumed I was coming down with a cold and disregarded it.

Now that I'm doing my own research, I realize that 'auto-immune' was in the back of her mind. Looking at Celiac disease, it kind of makes sense, and looking back at my own life certain things seem more important:

I had terrible, recurrent diarrhea as a child that I eventually outgrew.

I got salmonella at 19, and it almost killed me. I had diarrhea every five minutes for 11 days.

I suffered from cystic acne through most of my life, starting at age 10. My complexion has never been good.

I have clotting problems. I bruise for no good reason, and then the bruises don't heal. My periods will sometimes run for over a month.

I have creepy burning and tingling feelings in my fingers.

I get heart palpitations.

My shoulders and neck always hurt.

My mother has the same issues.

I'm on day two of a gluten-free diet. If after 3-4 weeks I don't feel better, I plan on branching out to all of the major allergens. My boyfriend is a hippie med student and plans to stick to the diet with me. Ever the optimist, he is excited that he will get to "develop new recipes".

I would like your opinions, and I will keep you updated.

[TPT]

Good luck. I hope that this is your answer. It sounds like bread, (and pizza, and bagels, and cereal and pasta...) would be small price to pay.

[Takala]

You could either try getting a celiac panel run and risk flunking it while you are still on gluten, if you are the type that needs an "official" reason to do anything. If you pass, you may then receive the Official Diagnostic Seal of Approval

[Chiana]

I think that some people feel the label, after all of those years of being told there was nothing wrong with them, is vindication. I lost my last job because I was so tired I couldn't get out of bed some days. I've lost boyfriends and strained relationships with my friends and family. I just want to be better. I don't care how I do it or what the disease is called.

My boyfriend is fantastic. He wants to become an ER surgeon, and 'retire' into research. Perhaps I will convince him to look for better ways to test for Celiac disease.

[Skylark]

Good luck! I hope you feel better on the diet. By the way, a lot of people find it really helpful to go off dairy at first too.

I think people are overly attached to diagnostic labels too. Gluten makes me sick. I don't eat it.

[Chiana]

So, I'm a little over two weeks into the diet, and was feeling better until my period... My menstruation has NEVER been this bad before. Is this common?