Trying To Get My Mom To Go Gluten Free

[Fire Fairy]

36 years ago my mothers OBGYN not knowing what he was doing removed her Cecum, Ascending Colon and half of her Transverse Colon. He then attached her small intestines to the remaining Transverse Colon. This month when she went to her Gastro-Intestinal Dr. I asked her to ask him if she might have Gluten Intolerance. Which they could test for with a blood test (I think). She didn't get to see the Dr. only his nurse. The nurse told her that they would have to do a colonoscopy to test her. My mother is 74 and has already had two very scary colonoscopies in the last 6 months. My Mother believes she can't have Celiac disease because her Cecum was removed. Is she right or wrong? She has tons of symptoms. Should I keep pressing her to get tested or just try to convince her to go gluten free for a month? Opinions ideas are greatly appreciated.

[psawyer]

She is wrong about the cecum--it plays no part in celiac disease that I have ever heard of. The immune system reacts to gluten and produces antibodies which attack the small intestine.

From what you describe, your mother's small intestine is all there. Damage to the villi can not be detected by colonoscopy, although it is often wise to do one in case there are other issues in addition to celiac disease. An endoscopy of the small intestine is used to diagnose celiac disease. Blood tests are also available. Some doctors wil diagnose celiac disease based on the blood work alone.

Edit: If your mother has already had two colonoscopies in six months, there is no benefit to another.

[kareng]

I'm surprised that after that major surgery, they didn't tell her things to not eat. My SIL had a perforation in her small intestine and they had to remove a piece. She does not have celiac disease the hole was from something else. They told her to be gluten , dairy and red meat light. ( maybe something else) No grilled cheese on whole wheat but a little flour in the tomato soup and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese is ok. She was told these things are hard to digest and she shouldn't make her system work too hard.

[Fire Fairy]

Thank you Peter for the facts. I greatly appreciate your wisdom.

Karen, at the time they told her she would never be able to eat anything but baby food but after two years of baby food she found a GI Doctor who slowly reintroduced all foods back into her diet. Right now they have told her to stay away from whole corn as it is difficult to digest.

[kareng]

If something is still bothering her, maybe the doc would have her back off eating a few foods that are hard to digest. If she is like my parents, she would be more likely to go gluten-free, cut dairy, etc if a doctor told her. Even if she doesn't have celiac disease, she is having problems and the most likely culprit is a food that doesn't agree with her.

[Fire Fairy]

If something is still bothering her, maybe the doc would have her back off eating a few foods that are hard to digest. If she is like my parents, she would be more likely to go gluten-free, cut dairy, etc if a doctor told her. Even if she doesn't have celiac disease, she is having problems and the most likely culprit is a food that doesn't agree with her.

The problem is when she went in to see her GI Dr she just saw the nurse who seemed somewhat clueless about Celiac Disease. And her MD didn't know she had diverticulitis (she's had it since the 1970's) and when she mentioned diverticulitis he said to her, "No, you don't want to have that, you'd have to have a Colostomy and wear a bag for the rest of your life." She lost a lot faith in him after that statement. So now she refuses to ask him. I'll keep trying to talk her into cutting gluten out. Dairy will be even harder she takes her medicines with milk, she seems to believe it is the only way to take them.

[kareng]

The problem is when she went in to see her GI Dr she just saw the nurse who seemed somewhat clueless about Celiac Disease. And her MD didn't know she had diverticulitis (she's had it since the 1970's) and when she mentioned diverticulitis he said to her, "No, you don't want to have that, you'd have to have a Colostomy and wear a bag for the rest of your life." She lost a lot faith in him after that statement. So now she refuses to ask him. I'll keep trying to talk her into cutting gluten out. Dairy will be even harder she takes her medicines with milk, she seems to believe it is the only way to take them.

I guess what I'm saying is: don't even argue the celiac disease right now. See the actual GI. Maybe you can go, too. Explain what problems she is having right now. Because of the radical surgery she had before, these GI issues should be looked into, even if there was no disease called celiac disease.

Also, some meds shouldn't be taken with dairy or calcium. Usually apple sauce or a banana are Ok. You might check whether she is even taking the meds properly. Also, what else is she taking? Vitamins, OTC pain releivers, digestive aids for constipation or diarhea, etc. My parents didn't think they needed to mention my dad's allergy meds to the doctor or hospital. He was just going to keep taking them from home.

My MIL died because she perforated her colon by taking laxatives then later in the day taking stuff for diarrhea, and weird combos of vitamins and other meds she shouldn't have been taking in this mix.

Good luck. I know it's hard to convince our parents about " new" stuff. My still can't figure out Mapquest and google.

[Fire Fairy]

I guess what I'm saying is: don't even argue the celiac disease right now. See the actual GI. Maybe you can go, too. Explain what problems she is having right now. Because of the radical surgery she had before, these GI issues should be looked into, even if there was no disease called celiac disease.

Also, some meds shouldn't be taken with dairy or calcium. Usually apple sauce or a banana are Ok. You might check whether she is even taking the meds properly. Also, what else is she taking? Vitamins, OTC pain releivers, digestive aids for constipation or diarhea, etc. My parents didn't think they needed to mention my dad's allergy meds to the doctor or hospital. He was just going to keep taking them from home.

My MIL died because she perforated her colon by taking laxatives then later in the day taking stuff for diarrhea, and weird combos of vitamins and other meds she shouldn't have been taking in this mix.

Good luck. I know it's hard to convince our parents about " new" stuff. My still can't figure out Mapquest and google.

Thank you. Your parents sound like mine.

I think my mom is going to go gluten free, she said something about New Years being a good time to start. And I told her about the apple sauce and banana so she can use them to to take her meds.

Thank you for telling my about your MIL, I'm so sorry.