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

Anyone Have/had Similar Symptoms?

elaine44

Recommended Posts

elaine44 Newbie
elaine44
Posted

Hi everyone!!! Want to introduce myself and here are my various random symptoms, and wondering if anyone else out there had the same kinds of problems :) and maybe not all related celiac. a lot of them resolved/got better with the gluten free diet.

+daily headaches and frequent migraines

+migraines with vomiting at least once a month

+pain all over my body in muscles and joints when i have a migraine and sometimes just with the daily headache

+TMJD (bruxism also)

+depression/bipolar/adhd

+asthma, seasonal allergies (mostly pollen)

+insomnia

+rectal polyp

+ibs (diarrhea and constipation both.)

+hemorrhoids/rectal bleeding (part from polyp and part from anal fissures/hemorrhoids)

+a lot of gas but i don't know if it's more than the average person.

+bloating

+terrible social skills

+general fatigue

I haven't been tested but out of desperation with migraines tried the gluten free diet. I haven't had any migraines, and only an occasional headache that goes away with drinking water and excedrin (not true before, no meds would help me before not even the really expensive migraine meds) i got through an entire period without a migraine. i can finally hold my own when i go out drinking with people (used to be i would throw up no matter how few beers i drank. now i don't drink beer, and don't throw up, period!) bloating is down so much i went from a size 12 to being able to fit size 6 pants in less than a month (i was underweight before, and still basically the same weight). I can't believe I don't have a headache every day anymore, it's been my life as long as i can remember. i did get really awful vomiting and diarrhea and minor headache once since i started the diet but i am almost positive it was food poisoning as my boyfriend got sick too (and actually, it was more than i typically had with migraines/ibs symptoms)... another time i got a migraine, and vomited had diarrhea and was ready to give up gluten-free when i realized i'd absentmindedly ate a fortune cookie earlier that day.

the only weird thing is that this month my period is MUCH heavier than it was, which seems to be the opposite for a lot of people, who have heavier periods before going gluten free, which then gets lighter. but anyone have that same experience as me? my period this month on gluten free diet was so heavy i would have almost thought it was a miscarriage except i had had a pregnancy test one week earlier for participation in a research study. again don't know if that was related.

I finally made the gluten connection when i became a vegetarian, and noticed my migraines were getting a lot worse eating more veggie burgers. i read something about a possible gluten connection to migraines and decided to try it. I haven't been tested and don't plan to be (no health insurance) but my mom has a lot of the same symptoms, plus osteoporosis and miscarriages and told me she will.

also, my asthma seems to have gotten better? ? its hard to really know because usually my asthma is worse in spring and fall. but i also usually also get asthma if i have a cold and for the first time in my life i had a runny nose with no hacking cough that made people move away from me...

although i'm thrilled to not have migraines/body pain, ibs, etc., I'm still depressed and insomniac and still really tired all the time and very thirsty. i still suck at socializing and it's usually more because being social exhausts me, and i think i just have a hard time relating to people. now that i don't have so many headaches it is a lot easier for me to go out, though -- that used to be a major part of staying in (no excuse anymore though, ha.) i don't know if any of this is really gluten related potentially... but just curious if anyone else had any of the same mood/sleep related symptoms and have that go away later on the gluten free diet?

i still cannot fall asleep without marijuana, muscle relaxants, alcohol, or sleeping pills.

want to say hi. anyone have similar experiences to me? and if yes, did any of your other symptoms go away and how long did it take? specifically i would love to not be depressed/socially anxious anymore :(. i've tried many different drugs, therapy, positive thinking, i'm still just a big sad grump! and, i don't have many friends but have a few, most of them think the gluten free thing is weird, since i haven't been to a doctor, my boyfriend loves it because hes noticed huge improvements and i complain a lot less, but he still wants me to go get tested for gluten sensitivity. mostly because i still talk about wondering if i have it sometimes, but i also don't see much point in testing... and REALLY don't want to go back to eating gluten ever again. those are kind of my feelings about it, but mostly i want to say hi, and was wondering if anyone else had the same kinds of symptoms/experience as me? thanks!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Dixiebell Contributor
Dixiebell
Posted

Welcome to the forum elaine44!

I had some but not all of the problems you have been having. My son and I have been gluten-free for about six months now. Wow, what a difference!

I'm not sure how long you have been gluten-free but stick with it. It sounds as though you have had some positive results so far. If you can afford to have it done get your vitamin and mineral levels checked to see if you are low in any, this can make you feel bad too.

quakenbake Rookie
quakenbake
Posted

I too have had some, but not all of the symptoms (mostly the GI stuff, I have had problems with asthma and allergies/sinus infections so bad that they required surgery, I have bad headaches/migraines, and back and joint pain). I actually just has surgery to look for endometriosis because my periods have always been off too. I'm in the process of being tested for Celiac right now, so I'm certainly no expert. It might not be a bad idea to get tested, but if you do, you will have to go back to eating gluten. Eating gluten free before any kind of test will affect the results (if you have Celiac and you're not eating gluten, your body isn't producing the antibodies or being damaged so nothing will show up). This is the part of testing I'm in (I had blood drawn on Tuesday and am having an endoscopic biopsy next Thursday), and it is miserable, but I do think it will be worth it in the long run. Obviously if you feel better eating gluten free, the best thing to do in the long run is to not eat gluten.; it'll just depend on if you want to get tested or not. From what I've heard, it'll take months for damage and stuff to heal. It's not going to be an instant "I feel better now" type of thing. I hope that I eventually feel as great as everyone who has been on a long term gluten-free diet and that you do too. It's no fun being this miserable, so I hope you get this figured out soon.

Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,905
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Croissantl0v3r
    Newest Member
    Croissantl0v3r
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      New (possible) celiac diagnosis

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Here is more info about how to do a gluten challenge for a celiac disease blood panel, or for an endoscopy: and this recent study recommends 4-6 slices of wheat bread per day:    
    • Xravith
      Taking Probiotics but Still Getting Sick After Gluten – Advice?

      By Xravith · Posted

      Yes, you are right. Indeed, I’ve been feeling anemic since the beginning of this week, and today I felt horrible during a lecture at the university, I was trembling a lot and felt all my body incredibly heavy, so I had to come back home. I’ll do a blood test tomorrow, but I’m just worried about the possibility of it coming back negative. I’ve been eating two cookies in the morning as my only source of gluten over the past two weeks—could that affect the final result?
    • trents
      New (possible) celiac diagnosis

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @Judy M! Yes, he definitely needs to continue eating gluten until the day of the endoscopy. Not sure why the GI doc advised otherwise but it was a bum steer.  Celiac disease has a genetic component but also an "epigenetic" component. Let me explain. There are two main genes that have been identified as providing the "potential" to develop "active" celiac disease. We know them as HLA-DQ 2.5 (aka, HLA-DQ 2) and HLA-DQ8. Without one or both of these genes it is highly unlikely that a person will develop celiac disease at some point in their life. About 40% of the general population carry one or both of these two genes but only about 1% of the population develops active celiac disease. Thus, possessing the genetic potential for celiac disease is far less than deterministic. Most who have the potential never develop the disease. In order for the potential to develop celiac disease to turn into active celiac disease, some triggering stress event or events must "turn on" the latent genes. This triggering stress event can be a viral infection, some other medical event, or even prolonged psychological/emotional trauma. This part of the equation is difficult to quantify but this is the epigenetic dimension of the disease. Epigenetics has to do with the influence that environmental factors and things not coded into the DNA itself have to do in "turning on" susceptible genes. And this is why celiac disease can develop at any stage of life. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition (not a food allergy) that causes inflammation in the lining of the small bowel. The ingestion of gluten causes the body to attack the cells of this lining which, over time, damages and destroys them, impairing the body's ability to absorb nutrients since this is the part of the intestinal track responsible for nutrient absorption and also causing numerous other food sensitivities such as dairy/lactose intolerance. There is another gluten-related disorder known as NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or just, "gluten sensitivity") that is not autoimmune in nature and which does not damage the small bowel lining. However, NCGS shares many of the same symptoms with celiac disease such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea. It is also much more common than celiac disease. There is no test for NCGS so, because they share common symptoms, celiac disease must first be ruled out through formal testing for celiac disease. This is where your husband is right now. It should also be said that some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease. I hope this helps.
    • Judy M
      New (possible) celiac diagnosis

      By Judy M · Posted

      My husband has had lactose intolerance for his entire life (he's 68 yo).  So, he's used to gastro issues. But for the past year he's been experiencing bouts of diarrhea that last for hours.  He finally went to his gastroenterologist ... several blood tests ruled out other maladies, but his celiac results are suspect.  He is scheduled for an endoscopy and colonoscopy in 2 weeks.  He was told to eat "gluten free" until the tests!!!  I, and he know nothing about this "diet" much less how to navigate his in daily life!! The more I read, the more my head is spinning.  So I guess I have 2 questions.  First, I read on this website that prior to testing, eat gluten so as not to compromise the testing!  Is that true? His primary care doctor told him to eat gluten free prior to testing!  I'm so confused.  Second, I read that celiac disease is genetic or caused by other ways such as surgery.  No family history but Gall bladder removal 7 years ago, maybe?  But how in God's name does something like this crop up and now is so awful he can't go a day without worrying.  He still works in Manhattan and considers himself lucky if he gets there without incident!  Advice from those who know would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Scott Adams
      Patiently Waiting to See Results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      You've done an excellent job of meticulously tracking the rash's unpredictable behavior, from its symmetrical spread and stubborn scabbing to the potential triggers you've identified, like the asthma medication and dietary changes. It's particularly telling that the rash seems to flare with wheat consumption, even though your initial blood test was negative—as you've noted, being off wheat before a test can sometimes lead to a false negative, and your description of the other symptoms—joint pain, brain fog, stomach issues—is very compelling. The symmetry of the rash is a crucial detail that often points toward an internal cause, such as an autoimmune response or a systemic reaction, rather than just an external irritant like a plant or mites. I hope your doctor tomorrow takes the time to listen carefully to all of this evidence you've gathered and works with you to find some real answers and effective relief. Don't be discouraged if the rash fluctuates; your detailed history is the most valuable tool you have for getting an accurate diagnosis.
×
×
  • 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.