Which Of These Are Celiacs Symptoms?

[HopefulMama23]

Can anyone tell me which of these could be symptoms of celiacs?

chronic green diarrhea (daily for four months)

bloated lower abdomen, right side

cold hands and feet, loss of feeling in fingers

scalp hair loss

ridged finger nails

body hair loss

always colder than everyone else (need sweater in summer)

bumps on upper arms (KP?)

very rough skin on heels, elbows

very dry, flaky skin

inflamed scalp

fatigue

depression

anxiety

Sorry- I know thats a lot. Celiacs is in my family and I think I have had it for a while and a recent tough pregnancy has exacerbated it to the point where I have a lot more symptoms than I ever did (enough to make me realize I probably have it).

If these symptoms are Celiacs-related, how long should it take before I see some relief from a gluten free diet? Should it concern me that I have stooped eating gluten for four days and the diarrhea persists (although it may be getting better)?

Thanks so much. I'm sorry to ask so many questions- I am desperate to understand what is going on with me.

[ravenwoodglass]

They could all be celiac related. What testing has the doctor done already to see what could be causing the constant D? Have you had the celiac panel done yet? You need to be aware that if you are already gluten free it will cause a false negative. If you plan on testing you need to get back on gluten. It can take some time for problems to resolve on the diet and it is usually a good idea to stop dairy at first also.

[Skylark]

Your GI symptoms could be celiac. A lot of your other symptoms like the coldness, dry skin, depression, fatigue, and hair falling out are what happens to me when I get hypothyroid.

I'd ask the Dr. for a thyroid panel as well as celiac tests. The two often go together. As far as how long it takes, my stomach felt better in only two weeks. It took a long time for the anxiety and fatigue to go away. My mind healed slower than my gut.

[HopefulMama23]

I have a horrible doc- currently in the market for a new one. But he did test my thyroid, said it was "normal" and gave me the blood test for celiacs, which came back negative. I had severly cut down on gluten by the time I took the test, and I have fully eliminated it by now. If it is what causing me to feel this way, I'm not sure I could handle going back on it just to try and get a more accurate test. I'm ok with trying a gluten free diet to see if it alleviates anything- I just don't want to get furstrated after 2 weeks and quit if it takes longer than that to see some healing.

With celiacs being in my family, it seems the logical choice- and I am totally OK with living gluten free if it means I never have to feel like this again. I'm just so frustrated right now.

[ravenwoodglass]

I think a lot of us can identify with having had to deal with horrible doctors. Hang in there. Do take precautions against cross contamination. Avoid restaurants for now and go with whole unprocessed foods for the most part. If you are eating gluten free bread make sure that you get a new toaster, don't share condiments, nut butters, jelly or butter with gluten eaters and get a new colander for rinsing fruits and veggie and draining gluten-free pastas. Make sure you check all supplements and over the counter and script meds to be sure they are gluten free. I hope you get some relief soon.

[Skylark]

I have a horrible doc- currently in the market for a new one. But he did test my thyroid, said it was "normal" and gave me the blood test for celiacs, which came back negative. I had severly cut down on gluten by the time I took the test, and I have fully eliminated it by now. If it is what causing me to feel this way, I'm not sure I could handle going back on it just to try and get a more accurate test. I'm ok with trying a gluten free diet to see if it alleviates anything- I just don't want to get furstrated after 2 weeks and quit if it takes longer than that to see some healing.

With celiacs being in my family, it seems the logical choice- and I am totally OK with living gluten free if it means I never have to feel like this again. I'm just so frustrated right now.

Try to find out your TSH results from the thyroid panel, and what the reference range was. There is new thinking that normal TSH should be below 2.5, but some diagnostic labs still label values below 5.0 as "normal". A bad doctor won't necessarily know this and will go by the values the lab provides. If your TSH is above 2.5, with all those symptoms you need to push for an endocrinologist referral.

I would suggest you commit to staying gluten-free for 3-4 months. That's enough time to really see some difference.

[HopefulMama23]

Try to find out your TSH results from the thyroid panel, and what the reference range was. There is new thinking that normal TSH should be below 2.5, but some diagnostic labs still label values below 5.0 as "normal". A bad doctor won't necessarily know this and will go by the values the lab provides. If your TSH is above 2.5, with all those symptoms you need to push for an endocrinologist referral.

I would suggest you commit to staying gluten-free for 3-4 months. That's enough time to really see some difference.

Thanks for the responses! I am trying to find a new internist. I asked my Family doc for a referral to an endicrinologist and he said no. Unbelievable. I do have an appt with my dermatologist coming up- do you think she could run those tests? Or even give me a referral?

[next2normal]

Antigliadin IGG and IGA TEST

go for one of these tests. a negative celiac test means you maybe non celiac gluten sensitive,and doctors appear to want people to go back and back, i was negative for celiac,yet my igg was 295(15) and iga 110(10)

for every celiac there are 20 non celiac gluten sensitive,so if you think celiacs are under daignoised,it is only the tip of the iceberg,also lots of meds have 100% gluten binding them together,so what do doctors realy know of this protein,

[Skylark]

Thanks for the responses! I am trying to find a new internist. I asked my Family doc for a referral to an endicrinologist and he said no. Unbelievable. I do have an appt with my dermatologist coming up- do you think she could run those tests? Or even give me a referral?

It mostly depends on your insurance. Any MD can order a celiac panel but you might need the justification. You might get a good referral for a new GP from your dermatologist. Again, referral to an endocrinologist from another specialist depends on your insurance. On my HMO everything has to go through my GP.