I Think I Am Celiac

[Hulda]

Hi everybody.

My name is Hulda and I

[sb2178]

Acid reflux was probably my first symptom, and I had it for many years before we found that gluten was a problem. Abnormal menstruation was my "normal" for a quite a long time, although I did not experience spotting. My stomach also hurt all the time when my symptoms were at the worst.

The elimination diet is the best test for it, but it's not a bad idea to try to get a medical diagnosis if you decide you have the patience. However, you do need to eat gluten for the tests to work. Family members (your child) should be tested as well. The other way to test it is to keep avoiding gluten and then to eat it in a pure form one day (wheat only-- so bulgur, or wheat berries, or pasta without other ingridients) and see what happens. I recommend having nothing planned for a few days afterwards! The challenge helps ensure that your problem is gluten, and not something like yeast that is typically eaten with wheat/barley/rye.

Welcome to the club!

[mushroom]

Hello, and welcome.

Yes, your symptoms are pretty classic gluten intolerance symptoms,if not celiac disease. And as you have found, the way to treat them is to avoid gluten. Your problems with fertility and menstruation are definite signs of a gluten problem and I am so sorry for the losses of your babies. I think you will find that after you heal your menstrual problems will resolve and you should be able to carry a child to term no problem.

I am not sure if celiac disease is common in Denmark and something that is routinely tested for. If you don't care about the testing, but just want to get better, then that is not an issue. I agree with sb2178 that you should do a challenge after being gluten free a few weeks to verify the correctness of your assumption (and ours) that it is gluten that is the source of your problems.

Congratulations on being your own doctor and making your own diagnosis; unfortunately, too many of us have had to do that.

[Hulda]

Hi again and thanks a lot for answering.

It is great to be able to read threads from people who understand the frustration around those allergies.

I am still doing better, but I am suspecting that gluten is not the only thing I can not tolerate.

I have eliminated dairy (long time ago), yeast and eggs and feeling better again...and the next thing to take out is bananas (got stomach cramps after eating them).

I will keep on reading and best of luck to all of you !!!