Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • 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

Is It Possible To Develop An Intolerance To Gluten After Getting Your Appendix Removed?

justjess13

Recommended Posts

justjess13 Newbie
justjess13
Posted

I tried Googling this, but of course I couldn't really find anything.

I had my appendix removed January of 2010. My appendix originally ruptured in September 2009, but the infection was so bad the doctors put me on antibiotics and pain meds to get the infection cleared up before going in to remove the appendix.

Anyway, almost a year later I started having stomach issues with dairy, & decided to limit my intake of milk and cheese. Now, 2 years after my surgery I am getting horrible headaches, chest pains, body pains and joint pains. I haven't had a normal menstrual cycle since my appendix was removed & I've been unable to get pregnant.

Could these things to linked to having my appendix removed? Because of the strain my body was under during the 4 months I was sick I feel like it could have done some serious damage to my stomach.

Any thoughts, comments or info would be great! Thanks! :)

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Celiac disease seems to consist of a genetic factor, and activation by some trigger. Once activated, the disease causes an autoimmune reaction to gluten, producing antibodies that attack the villi.

Surgery is commonly reported as a trigger. The trigger can be anything that puts stress on the body, especially stress on the immune system. Childbirth and infectious disease are commonly identified. Emotional stress has also been cited: job loss, divorce, death of a loved one, etc.

frieze Community Regular
frieze
Posted

T beat me to the "surgery as trigger"....i would also be thinking scar tissue within the abdomen perhaps preventing preg. and causing pain....good luck

justjess13 Newbie
justjess13
Posted
  • Author

Thank you both for the responses.

I plan to set up an appointment with a doctor early January to figure some stuff out. Between now and January 1st, I will be removing all Gluten from my diet... who thought it would be so easy though? I have found it easy to replace gluten filled foods I used to eat, with Gluten free options from my local grocery store. & they are pretty darn tasty too!

Thanks again!

Happy New Year! :)

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

If you are planning on asking your doctor for testing for celiac disease, you will need to continue eating a full gluten diet up to that point because the antibodies that are tested for in the blood begin to recede as soon as gluten is removed. Likewise, if the doctor wants to do an endo with biopsy you need to be still eating gluten. As soon as all testing you wish to have done is finished you can remove gluten from your diet.

Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,577
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Catchik9
    Newest Member
    Catchik9
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Trina Zee
      Need GI doctor referral

      By Trina Zee · Posted

      Thank you!  I appreciate this
    • Rejoicephd
      Struggling to get into a good pattern

      By Rejoicephd · Posted

      Thank you very much @trents! This is super helpful. The only time I wasn’t sick after my diagnosis was when I was ordering and eating certified gluten-free meals from a company. I did that for a few months right after being diagnosed and then I started to try to figure it out how to cool and eat gluten-free meals myself. I think I’m probably getting low levels of gluten exposure and maybe that’s what’s making me ill. Possibly other things also not helping the situation (like dairy). Anyway this gives me something to focus on to see if it helps. So thanks for that!
    • trents
      Struggling to get into a good pattern

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celiac.com, @Rejoicephd! 1. "Gluten Free" does not equate to "contains no gluten". According to FDA advertising regulations, it means it cannot contain more than 20ppm of gluten. This is a good standard for most in the celiac community but not good enough for those on the sensitive end of the spectrum. If you find the "Certified Gluten Free" symbol on a package that is even better, indicating that there is no more than 10ppm of gluten.  2. When you are choosing "gluten free" items from a restaurant, realize that it only means gluten is not an intentional ingredient. It does not rule out CC (Cross Contamination) caused by those cooking and preparing the food back in the kitchen who may be cooking it on the same surfaces or in the same pots/pans as they are gluten containing food items and handling it with the same utensils they are handling gluten-containing food. 3. About 8% of celiacs react to the protein avenin in oats as they do the protein gluten in wheat/barley/rye. In addition, some cultivars of oats actually contain the protein gluten. Many celiacs also react to the protein casein in dairy products as they do gluten or they are lactose intolerant. Eggs, soy and corn are also common "cross reactors" in the celiac community but oats and dairy are the most common.
    • Rejoicephd
      Struggling to get into a good pattern

      By Rejoicephd · Posted

      Hi everyone! I was diagnosed with celiac a year ago (they confirmed it on endoscopy following a positive TTG antibody and positive genetic test). I thought the gluten free diet thing wasn’t going to be that hard of an adjustment, but man was I wrong. I’m a year in and still having issues in terms of accidentally glutening myself and getting super sick (I’m starting to think I need to just bring my own food everywhere I go). And also even when I am eating foods that say they are gluten free, I’m still dealing with an upset stomach often. My GI doc said I should avoid dairy as well, and the internal medicine doc said my gut microbiome might be messed up from all of this. I’m just looking for some answers/ideas/tips on what additional things I can do to feel better. Do you all do avoid additional categories of foods beyond just gluten to help alleviate symptoms? Thanks! 
    • trents
      Weakly positive DGP IgA

      By trents · Posted

      If your total IGA is low then the values for the other IGA tests cannot be trusted. They will be depressed. Celiacs who have the DQ2 gene typically are on the more sensitive side as opposed to those who only have the DQ8. But keep in mind that having either or both of those genes does not equate to having celiac disease as 40% of the general population have one or the other and only about 1% of the general population develops active celiac disease. Genetic typing can be used for ruling it out, however. Because of the low total IGA, symptoms and the possession of the DQ2 gene, my suggestion would be for you to go seriously gluten free for a few months and see if your symptoms improve. It may be the only way you can ascertain if you are gluten intolerant because of the low total IGA.
×
×
  • Create New...