Celiac, Allergy Or Gluten Intolerance?

[Weeny]

Hi,

I'm new girl here. I suspect that I might have Celiac disease or at least some for of gluten or wheat intolerance. I have always had a sensitive stomach all my life, but it has gotten worse the past 2 years. The past 2 years during the summer when I was working I had really bad stomach pain with loose stools, and the last summer it felt even worse and it felt like I was loosing weight, or loosing the fat on my body despite eating alot. Also had pain in my arms and legs then. Went to the doctor cause the pain was so bad, and they thought it was irritabel bowel.

Other than this I have quite long menstrual cycles, nearly always more than 35 days and often irregular. The past 2 years I also started bleeding in the middle of the cycles and then for 2 weeks. The gynechologist said it was ovulation failure. I also was pregnant a few years ago which ended in a miscarriage.

I have some white spots (decalcification) on my teeth, one big one in the front and small white spots on many of the others. The dentist said it might be due to fluor...

I suffered from alot of nose bleeding as a child. And when I was around 5 I remember having bad pain in the epigastric region shortly after breakfast in the morning which disappeared during the rest of the day. Many episodes like this. I never told anyone about it when I was younger.

I went off gluten during the autumne and my stomach, which used to be distended, became flat. I was less tired and needed less sleep during the day. But now the doctors want to test my antibodies and I have to eat gluten for 1,5 months more!!! After 2 weeks on that diet I feel like getting worse right now. Uncomfortable in my stomach and I have a distended abdomen again, look fat when Im not really:/

Anyway, I was wondering what are the chances that I have this Celiac disease? Or may it be some other intolerance to gluten/wheat? How severe should symptoms of Celiac disease be?

I also had joint pain for over 6 months with morning stiffness in 2007 and abdominal discomfort.

[Skylark]

Hi and welcome. Unfortunately there's no way to tell about celiac vs. gluten intolerance without the testing. Both have a wide range of severity, from silent celiac where there is hardly any symptoms and the issue is mostly osteoporosis to extreme malabsorption. Gluten intolerance can also make people miserable and have symptoms that are almost the same as celiac.

I'm sorry the challenge is making you miserable. I hate that the only way to get tested is to get sick.

[Weeny]

Yes, no pain no gain I guess? But if I test positive for Celiac, I will have to do endoscopy.... Which I'm guessing is even worse!

But how can one have Celiac without symptoms??? I don't get it... Doesn't your intestines become damaged? And that must hurt or?

What were your symptoms at presentation?

[Weeny]

I also feel some strange fasciculations of my muscles and intestines when I started eating wheat again...Doesn't hurt, but quite annoying. Does anyone here have that?

[Skylark]

I had too many symptoms to list. Stomach aches, irritable bowel, psychiatric problems, canker sores, chronic fatigue, rashes, and borderline anemia were some, plus I have autoimmune thyroid disease.

I didn't ever get diagnosed. My doctors were useless and I figured it out myself. I wish I knew for sure about celiac but not enough to make myself sick. Everyone says you're sedated for an endoscopy so it's not a big deal.

[Weeny]

I would like to figure out my fertility issues most of all... Did thyroid tests and prolactine, but they were normal. I live in Europe, and I heard there is no sedation here:/ Thats why everyone says it's terrible. Just kids get Midazolam, but I'm to big for that now unfortunately!

Few days after I started eating this gluten I suddenly got purple petecchia spots on my thighs. Have never seen that before, and then my nose started bleeding quite heavily. I freaked out a bit... Especially about these purple dots close together on my legs! Thank God they disappeared after a few days.

There is rheumathoid arthritis in the family. Isn't this related to Celiac?

Do you have problems with painful lymphnodes in the neck? I have it a bit...

[Skylark]

Ugh. That wouldn't be any fun. I can see why you are worried about an endoscopy.

My symptoms are different from yours but nobody has exactly the same symptoms. Yes, rheumatoid and celiac run in families together. Celiac can cause joint pain too and it definitely causes fertility problems. Can't tell you how many people on this board conceived once they went gluten-free.