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songbird123

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songbird123 Newbie
songbird123
Posted

Hello everyone! :) Until today, I had never even heard of Celiac Disease, but ran across it on Google while doing some research on my current medical state. For about a month, I have been having bowel habits that are not normal for me...having to go 10-15 minutes after I eat (especially if I have milk), diarrhea (which sometimes "looks funny" and has a foul odor) and loose stools, abdominal cramping, feeling like I have to go but can't, and a little bit of blood. I've been worried I might have colon cancer, so I went to the doctor and they did a colonoscopy this past Friday with two biopsies. They said everything looked fine...no tumors or polyps, but I have to wait until next week to get the biopsy results. Well, after doing more research, I discovered some info on Celiac Disease and now I'm concerned that might be my problem. You see, I also have gas/bloating, unexplained weight gain, fatigue, rectal itching and I was diagnosed last year with fibromyalgia because of the pain and easy bruising. And I will admit...I love sugar. I don't sit around all day eating candy bars, but I do love chocolate and sugary things and I live off of Mt. Dew. Just was wondering if anyone here thinks that Celiac Disease might be what's wrong with me. Can it be diagnosed by a biopsy taken during a colonoscopy? Thank you! :)

Michelle

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mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Hi Michelle, and welcome. No, a colonoscopy cannot diagnose celiac disease. Even an upper endoscopy cannot diagnose it unless they are specifically looking for it and treat the biopsy samples with special staining.

Many of your symptoms are synonymous with those of celiac disease and it is possible you could be in the early stages. Your first step is to go to your GP and ask her to perform a celiac blood panel test on you. That consists of the following tests:

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgA

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgG

Anti-Endomysial (EMA) IgA

Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA

Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) IgA and IgG

Total Serum IgA

The normal procedure if any of these IgA tests are positive is to refer you to a GI for an upper endoscopy and biopsy samples for confirmation of the positive diagnosis, although more and more doctors are feeling that the biopsy is no longer necessary if the blood testing is firmly positive. And it is your decision whether or not to have the endoscopy.

songbird123 Newbie
songbird123
Posted
  • Author

Well, the more I read about Celiac Disease, the more convinced I am that I have it. :( Forgot to mention earlier that I also have insomnia, and I have had asthma since I was 18 months old. My best friend is being supportive but said "What would you eat?!?" LOL I haven't told my boyfriend yet what I suspect, because I don't want him to think I'm being a hypochondriac like my family does. My mother thinks I'm just looking for something to have. No...I'm looking for a way to feel better. I do want to have the blood test done, but I don't know if I can convince the doctor to do it. :(

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    • catnapt
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By catnapt · Posted

      If lectins were my problem, I would react to wheat germ (the highest source of wheat lectins) and beans. I don't. I only react to bread and pasta, which are the highest sources of gluten. Therefore, my issue is wheat-specific (Gluten/ATIs), not a general lectin issue.   I have eaten a supposedly high lectin diet (I say supposedly because lectin content in these foods is greatly reduced by proper cooking and I eat very few of those foods raw, and even then, rarely!!) for years. My health has improved greatly on my whole foods plant forward diet. I have asked all my drs and a registered dietician about my diet, asked if eating such a high amnt of fiber might interfere with the digestion of any other nutrients and the answer has always been NO.     while doing the gluten challenge I did not eat ANY wheat germ (since it doesn't have hardly any gluten, and I was too sick from the bread and pasta to want to eat much anyway) I will NOT put that poison in my body again. That was a horrific experience and if this is what most celiac patients have to deal with, I am very sorry for them I don't care if I have celiac or NCGS I won't intentionally cause myself that much pain and suffering it's not worth it.  
    • knitty kitty
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @catnapt,  Wheat germ contains high amounts of lectins which are really hard to digest and can be irritating to the digestive tract.  They can stimulate IgG antibody production as your blood test shows.   Even beans have lectins.  You've simply eaten too many lectins and irritated your digestive tract.   You may want to allow your digestive tract to rest for a week, then start on gluten in "normal" food, not in concentrated vital wheat gluten. This explains it well: Lectins, agglutinins, and their roles in autoimmune reactivities https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25599185/
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    • catnapt
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By catnapt · Posted

      good luck! vital wheat gluten made me violently ill. I will touch the stuff ever again.  
    • catnapt
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By catnapt · Posted

      I wouldn't consider this lucky. I can NOT tolerate the symptoms. And I googled it and I was not even getting 10 grams of gluten per day and I was extremely ill. They'd have to put me in the hospital. I'm not kidding.   I will have my first appt with a GI dr on March 4th   I will not eat gluten again - at least not on purpose   they are going to have to come up with a test that doesn't require it. 
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