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Don't Know For Sure...


Zebot647

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Zebot647 Newbie

I've been feeling sick for 3 years now and I don't know if I have a gluten intolerance or not. I'm hoping some people with more experience can help me.

My physical symptoms:

- I am tired all the time (I could fall asleep any time)

- I have really dry flaky skin

- I get hives sometimes on my chest

- My stomach is tender to the touch

- I have a hard time with dairy

- my vision is dull

- My immune system doesn't seem to work at all (recurring infections)

My mental symptoms:

- I have concentration and memory problems

- I have really bad anxiety

- No motivation

I'm planning on getting myself tested but I want to know from other people if my symptoms sound familiar.

I already stopped eating gluten a week ago. The only difference I feel is that I don't feel as tired all the time. Unfortunately I feel weaker than normal though because I'm just not eating enough. Everything I ate before was wheat based :unsure:

Any help appreciated. I'm at the end of my rope.


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kareng Grand Master

If you want to get tested. you need to continue eating gluten for the tests. You could get a dermatologist to biopsy the "hives" to see if they are DH, the skin manifestation of Celiac.

beachbirdie Contributor

If you choose to biopsy the skin, make sure the biopsy tissue is not taken from the "hives" themselves, but from the skin right next to a fresh outbreak.

Bubba's Mom Enthusiast

Your symptoms *could* be Celiac. There are actully around 300 known symptoms. Many of them can be vague enough that a Dr. won't think to test for it.

You'll have to ask for a full Celiac blood panel to be run. You must be eating gluten on a regular basis for the testing to be accurate, so don't go gluten-free yet.

About 20-30% of celiacs test negative in their blood work. If you get a negative test, and think gluten is an issue for you, try the gluten-free diet for 3 months and see how you feel.

Good luck! I hope you get some answers. it's miserable when you don't feel well.

Zebot647 Newbie

Thanks for the replies ppl! I don't want to go back to eating gluten because I've been off it for a little while now and it's really hard to do this diet. I think I'd rather just wait and see how I feel.

I know this question has been posted a million times, but how long will it take me to know for sure if it's working? Will I feel an obvious difference in 2-3 weeks?

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