Could This Be Celiac Disease?

[NatureLover36]

Hi! Can someone tell me if these symptoms could be Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity; what do you think? Thanks for your thoughts!

27-year-old female in otherwise good health, weight 100lbs (difficulty gaining enough weight)

Since July 2011, I've been experiencing chronic sharp debilitating pain in the lower left quadrant of my abdomen. These episodes have occurred 6 or more times, with pain gradually diminishing over the course of a week and normal health returning for several weeks following (with pain still experienced every morning briefly before bowel movement). Pain episodes are so severe that I am nauseated, cannot move or walk, and causes lower back pain, diarrhea, a lot of gas, loss of appetite and sometimes vomiting, and tingling numbness in hands & feet. No blood or pus in stool. The pain is triggered by a morning bowel movement, and is worst just before defecating although no pain in the anus, no constipation, and does not occur simultaneously with menstruation but often occurs about 1 week after menstruation, although unpredictably. The major problem here is abdominal pain, lower left quadrant. Also it feels like I'm always hungry, with tons of gas. I have never been pregnant, my menstruation is normal and comes at expected times. I lead a mostly active lifestyle and am vegetarian with difficulty digesting meat & dairy products, with noticeable discomfort after eating pizza, pasta with heavy cream, etc. Not taking any medications currently (and none in recent past). I take a probiotic and vitamin daily.

Is it highly likely I'm gluten sensitive or have Celiac Disease? I asked a doctor friend of mine and gave her these symptoms, but she thinks it's probably my left ovary, even though in my opinion it sounds like I'm having more of a GI tract issue.

Thanks everyone! I really need help and appreciate your opinions.

[Bubba's Mom]

Hi! Can someone tell me if these symptoms could be Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity; what do you think? Thanks for your thoughts!

27-year-old female in otherwise good health, weight 100lbs (difficulty gaining enough weight)

Since July 2011, I've been experiencing chronic sharp debilitating pain in the lower left quadrant of my abdomen. These episodes have occurred 6 or more times, with pain gradually diminishing over the course of a week and normal health returning for several weeks following (with pain still experienced every morning briefly before bowel movement). Pain episodes are so severe that I am nauseated, cannot move or walk, and causes lower back pain, diarrhea, a lot of gas, loss of appetite and sometimes vomiting, and tingling numbness in hands & feet. No blood or pus in stool. The pain is triggered by a morning bowel movement, and is worst just before defecating although no pain in the anus, no constipation, and does not occur simultaneously with menstruation but often occurs about 1 week after menstruation, although unpredictably. The major problem here is abdominal pain, lower left quadrant. Also it feels like I'm always hungry, with tons of gas. I have never been pregnant, my menstruation is normal and comes at expected times. I lead a mostly active lifestyle and am vegetarian with difficulty digesting meat & dairy products, with noticeable discomfort after eating pizza, pasta with heavy cream, etc. Not taking any medications currently (and none in recent past). I take a probiotic and vitamin daily.

Is it highly likely I'm gluten sensitive or have Celiac Disease? I asked a doctor friend of mine and gave her these symptoms, but she thinks it's probably my left ovary, even though in my opinion it sounds like I'm having more of a GI tract issue.

Thanks everyone! I really need help and appreciate your opinions.

It really could be either one..or a problem in your colon? An ultrasound should show if you have an ovarian cyst problem...or sometimes the Dr. can feel it by pressing on your tummy and feeling it.

For the Celiac testing you need to continue eating gluten. I think it's time to get into a Dr. and get checked?

[ravenwoodglass]

I agree it is time to get some tests. Keep eating gluten until celiac testing is finished. With left sided abdominal pain your GI will likely want to do a colonoscopy and do make sure he also does a endoscopy at the same time. Lower left side pain can be caused by diverticulosis but it also could be an ovary so the suggestion for a ultrasound should rule that out if that isn't the problem. I am not a medical professional but do not think ovary issues would cause the D. Go back to your doctor and ask for a celiac panel and a referral to the GI.

After all celiac related testing is done then give the diet a try strictly no matter what the results as false negatives are not uncommon.

[Lady Eowyn]

Hi NatureLover - see it's your first post so welcome although I am new here myself .

Read your post and just thought i would mention that I used to get (given up monthly cycles 2 years ago due to my age) a thing called painful ovulation -can't think of the proper name at the moment. This was a sharp tight sort of pain which was debilitating - occasionally when laid down was unable to move and was in an ovary type place as you described. Oddly was also affected by bm's and could also give pain on sitting on a hard surface. Doc told me to take painkillers.

As per the other posts you should get it checked out by your doctor.

Still can't think of the proper name - think it was sort of German!!!

Hope you can get it sorted.

[Lady Eowyn]

Hi

The correct name for painful ovulation is Mittelshmerz (sp?).

Sounds quite innocent but gave me significant pain in the past.

Don't know if celiac has anything to do with it but it wouldn't suprise me, as I am sure it would be influenced to some degree by dietary factors.

However, with all problems like this, see your Dr.

Sorry to be so slow but gluten problems often make me feel as if I left my brain at home .

[NatureLover36]

Thanks everyone for your kind advice and thoughts!

Yes, I've already scheduled an appointment with my OB/GYN to get checked out, but it's a month away. I'm sending off Enterolab stool tests early next week to see if it could be diet related. Based on the tests and the Dr.'s visit, I'm hoping I'll have some sort of direction to go from there. It's possible, but will truly astound me if all my GI symptoms are simply the result of feminine reproductive issues, especially when my parents noticed my extreme allergies including sensitivity to lactose as a child. I'm really guessing more in the direction of diet-related or colon, intestinal issues, but we'll see.

As soon as possible once testing is over I'm giving the 30 day gluten-free diet a try, eagerly!!! I suppose I should take out dairy too but want to try just one at a time...any recommendations for that? Should I take them both out of my diet for those 30 days, and introduce them back one at a time...?