Symptoms Help!

[RachL]

Hi, I am new to this forum and discoevered it after doing some research on Celiac Disease. I've been expereinceing some strange symptoms for a while now and I really want some feedback from others who actually do have celiac disease. I have always had a sensitive stomach growing up. When I was in high school I completely changed my eating habits and began to exercise more frequently. I ended up loosing about 30 pounds all together. During my Junior year I had a terrible episode of severe stomach pain where I ended up staying overnight in the hospital. I vomited several times and the doctors never came up with a diagnoses for me. Ever since then, which now I am a newly college graduate, I get episodes of bad bloating and cramps. The odd thing is that I feel like I dont eat many gluten products to begin with. I tend to have a low card diet except for on the weekends when I splurge a little. However, I am a frequent beer drinker.

For the past 2-3 weeks I have been experiencing strange stomach cramps and abdominal pain. Sometimes I get splitting pains in different areas, like around my belly button or where my kidneys are. These different feelings in my stomach area are daily at this point. I have been having on and off constipation as well. Also, I have been having a lot of sleep paralysis at night. I have been under tons of stress from trying to graduate college the last month, but I find it hard to believe that stress could be doing this to my body. I am a vegetarian, so experiencing tingling in my feet and fingers has been normal for me. Over the last two months I was on anxiety medication and was very moody/emotional. I just feel like somethings not right with my body.

My last week at school I was freaked out and went to the health center at my school where they took a urine sample and gave me a pap smear. They didn't find anything and just said they figured I was having digestive problems from stress.

I would really appreciate some feedback about this. I'm going to go on a very blan diet and avoid drinking beer to see if I start to feel better.

Thanks

[beachbirdie]

Well, you have quite a few things going on there.

You could simply try a gluten-free diet and see if it helps you feel better.

And that means giving up your beer. Beer contains gluten. There are a few gluten-free beers out there; Redbridge and Bard's are probably the most easily available. Also one called New Grist but that one is pretty light and tasteless to a lot of people.

Some smaller breweries are getting into the act, you can Google gluten-free beer and find them.

Do you still have access to doctors? Ask them specifically for celiac testing. Be sure to ask them for a full panel, not just the "short list" which is only two items.

You should probably get your vitamin B12 levels checked. As a vegetarian, you are quite susceptible to B12 deficiency, which can cause the tingling in your hands and feet and other neurological issues.

If you are gluten-sensitive or celiac, it could take only small amounts, even on your low-carb diet to make you sick.

[RachL]

Well, you have quite a few things going on there.

You could simply try a gluten-free diet and see if it helps you feel better.

And that means giving up your beer. Beer contains gluten. There are a few gluten-free beers out there; Redbridge and Bard's are probably the most easily available. Also one called New Grist but that one is pretty light and tasteless to a lot of people.

Some smaller breweries are getting into the act, you can Google gluten-free beer and find them.

Do you still have access to doctors? Ask them specifically for celiac testing. Be sure to ask them for a full panel, not just the "short list" which is only two items.

You should probably get your vitamin B12 levels checked. As a vegetarian, you are quite susceptible to B12 deficiency, which can cause the tingling in your hands and feet and other neurological issues.

If you are gluten-sensitive or celiac, it could take only small amounts, even on your low-carb diet to make you sick.

Thanks so much for your response! I did some research on the B12 deficiency and many of the symptoms sound like me as well. I've just been feeling so many different things. I am going to cut gluten out of my diet for a while as well as taking B12 supplements. Hopefully by doing that I will start to get back to feeling the way I did before. Although I don't eat meat, I still do eat fish occasionally but I guess I'll try to incorporate more into my diet.

I just wish the terrible bloating and gas would go away.