My Symptoms--Very Frustrated!

[BuckeyeGirl]

Hello- I want to share my story to see if others have had similar symptoms and experiences. My GI issues began about 5 years ago when I was diagnosed with severe acid reflux. At that time, my only symptom was losing my voice and frequent coughing and throat clearing. After diagnosis and starting acid reflux meds, I started having more of the traditional symptoms of heartburn, pain, and discomfort. Over the years, I've tried every single acid reflux med on the market with no improvement in symptoms. The doctors have been stumped by it after numerous upper GI endoscopies to rule out H. plyori, strictures, etc. I've finally given up on meds (they seem to make my symptoms worse) and seem to have found a happy medium with taking rolaids, etc. as needed.

About 2 1/2 years ago, I transitioned to a vegetarian diet. Not long after, I started noticing a difference in my stools- much, much larger, although still very formed- and I started having extremely bad gas all of the time. I attributed this to the change in diet and eating more fiber and beans. Over the past year, the gas has continued to worsen and I've noticed abdominal bloating. I've also had belching, which is a change for me. Over the past year, I've also become lactose intolerant. I first noticed an issue with the milk when I suspected it was causing my skin to break out and I was having abdominal bloating and discomfort. I was also having intense cravings for milk and I thought it would be a good idea to cut it out of my diet. I was still able to tolerate cheeses and yogurt though.

About 3 weeks ago, I started having diarrhea. It came on out of the blue and I thought that perhaps it was something that I had eaten or a stomach virus I caught. It is happening about 3-5 times per day. When it became clear it wasn't resolving, I visited my doctor who tested me for the following to rule out celiac disease and other issues:

Gliadin AB IGA

Tissue Transglutaminase I

Tissue Transglutaminase

Endomysial AB

CBC w/Plat

Stool Culture

Fecal Lactoferrin

C-diff

Ova and Parasites

The doctor's office called today and said all tests were negative and the bloodwork was within normal limits. I will be able to obtain a copy of the actual results on Friday (I asked if the IGG or IGA were elevated at all and was told no). I've been trying a trial of gluten- free and dairy-free after the doctor's appointment last week. I've also started taking a probiotic. It's been 4 days and I'm not noticing much of an improvement. On Monday, I was feeling good and had no diarrhea or bowel movement at all; Monday night, I went out to eat dinner and ordered a salad. I suspect there was gluten in the salad dressing, but I'm not sure how much a small amount of gluten would affect me at that point (it had only been 2 days since going gluten free). Tuesday (yesterday), I felt extremely ill and had several bouts of diarrhea and abdominal cramping. Today, the diarrhea continues.

Other symptoms I have had throughout my life (I am 27 years old):

-Pre-teen- teen years: Unexplained swelling and pain in the finger joints. Arthritis ruled out.

-Puberty-present: Unexplained swelling of an inguinal lymph node.

-Early 20's- present: Ovarian cysts that spontaneously resolve

-Early 20's- present: Migranes and frequent headaches that have become progressively worse.

-Last 3 years- present: Fatigue that has become progressively worse. Anemia ruled out. Doesn't matter how much sleep I get, I always wake up tired.

-Early 20's- present: Seasonal allergies/chronic congestion

Over the past few years, I have been generally feeling very unwell. I have frequent colds/viruses. I also get fungal infections very easily (I've had a reoccuring fungal ear infection for the last few years and several vaginal yeast infections). I am a very active person that has always followed a healthy diet and taken good care of myself, so I don't know why I feel the way I do. I've been taking a quality multi-vitamin for several months.

If anyone else has had similar experiences and has discovered that they are gluten intolerant, please let me know. I am praying that I can find an answer soon.

[BuckeyeGirl]

I forgot to mention other issues that I have-- extreme PMS, cramping, mood swings, pain, etc. Also, I've had issues with anxiety and panic attacks as well. I'm an athlete and every time I get injured, it takes forever to heal or I have nagging injuries that never fully heal.

Of course, I do not know if any of these are related and there is no way of knowing for sure...I just want to throw them out there to see if these are common symptoms for those with gluten intolerance or celiac's disease. Thanks!

[BuckeyeGirl]

And- I've thought of some more symptoms that I think may be important. Sorry, but there are a lot! I've had "bladder" problems since my teen years. Frequent bladder infections and then frequent urination, urgency, etc. WITHOUT an actual infection. This was eventually diagnosed as cystitis (or "spastic bladder") and I was on Ditropan for awhile. I eventually found an herbal remedy that takes care of it for the most part, but it flairs up every once in awhile. Thanks for reading.