Prospect Of Being Celiac Is Getting Me Down

[Oneiros]

Hi guys. I've recently discovered the whole gluten free thing, after about a month of feeling ill in the stomach every day (plus other things). Spoke to my mum who suggested gluten intolerance, so I did a bit of research and started cutting out gluten. It worked. Initially I felt good getting relief from all those uncomfortable symptoms and finally working out what was wrong. I ate a tiny bit of gluten a few days later and started feeling sick again, so I'm fairly sure that is the problem. Based on my research and symptoms I think I will be celiac. I'm in the process of blood tests etc.

As it starts sinking in I'm really starting to feel depressed about the prospect of having celiacs. I'm prone to depression anyway (on meds and have been seeing a psych the last few years). So I guess I'm just looking for some encouragement and understanding from people who have been through this. Any advice is welcome.

Thanks. Luke

[eatmeat4good]

Hey! Welcome!

Depression is one of the symptoms of Celiac that might go away if it is from Celiac.

I hate to tell you this but....

Being gluten free will make you test negative.

You have to eat gluten to have the antibodies to test postive.

I hate saying that because I'm sure not recommending you eat gluten.

But what happens is some people go gluten free and then try to get tested but they have to go back to eating gluten for several weeks on a daily basis. Ugh. I couldn't do it.

You might love being gluten free if your symptoms go away and stay away!

However, it is distressing to change you whole entire way of eating.

But you get used to it and you might even find some wonderful new foods you like.

Your little gluten challenge sure indicates that your body doesn't like gluten whether you are Celiac or not.

I hope you feel better soon.

I was able to get off all depression meds when I went gluten free. And my headaches went away too.

I hope wonderful things like that happen to you.

Then gluten free really ain't so bad.

[MitziG]

Yes, if you have been gluten-free more than a week or two, you run a big risk of a false negative, so if you are doing blood tests, start eating gluten again at once! Depending on how long you were gluten-free, you may need to wait a few months before testing. Sorry!

[GFinDC]

Hi Luke,

Welcome to the forum! Yes, to the depression being linked to celiac disease. Celiac can sometimes cause larger protein fragments into the blood stream, where they may eventually affect the brain. That is often called leaky gut. It seems some sections of the proteins in gluten in dairy are clsoe enough in form to opiods tha tthey can bind to the same receptors in the brain. So there can be a direct affect on the brain. Another issue that can affect mood etc is lack of vitamins and minerals. Celiac can impair the absorption of vitamins and minerals that are needed for the brain and the whole body. B-vitamins are often cited as being affected. The B-vitamins are important for proper nerve growth and healing. That means they affect the brain also. Silly thinig is full of nerves!

The good thing is that after a while on the gluten-free diet your gut can heal and absorb vitamins better. It's not fast though, might take year or two. You could ask your doctor to do a blood test for vitmains and minerlas and then you would know if you are low on any of them. There is also a celiac disease antibody panel they can run. But it is not 100% reliable, especially when they results are negative. Positive results are pretty reliable.

Here are some threads with reading info:

FAQ Celiac com

https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/forum-7/announcement-3-frequently-asked-questions-about-celiac-disease/

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