I Think I May Have Celiac Disease

[onelifefan]

Hello,

I'm wondering if a gluten-free diet may be the answer to my problems. I'm 37, of Czech, Irish, English, and Polish descent.

I have had IBS for years, and take hyoscyamine twice a day, plus I have acid reflux. I have hypothyroid (on meds) and exzema too. Every day, I feel fatigue, and muscle aches. I have gas and bloating ALL THE TIME, and I often have diarrhea too. I do tend to eat a lot of carbs. I think I look puffy in pictures too. The nonstop gas and bloating is the worst. Does this sound like I could have celiac disease? Nothing seems to help, and I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't try gluten free and see what happens.

Thank you.

-Melanie

[GottaSki]

Celiac is certainly possible.

Highly suggest getting Celiac Blood Panel before going gluten free as it is often helpful to adhere to a gluten free diet once you are confirmed Celiac.

That being said....blood work can be false negative -- but if positive you have your answer.

Completely removing gluten is not an easy process, but if needed -- completely worth all effort.

Good Luck to you!

[GFinDC]

It sounds possible indeed. Then again there are people with no symptoms at all that are found to have celiac. Definitely a good idea to get tested, ask for the full celiac panel. Don't go gluten-free or gluten lite before that testing is complete though, it would mess up the results.

Doctors usually want to do an endoscopy after the blood results if they are positive. Regarless ofhte test results, it is worth doing a trial fo teh gluten-free diet after wards for 3 to 6 months. The tests are not prefect so false negatives are a real possibility.

FAQ Celiac com

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

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