Help With Breathing

[CAD]

Hi. Hope someone might have some info for me. I started having difficulties breathing about two months ago. It feels as though my stomach is full and I can't take a deep breath because there is no "room". This feeling also causes issues with eating, as even when I am hungry it seems as though there is no "room" for food. I have had a colonoscopy, endoscopy, upper GI series with barium swallow, ultrasound and cat scan. None show any problems. I am now taking Gastro Calm without much success. I do take fish oil daily which someone said could cause digestive issues. I had my gallbladder removed about 8 years ago. Also, I was treated about 12 years ago for acid reflux which cleared up and last year there was some question about if I had GERD or not. Again, that cleared up. Someone said I probably had a gluten allergy/sensitivity. Has anyone had these type of symptoms? Also is there a definitive test for gluten allergy/intolerance?

[GottaSki]

Welcome!

Yes, your symptoms could be Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance. Do you wake up with the full/no room feeling or does it get worse throughout the day?

There are blood tests for Celiac Disease (an autoimmune disease where your body produces antibodies to fight proteins found in wheat, barley and rye) - if they are positive you have Celiac Disease -- if they are negative you could still have Celiac or Gluten Intolerance. You must be ingesting gluten for accurate results. After testing is complete it is a good idea to trial a strict gluten-free diet for a period of at least 3-6 months to monitor changes in your symptoms. Often the diet is the best test because those that are gluten intolerant may have very serious health concerns, but their body does not generate the antibodies in Celiac Disease. The treatment for both Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance are the same - remove all gluten from the diet.

Gluten allergy is a separate issue - with your symptoms you might want to see an allergist for food allergy testing.

Your primary doctor or GI can order celiac blood tests - many will not run a full panel unless you ask. It is best to run them all.

Full Celiac Blood Panel:

Total Serum IgA

Tissue Transglutaminase IgA and IgG

Gliadin IgA and IgG

Endomysial Antibody IgA

Deamidated Gliadin Peptide IgA and IgG

Also, low vitamins/minerals can indicate you are not absorbing nutrients properly - another indicator of Celiac Disease. So you might want to have these drawn at the same time as the Celiac panel.

Misc blood tests:

Bs, D, K, Iron, Ferritin, Copper and Zinc

Good Luck

[Gemme]

Hello,

I had same symptoms along with many other. Going G/Free , Corn Free helped me lot.

I do not sail with Doctors on Celiac , they wasted my 15 years. Best way is go Gluten Free for 3 months and you will find the way forward.

Any more info, you are welcome

Good Luck

[CAD]

Thank you so much for all the info. I have a follow up appointment with the gastrontologist (spelling?) tomorrow to go over the CAT scan results. I am not expecting to hear any news since no other test has shown anything. I am going to ask him about the tests you mentioned. I've written them all down! Yes, I wake up with this full feeling but it does increase throughout the day. Sleeping is such a relief because I am not bothered by it at all. Besides for then, it is difficult all day. People hear me breath deeply and think I am sighing and often they mention it, saying things like "Wow that is a big sigh.". All I'm doing is trying to get a deep breath! So there are three different things: Celiac disease, Gluten intolerance and Gluten allergy? Wow - lots of information to digest, no pun intended.

[CAD]

Hello,

I had same symptoms along with many other. Going G/Free , Corn Free helped me lot.

I do not sail with Doctors on Celiac , they wasted my 15 years. Best way is go Gluten Free for 3 months and you will find the way forward.

Any more info, you are welcome

Good Luck

So you're feeling better after going gluten free? What exactly is corn free? This is all very overwhelming. I am going to the doctor tomorrow for a follow up and am going to mention the blood tests that the other commentor mentioned. You had the breathing issue? I have been reading up on the internet about the whole gluten issue and didn't see that mentioned anyplace so I wasn't sure if it was a symptom of this or not.