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After 7 Years, I Think I Got It


richarda83

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richarda83 Newbie

So after 7 years of going to doctor to specialists to surgeon, somehow I dont know how i missed this. As I am sure many of you have experienced, in your pursuit to discover the cause of your ailments, you get very excited when you THINK you found something, and then you look silly. At many points I have convinced myself that I have AIDs, lupus, sinusitis, gastritis, in need of lymph gland cleansing, had a larger than normal lymph node removed from my neck, had my deviated septum fixed to clear my sinuses, and rounds of antibiotics, antacids, anti fungal, etc.etc.

So fastforward to today, after NUMEROUS jobs, dropping out of college, failed relationships, and a quality of life my 90 year old grandman would feel sorry for, I believe I have found my ailment. I am willing to look silly, because never before have I realised that after I ate a piece of bread the pain in my stomach, irritability, eyes watering, hands and cold and whole body pretty much freezing, that I could be allergic to gluten. So i googled every symptom I suffer from and continued it with celiac disease and COUNTLESS search results came back. I have swollen lymph nodes that were biopsied non cancerous that have fluctuated in size minimally but emit sharp pains via the stomach. I have had sharp pains throughout my body, foggyness in my head, depression, SEVERE anxiety, hair loss, and paleness. I did have allergy testing done but I dont believe I ever had a gluten test done, and by the looks of it, a negative test is meaningless. All I know is after I ate that piece of plane bread today on an empty stomach, I felt like crap, and still feel tired. I just wanted to say to everyone that while I will not confirm my diagnosis until it is professionally given, I am very quite certain I will be a future member. While I do not look forward to a restricted diet for the rest of my life, I would give anything to finally end the 7 year misery that I have endured. I will be going in for testing tomorrow, and I actually hope I get the answer im looking for. Thanks!


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Bubba's Mom Enthusiast

It sure looks like you might be one of us?

Good luck with your testing. I hope you get some answers.

Be aware that 20-30% of us test negative in our blood work, but do in fact, have Celiac. There's also non Celiac gluten intolerance, so once your testing is done try gluten-free 100% and see how you do?

kittty Contributor

This sounds cruel, but I hope you do test positive for celiac. It's just incredible to have answers, after years of beating your head against a wall. I was also at the doctors office constantly, getting no solutions, being sent to random specialists, and being prescribed random medications with no relief. I still don't feel completely well five months later, but I feel so much better! Nothing has ever made me feel better before, and it's a long road of recovery ahead, but making progress feels awesome! I hope you start feeling better soon, and especially hope you get some relief for that anxiety - that symptom is my nemesis. I learned to deal with the pain, the diarrhea, the brain fog, but I NEVER could learn to handle the anxiety.

Good luck!

GFinDC Veteran

HI,

It sounds lie you could be one of us. Do get all the testing done that you want before going gluten-free. The tests will not work if you have stoped eating gluten before hand.

Some starting the gluten-free diet tips for the first 6 months:

Get tested before starting the gluten-free diet.

Don't eat in restaurants

Eat only whole foods not processed foods.

Eat only food you cook yourself, think simple foods, not gourmet meals.

Take probiotics.

Take gluten-free vitamins.

Take digestive enzymes.

Avoid dairy.

Avoid sugars and starchy foods.

Avoid alcohol.

FAQ Celiac com

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

Newbie Info 101

What's For Breakfast Today?

What Did You Have For Lunch Today?

What Are You Cooking Tonight?

Dessert thread

Easy yummy bread in minutes

How bad is cheating?

Short temper thread

Non celiac wheat sensitivity article

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    • knitty kitty
      @Jmartes71, I understand your frustration and anger.  I've been in a similar situation where no doctor took me seriously, accused me of making things up, and eventually sent me home to suffer alone.   My doctors did not recognize nutritional deficiencies.  Doctors are trained in medical learning institutions that are funded by pharmaceutical companies.  They are taught which medications cover up which symptoms.  Doctors are required to take twenty  hours of nutritional education in seven years of medical training.  (They can earn nine hours in Nutrition by taking a three day weekend seminar.)  They are taught nutritional deficiencies are passe' and don't happen in our well fed Western society any more.  In Celiac Disease, the autoimmune response and inflammation affects the absorption of ALL the essential vitamins and minerals.  Correcting nutritional deficiencies caused by malabsorption is essential!  I begged my doctor to check my Vitamin D level, which he did only after making sure my insurance would cover it.  When my Vitamin D came back extremely low, my doctor was very surprised, but refused to test for further nutritional deficiencies because he "couldn't make money prescribing vitamins.". I believe it was beyond his knowledge, so he blamed me for making stuff up, and stormed out of the exam room.  I had studied Nutrition before earning a degree in Microbiology.  I switched because I was curious what vitamins from our food were doing in our bodies.  Vitamins are substances that our bodies cannot manufacture, so we must ingest them every day.  Without them, our bodies cannot manufacture life sustaining enzymes and we sicken and die.   At home alone, I could feel myself dying.  It's an unnerving feeling, to say the least, and, so, with nothing left to lose, I relied in my education in nutrition.  My symptoms of Thiamine deficiency were the worst, so I began taking high dose Thiamine.  I had health improvement within an hour.  It was magical.  I continued taking high dose thiamine with a B Complex, magnesium. and other essential nutrients.  The health improvements continued for months.  High doses of thiamine are required to correct a thiamine deficiency because thiamine affects every cell and mitochondria in our bodies.    A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function.  The cerebellum of the brain is most affected.  The cerebellum controls things we don't have to consciously have to think about, like digestion, balance, breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, hormone regulation, and many more.  Thiamine is absorbed from the digestive tract and sent to the most important organs like the brain and the heart.  This leaves the digestive tract depleted of Thiamine and symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi, a thiamine deficiency localized in the digestive system, begin to appear.  Symptoms of Gastrointestinal Beriberi include anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, headaches, Gerd, acid reflux, gas, slow stomach emptying, gastroparesis, bloating, diarrhea and/or constipation, incontinence, abdominal pain, IBS,  SIBO, POTS, high blood pressure, heart rate changes like tachycardia, difficulty swallowing, Barrett's Esophagus, peripheral neuropathy, and more. Doctors are only taught about thiamine deficiency in alcoholism and look for the classic triad of symptoms (changes in gait, mental function, and nystagmus) but fail to realize that gastrointestinal symptoms can precede these symptoms by months.  All three classic triad of symptoms only appear in fifteen percent of patients, with most patients being diagnosed with thiamine deficiency post mortem.  I had all three but swore I didn't drink, so I was dismissed as "crazy" and sent home to die basically.   Yes, I understand how frustrating no answers from doctors can be.  I took OTC Thiamine Hydrochloride, and later thiamine in the forms TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) and Benfotiamine to correct my thiamine deficiency.  I also took magnesium, needed by thiamine to make those life sustaining enzymes.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins, so the other B vitamins must be supplemented as well.  Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   A doctor can administer high dose thiamine by IV along with the other B vitamins.  Again, Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  Thiamine should be given if only to rule Gastrointestinal Beriberi out as a cause of your symptoms.  If no improvement, no harm is done. Share the following link with your doctors.  Section Three is especially informative.  They need to be expand their knowledge about Thiamine and nutrition in Celiac Disease.  Ask for an Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test for thiamine deficiency.  This test is more reliable than a blood test. Thiamine, gastrointestinal beriberi and acetylcholine signaling.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12014454/ Best wishes!
    • Jmartes71
      I have been diagnosed with celiac in 1994, in remission not eating wheat and other foods not to consume  my household eats wheat.I have diagnosed sibo, hernia ibs, high blood pressure, menopause, chronic fatigue just to name a few oh yes and Barrett's esophagus which i forgot, I currently have bumps in back of my throat, one Dr stated we all have bumps in the back of our throat.Im in pain.Standford specialist really dismissed me and now im really in limbo and trying to get properly cared for.I found a new gi and new pcp but its still a mess and medical is making it look like im a disability chaser when Im actively not well I look and feel horrible and its adding anxiety and depression more so.Im angery my condition is affecting me and its being down played 
    • marion wheaton
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    • JoJo0611
      I didn’t know there were different types of CT. I’m not sure which I had. It just said CT scan with contrast. 
    • Scott Adams
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