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After 7 Years, I Think I Got It

richarda83

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richarda83 Newbie
richarda83
Posted

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
Bubba's Mom
Posted

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
kittty
Posted

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
GFinDC
Posted

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

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Short temper thread

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      Why now?

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    2. heart390
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      Why now?

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    • trents
      Why now?

      By trents · Posted

      Sorry for rambling on so much. It was not clear to me from you first post that, although you have known for several years that gluten had been causing you distress, that you had already eliminated it from your diet.
    • heart390
      Why now?

      By heart390 · Posted

      Because a close friend has had Celiac for years - I've eliminated gluten after the ER said all I had was a huge pocket of gas several years ago.  The gluten will be my 4th autoimmune disease.  Thanks so much for all your input!!!
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      Confused about HLA-DQ Celiac gene test result

      By trents · Posted

      @ainsleydale1700, the additional test information you provided is very significant! Here is the important part: "This test detects IgG antibodies to tTG (tissue transglutaminase), and was performed because your IgA level is below normal. The immune response that occurs in celiac disease often leads to IgG antibodies against tTG." It looks to me that you may be a "seronegative" celiac. The frontline diagnostic tests for celiac disease are IGA tests, especially the tTG-IGA. However, another IGA test ("total IGA") was done to check you for IGA deficiency and you were found to be deficient. That means that the usual IGA tests done to diagnose celiac disease, such as the tTG-IGA, would not be reliable. That is why the IGG testing was done "reflexively" (which means in response to the results of a previous test, i.e., the total IGA test.). The IGG tests are not quite as reliable as the IGA tests for diagnosing celiac disease, meaning, there are more "other" possible causes for elevated IGG test scores. The IGG test did give a borderline positive result, however, so the physician ordered the endoscopy with biopsy to check for damage to the small bowel lining that would be caused by untreated (continuing to consume gluten) celiac disease. The biopsy showed no damage so the doc concluded you do not have celiac disease. However, the monkey wrench in the gears of the doc's conclusion is that he gave you permission to proceed with the gluten free diet which would have allowed for healing of the small bowel lining to commence. How long were you gluten free before the biopsy was taken? And how much damage to the small bowel lining was there to begin with? If the damage was minimal, it might have been fully healed by the time the biopsy was done. And the symptoms you describe involving vitamin and mineral deficiencies, tooth enamel loss, cessation of menses, neuropathy, constipation alternating with diarrhea . . . IMO all scream of celiac disease as opposed to NCGS.
    • trents
      Why now?

      By trents · Posted

      Yes, other health challenges and even severe prolonged emotional distress are thought to be potential triggers for the latent celiac genes. Let me encourage you to get tested for celiac disease as soon as possible so that you can get on with eliminating gluten from your diet, which itself will involve a considerable learning curve in order to become consistent at it. Even pills and meds can contain gluten because wheat starch can be used as a filler. It's important to know if you have celiac disease for two reasons. First, it damages the lining of the small bowel and, over time, wears down those billions of little fingers that make up the lining and produce a huge surface area for absorbing nutrients from the food we eat. The small bowel is essentially the place where all of our nutrition is absorbed. Long term undiagnosed/ignored celiac disease therefore results in nutritional deficiencies even when we are eating well. You don't need that with the other health issues you are dealing with.  Second, many or most people find it difficult to be consistent with the gluten free diet if they don't have a formal diagnosis of celiac disease. It is just too inconvenient and limiting and they begin to rationalize that, "Well, maybe my problems are due to something else." Human nature has a remarkable capacity to rationalize. It can be argued that you can cheat a little bit on the gluten free diet with NCGS because it only creates a little discomfort and distress but not damage. That doesn't work with celiac disease. So, I feel it is important to know which you are dealing with, especially in the case where you have not yet begun the gluten free diet and you are a good candidate for beginning testing. Many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet before they get tested for celiac disease and then they have to go back on gluten for weeks or months, the so-called "gluten challenge", in order to achieve valid test results. By the way, autoimmune diseases tend to cluster. When you get one, it is very common to develop others in time. 
    • ainsleydale1700
      Confused about HLA-DQ Celiac gene test result

      By ainsleydale1700 · Posted

      Thank you!  I have the classic symptoms while eating gluten-constipation, diarrhea, weight loss, loss of appetite, etc.  My main problems right now are elsewhere in my body.  Dental issues...my teeth started breaking.  I had two teeth break in the past month.  My dentist looked at my teeth with a camera and said I have no enamel left.  Im really struggling with neuropathy, and gynecological conditions.  My periods stopped 6 years ago and Im not in perimenopause or menopause.  When I consume gluten, my resting HR goes up about 30 points, and takes a week or so to normalize.  The list goes on, its very overwhelming Ongoing vitamin D deficiency, magnesium, iron, blood creatinine is always low, dont know if thats relevant. Below is from the Celiac panel, otherwise the results were normal.  Not crazy high, but I wasnt aware the Celiac panel was included in the bloodwork.  So I didnt prepare for it in advance, and Ive been on a gluten-free diet for the past 4 years High t-Transglutaminase (tTG) IgG: 7, Reference Interval: 0-5, Unit: U/mL This test detects IgG antibodies to tTG (tissue transglutaminase), and was performed because your IgA level is below normal. The immune response that occurs in celiac disease often leads to IgG antibodies against tTG.   I know I have a bad reaction to gluten.  But with the low likelihood of Celiac, any guidance on other paths to explore would be greatly appreciated!  Ive been trying to figure this out for years now, and more issues keep coming up.  It has been so overwhelming.  Thanks again.
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