Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Freaking Out

meggg

Recommended Posts

meggg Newbie
meggg
Posted

I went for my first doctor appointment in 7 years five days ago. I talked to my doctor about depression/anxiety, irritability, weight loss (60 lbs in 6 months) I had quit drinking soda bc i believed it was bloating me and making me gassy but it didn't really help. Also talked about me believing I was anemic due to my addiction to ice. He told me he wanted to run some blood tests for the anemia and possibly thyroid. Well he also tested me for celiac and I got the call yesterday that I had tested positively for celiac and I was anemic and had a vitamin D deficiancy. They are setting me up an appointment with a GI doctor. After reading up on the symptoms it all makes sense, but I am still scared about how big of a change this will be. I am 25 and a mother of three. My husband doesn't think it is a big deal but this is serious right? I should be freaking out a little right? Also, should my children get tested? Just need some comfort I guess.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


shadowicewolf Proficient
shadowicewolf
Posted

No reason to freak out. This condition is a lot easier to manage than others.

Yes, it is serious. But don't start the diet until after all of your testing is done.

Yes, your children need to be tested as this condition is genetic.

guest134 Apprentice
guest134
Posted

I was scared of the possibility too at first, after all the research I did I realized it is such an easy disease to manage. To begin with you don't have to rely on doctors and medication, you cure yourself, naturally. I say cure because all symptoms and associated risks of celiac are diminished once clearing the body of gluten and your intestines heal. Also, gluten is a lot easier to avoid than you think, you can still drink all liquor, most wines and some beer, 5 of the 6 food groups are naturally gluten free and many restaurants and food chains are starting to adapt to gluten free with employees trained on cross contamination. If we were in the 80's I would be a bit more frightened but the world is now opening its eyes to celiac and the gluten free world.

Really, if you had to have any disease on this planet I would say celiac or hypothyroidism would be the top two for easiest to manage and smallest risks of other issues. Celiac is serious as in it's a disease however as for as diseases go it is not serious at all (once treated).

frieze Community Regular
frieze
Posted

your doc is a keeper!

confused123 Rookie
confused123
Posted

your doc is a keeper!

Yes! And you had answers right away!
june27 Apprentice
june27
Posted

I was diagnosed in February and it was quite a surprise to me as well. For me it felt both daunting and overwhelming in the beginning, but it does get better.

The newbie section of this forum has a lot of good information to get you started. It is probably worth having your husband read some of the information as well - the path will be a bit easier to navigate if he is there to support you. (My boyfriend was a bit skeptical at first as well, but it didn't take long before he was on board and now is always looking out for me).

It is a learning process, but will get easier with time...hang in there!!

meggg Newbie
meggg
Posted
  • Author

Thanks everyone!! I know that it is manageable but I work in a grocery store that isn't gluten friendly and I was randomly checking items and just about everything I checked contained some sort of gluten. It is just a big life change I guess. I have already decided that I will be fighting for more gluten free options in my store.

And also my doctor is great!! It is actually funny but my original doctor had left suddenly so the office distributed me to him. It was like God sent me to him!!

I go Thursday to the GI doctor so wish me luck!!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

... It was like God sent me to him!!

...

Well maybe he did! :)

Do stay with eating gluten until your testing completed. Here's some tips for when you do start the gluten-free diet.

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

Get tested before starting the gluten-free diet.

Get your vitamin/mineral levels tested also.

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.

Helpful threads:

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

https://www.celiac.com/articles/23033/1/Non-Celiac-Wheat-Sensitivity-It-Exists/Page1.html

Thread For gluten-free, Dairy, Soy, Corn And Nightshade Free Recipes

Super Easy Meal Ideas Anyone?

Cara in Boston Enthusiast
Cara in Boston
Posted

As you change the way you cook and prepare food, your entire family will benefit - they will be eating healthier too!

Get your children tested as soon as possible - even if there are no symptoms. Don't mess with their diets at all until testing is done.

The diet takes a bit of learning at first, but once you figure out your favorite foods and alter your favorite recipes, it is really not that hard. You will soon be feeling so much better - it will be worth the hassle.

meggg Newbie
meggg
Posted
  • Author

Met with my GI doctor yesterday!! He looked at my bloodwork after introducing himself and said "very interesting. I just met you and you are already a very interesting patient." He said he was 90% sure I had celiac sprue but wanted confirm before changing my life. I go January 8th for my endo. If confirmed he is going to send me to a nutritionist. I'm so happy that my doctors have taken charge!! Thanks for all the advice!

pain*in*my*gut Apprentice
pain*in*my*gut
Posted

Met with my GI doctor yesterday!! He looked at my bloodwork after introducing himself and said "very interesting. I just met you and you are already a very interesting patient." He said he was 90% sure I had celiac sprue but wanted confirm before changing my life. I go January 8th for my endo. If confirmed he is going to send me to a nutritionist. I'm so happy that my doctors have taken charge!! Thanks for all the advice!

Just my 2 cents.....if your biopsy is negative, please consider going gluten free anyway. Biopsies are very unreliable, and false negative results are very common. With your positive symptoms and bloodwork, you should not be consuming gluten. GI docs put WAY too much emphasis on that biopsy. You should also request genetic testing to see if you have the genes. If you do, your kids need to be tested as well.

Good luck!

Cara in Boston Enthusiast
Cara in Boston
Posted

I agree. While a positive biopsy will indeed "comfirm" the diagnosis, a negative biopsy does NOT mean you don't have it. Don't let the doctor tell you otherwise. With your symptoms and blood test results, it is pretty obvious you should not be eating gluten.

Cara

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked replied to Scott Adams's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      50

      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      Raising you vitamin D will increase absorption of calcium automatically without supplementation of calcium. A high PTH can be caused by low D causing poor calcium absorption; not insuffient calcium intake. With low D your body is not absorbing calcium from your food so it steals it from your bones. Heart has priority over bone. I've been taking 1...
    2. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      @catnapt, Wheat germ has very little gluten in it. Gluten is the carbohydrate storage protein, what the flour is made from, the fluffy part. Just like with beans, there's the baby plant that will germinate ("germ"-inate) if sprouted, and the bean part is the carbohydrate storage protein. Wheat germ is the baby plant inside a kernel of wheat...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Scott Adams's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      50

      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      Hello, @asaT, I'm curious to know whether you are taking other B vitamins like Thiamine B1 and Niacin B3. Malabsorption in Celiac disease affects all the water soluble B vitamins and Vitamin C. Thiamine and Niacin are required to produce energy for all the homocysteine lowering reactions provided by Folate, Cobalamine and Pyridoxine. Weight...
    4. Florence Lillian
      - Florence Lillian replied to Jane02's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      11

      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      Hi Jane: You may want to try the D3 I now take. I have reactions to fillers and many additives. Sports Research, it is based in the USA and I have had no bad reactions with this brand. The D3 does have coconut oil but it is non GMO, it is Gluten free, Soy free, Soybean free and Safflower oil free. I have a cupboard full of supplements that did not agree...
    5. catnapt
      - catnapt replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      highly unlikely NOTHING and I mean NOTHING else has ever caused me these kinds of symptoms I have no problem with dates, they are a large part of my diet In fact, I eat a very high fiber, very high vegetable and bean diet and have for many years now. It's considered a whole foods plant based or plant forward diet (I do now eat some lean...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,355
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Amy Immerman
    Newest Member
    Amy Immerman
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @catnapt, Wheat germ has very little gluten in it.  Gluten is  the carbohydrate storage protein, what the flour is made from, the fluffy part.  Just like with beans, there's the baby plant that will germinate  ("germ"-inate) if sprouted, and the bean part is the carbohydrate storage protein.   Wheat germ is the baby plant inside a kernel of wheat, and bran is the protective covering of the kernel.   Little to no gluten there.   Large amounts of lectins are in wheat germ and can cause digestive upsets, but not enough Gluten to provoke antibody production in the small intestines. Luckily you still have time to do a proper gluten challenge (10 grams of gluten per day for a minimum of two weeks) before your next appointment when you can be retested.    
    • knitty kitty
      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @asaT, I'm curious to know whether you are taking other B vitamins like Thiamine B1 and Niacin B3.  Malabsorption in Celiac disease affects all the water soluble B vitamins and Vitamin C.  Thiamine and Niacin are required to produce energy for all the homocysteine lowering reactions provided by Folate, Cobalamine and Pyridoxine.   Weight gain with a voracious appetite is something I experienced while malnourished.  It's symptomatic of Thiamine B1 deficiency.   Conversely, some people with thiamine deficiency lose their appetite altogether, and suffer from anorexia.  At different periods on my lifelong journey, I suffered this, too.   When the body doesn't have sufficient thiamine to turn food, especially carbohydrates, into energy (for growth and repair), the body rations what little thiamine it has available, and turns the carbs into fat, and stores it mostly in the abdomen.  Consuming a high carbohydrate diet requires additional thiamine to process the carbs into energy.  Simple carbohydrates (sugar, white rice, etc.) don't contain thiamine, so the body easily depletes its stores of Thiamine processing the carbs into fat.  The digestive system communicates with the brain to keep eating in order to consume more thiamine and other nutrients it's not absorbing.   One can have a subclinical thiamine insufficiency for years.  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so the symptoms can wax and wane mysteriously.  Symptoms of Thiamine insufficiency include stunted growth, chronic fatigue, and Gastrointestinal Beriberi (diarrhea, abdominal pain), heart attack, Alzheimer's, stroke, and cancer.   Thiamine improves bone turnover.  Thiamine insufficiency can also affect the thyroid.  The thyroid is important in bone metabolism.  The thyroid also influences hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, and menopause.  Vitamin D, at optimal levels, can act as a hormone and can influence the thyroid, as well as being important to bone health, and regulating the immune system.  Vitamin A is important to bone health, too, and is necessary for intestinal health, as well.   I don't do dairy because I react to Casein, the protein in dairy that resembles gluten and causes a reaction the same as if I'd been exposed to gluten, including high tTg IgA.  I found adding mineral water containing calcium and other minerals helpful in increasing my calcium intake.   Malabsorption of Celiac affects all the vitamins and minerals.  I do hope you'll talk to your doctor and dietician about supplementing all eight B vitamins and the four fat soluble vitamins because they all work together interconnectedly.  
    • Florence Lillian
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Florence Lillian · Posted

      Hi Jane: You may want to try the D3 I now take. I have reactions to fillers and many additives. Sports Research, it is based in the USA and I have had no bad reactions with this brand. The D3 does have coconut oil but it is non GMO, it is Gluten free, Soy free, Soybean free and Safflower oil free.  I have a cupboard full of supplements that did not agree with me -  I just keep trying and have finally settled on Sports Research. I take NAKA Women's Multi full spectrum, and have not felt sick after taking 2 capsules per day -  it is a Canadian company. I buy both from Amazon. I wish you well in your searching, I know how discouraging it all is. Florence.  
    • catnapt
      results from 13 day gluten challenge - does this mean I can't have celiac?

      By catnapt · Posted

      highly unlikely  NOTHING and I mean NOTHING else has ever caused me these kinds of symptoms I have no problem with dates, they are a large part of my diet In fact, I eat a very high fiber, very high vegetable and bean diet and have for many years now. It's considered a whole foods plant based or plant forward diet (I do now eat some lean ground turkey but not much) I was off dairy for years but recently had to add back plain yogurt to meet calcium needs that I am not allowed to get from supplements (I have not had any problem with the yogurt)   I eat almost no processed foods. I don't eat out. almost everything I eat, I cook myself I am going to keep a food diary but to be honest, I already know that it's wheat products and also barley that are the problem, which is why I gradually stopped eating and buying them. When I was eating them, like back in early 2024, when I was in the middle of moving and ate out (always had bread or toast or rolls or a sub or pizza) I felt terrible but at that time was so busy and exhausted that I never stopped to think it was the food. Once I was in my new place, I continued to have bread from time to time and had such horrible joint pain that I was preparing for 2 total knee replacements as well as one hip! The surgery could not go forward as I was (and still am) actively losing calcium from my bones. That problem has yet to be properly diagnosed and treated   anyway over time I realized that I felt better when I stopped eating bread. Back at least 3 yrs ago I noticed that regular pasta made me sick so I switched to brown rice pasta and even though it costs a lot more, I really like it.   so gradually I just stopped buying and eating foods with gluten. I stopped getting raisin bran when I was constipated because it made me bloated and it didn't help the constipation any more (used to be a sure bet that it would in the past)   I made cookies and brownies using beans and rolled oats and dates and tahini and I LOVE them and have zero issues eating those I eat 1 or more cans of beans per day easily can eat a pound of broccoli - no problem! Brussels sprouts the same thing.   so yeh it's bread and related foods that are clearly the problem  there is zero doubt in my mind    
    • cristiana
      Insomnia help

      By cristiana · Posted

      Thank you for your post, @nanny marley It is interesting what you say about 'It's OK not to sleep'. Worrying about sleeping only makes it much harder to sleep.  One of my relatives is an insomniac and I am sure that is part of the problem.  Whereas I once had a neighbour who, if she couldn't sleep, would simply get up again, make a cup of tea, read, do a sudoku or some other small task, and then go back to bed when she felt sleepy again.  I can't think it did her any harm - she lived  well into her nineties. Last week I decided to try a Floradix Magnesium supplement which seems to be helping me to sleep better.  It is a liquid magnesium supplement, so easy to take.  It is gluten free (unlike the Floradix iron supplement).  Might be worth a try.        
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.