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

Help A Grandmother To Help An Expectant Mom


rsavage

Recommended Posts

rsavage Newbie
:unsure: I need help I am a diagnosed celiac. My daughter refuses to have a genetic test. She has a rash, thyroid problems, blood sugar problems, has had bone problems , possibly lack of bone formation, severe morning sickness etc. Many of the symptoms I had before diagnosis, when I was having children. She took a blood test over a year ago and doesn't see it as a snapshot in time. How do I convince her to have a genetic test? I promised to leave her alone after that. If she is genetically inclined, I would have to figure a way to convince her to have the gluten -sensitive stool test. So help me do it, Please>

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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Guest jhmom

What kind of blood-work did her docs do and what were the results??

One way to convince her is to let her read some of the post here on this board. If she has a lot of GI symptoms then she should realize that going gluten-free will improve her health 100%! I wish you luck in trying to convince her to take charge of her health and she also needs to realize how dangerous it is if it's left untreated!

Good luck to you

  • 3 months later...
Queen Serenity Newbie

I think your daughter is living in denial. It looks like she has a lot of health issues. How could she just think of herself. She is going to have a baby, who will be affected very much by her health. Her selfishness may harm the child. I'm a mom. I was diagnosed with Celiac's 9 /12 years ago, after the birth of my second son. I was very sickly during the pregnancy, but I was being tested for all kinds of ailments. They did not discover Celiac's until he was 8 months old. But, my point is that I was seeking help for my problems. I also have Hypothyroidism, which was not found until May 2003. This is also associated with people who have Celiac's. I have also recently given birth to my daughter on May 3. I was blessed, because she was born a healthy baby. I can't imagine living with myself, if I had as many health issues as your daughter, and not finding out what was ailing me. It's a sad set of circumstances for you to have to endure. Do as Stacie suggested, have her read these responses. Maybe strangers can knock some sense into her. I wish you luck in your quest. I hope she changes her mind, and gets tested. Keep us posted.

Vicki :)

  • 3 months later...
tammy Community Regular

Good for you, your daughter may still have time to regain her health.

Perhaps telling her that a gene test only points her in the right direction and does her no harm. BTW, I have had all of her symptoms too.

I am a person who believes I had undiagnosed gluten sensitivity since childhood. I was diagnosed with hypothroid at the age of twelve and I am now 39. My symptoms and lack of proper development were the first clues, yet undetected. Now as an adult, my signs and symptoms are endless. One simple blood test, stool test and gene test confirmed my symptoms. December of 2002 I received my answer-gluten sensitive/casein sensitive with no malabsorption but still hypothyroid with another diagnosis, adrenal fatigue!!!! I was 37 year young!!!!!

I needed to do this in my time, the fear and denial were strong. Knowing the future of an undiagnosed problem and the fact that I had a non-invasive choice made the final decision easier. May I strongly suggest that a thyroid test be done on the baby for the benefit of the child.

May the root of the problem be revealed and may the baby get the right care he/she needs and deserves. :D

3boyzmom Newbie

My son has a severe gluten intolerance that caused him to drop from the 80% in weight and height to the 15%. He eventually ended up in the hospital for 12 days from an intestinal crisis, where we stumbled across Celiac disease. All the pieces fit for him.. malabsorption, anemia, lack of growth, bloated belly, headaches, loose stool, lactose intolerance... yet, he was NOT diagnosed with Celiac's disease. His bloodwork showed only elevated IgG and his biopsy came back "inconclusive."

I put him on a gluten-free diet, even though we were advised to put him on a regular diet, and lo and behold he thrived. ALL the symptoms that he had before, disappeared. He grew 4" in 6 months and gained 7 pounds. When he accidentally eats gluten, he gets very sick, with nausea, cramping, diarrhea, headache, moodiness, gas, bloating...

In search of validation for his condition and his obvious gluten intolerance and "Celiac-like" symptoms, I figured he HAD to have the Celiac genes, for sure. Well, I had him tested and he doesn't have either one [DQ2 or DQ3 subtype 8 {DQ8)] he has DQ3 subtype 7.

All of this is to say that regardless of current conventional testing, nothing short of a miraculous response to a gluten-free diet is how we arrived at our diagnosis. My son doesn't eat gluten because when he does, he gets sick.

So, what I'm trying to share is that if you are putting all your hopes in a genetic test to convince your daughter she needs to go gluten-free, it may backfire and convince her you're totally crazy.

I suggest having her read the book Open Original Shared Link It gives a clear picture as to why more than just diagnosed Celiacs need to avoid gluten.

And remember, people all have to make choices. Although you and I know that a dietary change could do her a world of good... if she is in denial and does not understand or want to understand the ramifications of her dietary choices... it's her choice. Some people still smoke, drink, do drugs, eat fast food and sugary sweets all the while KNOWING it is not good for them. It's a lifestyle choice. It sure doesn't help that the choice could be life shortening.

God bless and I wish you the best in helping your daughter try to help herself by researching her symptoms and by experimenting with a dietary change!

Priscilla

burdee Enthusiast

RSAVAGE: You asked how to convince your daughter to have a genetic test. I agree with other posts here about showing your daughter info from celiac websites as well as posts here. However, I assume you mean Enterolab tests when you mention genetic test and gluten sensitive stool tests. I did that whole set of Enterolab tests and recall that the genetic test and stool sample test were simplest, least time consuming, least invasive medical tests I have ever taken. However, those were NOT cheap (and not covered by my health insurance). So perhaps the best way to convince your daughter to do the tests is PAY for those tests yourself, order them for her and help her package and send the results back to the lab. Most of all, order and pay for those tests for your daughter. Then she will have no choice but to do the easy part of taking the tests. ;)

BURDEE

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,902
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Patty6133
    Newest Member
    Patty6133
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Xravith
      Yes, you are right. Indeed, I’ve been feeling anemic since the beginning of this week, and today I felt horrible during a lecture at the university, I was trembling a lot and felt all my body incredibly heavy, so I had to come back home. I’ll do a blood test tomorrow, but I’m just worried about the possibility of it coming back negative. I’ve been eating two cookies in the morning as my only source of gluten over the past two weeks—could that affect the final result?
    • trents
      Welcome to the forum, @Judy M! Yes, he definitely needs to continue eating gluten until the day of the endoscopy. Not sure why the GI doc advised otherwise but it was a bum steer.  Celiac disease has a genetic component but also an "epigenetic" component. Let me explain. There are two main genes that have been identified as providing the "potential" to develop "active" celiac disease. We know them as HLA-DQ 2.5 (aka, HLA-DQ 2) and HLA-DQ8. Without one or both of these genes it is highly unlikely that a person will develop celiac disease at some point in their life. About 40% of the general population carry one or both of these two genes but only about 1% of the population develops active celiac disease. Thus, possessing the genetic potential for celiac disease is far less than deterministic. Most who have the potential never develop the disease. In order for the potential to develop celiac disease to turn into active celiac disease, some triggering stress event or events must "turn on" the latent genes. This triggering stress event can be a viral infection, some other medical event, or even prolonged psychological/emotional trauma. This part of the equation is difficult to quantify but this is the epigenetic dimension of the disease. Epigenetics has to do with the influence that environmental factors and things not coded into the DNA itself have to do in "turning on" susceptible genes. And this is why celiac disease can develop at any stage of life. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition (not a food allergy) that causes inflammation in the lining of the small bowel. The ingestion of gluten causes the body to attack the cells of this lining which, over time, damages and destroys them, impairing the body's ability to absorb nutrients since this is the part of the intestinal track responsible for nutrient absorption and also causing numerous other food sensitivities such as dairy/lactose intolerance. There is another gluten-related disorder known as NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or just, "gluten sensitivity") that is not autoimmune in nature and which does not damage the small bowel lining. However, NCGS shares many of the same symptoms with celiac disease such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea. It is also much more common than celiac disease. There is no test for NCGS so, because they share common symptoms, celiac disease must first be ruled out through formal testing for celiac disease. This is where your husband is right now. It should also be said that some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease. I hope this helps.
    • Judy M
      My husband has had lactose intolerance for his entire life (he's 68 yo).  So, he's used to gastro issues. But for the past year he's been experiencing bouts of diarrhea that last for hours.  He finally went to his gastroenterologist ... several blood tests ruled out other maladies, but his celiac results are suspect.  He is scheduled for an endoscopy and colonoscopy in 2 weeks.  He was told to eat "gluten free" until the tests!!!  I, and he know nothing about this "diet" much less how to navigate his in daily life!! The more I read, the more my head is spinning.  So I guess I have 2 questions.  First, I read on this website that prior to testing, eat gluten so as not to compromise the testing!  Is that true? His primary care doctor told him to eat gluten free prior to testing!  I'm so confused.  Second, I read that celiac disease is genetic or caused by other ways such as surgery.  No family history but Gall bladder removal 7 years ago, maybe?  But how in God's name does something like this crop up and now is so awful he can't go a day without worrying.  He still works in Manhattan and considers himself lucky if he gets there without incident!  Advice from those who know would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Scott Adams
      You've done an excellent job of meticulously tracking the rash's unpredictable behavior, from its symmetrical spread and stubborn scabbing to the potential triggers you've identified, like the asthma medication and dietary changes. It's particularly telling that the rash seems to flare with wheat consumption, even though your initial blood test was negative—as you've noted, being off wheat before a test can sometimes lead to a false negative, and your description of the other symptoms—joint pain, brain fog, stomach issues—is very compelling. The symmetry of the rash is a crucial detail that often points toward an internal cause, such as an autoimmune response or a systemic reaction, rather than just an external irritant like a plant or mites. I hope your doctor tomorrow takes the time to listen carefully to all of this evidence you've gathered and works with you to find some real answers and effective relief. Don't be discouraged if the rash fluctuates; your detailed history is the most valuable tool you have for getting an accurate diagnosis.
    • Scott Adams
      In this case the beer is excellent, but for those who are super sensitive it is likely better to go the full gluten-free beer route. Lakefront Brewery (another sponsor!) has good gluten-free beer made without any gluten ingredients.
×
×
  • 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.