notme

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You have to advocate for yourself with regard to your family, hard as it may be when you don't feel your best. I've had to be quiet blunt with some of my folks, but they get it now.
 

So, I am going to address the relationship question. 1) Does your boyfriend treat you poorly since diagnosis? 2) Has he implied or stated that he feels you are a burden since your diagnosis?
I went to therapy after I had my diagnosis and I felt terrible about my boyfriend having to adjust to my new lifestyle. I had a lot of guilt over it. My therapist said that if he stuck around and was willing to adapt with me, that I need to trust him. He questioned if I trusted my boyfriend before I had the diagnosis. I said yes. So then why would I not trust him now if he's willing to do the work? I couldn't argue with that. He is now my husband of 7 years, almost 10 years together. I am not saying that this relationship will be the everlasting love, but give it a chance. Don't necessarily reject him before he even has a chance to reject you.
Ask your boyfriend to brush his teeth before being intimate. If that is a huge problem then that may be a red flag. Dining out may be difficult in the beginning, but as you become more confidant in your questioning of the staff (ask for a manager) you'll have more options open up. You will probably have to fend for yourself in social situations. As others have suggested, host! I host a gluten free Thanksgiving for my family every year so I can eat! Everyone loves it and I get the leftovers. You'll adapt. It's all very new and A LOT to take in.

DevJac, I'm sorry to hear that you are facing some major life changes and don't seem to be ready for them, but congratulations for getting a diagnosis before your symptoms were too bad. You got lucky.
I spent two decades going to doctor after doctor after doctor, desperate for answers, only to be told there was nothing wrong with me, that I was making up my pain, or that I was hysterical. You getting your diagnosis before you were too far down the road of pain and damage is a huge win.
I understand that it can be a bit daunting to go gluten free, but it really is life changing ... in a good way. After you go gluten free, really pay attention in the first two weeks for changes in your body. I had all sorts of random symptoms that I thought were "normal", because I had had them all of my life, completely disappear. It was everything from no longer having insomnia to no longer having cold hands, from a calmer demeanor to improved hearing. Recognizing these changes and noting how much better you feel can make it a lot easier to stay gluten free and want to never go back.
Best of luck to you. You can do it!

The two IGA tests are positive and the two IGG tests are negative. The centerpiece of antibody testing is the tTG-IGA and your number is not extremely high but solidly positive. There are two kinds of tests that can be run for celiac disease (antibody and biopsy of the small bowel lining) and you have had both run. I would assume you have celiac disease and have caught it at an early stage before much damage was done to the villi. There are no more tests to be run. And by the way, GERD is a common symptom of celiac disease.
I believe your next step is to commit to a gluten free diet. It is not good enough to cut out major sources of gluten like bread and pasta but you must endeavor to eliminate all of it, even that which is a minor ingredient in processed foods and that which comes from cross contamination. If at all possible, you will need to eliminate eating out. There is no way you can control what the kitchen staff does in preparing and handling food so as to eliminate cross contamination. This might help:
 

Hi Pamma. I feel you like 100%. I was diagnosed in August and couple of people here know me very well,cause for the last 4 months I was extremely anxious and was posting every single days about how scared anxious and panicked I was. It was to the point that I got depression and last month my GI made me to start Lexapro which is antidepressant. Because my anxiety caused IBS, I was having  frequent bowel movements,I was afraid of eating, I was thinking that I have other food allergies. All my symptoms were caused by my nervous system,my anxiety took extreme control over my health and life.It’s been exactly a month since I’ve started Lexapro and I’m feeling much better now. I do eat everything gluten-free and don’t have any symptoms. My GI kept telling me that my celiac damage was so mild but I was resisting to take any antidepressants. He kept telling me that my anxiety cause IBS. I started with low fodmap diet and started to see improvement right away.My point is that our nervous system causes a lot of problems and sometimes you taking it as worsening symptoms of disease and it makes you feel even worse. I’m not telling you to take antidepressants what I suggest is that first relax,take a deep breath,everything is gonna be fine. You can ask a lot of people here how paranoiac I was. It’s a big shock at the beginning but you get used to that and learn how to avoid any cross contaminations or what you can eat. First I was arguing with every single member of my family, I was so tired of explaining everything about gluten or cross contamination now I’m more relaxed. I even understood that it’s kind of not fair to them for asking them not eating gluten or make life like a nightmare for them.I just changed everything for myself and super careful. I do wash all dishes in dishwasher I do clean all kitchen before I cook anything,I got new toaster for myself. My work at home got doubled after my diagnose,I’m super picky,cleaning whole kitchen couple of times during the day,of course its lot of hustle but it is what it is. I do take my vitamins,iron and started to eat gluten free chocolates,cookies ,crackers,fruits,cheeses,salads,veggies,fish,meat,chicken. I even got gluten free teas from The Republic of Tea and feel much better. 4 months ago when I just got diagnosed I was not eating a lot and was getting even worse symptoms after got on gluten-free diet. I felt so depressed and exhausted. I was crying all day. I was panicking because would get loose stool after eating veggies and gluten free diet. Now I understand that it was related to my anxiety. Now anxiety is under control and I feel much better and enjoying eating again:)) and of course everything gluten free. Just try not to eat repeat food in row or gluten free breads every day because there are a lot of additives in gluten-free breads and it will take time for your body to adjust. I got 2 different cooking books with gluten free recipes,books about celiac disease but nothing helped until I got calm down and understood that it’s not the end of the world,you just need time to adjust to your new life and new diet and everything will sort out. Sorry for such a long reply,just wanted to let you know that I do understand your feelings and fears but I promise that you gonna be ok:)

ok, the brand is 'wholly gluten free' - sorry for the mix-up.  
also, i sent him to buy all of them and somebody already beat us to it.  
my life is a perpetual scavenger hunt  🙄

lolz, no, it's not pure knead!!  honestly, i have so many different brands (of mostly breads) of stuff in the freezer that i mixed that one up!!  ha ha also, i threw away the package *but* my brother is going to pick some more up this week so i will get back with the brand.  sorry about that!!  

If it would help you, I would give you my miserable symptoms. Even the slightest cross contamination makes me so ill. 
 
I would probably be in your situation too. There’s so much social pressure and mainstream jokes about people who need to be gluten free. My symptoms are both a curse and a blessing. Please be positive though about your future. I find when I get  glutened, I am cranky and negative. Things may not be going well now, but it’s not guaranteed to go that way forever. You probably need to find other sources of joy. Honestly for me, gluten foods aren’t even tempting. There are so many gluten free goodies to eat. Either way, food shouldn’t be a pain reliever for other issues. Wishing you the best. You’re not alone.

I honestly think this is good advice. I am frequently thankful that i did not have to make all these changes until after i had been married for many years.  I have told my sons that because they’ve learned to look out for gluten for their mom, they will be great boyfriends to girls with celiac, and they should ‘advertise’ that. I know a lovely young lady (20) who is celiac and in year 2 of college and facing the same frustrating, awkward challenges. I suggested to her mom to tell her to look on social media for gluten-free guys to date. For real- what a lovely relief that would be to both people in a relationship!

if it's at somebody's house, i bring my own meal/snacks or i eat ahead of time.  i'm chatty, so i get to yammer on and on while they're eating haha.  if it's dinner out, i pick the restaurant.  if you don't let me pick the restaurant, i'm not going.  

me, too!  my body is like:  nope, it gets rid of the gluten (noticed this when i ate tortilla chips before confirming that they were fried in a dedicated fryer - they weren't !!  )  so, i know i got glutened.  but i didn't have the 14 day reaction that i used to have  

if it's at somebody's house, i bring my own meal/snacks or i eat ahead of time.  i'm chatty, so i get to yammer on and on while they're eating haha.  if it's dinner out, i pick the restaurant.  if you don't let me pick the restaurant, i'm not going.  

Me!  I'm a big fan of Vitamin D level up in the 80's!  My reaction to gluten is much less severe when gluten contaminated.  I just plain old feel better, too!

I'm posting this article here for future readers who may have questions about the connection between Celiac and other Autoimmune diseases.  
"Celiac Disease and Autoimmune-Associated Conditions"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741914/#sec3title
 

hello!  ok, let's not borrow trouble   your celiac diagnosis is a blessing in disguise.  it will save you from developing so many other (worse!) conditions just by switching your diet.  no, most dieticians and doctors do not know a whole lot about celiac - in my opinion, you will get the best advice right here.  so, calm down (you sound exactly like my daughter - she had the same anxiety, hand tingling, etc - she had a prescription for xanax in the beginning of her gluten-free journey, now she only takes it now and again when she has stressful days) 
i am also the family hypochondriac, lolz, but so is my brother - always running to the doc and tests come back negative - until my celiac diagnosis.  then all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.  because it is a genetic thing, chances are that at least one of your other close relatives also have celiac, they just don't know it.  in my immediate family, it is me, my brother, my daughter and my son.  but also, my cousin and my nephew and probably my sister but she is in denial.  so, your family would be wise to help you along, and pay attention to take your diagnosis seriously!!  they might be in the same boat!!  they wouldn't chide you for having a heart attack, now, would they?  of course not!  and this is (because you need nutrition and to EAT to LIVE) just as serious.   the sooner you clean up your diet (i know, i know) and get strictly gluten free, you will break the cycle of inflammation.  feel free to grieve the foods you will no longer be able to eat, we've all been through it.  crying over pizza is a sad, sad thing, but you'll find other favorites that won't bite ya back.
go to the 'coping' section of this forum and there is a pinned thread called 'newbie 101' - there are a lot of guidelines, tips and advice there.   i promise you, once you get a hold of your situation, you're gonna feel great, and probably 10 years younger lolz - i know i do!!  
there are plenty of things you can eat, i would suggest keeping a food journal to see what you can eat comfortably.  some people go through withdrawal in the beginning, some don't.  naps and snacks are your friend.  in my 11 years on this diet, there have been so many new, gluten free products.  the bread choices have been much improved!  you can eat 'clean' - meat, potatoes, veggie, fruits, nuts, etc.  once your gut starts healing, you're going to absorb all those vitamins and nutrients and stuff is going to start healing and working the way it's supposed to.  including nerves, although they do take their sweet time to heal  i'm still a little high strung lolz  
you are in a good place right here.  i would venture to say that you have a good collection of amateur experts on this forum.  ask any questions you like, i guarantee we've probably heard it!
welcome to the club you never wanted to join.  you're gonna be great.

i agree about the dicyclomine - i have a prescription for it in case of extreme spasms, but i am loathe to take it because there is a whole day lost   i could never take it daily.....

one of my church people has celiac and he cheats.  i tsk tsk at him all the time, his palms of his hands are dh city, all blistered and cracked, but he won't change his ways.  he is an old guy and also skinny as a rail.  i worry about him but sometimes all you can do is pray for some people.  i bring extra gluten-free stuff for him, like brownies and cookies, etc.  you could do that, maybe he'd see gluten-free isn't so bad?

i agree about the dicyclomine - i have a prescription for it in case of extreme spasms, but i am loathe to take it because there is a whole day lost   i could never take it daily.....

hey kids, i just thought i'd share a little noodle technique i've accidently discovered looking for something else haha.  ya know how when you make rice noodles, the next day they are all 'weird' - hard, yucky and don't taste right, especially if they're in pasta salad or with sauce/leftover?  well, so far, so good with the couple different brands of brown rice noodles - i tried tinkyada and kroger brand brown rice noodles with success!!
k, so, cook your brown rice noodles until they are 'just' done, err on the side of undercooked if you are in doubt.  drain and give them a quick rinse with cold water, then put them back into the pot or a bowl and pour a vinegar mixture over them.  stir occasionally until they're to room temp.  i've found that they don't break apart easily and then you can mix in your other ingredients or sauce them.  
for pasta (16 oz) salad, i mixed:
6 oz cider vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons of salt
for pad thai (8 oz) noodles, i mixed:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar (or mirin)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
y'all can experiment with this, next i am going to try spaghetti with red wine vinegar and olive oil, etc, all the times i've tried this, everybody i've been feeding has been like:  wow.  this is great!
even the grandson (picky) ate allllll the pad thai leftovers last night lolz   

as a mom who has passed on her crappy genes to my children, i wouldn't have skipped having them.  they are my pride and joy.  i'm pretty sure they're happy i had them, lolz, 
"don't let the good life pass you by"

as a mom who has passed on her crappy genes to my children, i wouldn't have skipped having them.  they are my pride and joy.  i'm pretty sure they're happy i had them, lolz, 
"don't let the good life pass you by"

I would just tell your new doctor that your previous doctor diagnosed you with celiac disease.  Unless asked specifically, I would not give any details that would give him/her an opening to question that diagnosis.  Unfortunately there are many doctors who seem to be “anti-celiac.” 

some were diagnosed before they met and some were not.  my (future) son-in-law is not diagnosed yet but he responds well to my daughter's (she has celiac) gluten-free diet, for example, and he is being treated for anxiety, one of my daughter's symptoms before she went gluten-free.   my son and his wife (she has hashi's, he is type 1 diabetic) were both diagnosed before they married.    my own husband had carpel tunnel issues, he probably still needs surgery, but since he's been eating mostly gluten free, he hasn't been complaining and doesn't wear the brace on his arm anymore.  if i say he's doing well eating gluten-free, he says that has nothing to do with it, but secretly i am not convinced lolz  
if i had to bet, i would put my $$$ on pheromones.........
also, i would say that another autoimmune person has a greater amount of sympathy & understanding when it comes to what a pain in the butt celiac disease is at times.

Celiac disease has a genetic base. I don't know that dairy intolerance does.

In response to the original post title, I do think there is a need to clarify between allergies and autoimmune diseases. For each, a different type of T cell is involved.

The link to the study posted appears to describe an autoimmune reaction to the proteins in milk, which would be a good parallel to the reactions that celiac's have to the gluten protein. And yes, if you are still looking for a diagnosis, considering dairy as a possible cause of problems the same as one would consider gluten as a cause for problems is logical. 

Autoimmune diseases are an immune reaction where tissue destruction occurs as the body attacks itself. The reaction might be triggered by what is seen as a foreign invader, but the reaction is misdirected, attacking your own body instead of the invader. For autoimmune reactions triggered by food, you can generally expect digestive issues though attacks can really occur anywhere in your body and take on a multitude of forms.

Allergies are an immune reaction to what is perceived as a foreign invader, but the reaction isn't to attack, rather to expel the invader, the same as the body might work to expel a virus or a parasite. The histamines are produced by your body and fit into receptors that trigger additional reactions, such as to produce mucus, to cough or to sneeze, to make your eyes water, or to make your skin itch. Even the more-extreme reactions of anaphylaxis is still the same reaction, just exaggerated, to try to expel.

And dairy might have two different ways to trigger allergic reactions. If you truly are allergic to dairy, then your body will produce histamines as a reaction. But foods can also contain histamines. Though dairy starts out low in histamines, the fermentation process for something like yoghurt can result in it having higher histamine content. 

The more histamines you have built up in your system already, the more likely you are to have an allergic-style reaction to foods that are high in histamines. You're not allergic to the food, you're just overloaded on histamines. If you eat a lot of avocados and nuts on a regular basis, you probably are familiar with the reaction of getting a little sneezy after meals.

But lactose intolerance, an autoimmune reaction, is not the same as a dairy allergy, which is an allergic reaction. I looked it up, but I did not get an answer on whether or not it is possible to be both lactose intolerant and allergic to dairy at the same time. But the University of Chicago says it is possible to have both celiac and have a wheat allergy at the same time.

Also note that if your thyroid is overactive, your body will be overproducing histamines no matter what you eat, and you could have what seem like allergic reactions to almost anything. Severe hyperthyroidism can mean even a light scratch across your skin can cause welts to rise (dermatographia). You might break out in hives just by washing your hands or going outside in cold weather. 

But there can be overlap. For example, if an autoimmune disease causes your body to attack your thyroid causing tissue damage that results in hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), the result would be an over production of histamines resulting in an allergic-style reactions. It is no wonder so many have difficulty getting diagnosis.

But I think many of us who have celiac have used the term allergy to describe our condition at one time or another. Even though we know we're using the term incorrectly, it can be easier to just say you have food allergies than to try to explain something like celiac to the uninitiated, especially in a world where many believe that gluten free is just a crazy fad.

But I hope this explanation helps some future reader understand the crazy stuff their body is doing.