SaraKat

I too suffered from a pain on the left side of my body right under the rib cage that radiated down that side to my lower hip area. I could not figure out what it was, taking ibuprofen daily, etc. I went to my doctor, she recommended a sonogram, they did not find anything, I was concerned it was cancer. Also, I had tenderness if I touched the area directly under the rib cage. Diagnosed with gluten sensitivity in December, went gluten free the week before Christmas. The pain is completely gone. Had one incident where I ate gluten and it came back, so I assume it is related. Thank you for your post

Wow, this is exactly my story. My pain comes and goes though, even being on gluten-free diet. I probably ingested something bad and didn't realize it.

Re the pancreas- if your pancreas levels are fine according to the blood test, that can be ruled out, right? I have wondered if my left side pain is pancreas related, but a blood test was normal and my CT Scan and ultrasound showed the pancreas normal.

I've been on the fence with having kids anyway and now that I was diagnosed with celiac in Sept I am really leaning towards not having them. Anyone else?

Type I diabetes and other autoimmune diseases run in my husband's family too. 2 of his first cousin's and his sister have Type I diabetes and his sister was just dx'd with Sjogren's also. My side has MS and RA and now celiac. RA is on his side too.

Yes, I am too!

Hi- I just want to say I had unexplained enlarged axillary lymph nodes on the left side. I never thought it was celiac related, but it is interesting you mention that also. I started having underarm pain in Oct 2009 so in Jan 2010 they did an axillary U/S and there was one enlarged node at 1.5cm, then 2 months later there were 2- the 1.5cm one grew to 2.1cm and there was another that was 1.8cm. I was referred to an oncologist who didn't want to do the FNA until they were bigger. The U/S showed them having fatty centers, which is good I guess. Anyway, I had another U/S in May 2010 and they were back to normal size. I have no explanation on that whole thing, maybe it was celiac related. I was just dx with celiac Sept 2010.

I also had a few nodules on my thyroid, they were too small to biopsy and they actually went away (according to my last U/S). I had taht tightness feeling in my throat too, that prompted my ENT Dr visit. All of these were way before the celiac dx too.

Sorry you are going through all the cardiac stuff too. I hope you feel better. They say sometimes it can take a while being gluten-free to really feel a lot better.

Hi- the pain in my left side was the only symptom I really had (along with pain in the left underarm, but I still don't know if that was celiac related). It started in Oct 2009, it felt like there was something stuck in there, I had the lump feeling too. I was so convinced that there was a lump in my ribs that I had a CT Scan, chest XRAY, Ab ultraound, blood tests galore (not celiac though). Everything kept coming back normal, except my iron was very low, all my other vitamin levels were normal though. The pain on the left side never went away and a few Dr's diagnosed me with costochondritis. I had seen just about every type of Dr except a GI Dr, since I had absolutely no gut/digestive issues.

I was concerned it was spleen related also since that is where your spleen is, but mine was completely normal.

Finally in August 2010 (and about 8 Dr's later) the pain was so bad that I decided to see a rheumatologist for the costo and she told me that she was going to run some blood tests for some obscure things just to rule them out. The next day I saw her # on my caller ID and I knew something must have come back positive. Sure enough, she said I was pos for celiac. I had really never heard of celiac and thought gluten free was just a fad celebrity diet. Anyway, she told me go to a GI Dr for the endoscopy and I did and it was definitely celiac.

I started gluten-free in Sept 2010 and the left side pain has gotten better, but sometimes it comes back and it is so painful. I have it right now and I think I must have been glutened over XMAS because it usually takes a while for it to go away once it starts. 2010 for me was a terrible year and I have to say that in the few months since the diagnosis and going gluten-free I have felt a lot better. Even though the pain comes back sometimes it's not as bad as it was this past summer. I would have to unbutton my pants/skirt at work, because the pressure when sitting at my desk hurt my left ribs so bad.

I don't think GI Dr's correlate the left side pain and celiac, my Dr still doesn't think they're related. I find it way too coincidental since every other test has come back normal. The rheum said that there are a lot of nerve endings in the rib cage and it is inflammed and that could be why I am feeling pain. Also, they say that celiac can affect the bones and the rib cage is bone-who knows!

There are quite a few people on here that have the left side pain. So, you are definitely not alone. Good luck to you and let me know if you have anymore questions.

-Sara

I lost some weight too- mainly because I have not been eating as many processed foods since most of them contain gluten. I have been eating vegetables and fruit so much more than before.

I have no gut issues. The only symptom I had was joint pain in the ribcage area and I have been anemic for years with no explanation. I have been gluten-free since September and don't seem to have any other food issues- I still drink milk and eat things with corn. Good Luck!

I get pain in my left ribcage area, but it seems to happen in the days after when I think I might have been glutened. I have no stomach issues that happen right away. I know there were a few questionable meals over XMAS and I am having pain in my left side now, so I think it is a result of the XMAS glutenings. It takes a while for the pain to go away, I have to be super strict for a couple weeks for it to be gone.

I went to the CF in Palm Beach Gardens in November and asked for a gluten-free menu, the chef came over and said that they had to pull the gluten-free menu because of an incident that happened recently. He did say to tell him what I wanted to and he would make sure it was gluten-free.

I went to Koi in NYC a couple weeks ago and they told me all the white rice has gluten in it there (I guess it is in the stuff that makes the rice sticky). So, I ordered steamed Chilean sea bass with vegetables, it was good, but not the sushi I wanted.

Coincidentally I have a BDAY dinner at a sushi place tonight, I guess I will either be ordering steamed plain food or sashimi and edamame.

The only things I buy consistently that are gluten free are the Glutino pretzels, rice crackers by Blue Diamond, and a gluten-free cereal (can't think of the name). Other than that just meats and veggies and stuff that is naturally gluten-free.

Those cookies are good, but there are so many calories I try to keep that to a minimum. I am not a bread/pasta person really so I don't even miss that stuff.

Hello- I am 35 and my main symptom was pain in my left ribcage that started about 1.5 years ago. I don't have RA though, but a rheumatologist did diagnose my celiac this past September. Yes, I thought I was a hypochondriac, I was going from Dr to Dr about the left side rib pain for a year before finally getting the celiac diagnosis. I have no GI issues, just this left pain. I do take synthroid for hypothyroid, but no autoimmune thyroid.

When is your test? I don't think being off gluten for just 3 weeks would make a huge difference, but since you ate bread yesterday I would probably do a few more days of gluten and get tested next week.

Good Luck!

I had excessive ear wax my whole life until I went gluten free. I mean it was bad...kind of a bright orangey color and thick (grosses me out just thinking about it). My doctor used to have to flush it out regularly for me. Now, I don't have any come out on my q-tip unless I've eaten something I'm sensitive to. I've been told my several homeopathic doctors that excessive ear wax is another way for your body to purge toxins and is directly related to food allergies/intolerances. It my case, this was true.

Funny, it was my excessive ear wax that helped lead me to going gluten free. Years ago I read a book called "The Diet Cure," only to help my dad clear up his diet. In the book it mentioned a wheat allergy and excessive ear wax. That was my first connection with gluten intolerance for me. Shortely thereafter, I kicked wheat, and felt so amazing. I then started eating spelt bread, and it started giving me problems. Then I realized oatmeal was making me sick...it all started coming together. That's when I started doing a lot of research and found this site and learned about gluten intolerance and Celiac Disease. It wasn't long after that my doctor mentioned Celiac Disease and the whole connection came full circle. A good day in my life

Wow, that is crazy!! I have had to go to Dr's to get mine flushed out too! Actually one summer my sister and I were in FL swimming and we both had to go to a walk in clinic down there because the swimming/water in the ear made it ear wax so bad- it blocked it in even more and I could barely hear. I usually have to go every 1-2 years to have this done. I will have to notice if it goes away now that I am gluten-free. My sister is getting tested for celiac at her next appt. I hope her ear wax isn't indicative of the disease too.

Is there a connection with celiac and excessive ear wax? I have always had a lot of ear wax (gross I know) and my Dr said that I just produced more than usual. I never connected it to celiac.

My Dr told me that buying all new stuff was not necessary, so I didn't. I have been gluten-free since September and go back this month for my first follow up blood test. I have been feeling pretty good, except I think I ate some bad stuff during the holidays without realizing it because my side pain is back a little bit. I have never had an issue with my pots and pans.

My endocrinologist told me Synthroid is gluten-free. I have been on it for a while and have no issues.

Just me so far. My Dad was tested and negative and my mom and sister are going to get tested. They don't have any symptoms/other health issues though so unless it is silent celiac I am sure they are negative.

I just say thank you and then re-gift it.

I take Feosol with no problems.

I had blood test first (levels were very high) and then endoscopy to confirm.

My SED and CSR were normal at the time of diagnosis and I have had both of those tests done numerous times over the course of the year, they seemed to be popular ones with the different Dr's I went to!

How is it possible that I could be a Marsh Level III, but still have normal nutrient levels (except iron and ferritin, those are low). Calcium, Vit B and D, potassium, etc are all normal.

Thanks!

I eat Tostitos with no problems. Their website says they are gluten-free.

Does anyone know if they are gluten-free?

I find the really expensive stuff to be the processed items that are labeled gluten-free. Glutino brand is expensive. Since I have gotten my diagnosis, I have been eating so much healthier. I totally cut bread out- I wasn't a big bread person so I never by the gluten-free bread. I have had pasta twice in the last 4 months. I don't buy the processed stuff that much. I am still buying the same meats and vegetables though- just more of them since I can't have pizza one night, Chinese one night, Mexican out, etc.