Mefellows

I've had Celiac-like symptoms (or allergies) all my life...colic, stomachache, hives, fatigue, brain fog, etc.

In High School, I went to my doctor and said, I have a problem with starchy foods. Could I have Hypoglycemia? He was very condescending. I always reacted very highly to scratch tests, was giving myself subcutaneous allergy shots all through my teens, prescribed Tagamet, lived on Pepto Bismol. In 1986, I had an endoscopy (but no biopsy). They found inflamation of the Duodenum, and told me to stop drinking Coke. All blood tests found me lacking many nutrients. I finally gave up on the medical community, and got by with acupuncture, raw foods (off and on), fasting and avoiding dairy. This worked okay until my husband was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. After 4 years of hospitals, taking care of babies, and working all at the same time, my contentious eating habits had gone out the window, as had my health. I had an MRI for dizziness sometime during that period. In late 2008, almost 2 years after my husband died (5+ years after his diagnosis), my mom, kids (then 14, 11 and 7) had IgG tests that came out positive for about a dozen foods in addition to gluten. Because we all tested positive to gluten and wheat, we really focused on eliminating that. It helped so much! We all still get sick often, but are not so debilitated anymore. Now that we are stronger, we are beginning to focus on cross contamination, hidden ingredients, accidents with things other people make, and beauty products in the hopes of living a more healthy life.

(My first cousin was diagnosed with Celiac recently, as was one of my late husband's first cousins. I think my kids may have it on both sides.)