meremortal

I have had your symptoms!! I know what you have been going through, everyone thought I was crazty too, even my husband....

I am 39 and have been having weird symptoms, for about a year now--bloating, and either constipated or on the toilet all day, fatigue, mental fog, dizziness. Usually my stomach is what bloats, but on occasion it was everything, legs, arms, and stomach, even my a$$ swelled. This would sometimes be accompinied by painfull sides...the side of my neck, arms, torso, legs...very tender to the touch.

My doctor was unable to find anything wrong with me, or should I say, he did not try too hard...he heard some of my symptoms and thought it was my thyroid levels. Even though the tests came back normal he increased the dosage of my Levothroid. which did not help at all. I went back a few times, he did a few other tests, checked me for Chronic fatigue, and a few other things, did an abdominal ultra sound, them just gave up. Even when I told him I thought it was a gluten intolerence, he wasn't interested in testing me for it. On my own I tried eliminating gluten, and it seems to have really helped. I still have some some symptoms, and I am in the processs of finding out what else I am having problems with....I plan on trying to eliminate yeast next, and thanks to the posts I have been reading, I will also try eliminating sugar.

Hope it helps to hear you are not alone,

~Sue

Hello everyone,

I'm so terribly desperate--Ii'm a 21 year old college girl and these symptoms are ruining my life. I don't mean to be melodramatic, but please tell me if you've ever had any of these symptoms.

My legs swell all the time, every day, this is the WORST of my symptoms, and I mean so swollen that often my pants won't fit. It is SO embarrassing. It's like my body inflates and I've been to so many doctors trying to figure out why. No one ever gives me the same answer twice and nothing has improved this.

I also can't go to the bathroom like a normal person AT ALL. I eat a healthy diet that includes lots of whole grains, fiber-rich foods (whole wheat breads, whole wheat tortillas, whole wheat cereals) along with fruits, veggies etc. but I never have a bowel movement (sorry for being gross) on a regular basis. I'm either constipated, terribly, for days, and then sometimes, out of nowhere, I'll have just an attack of diarrhea.

I get lots of exercise, and drink lots of water, so I SHOULD be able to go to the bathroom like normal.

After lots of research on my own, I found celiac disease online, so I thought I'd check it out further.

I practiced a gluten-free diet for two weeks and believe me, I checked ALL the labels, called companies, (and I was STRICT, no sharing toasters, nothing with oats, barley, rye, and of course, wheat, at all) and I didn't have the same kind of swelling. I really did my research on what I couldn't eat. But I was still constipated, so I really don't know what to think.

Today, I decided to eat wheat again to see what would happen. I ate three pieces of plain, whole wheat bread, and my legs are swollen stiff and my face feels puffy, my head feels cloudy and I'm dizzy and have a headache.

It is so embarrassing, and my parents, and doctors think I'm insane. I can't keep having my legs swell on me like this.

Has anyone else had this leg swelling as a primary reaction? I have other symptoms that are listed on various celiac sites, but the swelling (or water retention?) and not going to the bathroom are the worst!

Thanks for anything you can tell me. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

-Bridget