Celiac Disease...help!

[verdicries]

i will be tested for celiac shortly...it is strongly suspected. do i have to fast or anything (my dr. didn't say, i didn't think to ask) for this blood test? i wouldn't think so.

i am going to go cry now...i cannot take anymore wrong with me.

[petrie86]

Tracy,

Aw sweetheart... dont cry. I dont know anything about celiac but i will be praying for you. Try to keep your head up, things will get better. And remeber i'm always here for you!!!!
Hugs
Rach

[ICNDonna]

Celiac can be a nuisance, but is usually well controlled with diet.

Hang in there!

Donna

[verdicries]

you DON'T need to fast or anything for the test; in fact it says to keep at your normal gluten ridden diet lol. i didn't think i ate a lot of gluten but i guess i do...i'm hoping the test comes back negative but i know in my heart SOMETHING is up...i can't digest or absorb food very well and i'm down to 82 lbs and bloating like no tomorrow.

[Privatepain]

Hi there! No fears...and please don't cry

I've "been there," am there, and will be there for the rest of my life. I have celiac. Luckily I have almost no intestinal damage, but my bloodwork is all out-of-whack. My GI placed me on a gluten-free diet to "test" his diagnosis and "amazingly" (sarcasm), my bloodwork went back normal, and I could digest again.

The diet can be a pain-in-the-butt when you are first learning. It can also take awhile to see results (depending on how badly your intestines are damaged). However, the diagnosis itself was a relief for me. It explained a lot of the symptoms I had been having for years, and my diet is something I have control over (and it is NOT another pill to take!!!) :woohoo:

I'm used to the diet now, and I really only miss a limited number of items. The biggie for me is REAL out-to-eat pizza! I make my own gluten-free crusts at home, but it's not the same as Dominos, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, the list goes on and on....Yummmy!

If your results come back positive or your doctor suggests you try the diet to see if it helps (you may be gluten-intolerant), you can pm me and I'll be glad to offer any help I can and suggest websites I've found helpful. Just let me know!

Blessings. -J

[verdicries]

thanks private...i test tomorrow and will let everyone know the results. i pretty much know what they'll tell me and it irritates me to no end that no one caught this sooner...i was pretty asymptomatic for a long time, and the symptoms i DID get aren't normally associated w/cd.

i've been crying a lot...i am just so frustrated.

[Privatepain]

I meant to ask... how old is your baby boy? I am a "new mother" too. Actually, my baby boy just turned one. But he is my first and last due to my health. My "miracle baby."

I totally understand you grieving over the loss of your health. It's healthy to let it out. Let me know if you need me.

Good luck tomorrow!

-J

[jen74]

Hi Tracy.
Were you ever tested for gastroparesis( slow stomach emptying) or to see if you have a motility disorder in your small bowel? What exactly are your symptoms? I had the celiac blood test and it was normal, but I still do the gluten free diet because I find it is easier to digest. The only actual way to really see if you have celiac's disease is through a small bowel biopsy. It sounds more horrible than it really is. I am not sure if you ever had an upper endoscopy, but it is just like that, and you are sedated so you dont feel anything.
What are you symptoms? Do you have alot of upper tummy bloating and feel full after eating small amounts? Or do you ever have nausea?
Jen

[verdicries]

whoa boy...my symptoms? started as diarreah, now more constipation esp after eating wheat/grain products. SEVERE bloating/gas (look pregnant) after eating such things, difficult to poop afterwards. tingling/numbness in extremities. depression, stunted growth, plaques/calcifications on brain (thought to be ms, but not...have been told celiac causes this too). i haven't been tested for bowel motility yet...doc is doing this first cause it's easiest lol. i've had endoscopies, just had one in jan or feb actually to check on my hernia. they're a piece of cake.

way more symptoms, just too overwhelmed now...

my son is 7 1/2 months old, privatepain...and he's HUGE (18 lbs). congrats on your son turning 1. my son is the cause of many of my problems (kicked up ic/celiac if i have it, pelvic organ prolapse...). there will be no more kids for me. my mother in law keeps asking and i just want to smack her. HELLO, i can barely take care of connor! grrrrrrrrr.

i'm so tired!! i think i'll go lay down. i bet our internet goes out again soon anyways (our cable provider is terrible and it keeps going out lately...was out all last nite too).

tracy

[jen74]

Hi Tracy.
Wow, it could be celiac's. Also though, I do not have actual celiac's, but I still cannot tolerate gluten, it bloats me up like you were saying. I have been on a gluten free diet for about three months now and it has helped alot, though I do still have bad issues with my stomach since I do also have the dysmotility issues as well. Good Luck and I hope you get some answers. Even if the blood test is negative for celiac's, maybe you should try gluten free for a few weeks just to see if it helps.Some people are just sensitive to gluten, not actually allergic, but can cause the same symtpoms, that is what my GI doc said.
Jen

[verdicries]

oh i forgot to mention...bad teeth even tho i am ANAL about brushing/flossing (cavities, root canals, sensitivity, stains, a lot of mouth sores).

just went for the blood test...despite how it comes back i will most likely go gluten free.

[tweety34]

Celiac and Diet

Hi:

I am a reg. dietitian. Celiac disease is treated w/diet. The diet can actually reverse the symptoms. Your other problems may get better once you treat the celiac. Since you are not absorbing nutrients your body is not getting what it needs to heal when you have celiac and you end up w/the swollen belly that you see in malnourished people. The GOOD news is diet reverses all of this!

If you do get dx with celiac and need good info. My co-worker specializes in it and I can get you alot of info. Make sure you got to an RD that specializes in this to get the most out of your counseling.

Good Luck,

Cindy

[verdicries]

thanks everyone. i should have results by wednesday. this is not a cheap diet to go on. gluten/wheat/dairy free is EXPENSIVE and we are broke...my husband is not happy. but it's either this or i kill myself with a diet i can't digest...and my life really sucks right now. i want so badly to go out and DO stuff but between my tummy and bowels and bladder...i just can't and it kills me. there's a jazz/blues festival going on near us but only a few porta potties...very spread out...should i even ATTEMPT it? i wasn't flaring for awhile but now i am...and since my tummy/bowels are so tempermental and unpredictable...*sigh*.

i really can't deal with this much longer.

[littlemyrn]

Try to go if you can, it may take your mind off your problems. I find sometimes, even if I think I can't go somewhere, if I make myself, sometimes I actually have fun.

On another note, I beginning to think I have this condition too. I get so nauseated and only eat small amounts, I am at 100 lbs. and usually weight 120, I am in size 10 little girls clothes. I also suffer from diareaha (sp) and constipation and bloating and have for many many years. Any way, I think I will ask my gp maybe about it and first get the blood test. Good luck, I hope you are better soon.

[verdicries]

blood test negative BUT

i am still sticking to the non gluten diet b/c i know a lot of tests come back negative. so dammit i am trying this out.

i am MISERABLE as my rectocele is so big i can NOT get rid of all the stool in my colon and it hurts...but gee i don't need surgery <sarcastic grin>. i am going for a defocogram (sp???) on monday to determine just how bad the prolapse is...this should be fun.

anyone who has celiac please pm or email me cause it's hard figuring out what i can eat between the ic/celiac diet...thanks.

tracy