Celiac disease

[Cherry Blossom 35]

Does anyone know anything about it?

 

I've read some stuff on Medicine.net and the NIH website but I wondered if anyone has any personal experience or knowledge.

[quankanne]

one of my co-workers was hospitalized because of an undiagnosed case, and this woman – who is tiny – lost a lot of weight she couldn't afford to lose. However, once they figured out it was a food allergy and they knew how to proceed, she said things got much better. That she's had to learn how to eat again, because all the stuff she normally took for granted (like a quick sandwich) was stuff that was contributing to the problem. Same thing with learning how to read labels for "secret" ingredients that would trigger a reaction, but the upshot was, she was feeling better in her life than she ever did because there was no low-grade headaches or stomachaches, etc.

 

this was several years ago, and she seems to be doing really well now that she has a game plan.

 

have you or someone close to you been recently diagnosed?

[Cherry Blossom 35]

I'm going to a gastrointestinal M.D. later this week. I've had a lot of problems that could be attributed to several conditions, including Celiac, diverticulitis, or even Giarda (parasite-eww).

 

I have several of the symptoms, and I also have a couple of conditions that seem like they would not be related to a digestive illness, but they actually are. I guess a lot of people go to the doc with issues and they get told that they have IBS. After suffering for months or years, they are finally diagnosed correctly.

 

I want an answer to what is ailing me

[Star Gazer]

What is ailing you, Cherry?

[Katherineos123]

My friend was told she had IBS but she was actually just lactose-intolerant...

 

have you already ruled that out?

[Cherry Blossom 35]

I thought it might be lacotose intolerance at first because I started noticing gastro distress when I drink milk or cream in my coffee. But there are other diary products that don't bother me as much so I'm not sure.

 

Problems I've been having over the last few months:

 

1. Dull, pulsating, intermittent pain in lower right side. Had a sonogram showed nothing. Doc said it could be things not easily seen with ultrasound.

 

2. Bloating, cramping

 

3. Nasea after eating

 

4. Some other more distasteful symptoms that I'm REALLY anxious to clear up

 

Why it could be

 

1. Giardia: Two trips to Central America over fall/winter. (Bad water)

 

2. Diverticulitis: The localized pain in lower right quadrant of abdomen

 

3. Celiac: General symptoms+ distress soon after eating.

 

What I found interesting when reading about Celiac is that there are some conditions that seem unrelated that help form a constellation of symptoms that have been attributed to this disease. There three chronic medical conditions associated with it that I suffer from. All three are controlled with medication. None seem related to the others. Two of these conditions are quite common but the third one is not.

[Meaplus3]

From what I understand Celiac also known as Celiac spur.. is a sensitivity to wheat products. I myself had a test for this when I was having some gastro issues.. I don't have it. A simple blood test can detect it. If your worried ask your primary care doc to test you. I was told it's pretty rare.

 

Mea:)

[Cherry Blossom 35]

I hope I don't have it, because I would be sad without pizza and beer

[quankanne]

well, hon, I'm hoping it's not diverticulitis, because that problem is a real bxtch, from what my sister & uncle have told me. Can't eat anything with seeds or nuts because they inflame the lining of the intestines, and it really compromises your system when it takes you down.

 

Celiac you can modify your diet with more easily, from what it sounds ... though I'm with you in the beer and pizza thing.

[Katherineos123]

This all sounds eerily similar to what my roommate went through. She could eat certain dairy products and become sick, but then other products, she would feel fine. Her doc's told her she was not lactose intolerant, that she had IBS. So, she continued to eat dairy, and take her medicine, and she was still getting sick.

 

She decided to see if she felt better by taking out all the lactose from her diet, and she has been virtually symptom free ever since.

 

See, the reason why she *and possibly you* was able to eat certain dairy products and not others is a result of how the dairy is produced and aged. Lactose is an enzyme, and if any given dairy product, mostly cheese products, is aged over 10 months, the lactose in the milk breaks down.... and if there is no lactose... there is nothing to be intolerant of

 

I know she can eat certain brands because of the way it is aged. Like a manufacturer in the US called Cabot makes DELICIOUS cheeses! And they are ALL lactose free! She can also use things like Parmesan cheese and goat cheese, both of which contain no lactose.

 

Maybe before you run the gauntlet of all these tests, you could try and eliminate all the lactose out of your diet for a few weeks and see if your symptoms subside??....

 

Most food labels will state whether or not they contain lactose.

[Cherry Blossom 35]

Interesting, Katherine. I would never have thought of that. Thank you for that insight.

 

I think this may end up to be a trial and error. thing. And who knows if it is just one malady? Could be a couple of different things working here.

 

*sigh*

 

Everyone in my family is very healthy, and I was also very healthy growing up. I never got sick, was very athletic. Since my 20's it's been one strange thing after another.

[quankanne]

someone once told me that your body completely renews itself in seven years, that's how long it takes for each and every cell to have regenerated completely ... and I believe it. I never had allergy problems growing up, even though my older sibs have serious problems, but after I moved up to this end of the state, it seems like I suddenly developed an allergic reaction to my cats (and dust and cigarette smoke). Not unusual in and of itself, but because I'd never had those problems before, it seemed a bit freaky.

 

it's not so bad that I'm on daily meds, and I have to mentally shake myself when I start itching or my eyes start stinging and I don't know why!

 

and I imagine it just goes downhill from there even if you ARE careful, simply because your body's immune system has changed

[sunshinegirl]

A girfriend of mine has had similar symptoms and just had a second colonoscopy. Docs think it could be Crohn's. Have your docs ruled that out?

[climbergirl]

From what I understand Celiac also known as Celiac spur.. is a sensitivity to wheat products. I myself had a test for this when I was having some gastro issues.. I don't have it. A simple blood test can detect it. If your worried ask your primary care doc to test you. I was told it's pretty rare.

 

Mea:)

 

Very true. A blood test should show if it's a malabsorption syndrome.

 

With diverticulitis, you should be exhibiting symptoms alternating between diarrhea and constipation, but more common is constipation and LLQ pain. Untreated, will develop into diverticulosis, which will cause a fever.

 

Does changing your diet help in any way? Mea's suggestion of eliminating wheat for a few days should help you discern if it's celiac and increasing fiber should help with diverticulitis.

[Cherry Blossom 35]

Well, I have been tinkering with my diet for the last week or so. One time I ate wheat bread and wheat crackers to see what would happen. I felt awful. But a couple of days later, I had a wheat english muffin for breakfast and felt fine.

 

So...I was at work last week and one of my co-workers asked me what was wrong. She said, you don't look well. I told her that I hadn't been feeling well for quite some time, and then I described my symptoms. She said that the same thing happened to her after she started taking this one medication. She then said that she stopped drinking diet soda and eating anything with fake sugars, because the fake sugar interacted with the meds. I asked her what she was taking, and it turns out that her drug is in the same class of drugs that I'm taking.

 

So sure enough, I stopped drinking diet soda (which previously I had been drinking throughout the day), and I'm already feeling better. Aspartame, Splenda, nutrasweet- all of those cause problems and they are in a LOT of foods. I also found out that the fake sugars COUNTERACT the medicine I'm taking.

 

Very illuminating! Thank God she asked me what was wrong! I never would have connected it to diet soda.

 

I will continue this little experiment and take note of any further pain or discomfort I have while abstaining from aspartame.

 

So if anyone is on SSRI's for depression, don't eat fake sugar! Crap's bad for you anyway. Makes you crave carbs and alters your brain chemistry.

[quankanne]

that is incredible ... i'd have never thought to look in that direction, but it makes sense. Good instinct, kiddo!

[josie54]

I think fake sugars are much more dangerous than people think. I used Splenda for a short time--put packets in my oatmeal, tea, etc.--and one morning after a day where I'd had about six packets of Splenda, I tried to get out of bed....and couldn't. I was so dizzy, the room was spinning.

 

I waited for it to pass, and it didn't. I finally had to go downstairs scooting on all fours to get to the kitchen and eat a piece of bread. In about 10 minutes, I could stand again.

 

I didn't make the connection then, but I was scared to death. About a week later, I also had more Splenda than usual, and the next morning, same thing. So dizzy I couldn't walk. That time I did make the connection, and I haven't had a packet of the stuff since then.

 

My fiance's mother drinks a 2-liter of diet soda or more every day and uses Splenda in every baked good she makes. She has so many health problems (diabetes, joint pain, obesity). I don't know if the fake sugars are the cause of her health problems, but I'm 100% sure they're making her problems that much worse.

 

Artificial sweeteners are not a good thing.

 

Doctors are trained, but they are sometimes just as in the dark as we are about our conditions. We often have to find out the cause of our problems ourselves, unfortunately, because we'll be able to make connections that doctors would automatically dismiss. I'm glad you found the possible cause of your problem!

[Meaplus3]

Very true. A blood test should show if it's a malabsorption syndrome.

 

With diverticulitis, you should be exhibiting symptoms alternating between diarrhea and constipation, but more common is constipation and LLQ pain. Untreated, will develop into diverticulosis, which will cause a fever.

 

Does changing your diet help in any way? Mea's suggestion of eliminating wheat for a few days should help you discern if it's celiac and increasing fiber should help with diverticulitis.

 

If it happens to be Diverticulitis it's nothing to mess with. A colonoscopy can tell for sure. If Diverticulitis flares up, you may need an antibiotic. Infection can be serious. I know this because my aunt and mom both suffer from Diverticulitis.. it's not fun. I'd get tested for celiac first.

 

Mea:)

[EllieBean]

I have celiac - it isn't the end of the world. The recipes and advice on http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/ are good if you end up going gluten free.

 

I didn't have any symptoms at all (the doctor said I'm asymptomatic) - usually people with celiac lose weight and have tummy aches and nausea and anaemia, but I just had regular IBS symptoms and no obvious celiac symptoms - the celiac came up on a random blood test. That's the annoying part, cos if I ate pizza or something I wouldn't even feel ill, but it would still do intestinal damage.

 

If they think you have celiac they'll probably start with a blood test, and may do an intestinal biopsy to confirm the results. The only treatment is to stop eating gluten, which isn't as bad as it sounds - I easily maintain a weight of 120 pounds simply because I'm not allowed to eat all the things that make you fat (cake, pizza, etc).

[Cherry Blossom 35]

I think fake sugars are much more dangerous than people think. I used Splenda for a short time--put packets in my oatmeal, tea, etc.--and one morning after a day where I'd had about six packets of Splenda, I tried to get out of bed....and couldn't. I was so dizzy, the room was spinning.

 

I waited for it to pass, and it didn't. I finally had to go downstairs scooting on all fours to get to the kitchen and eat a piece of bread. In about 10 minutes, I could stand again.

 

I didn't make the connection then, but I was scared to death. About a week later, I also had more Splenda than usual, and the next morning, same thing. So dizzy I couldn't walk. That time I did make the connection, and I haven't had a packet of the stuff since then.

 

My fiance's mother drinks a 2-liter of diet soda or more every day and uses Splenda in every baked good she makes. She has so many health problems (diabetes, joint pain, obesity). I don't know if the fake sugars are the cause of her health problems, but I'm 100% sure they're making her problems that much worse.

 

Artificial sweeteners are not a good thing.

 

Doctors are trained, but they are sometimes just as in the dark as we are about our conditions. We often have to find out the cause of our problems ourselves, unfortunately, because we'll be able to make connections that doctors would automatically dismiss. I'm glad you found the possible cause of your problem!

 

 

I totally agree with you.

 

I'm continuing my experiment. Writing down what I eat and drink, staying away from all artificial sweeteners. I must tell you, I already feel better, and it's not just the digestive issues. Usually I feel sort of out of it at work, and I'm tired a lot. I've been feeling a lot more alert. I usually get home after work or the gym and I have NO energy left at all. Today I came home and was able to get some things done around the house that I've been putting off for a while.

 

The only negative is that I've had sort of a continuous headache since Friday, due to caffeine withdrawal.

 

I drank decaf coffee today with just milk, no Splenda, and I felt fine. All this time I thought I had a lactose intolerance because coffee with milk and Splenda made me feel sick.

 

Wow, I sort of can't believe this. I have felt so crappy for so long, in many ways, and I'm feeling better. I'm also changing my diet- heavy on veggies, chicken, beans, legumes. I'm drastically cutting down on carbs- only good carbs like apples or whole grain bread. No more processed crap. I've been doing that pretty strictly for about a week and I know that is helping also. Im not craving carbs like I usually do.

 

Thanks for your input!

[Cherry Blossom 35]

that is incredible ... i'd have never thought to look in that direction, but it makes sense. Good instinct, kiddo!

 

Thanks, Quankanne :) for all your help.

[Cherry Blossom 35]

If it happens to be Diverticulitis it's nothing to mess with. A colonoscopy can tell for sure. If Diverticulitis flares up, you may need an antibiotic. Infection can be serious. I know this because my aunt and mom both suffer from Diverticulitis.. it's not fun. I'd get tested for celiac first.

 

Mea:)

 

Although I have been feeling a lot better since cutting out diet coke and artificial sweeteners, I still have this low grade pain in a very specific area. I know I can't ignore that. I'm going to give it another week, and if it is still there, get it checked out. I already had ultrasound on the area, but some things can't be detected that way.

[Cherry Blossom 35]

I have celiac - it isn't the end of the world. The recipes and advice on http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/ are good if you end up going gluten free.

 

I didn't have any symptoms at all (the doctor said I'm asymptomatic) - usually people with celiac lose weight and have tummy aches and nausea and anaemia, but I just had regular IBS symptoms and no obvious celiac symptoms - the celiac came up on a random blood test. That's the annoying part, cos if I ate pizza or something I wouldn't even feel ill, but it would still do intestinal damage.

 

If they think you have celiac they'll probably start with a blood test, and may do an intestinal biopsy to confirm the results. The only treatment is to stop eating gluten, which isn't as bad as it sounds - I easily maintain a weight of 120 pounds simply because I'm not allowed to eat all the things that make you fat (cake, pizza, etc).

 

Yeah, it is a good idea to get a test because some people don't have a lot of symptoms.

 

I would miss pizza and beer, but I sure wouldn't mind losing a few pounds!

[Meaplus3]

Although I have been feeling a lot better since cutting out diet coke and artificial sweeteners, I still have this low grade pain in a very specific area. I know I can't ignore that. I'm going to give it another week, and if it is still there, get it checked out. I already had ultrasound on the area, but some things can't be detected that way.

 

 

Is the pain in the lower left side of your abdomen? Do you have cramping? From what I know of my mother, when she had her attacks of diverticulitis.. it was lower left side. Things that can aggrevate it are anything with seeds or nuts because they get caught in the pockets. Now I am only basing this info on what I know from Mom. I'm in no way a trained medical person. I think your doing the right thing by getting this checked out by your doc. Good luck.

 

Mea:)

[Cherry Blossom 35]

Thanks, MeaPlus. It originates from the lower right side. You're right, diverticulitis is usually the left side, but it can be the right too, although it is not very common.