Celiac Disease/Gluten Intolerance - Celiac Disease Message Board

jen52983 · 08-29-2006, 11:58 AM

It's been a little over 3 years now since I've been diagnosed with a Gluten Intolerance. I was just browesing around the site and was curious to see if anyone else has this, has never heard of it, has heard of it but doesnt know what it is...

If anyone out there is suffering from seemingly common things but can't quite figure out the cause.. ask your doctor about Celiac and/or an allergy to Gluten.

Syptoms that I had were:
constant headaches
lack of energy
cramps/pains in lower abdomen
pale face
unable to concentrate/focus
constantly tired
disinterested/disconnected
digestive problems: constipation/diaherra (spelling?!!?)
Depression
Feeling "full" but still hungry

There are a whole variety of symptoms that people experience that seem like minor things, like maybe you're just having a bad day. Some people experience worse and more easily detected side effects. But for those of us who "just don't feel right" it's not that easy.

Just wanted to put this out there since it is something that not alot of people know about!

Celina Lane · 09-01-2006, 02:31 AM

Hi, I live in NZ and first started having diarrhoea probs in my early 20's, about 45 years ago. For the first 5 years doctors told me I had IBS, then circumstances led me to a Medical Herbalist who told me about gluten and put me onto a GF diet, and I improved a bit. It still took years for me to figure out by myself what else I was sensitive to and finally I have been symptom free for the last 2 years - yay! The other things I can have, cows milk and vegetable gums took me a while to work out but improvement came quick once I stopped eating them. It still took another year of being on a very bland diet before I could tolerate eating other normal non-gluten foods such as tomatoes, pumpkin, spinach, bananas etc. I think until my damaged system had completely healed it couldnt digest other foods. The damage for me occurs 10-20 mins after eating, therefore not in my bowel, and the 'food' is in the same condition when it leaves my stomach as when it leaves my body. But I have not had any symptoms for the last 2 years, what a relief, my life has got back on track and my overall health has improved so much. I hope to be an inspiration to other people.

Kathp · 09-12-2006, 05:34 AM

I too am a diagnosed Coeliac and had all the symptoms you listed and more to boot (mouth ulcers, swollen tongue, skin problems)! I was utterly miserable for years. I underwent test, after test, after test and they couldn't find anything wrong with me. I knew there had to be something, but the Coeliac anti-body test was performed as an 'after thought', a 'last resort' by which time I was in hospital on a drip, losing weight at an alarming rate, covered in mouth ulcers and malnourished. Finally, after an endoscopy and biopsy, I had my diagnosis confirmed! I have been on a strict gluten free diet ever since and my symptoms are all but gone!

The gluten free diet thing can be a big pain (especially as I too have a severe wheat allergy, which requires strictness to the extreme) but it is absolutely worth it to actually feel well and healthy for the first time, in my life! This is an under-recognised condition, which even my own doctor had no real knowledge or understanding of and therefore, will not be routinely tested for on bloodwork. I would encourage anybody with symptoms to request Coeliac testing - knowing how to manage my symptoms successfully has given me back my quality of life.