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News: Celiac Disease - Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms Latest Topics: HELP (it has been a loooong 5 years)


Scott Adams

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Scott Adams Grand Master

Hey there everybody. I was hoping to get see if anyone had any similar story to what's been going on. Sorry for the long post.

The end of 2011, I got very sick with a sinus infection that turned into pneumonia and was put on methylprednisolone. I had a horrible reaction to it. It felt like I was being stabbed all over with a needle randomly. I've got sicker and sicker since then. We always said it was a systematic thing because I would roll through alternating symptoms involving all different parts of my body. In the end of 2012, my primary Doctor ran a celiac panel and it came back with positive markers. Gliadin IgA and tTg IgA were normal. Gliadin IgG came back as 88 and tTg IgG was 113 when they both should have been under 15. The gastroenterologist said the biopsy came back normal. For the next three years things got horrible. We saw every doctor we could. I was throwing up every meal I ate between 10-30 minutes. I finally at the beginning of 2015 being at my wits end, saw a very well respected holistic Doctor who took blood and stool tests and told me I absolutely had celiac disease. I've been gluten-free for a year and a half and have been much better. I'm no longer throwing up but I'm still having pretty horrible symptoms. For insurance reasons and the fact that I'm 18 with a supposed life long disease, I would really like to have a MD diagnose it. I saw a gastroenterologist last week who says it's slightly possible the biopsy was wrong but he wants to leave it at non-celiac gluten sensitivity.  He says the markers that were positive basically indicate nothing and they don't use those. Why would I of been referred to a gastroenterologist and gone through that then? Why does the medical community even use them? So many things made sense with the celiac diagnosis but I have multiple doctors who don't was to put that label on it.  I've seen two gastroenterologists, gynecologist, two ENTs, a urologist, two allergists, a neurologist (several years). I've had every test done, so many blood tests, been in the ER, was in the hospital for 4 days. Here are some of my main symptoms over the years (only about half still remain).

SEVERE period cramps, throwing up all meals, heartburn/GERD, frequent urination, stabbing pains, ulcers, SEVERE fatigue, hives, bloating, multiple drug allergies, multiple food allergies, sleeping problems, nausea, hard time focusing, skin rashes, stomach pain after eating, migraines, sinus infections on a monthly basis, ear pain, itchy ears, dandruff, itchy skin, losing hair easily, bone pain, general malaise.

I'm 18 and am exhausted if I'm out of the house for two hours. This started when I was 13. I missed my entire high school years. I really need to get this figured out and move on with my life. Any help would be much appreciated.

 Much thanks, 

Alyssa

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    • trents
      @KRipple, thank you for the lab results from your husband's celiac disease blood antibody testing. The lab result you share would seem to be the tTG-IGA (Tissue Transglutaminase IGA) and the test result is in excess of 10x normal. This is significant as there is an increasing tendency for physicians to grant a celiac disease diagnosis on the basis of antibody testing alone when the scores on that particular test exceed 10x normal. This trend started in the UK during the COVID pandemic when there was tremendous pressure on the medical system over there and it has spread to the USA. The tTG-IGA is the centerpiece of celiac disease blood antibody testing. All this to say that some doctors would grant a celiac disease diagnosis on your husband's bloodwork alone and not feel a need to go forward with an endoscopy with biopsy. This is something you and your husband might wish to take up with his physicians. In view of his many health issues it might be wise to avoid any further damage to his small bowel lining by the continuing consumption of gluten and also to allow healing of such to progress. The lining of the small bowel is the place where essentially all of our nutrition is absorbed. This is why celiac disease when it is not addressed with a gluten free diet for many years typically results in additional health problems that are tied to nutritional deficiencies. The millions and millions of tiny finger-like projections that make up the nutrient absorbing surface of the small bowel lining are worn down by the constant inflammation from gluten consumption. In celiac disease, the immune system has been tricked into labeling gluten as an invader. As these finger-like projections are worn down, the efficiency of nutrient absorption becomes more and more compromised. We call this villous atrophy.   
    • KRipple
      Thank you so much! And sorry for not responding sooner. I've been scouring the hospital records and can find nothing other than the following results (no lab info provided): Component Transglutaminase IgA   Normal Range: 0 - 15.0 U/mL >250.0 U/mL High   We live in Olympia, WA and I will be calling University of Washington Hospital - Roosevelt in Seattle first thing tomorrow. They seem to be the most knowledgeable about complex endocrine issues like APS 2 (and perhaps the dynamics of how APS 2 and Celiacs can affect each other). His diarrhea has not abated even without eating gluten, but that could be a presentation of either Celiac's or Addison's. So complicated. We don't have a date for endoscopy yet. I will let my husband know about resuming gluten.    Again, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with me!
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      Scott makes a good point about the prednisone. It has a general suppressing effect on the immune system. Don't misunderstand me. In view of your husband's several autoimmune afflictions, it would seem to be an appropriate medication therapy but it will likely invalidate endoscopy/biopsy test results for celiac disease.
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