Thank You.

[JoshuaN]

Wow. Honestly, I don't even know where to begin.

For me, finding this board has been a near revelation. Over the past few days, I've been reading relentlessly, sharing in your experiences, and marveling at how much so many of your lives mirror my own. I've been at the mercy of my body, in various ways, for the past ten years. It began with digestive issues (the bloating, the alternating D and C, the absurd gas pains) that I self-diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome. Surely, I thought at the time, it was merely a product of the stress of college applications. And besides, if it wasn't killing me, why worry?

As I got older, I became less and less able to concentrate for any protracted period of time. My nails had always exhibited both ridged tendencies and an alarming number of white flecks, which my doctor attributed to some sort of genetic predisposition. Nothing to worry about, he said. No correlation to your psoriasis. These things, too, I thought, were all unlinked. Likely just a poorly dealt genetic hand. So I continued.

Last year, though, sensing that the signs it had been showing me were insufficient, my body decided to get serious in telling me that something was -not- right. I started having panic attacks, bizarre, irrational thoughts, which then culminated in a near constant state of tension and worry. About what? I had graduated from college, had a beautiful girlfriend, and a terrific job. Nope, my shrink told me, you clearly just have anxiety. Take this zoloft, he said, and you'll be fine. Well, it worked. Sort of.

Fast forward a year, and I'm still suffering from acute intestinal disturbances, bouts of anxiety while on -vacation-, and brain fog; not to mention the skin and nail issues. I exercise regularly and only drink in moderation. I eat incredibly healthy, and have a fabulous (albiet new) girlfriend. While everyone else seems convinced that my symptoms must be entirely unrelated, I remain convinced, though slightly less so, that my conditions must have some sort of link in a physical problem. But, they tell me, you're just a hypochonriac. Looking for problems where there aren't any. You have a fabulous life; enjoy it! And I try, with middling success. Then I meet Anne.

Anne is a friend of my girlfriend, and I notice, while we're at a wedding in Mexico, that she has a special card she's trying to share with the chef, who seems vexed. "I'm a celiac" she says, "and I can't have any of these things. Comprende?" The chef and the owner confer. They seem startled by the alarming number of items on the list. "Well," they say, "we can make you fish and a salad. Is that ok?" She smirks. "Hold the dressing."

Anne returns to our table, smiling and radiant. I casually inquire about what celiac disease is, how she knew she had it, and so on. She tells me. I'm floored. All of the symptoms she cited as red flags are crushingly familiar.

So, I'm back home now, and I have an appointment on Wednesday to have a camera shoved up my backside. Splendid; but I don't think there's much of a question at this point. You all have shared something with me about yourselves that has led me down a path of self-discovery. Thank you.

A few questions, should you have the time:

1.) I didn't consume any gluten for one day (Saturday), and felt markedly better the next. So much so that I found myself laughing out loud. I then read on here that I'm supposed to keep eating it up until my test. Will one day of abstinence make a difference?

2.) What should I be on guard for? What are the best places to eat out? Which don't accomodate quite so well?

Thanks!

Joshua

[kbtoyssni]

Welcome! I'm glad you've finally found the answer to all your health problems. One day of being gluten free won't affect testing. Are you getting a biopsy done?

Eating out at nicer restaurants is easiest I think because there's a chef who can make your food specially. Some places also have gluten-free menus like PF Changs and Outback. I've been going out to eat a lot this summer and I'm always surprised at the number of places that have gluten free menus. I usually look a restaurant up online before I go and call them so I know exactly what I'm going to get.

[eKatherine]

...I didn't consume any gluten for one day (Saturday), and felt markedly better the next. So much so that I found myself laughing out loud.

My layman's opinion is that how fast you recover after becoming gluten-free is related to how much damage you have to heal from. Feeling better in a day would be a very good sign, according to my criteria. I myself felt much better in 2 days, my major symptom being joint pain.

[mamaw]

Hi & welcome

I will say this is a very smart group of people on this forum , most knowing more than any medical doctor will be able to tell you so you are in the right place.......

I will say keep eating gluten until after you are tested, What testing are you having done? there's bloodwork, endo & colonscopy, and the DNA testing. I have now had all done ........ If you don't want to put yourself through testing and you feel better without wheat & gluten the just stop but you will never know for sure what you have. Some people are just satisfied feeling better and don't care about formal results. I personally would have all my insurance will pay for.....

good luck

mamaw

[ravenwoodglass]

So, I'm back home now, and I have an appointment on Wednesday to have a camera shoved up my backside. Splendid; but I don't think there's much of a question at this point. You all have shared something with me about yourselves that has led me down a path of self-discovery. Thank you.

A few questions, should you have the time:

1.) I didn't consume any gluten for one day (Saturday), and felt markedly better the next. So much so that I found myself laughing out loud. I then read on here that I'm supposed to keep eating it up until my test. Will one day of abstinence make a difference?

2.) What should I be on guard for? What are the best places to eat out? Which don't accomodate quite so well?

Thanks!

Joshua

That one day certainly in this case won't make a difference mainly because, and I hate to break this to you, but a camera up the butt isn't going to find celiac. You would need an endoscopy where they go in from the other end. And if the endo comes out negative go gluten free for a while anyway. Make sure the doctor does a complete celiac panel and that they check your folate, iron and B12 levels as well. There are many of us who suffer for years because the tests are negative. Blood and endo can confirm a diagnosis of celiac but they can not tell you for certain that you don't have it. There are tests done for fecal antibodies that are more reliable and also genetic testing that can be done, check out Enterolab on the web, but the truest test is your response to the gluten free diet.