Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Please Help, My Sister Is Pregnant And Won't Get Tested For celiac disease


tiffjake

Recommended Posts

tiffjake Enthusiast

I have celiac disease, and my paternal grandmother had it. My father has all of the symptoms, and says that he talked to his doctor about it, but he won't change his diet, because he "doesn't care". Now that attitude is rubbing off on my sister. She is 6 months pregnant, and has lost 17 pounds (not gained!). She won't get tested. She says that she doesn't get diarrhea, so she doesn't have "my stomach problems". I have begged her, and offered to pay for the dr's visit. It doesn't help that on her first visit I begged her to just bring it up to her doc, and she said that he told her "oh, don't worry about that" so that is her attitude now. She is smart, but lazy. Does anyone have an article about pregnancy and celiac, or anything I could send her or tell her to maybe get her to re-think getting tested?? I love her so much and I am so worried about her...


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



gfgypsyqueen Enthusiast

Isn't the Dr concerned that she lost weight and that much weight while pregnant? If nothing better, stop pushing the celiac angle and pursue the weight loss. Ask her to find a reason for why she lost the weight while pregnant. She has lost probably the amount she should have gained by now. Ask her to have the sonograms done now to check that the baby is growing adequatley.

I wish I had an article for you. Pregnancy can be really hard as it is. But hers sounds alarming. Probably celiacs, but you know she wont listen at this point. Prayers for baby.

Jestgar Rising Star

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

tiffjake Enthusiast
Isn't the Dr concerned that she lost weight and that much weight while pregnant? If nothing better, stop pushing the celiac angle and pursue the weight loss. Ask her to find a reason for why she lost the weight while pregnant. She has lost probably the amount she should have gained by now. Ask her to have the sonograms done now to check that the baby is growing adequatley.

I wish I had an article for you. Pregnancy can be really hard as it is. But hers sounds alarming. Probably celiacs, but you know she wont listen at this point. Prayers for baby.

She actually said the the doctor told her today that he was PROUD of her for not gaining weight, because so many women gain so much weight that they go into gest. diabetis. So no, it doesn't sound like her doc is worried, can you believe that?

She insists that her weightloss is due to her "not being hungry", but while we were on the phone she went through a drive through and ordered a "number 2 with a coke" so I know she is eating burgers and fries and stuff.

I just don't know what to do. Ug.

I will email her those article links, Thanks Jestgar.

goldyjlox Contributor

I went through both my pregnancys with Undx celiac....and my last pregnancy was scary, I almost lost my baby.

At 28 weeks I was put on bedrest b/c the baby was lying low on my cervix and I was in alot of pain, the baby had also stopped growing (later I found out this was b/c of the Celiac), I could not gain weight and I sure tried. I had numerous ultrasounds and the baby seemed fine. at 34 weeks I was refered to a OB and she said that if the baby did not grow within two weeks that she would deliver the baby (at 36 wks). At that point the baby was maybe 4 lbs if that. I went down for my appt. I ended up having highblood pressure and within 2 hours of my OB appt I was in the hospital and was induced.....scariest day of my life, the baby was not thriving inside and if left any longer could be very serious. Anyways, my son was born weighting 4 lbs 3.5 oz, he had breathing problems and was immediately placed in a incubator. I had NEVER seen a baby that small before, broke my heart in pieces. I was able to stay at the hospital with him for 3 days (he was in the Special Care Nursery) and I had to leave him there for 2 weeks....and I lived 1 hour away from the hospital and had to commute to feed him and be with him. I had a 2.5 year old at home and that is another reason I went home at night. You dont (maybe some do) how hard it was to leave my son at he hospital, he was in good hands but it was so emotional...I find it hard to write and remember how it felt. I dont wish that upon anyone.

My son is now 13 months old, he is walking and climbing and doing everything that a child his age should....he is a chubby little boy and he is the love of my life, not that I dont love my daughter the same but I went through so much with him that he melts my heart.

My daughter did the same thing actually, she stopped growing at 36 weeks but she was big enough to be born without trouble.

PLease tell your sister what can happen. Things may be good now but she still has 4 months to go, and she needs to gain weight or that baby is going to suffer and maybe have other health problems. but she could also have a healthy baby... I hope that my experience will help. Good luck.

Ursa Major Collaborator

I believe my sister has undiagnosed celiac disease (she is my only sister, we have six brothers). She had the blood test, but they told her it was negative, and she refuses to have any further testing or try the diet.

She doesn't have any children. She had one miscarriage at three months, then she had twins, but one died inside of her and the other was born prematurely as a result. That baby was poisoned by his dead sister and only lived for a week, and my sister almost died, too. Last she had a baby die inside of her at eight months. That poor baby starved to death.

I had eight miscarriages, and it was touch and go for the first five months with the other five. Of course, I didn't know anything about celiac disease then.

My sister loves children, and it broke her heart not to have any. After that last baby died, she had her tubes tied, because her doctor told her that somehow her body was unable to nourish a baby. He failed to understand that her body was also unable to nourish her properly, and that that was the cause.

Tell your sister that the baby isn't getting enough nutrition if she isn't gaining weight, and she might end up with a dead baby if she doesn't eliminate gluten. Her doctor is an absolute idiot if he congratulates her on losing rather than gaining weight! NOBODY should be losing weight while pregnant, not even women who are overweight.

Michi8 Contributor
I have celiac disease, and my paternal grandmother had it. My father has all of the symptoms, and says that he talked to his doctor about it, but he won't change his diet, because he "doesn't care". Now that attitude is rubbing off on my sister. She is 6 months pregnant, and has lost 17 pounds (not gained!). She won't get tested. She says that she doesn't get diarrhea, so she doesn't have "my stomach problems". I have begged her, and offered to pay for the dr's visit. It doesn't help that on her first visit I begged her to just bring it up to her doc, and she said that he told her "oh, don't worry about that" so that is her attitude now. She is smart, but lazy. Does anyone have an article about pregnancy and celiac, or anything I could send her or tell her to maybe get her to re-think getting tested?? I love her so much and I am so worried about her...

It's really tough to watch loved ones make decisions that you don't agree with. But I don't think that there is much more that you can do than make the information available and set an example. She will need to get to the answer about her own health through her own experience (be it positive or negative), and that is something you cannot provide.

Don't push, but offer support and guidance as she needs it...at some point she may change her mind.

Michelle


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Michi8 Contributor
NOBODY should be losing weight while pregnant, not even women who are overweight.

I don't think that this is necessarily true. Some normal, healthy women do lose weight in the first trimester through no fault of their own. Morning sickness can play a part in this. Some may simply maintain weight as they lose excess fat, but gain baby weight. Ensuring mom is on a healthy diet to support a growing baby is what is needed. Weight may fluctuate in the beginning stages without alarm, but weight loss towards the end of a pregnancy would be a bigger worry.

Michelle

Ursa Major Collaborator
I don't think that this is necessarily true. Some normal, healthy women do lose weight in the first trimester through no fault of their own. Morning sickness can play a part in this. Some may simply maintain weight as they lose excess fat, but gain baby weight. Ensuring mom is on a healthy diet to support a growing baby is what is needed. Weight may fluctuate in the beginning stages without alarm, but weight loss towards the end of a pregnancy would be a bigger worry.

Michelle

What I really meant is, that after the first three months you should certainly gain weight. To have lost 17 pounds by the sixth month of pregnancy is terrible.

almostnrn Explorer

Oh I feel your pain!! My sister has TEXTBOOK symptoms and refuses to get tested. She actually is MORE symptomatic than I am. She went into spontanious labor and delivered her first son at 26 weeks he was only 2 lbs. Then she got pregnant again...she made it to 34 weeks and he weighed 4 lbs. Her second son is now on RX formula because he can not tollerate milk or soy and STILL she will not even consider celiac for herself or her boys. Thankfully they came through early deliveries without any problems.

Sometimes no matter how obvious it is people don't want to see that there is something wrong. Especially if there is another family member who has celiac. They have seen how difficult it can be and I suppose they choose to ignore the fact that life goes back to normal eventually. Good luck to your sister, I hope the last few months go smoothly. I hope she realizes how lucky she is to have a sister that is so concerned and loves her so much!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      128,995
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Janine Davison
    Newest Member
    Janine Davison
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.1k
    • Total Posts
      71.4k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Russ H
      I developed a heart arrhythmia and on several occasions had to wear a 24 hour Holter monitor. Among other things, I had premature atrial complexes (PACs) and occasional AFib. I was very fit at the time, running and cycling. This completely disappeared following my diagnosis and following a strict gluten free diet. I haven't had a single episode since, in 4 years.
    • trents
      Testing for celiac disease, whether blood antibody testing or biopsy procedure, will likely be invalidated when the gluten consumption has been discontinued ahead of the testing or the procedure for more than a couple of weeks or so. For the person with celiac disease, the consumption of gluten results in the production of specific antibodies that can be detected in the blood because the immune system is attacking the gluten as it comes in contact with the small bowel lining. The blood testing is designed to detect these antibodies. Over time, the inflammation wears down the villi that line the small bowel. The biopsy is designed to spot this damage to the lining. When gluten consumption is discontinued, these processes cease. Antibodies begin to disappear from the blood and the villi begins to rebuild. Many people begin to experiment with the gluten free diet before they seek testing and their doctors often neglect to check for this before ordering blood tests and biopsies.  If you want to be sure that you don't have celiac disease, you would need to endure a "gluten challenge" for a period of weeks. This would consist of resuming gluten consumption in the amount of at least 10g daily (the equivalent of about 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for at least two weeks and then get retested or re-biopsied. But regardless of whether you have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) the antidote is the same: total abstinence from gluten for life.
    • Bridget connors
      I can’t remember if I had started the gluten free diet or not. 
    • trents
      Welcome to the forum @Bridget connors! When you had the blood antibody testing done and the biopsy, had you already been restricting your gluten intake for a significant period of time, say weeks or months at least?
    • Bridget connors
      Hi my name is Bridget I was newly diagnosed with non celiac gluten sensitivity but I have a very severe reaction to gluten and was wondering if anyone else has this and was told they didn’t have celiac. My brother and his son have it and I think I do as well. I have horrible burning lips that started three years ago that turned into cracks sometimes in the corners of my lips and my lips swell and turn bright red all around the edge and burn and tingle. Then I started get sores on my tongue and inside of my lips. When there’s a bad flare of if I eat any sugar or citrus it’s like I’m burning my mouth and more sores appear. I had chronic diarrhea to the point of incontience sometimes and stomach pains nausea. Migraines then came horrible leg and hand feet cramping. Then joint pain. Sleeping problems vomiting and more recently very foul smelling gas. So I stopped eating all gluten and every symptom has gone away. If I accidentally eat gluten it comes back with a vengeance and more symptoms appear each time!!! It’s crazy it’s like the gluten is poisoning my body. This last exposer my ear was killing me and the lymph node behind my ear and my throat and a big canker on the side of my tongue. Anybody with any thoughts?? I’ve had biopsies and blood tests everything comes back normal I don’t get it. 
×
×
  • Create New...