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Gluten-Free And It Helps. I Think.

Squidge

How long Gluten-free before you felt better?  

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Squidge
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When I was born, the doctors told my parents I had "failure to thrive". I was tentatively diagnosed with ADHD when I was 4, and this was confirmed in 1st grade. I was perfectly fine, on ADHD meds, until 8th grade, when puberty, clinical depression, and digestive problems hit. My doctor first diagnosed the digestive issues as IBS, as this is apparently common in adolescents going through puberty. However, unlike the digestive problems of the other adolescents who actually had IBS, mine didn't go away. They got worse. So did my periods and PMS. Seven years later I finally went back to the doctor about this. For the last six months I've been poked and prodded being tested for all sorts of things, from hemorrhoids to Crone's disease. They finally tested me for Celiac's. I'd like to point out that not all my symptoms fit Crone's or hemorrhoids, but they all fit Celiac's. I'm rather upset given my history that my mother actually had to tell my doctor to test for Celiac's. He'd already given up. Anyway, the blood tests came back negative, but I heard the this is actually quite common even among people who have Celiac's. Out of desperation, I went gluten-free and for the first couple weeks I felt much better. Then I got my period, and all hell broke loose again. Now that my period is over, I'm feeling better again. I also accidentally ate gluten 3 times since I went gluten-free and each time I had pains and the 3rd time worse than pains. How long should I go before I talk to my doctor about my little gluten-free experiment? I mean I've had good periods before with a few bad days sprinkled in, and they usually happened with the period suddenly causing havoc. How long before I can say the gluten did it? I want to get an actual diagnosis, because I have to try and get accommodations at school for the food, and they'll give me a hard time if I don't have a diagnosis. When should I go to my doctor, and what should I say?

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