Celiac Disease/Gluten Intolerance Info

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I was curious if any of you had been diagnosed with Celiac Disease or

Gluten Intolerance? I started seeing a new doctor back in October

(due to finally being approved for Medicare!) and she ran all sorts

of blood work on me. Most of my tests were pretty normal but a few

showed evidence that I probably have Celiac Disease or am at least

Gluten Intolerant. I wasn't tested specifically for the disease but

I had a high ANA and a very high IgG antibody test. I know that other

things can cause these readings but I feel sure that I have it.

I quit eating all wheat (a long learning process as it is in

everything! - had to get a new toaster!) and soon felt much better.

I had been diagnosed with IBD a few years before I was dx with hep-c

in 2002 and had been having loose stools for the last few years.

Earlier this year, I was having horrible problems with bloating after

eating and was taking digestive enzymes to help with that. But

nothing made it go away - my pants were tight but I was losing

weight - I thought that I had ovarian cancer or lymphoma. I thought

that I had been eating healthy - mostly Whole Foods stuff - lots of

fruits and veggies, lean meats - and lots of whole grains, as all of

the books tell you to eat.......

It's been a few months since I quit eating wheat and I feel so much

better. No more IBD or stomach bloating!

Since my testing, I have researched gluten intolerance and celiac

disease and have learned how it is linked to so many other disorders -

auto-immune disorders, like RA, osteoporosis, anemia and just about

everything. It also affects the liver big time and can cause

elevated ALT/AST as well as other readings and problems.

Here are some interesting and informative links on Celiac and Gluten

Intolerance. BTW, none of my doctors ever mentioned the possibility

of having this disorder. One doctor came close when he suggested

that I might be lactose intolerant. I've since read that it takes

the average person 9-11 years to be correctly diagnosed:

" Until recently, celiac disease was thought to be uncommon in the

United States. However, studies have shown that celiac disease is

very common. Recent findings estimate about 2 million people in the

United States have celiac disease, or about 1 in 133 people. Among

people who have a first-degree relative diagnosed with celiac

disease, as many as 1 in 22 people may have the disease. "

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/

" People with celiac disease tend to have other autoimmune diseases as

well, including: "

Dermatitis herpetiformis.

Thyroid disease.

Systemic lupus erythematosus.

Type 1 diabetes.

Liver disease.

Collagen vascular disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis.

Sjogren's syndrome.

http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/956622658.html

" Celiac disease in patients with severe liver disease: gluten-free

diet may reverse hepatic failure. "

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11910339

" Gluten May Trigger Liver Failure Related to Celiac Disease "

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/431589

Misc articles:

http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/atriskpopulation

http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/showthread.php?t=25298

http://www.celiac.com/categories/Celiac-Disease-Research:-Associated-

Diseases-and-Disorders/Liver-Disease-and-Celiac-Disease/

There's much more info out there! I hope this info might help some

of you. I know that it's helped me more than anything that I've done

in years and I'm looking forward to my next blood work to see how

going gluten free has affected my LFT's.

Good luck!

M