Wheat Allergy Symptoms (Celiac Disease)

[din209]

When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (a simple blood test is used - and if positive, an endoscopy which is the 'golden standard' might be done to scope the small intestine - all painless!), I learned that the symptoms of this disease are quite similar to many other diseases which contributes to most diagnoses taking so long!
My symptoms included, bouts of diarrhea, leg cramps, no weight gain, etc. After 3 days of being gluten free (the element of wheat and barley causing the reaction) all symptoms were gone!
Moral of the Story: Listen to what your body is saying and have a dialogue with your Dr. and if unsatisfied, see a specialist! I also found out that if you already have an autoimmune disease, the odds go up for others to show up as well. In my case I am a Type 1 diabetic .... Knowledge and awareness are essential to continued good health! ...

[FurballsMom]

I know what you mean about listening to your body.  A person doesn't even have to have chronic diarrhea to have Celiac Disease either.  I had the opposite problem because of gluten allergies.

I just learned something very interesting about Celiac Disease that I didn't know about 'til just a few days ago.  I had had a lot of severe eczema on the heels of my hands over the years, in spite of my best efforts to use the hypoallergenic and fragrance-free products of all sorts.  My doctor told me that eczema is actually one of the symptoms of Celiac Disease.  She mentioned this, because I had told her that I hadn't had a severe outbreak on my hands since I stopped eating gluten and dairy products.  When I say severe, I mean that I used to have it quite severely.  The eczema would start out as a solid blister about the size of a quarter and swollen like you wouldn't believe.  Of course, the blisters would always break, eventhough I tried to be very careful.  I had some outbreaks that would take nearly a whole year to heal.

Because I stopped eating these foods, the severity of my menstrual symptoms calmed down, too.  I don't get the serious Dysmenorhea anymore.

I am no longer pre-diabetic.  I lost a lot of weight.  My total cholesterol is down to normal.  My triglycerides are down to normal.  I just need to work on balancing out the LDL and the HDL cholesterol levels, which I am doing with diet and supplements.  Fish oil is great for this.  I am using red yeast rice, too, but at half the amount that it says to on the bottle, because that's how much the naturopath told me to take.

I'll never test positive for the Sprue antibodies because I don't eat gluten.  But, Celiac is often genetic.  My brother had my nephew tested when I told him that I had Celiac, even though I didn't test positive for it.  My nephew found out that he has Celiac because I opened my mouth and said something to my brother about it being genetic.  And, we know Celiac didn't come from his mother's side of the family.  So, we know that whether officially diagnosed or not that I was definitely right about having Celiac myself.

[TrudieC]

Something to remember that if you change your diet to eliminate gluten before you have the test you will test negative.

[Dian58]

I'm allergic to wheat, rye, oats, barley and corn and have been for over 30 years but I don't have Celiac disease.  My allergist and gastro doctor consulted with each other and told me that Celiac is wheat intolerance and not true allergy.  I, on the other hand, have true allergy.  I've never had to avoid gluten and it doesn't bother me.  I can also eat foods made with bleached flour, bread, cakes, cookies, etc.  The processing removes whatever is in the wheat that I'm allergic to.

[PlateletGal]

"My allergist and gastro doctor consulted with each other and told me that Celiac is wheat intolerance and not true allergy."

That is true. I wanted to also mention that you can have a gluten intolerance and NOT have Celiac disease. This is what is often seen in many chronically ill people who have autism, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Sjogren's Syndrome and other autoimmune conditions. We tend to do better on a gluten free diet. I had symptoms of Celiac disease, but did not have Celiac disease. I was told by an Immunologist (has a Ph.D. and his son has Celiac disease)... that you can have gluten intolerance without having Celiac disease.