after 20+ years waiting to be diagnosed....

8 months ago I suffered a powerful gallbladder attack, the next day suffered again a powerful attack...both attacks were in the morning...I went to the walk-in clinic and underwent tests ( ultrasounds and blood work) to investigate my gallbladder issues....I followed up with my family Dr. for my test results to find the was nothing wrong with my gallbladder...I went back to my life and convinced myself ALL DOCTORS WERE IDIOTS...I AM IN PAIN, I DON'T FEEL WELL, AND, I AM NOT CRAZY...SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH ME!...at this time my IBS was acting up quite a bit...my exzema (eczema) was extreme, itchy as crazy...and bloody stools were daily....bloating was limiting me to trackpants...I have been diagnosed with low vitamin d, and B 12, and have osteoarthritis....havent had a period for about a year...and suffer from joint pain...I AM CONVINCED GLUTEN IS TOXIC TO MY BODY AND MAKING ME SICK...AM I CRAZY?

[CalGal]

You're not crazy. It is possible that gluten could be the culprit. Those with celiac disease can have changes to GB functioning, typically an over-active ejection fraction.

Get off gluten and see if you feel better. If you're right, you could solve a lot of the problems you're currently facing. In the meantime, you may want to go to the Enterolab website and consider doing the gene test. It will look for the presence of either celiac genes or genes predisposing you to gluten sensitivity.

[NT77]

Absolutely not crazy. If it's gluten, and if you completely cut it out, you should feel noticeable improvements within days. Acid reflux, if you have it, completely goes away on the very first day. At least it did in my case.

Even envelope glue has gluten, and licking one induces violent coughing and burping in less then a minute for me.

[kevieb]

Don't go off gluten until you get proper celiac testing done--it will only make it difficult to get testing done in the future.   Some of your symptoms could also indicate low thyroid.  I used to get horrible chest pain that went into my back up to my neck and even made my teeth hurt--someone suggested it could be gall bladder--it turned out to be severe reflux.

ask for a total IgA serum and  Ttg IgA test for celiac, then have Free T3, Free T4, TSH (though I think this test is worthless) both thyropid antibody tests done---and Vit D, B12, ferritin, and many people suggest a complete iron panel.  You may also want to get some cortisol testing done, as low thyroid and low cortisol often go together.

I have 3 children with celiac disease and my hubby and i and 8 of my 9 children all carry one of the main celiac genes.  My twins with celiac both had reflux, after about a year of being gluten free, they both were able to go off of the prevacid.

celiac and low thyroid can both make your periods stop.  My twins cheated on their diet and they both had eating disorders--they did not even start their periods until they were 20--just before they got married.  My younger daughter follows her diet very well and has never had symptoms.