Aching pain for over a year now! Help!!!

[helpme3456]

Hello! I am a 19 year old female and I feel like I am falling apart. I was diagnosed with celiac about a year ago and have been completely off of gluten. I have also developed allergies to dairy, eggs and soy. However, I feel as though I am not feeling better at all. Basically the main symptoms that have been bothering me for over 2 years are overwhelming fatigue all of the time. Especially after meals and in the afternoon. My head always feels foggy and I can't concentrate on things and lately my memory has gotten bad which is scary. I have an awful pain in my upper abdomen that radiates up my back. This can be very intense but dull and it hasn't stopped hurting in 4 days now. I am severely bloated, constipated and my tummy just feels inflamed and angry. Some other strange symptoms are I am thirsty all of the time and I get headaches in the from of my head that feel like dehydration but I drink a lot everyday. I get awful back pain during my period. I also have had a strange, dull texture to my fingernails for 7 years now. Earlier this year during another flare up they thought it could be a kidney infection. I was feeling really awful and had a fever and chills. The antibiotics seemed to help but one of my main symptoms at that time was the upper abdominal pain. I am very healthy when it comes to eating so it is very frustrating that I feel so sick all of the time. I am also slightly anemic but taking the iron prescribed to me makes me feel incredibly constipated and sick. Please let me know if you have any idea what this might be!! I am desperate as it is really impacting my quality of life :( Thank you!

[RosieBlue3yes]

not all foods that are gluten free are actually 100% gluten free, especially when your eating out.  Your best bet is to start eating a more natural diet like the above post suggested, even certain grains of rice are easier to digest.  
There are medications you can take if the all natural approach is hard for you.
As for your nails and other issues, the main problem with celiac disease is the damage done prevents you from absorbing nutrients properly.  Your nails is most likely from the anemia and the headaches could be lack of riboflavin (vitamin b2) or just general stress from feeling so crumby.  Get your self some good vitamins, prescribed liquid vitamins are best for digestive diseases.  
Try eating smaller portions more often with a lot of fiber rich fruit and vegetables, and eat SLOWLY.

[cnoevl21]

I can help on the celiac side of things, not so much on the other stuff. As far as celiac goes, how long were you sick before being diagnosed? Unfortunately what celiac does, is pretty much destroy the lining of your intestines and wreak havoc on your entire digestive system. What this does is make it hard for your body to absorb the nutrients from your food. This is probably why you are tired all the time.
Now its time for the crazy stuff. Just eating gluten free food isnt enough. If you still live with ppl that eat regular food, you pretty much cant share the same plates, bowls, utensils, etc. Gluten does not get washed away in a dishwasher. So if you are using the same stuff as other in your home, you may be getting cross contamination, which may be why you are not getting better eating gluten free. Some other keys: if you eat out...stop. Even if its a gluten free menu, the chances of eating out and not have any cross contamination issues is not very good. Ppl with a gluten intolerance can get away with it, but if you have full blown celiac, your best bet is to do the cooking yourself. In fact, if you share a kitchen, make one side of it completely gluten free. Whats crazy is that if someone is say, making a regular cake and you walk into the kitchen, flour particles are in the air and you could breathe them in, and BAM cross contamination.
I'd also suggest only eating things that specifically say they are gluten free. You may read ingredients and not see any signs of gluten, but ingredients like 'natural flavoring' 'artificial flavoring' and other such common ingredients could all have gluten in them. So unless it says GF on the package, stay away.
If you don't take probiotics, you most definitely should. Your digestive system needs to heal and unfortunately that can take some time, and every time you do anything to irritate your gut, its a set back to achieving that healthy digestive system.
I've been told that cinnamon can help a lot and to sprinkle it on pretty much everything you eat. Try to eat a lot of whole foods, raw foods, and lessen the processed stuff. Unfortunately, gluten free packaged foods (not foods naturally gf) are highly processed. And while they may not have gluten in them, they have other ingredients that can do damage to your gut. Things like corn and soy can be an irritant. If you can avoid them, on top of your other allergies, i would. I know corn is hard to lose, so just try to cut back, but soy needs to go.
Try setting up well balanced meals with healthy snacks in between. When you buy meats, make sure they are antibiotics free. Raised without hormones, etc. And unless you have an actual bacterial infection, dont take antibiotics. Doctors will prescribe them for everything. But if what you have is, say a virus, those antibiotics wont do ****. the down side is that when you take them they kill all the good bacteria in your body as well as the bad. Your digestive system is a well balanced machine where the good bacteria keep the bad bacteria in check. when you take antibiotics you kill that good bacteria too, and the balance becomes out of whack. This can cause even more stomach issues like candida overgrowth, diarrhea, constipation, etc. So trust me, unless you specifically have a bacterial infection, avoid the antibiotics. If however you do have a bacterial infection, then make sure to load up on pre and probiotics along side the anti.
Lastly, id check your area and see if there is a facility that specifically deals with celiac. There has been one in my area (north jersey) for years and I had no idea. They will run a more specific blood panel than any GP or even a GI would, like checking the levels of you minerals, acids, and other things. You can try getting a Methyl B12 supplement and just let it sit under your tongue to seep into your blood stream. It will absorb better this way since things arent absorbing properly in your intestines.
i got diagnosed with celiac in 2001, so if u have any questions feel free to pm me.