Celiac & Strange Symptoms

[laurie1067]

I'm posting this in hopes it will help someone else with odd, seemingly unrelated symptoms.  I started having a "lump" feeling in my chest in December along with weight loss.  My GP put me on Aciphex for GERD (at age 39 I had never had problems with my digestive tract before).  Soon after, my right thumb and left toe went numb.  I stopped taking the Aciphex & within a month and a half I had no appetite, nausea, and vomiting.  I went back on Nexium with some improvement, but the weight loss of 1-2 lbs per week continued. I went through all the neuro tests...nerve conductivity, MRI, bloodwork, etc., and no cause for the neuropathy was found.  Recently after having a short (2 hour) bout with diarrhea from a bug that was going around I ended up riding to the hospital in an ambulance because I had either vasovagal syncope or a seizure (or both...we're still not sure).  My liver enzymes were low when my blood work was done in the ER.  Two days later I had an endoscopy that showed a small hiatal hernia but no other evidence of anything amiss.  Thank goodness my gastro did random biopsies while he was in there.  I got a call yesterday saying that my biopsy shows a "gluten allergy."  I'll go back to the gastro on 6/4 to discuss Celiac disease with him, and they mailed me a Celiac diet yesterday.    After reading about Celiac disease on the internet all of my symptoms fit, and this disease is far more prevalent than most people know...up to 1:133 in the US.  Many people like me have almost no symptoms or the symptoms are not typical.  If you are having odd, seemingly unrelated symptoms, don't give up! There is an easy blood test that will show antibodies if you have Celiac.  A biopsy is the "gold standard" for diagnosis, but the blood test will give the doctor a good idea if biopsy is needed.

[LauraW]

Thank you for the information.  I'm currently awaiting blood test results for celiac disease.  My question is this - in any of your reading, is it possible to have one of the symptoms be a chronic, low-grade fever?  That is my main symptom for the last month and a half, along with weird bowel issues.  I haven't found any information yet about fever and celiac.