Elana's Pantry Forums » celiac

IBS and GERD

(10 posts)
  • Started 10 months ago by jules
  • Latest reply from lisastafford

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  1. jules
    Member

    I have struggled with bloating and abdominal pain for years. I found relief after going GF for a few weeks and went to my doctor with suspicions of celiac disease. I resumed eating gluten and had blood tests, a colonoscopy, and an endoscopy with a biopsy. Everything was negative for celiac disease but I was told that I had both IBS and GERD. I have read that both can be related to celiac disease/gluten intolerance. I am happy that my testing is completed and I can resume my GF diet, and I am hoping that it will clear up both problems. Has anyone diagnosed with both of these ailments found relief through a GF diet?

    Posted 10 months ago #

  2. tastyeatsathome
    Member

    Jules, yes, I was also diagnosed with IBS and GERD. Fortunately/unfortunately, I haven't gone through more celiac testing than the blood test. Maybe my doctors weren't being too thorough, don't know, but I didn't have a colonoscopy or endoscopy. However, I finally decided to go gluten-free, and it has alleviated a good deal of my symptoms. The decision to do this was influenced by the fact that my father was a diagnosed celiac, and both my brother and sister suffer from symptoms that were relieved by a gluten-free diet.

    Posted 10 months ago #

  3. cookie
    Member

    i have been diagnosed with IBS, but no GERD. i have all symptoms of celiac disease, including very violent symptoms (i'll spare you). i have also had a colonoscopy, endoscopy, blood labs, fecal labs, etc. all negative for celiac disease. however, i have virtually no symptoms if i lead a strictly grain & gluten free lifestyle. this is a serious mystery to me. i have been told it could be an allergy to certain grains. i just avoid them all together for good measure. but if i do partake in grain, i get a massive migraine, nausea, and all other intestinal symptoms, sometimes for days!
    good luck to you!

    Posted 9 months ago #

  4. selkie
    Member

    Hi.. the 'resume gluten diet'for testing purposes is kind of a murky deal- there's not a lot of consensus on a) how long one is to eat gluten in order to test positive if one has Celiac, and b) how much gluten to eat. I've heard as much as 4 slices of bread a day, for 3 to 6 months.. but I've heard lots of different things. University of Maryland and Columbia University have the most current info on this kind of stuff. If your doc had you resume gluten for, say, a couple of weeks.. it's debatable whether that would be long enough to test positive. There is also the genetic testing route- it's a bit $$ but it can totally rule Celiac out (ie if you don't carry the Celiac gene). If you do carry the gene, then is a possibility you might have Celiac. A colonoscopy is not an effective screening tool for Celiac. An endoscopy can be.. but one thing I've heard from both universities listed above is.. unless a pathologist (the person who reads the slides from the biopsy) is someone who is trained to catch subtle signs of perhaps early or subclinical Celiac..is possible to miss things.

    A lot of people who don't want to go the 'eat gluten route' again and make themselves ill..choose to do stool testing and genetic testing for the Celiac gene (Enterolab does this). Again, if you carry the gene it does not completely rule Celiac IN as a possibility, but it does rule it OUT if you don't carry the gene. U of Maryland has patients that choose this route- if they carry the gene, even without a biopsy diagnosis of Celiac..those patients choose to go GF lifelong.

    U might even just be non-Celiac gluten intolerant, which would explain why the diet helps. That means u would be gluten intolerant, but not of the Celiac type of gluten intolerance. There is a correlation with IBS and Celiac, yes.. and it's not uncommon to be diagnosed with IBS but have Celiac as an underlying cause, which goes undiagnosed.

    If the diet helps.. stick with it, hope this helps...

    Posted 9 months ago #

  5. selkie
    Member

    ps...I am similar to 'Cookie' - I do best if I stay away from all grains. No violent symptoms as she describes, thankfully (my sympathies!!) but .. I just get tired and feel yuk, sluggish digestion, bloated, really don't feel good if I eat most grains. This includes brown rice, quinoa, amaranth.. all the supposed 'safe and healthy' grains. Oddly enough, corn doesn't seem to do so much, and it's one of the top 7 allergens, go figure..!!

    Posted 9 months ago #

  6. jules
    Member

    I did test positive for the anti-gliadin IgG antibody. My doctor told me that is not indicative of celiac but could not give me any sort of explanation as to why I have elevated antibodies. I did some reading and have found that the elevated IgG can indicate gluten intolerance. Unfortunately I think a lot of doctors are dismissive of the idea of non-celiac gluten intolerance even though it can wreak havic on the body.

    Posted 9 months ago #

  7. Elissa
    Member

    I have strangely enough had differing results - I've been told I have a gluten allergy and I've been told that I don't. (?!?!Very unclear!) But I found all my symptoms to improve when on a gluten free diet (I have several allergies/intolerances as well, which makes GF cooking difficult enough). Chronic fatigue is gone, energy levels up; digestive issues much improved.. So regardless of whether or not I'm diagnosed with Celiac disease my body appears to believe I have it, and this site has been a Godsend. Also, a lot of people significant;y reduce their sugar intake when going gluten free, just from reducing processed foods - that could also be part of the improvement. I bloat terribly with any sugar, and have to watch even my fruit intake.

    Posted 9 months ago #

  8. Carole923
    Member

    I never have been tested except for my blood sugar which has been 6.2-6.7 for years...also had IBS type problems and losing weight problems. Then a friend who had MS told me about the Paelo way of eating, NO dairy,sugar or wheat and in 3 months was off her meds, feeling great. I thought it worth a try and found this site, started making the recipes, bought the book, and in 3 months lost 15 lbs, I have no pinchable fat and no IBS, too much energy (LOL)and the only gas problems when I eat too much fruit. Even though I live alone and eat everything I make, my weight hasn't changed and I LOVE the food....Yay for the Matzo Balls, I missed them so much. So I support this lifestyle and just like I quit smoking and have no desire for cigs, I have no desire for wheat or dairy..though I have been known to put drops of agave on my fingers to lick off..LOL

    Posted 9 months ago #

  9. adelshad
    Member

    WOW! I was diagnosed with IBS about 6 years ago, GERD about 6 months ago! My test for celiac was negative. I have read a lot and thought my GERD problems might be related to candida overgrowth. I've been on an anti-candida diet for a couple of weeks - my GERD symptoms are diminished, but I've had problems with constipation. Has anyone else had this problem when switching from whole grains to almond flour?

    Posted 8 months ago #

  10. lisastafford
    Member

    Many anti-candida diets don't allow fruit in the first 3 weeks, which caused me to be constipated too. We are now following the SCD, or Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which can bring healing to all types of IBD. It allows fruit and juice, and it is proven to work. Check out http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info for more information.

    Posted 7 months ago #

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