gluten allergy symptoms

gluten allergy symptoms questions and answers

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Q: How did you find out you had a gluten allergy? Symptoms?
I have been experiencing severe abdominal pain, nausea, intermittent vomiting, severe bloating/gas, diarrhea. I have gone for ultrasounds of my abdomen, a series of gall bladder tests, and a stomach endoscope. All that the Dr's have discovered is inflammation in my stomach. I feel that maybe it's something else. I have been reading up on gluten allergies and wanted some "real life" stories before approaching my Dr with this. Any thoughts?

A: All of your symptoms _can_ be caused by celiac disease. (I was 14 when I was diagnosed - I was just unwell - I couldn't manage a whole week at school, was very tired, nauseous, headachy etc.) The main thing is to make sure that you don't cut it out of your diet until after having tests (don't even reduce it). It is difficult to eliminate it fully without the support of a dietician, and although that small quantity can still cause serious ill-health, it may not be enough to register in the tests. (The current recommendation is to have about 5 or 6 slices of bread, or the equivalent, per day.) Go and ask to be tested - it is only a simple blood test in the first instance. If that comes back positive, then you will probably be send to have an upper endoscopy with biopsy. (The damage is often not visible by endoscopy, and the samples need to be examined under a microscope in the path lab.) Good luck.

Q: gluten allergy????????
I know this is long but please read it all - thanks. I am 14 male, and in the past 3 weeks or so I've started to have pains in my abdomen, my legs, my arms, and my back. The pains are in the muscles and bones but are very mild and not long lasting, they also come and go. But I had lower back pain for 2 weeks which was fairly constant, and now the same for a week with upper back pain. I have been feeling quite tired as well lately. When I eat a meal with foods containing gluten I usually feel quite bloated even if I had not eaten much, the pains mentioned above also seem more prevalent. Also when I was quite hungry, I had 50g of licorice and even that made me feel bloated for a short while, before feeling hungry again. Same thing happened with a small cup cake. I've also experienced some diarrhea with the licorice, the stools were very poorly formed and passed very quickly. When I ate a meal without gluten, I felt fine and the pains did not seem so prevalent. However it has only been the past few days that I have had these bloats, so this must mean that I am just starting to develop the allergy. One more thing I am experiencing, in the past week or so I have not been having as many erections, could this be due to anemia caused by the allergy? I am having some erections but they are not as hard and I also have not always been waking up with them. I still have sexual interest, but sometimes when I think of girls I can't get it up like I used to, and I still am having spontaneous erections. When I masturbate though I do get an erection much more easily. But when I just think of girls its not always the case, but when I am thinking of girls I also sometimes get a bit paranoid about not having an erection, since I'm worried about it could that actually be preventing me having an erection in the first place? Or could it be anemia related? I have heard that the allergy itself is in as many as 1/7 people (most of which are unaware as they tend to have very mild symptoms which they do not expect to be the allergy) so I would not be any different, and it also makes it seem more likely. I had a blood test about 6 weeks ago for something totally different (thats not important anymore, its also unrelated, no point me going through that now) and they didn't notice anything about a gluten allergy, I also wasn't having symptoms then, so could it just mean ive developed it recently? (However from the blood test they did say I had a slightly lower number of red blood cells, but I definately was not anemic according to them, they thought it was just my diet which usually wasn't very good. But recently I have changed that a bit). Also are all my symptoms related to this possible allergy? I am quite worried about the erection one, as that seems fairly unrelated. Any replies would be very helpful, thanks. Also: I'm also feeling like I'm having lactose intolerance too, having a bit of bloating after drinking milk. Is it possible that their both developing at the same time? Usually its not like this. Only when I drink milk do I feel a bit bloated, not other dairy products.

A: Wow-you poor thing. I think you are thinking of gluten 'intolerance' or coeliac disease (not an allergy to gluten but an autoimmune condition.) The only way to diagnose this disease is by going to your Dr. and having some screening blood tests and then if they indicate there may be a problem having a gastroscopy to determine if the villi in your small bowel are flattened by damage from the gluten. Its silly to try and self diagnose-you will only be restricting your diet that may not be such a good thing in a 14 yo.-you may be taking foods out that you dont need to and leaving ones in that should be gone-bottom line is you need to be properly looked at by a DR. (no amount of internet advice will give you the correct answers-going on a gluten free diet is not something to be taken lightly and if you REALLY have colic disease then you need to be very strict about it and not cheat ever) Lactose intolerance is actually caused by a lack of an enzyme normally produced by the body-its something many people think they have but generally dont have it (because they self diagnose it) . go to the Dr, and have a good chat about all your worries-they maybe able to set your mind at ease. good luck caz

Q: People with gluten allergy/Celiac disease: What symptoms did you notice before being diagnosed?
I've have strange seemingly unrelated symptoms off and on for years, but recently they seem to be getting worse, the most worrysome ones being: -Extreme pain and bloating after eating normally portioned meals (mostly after eating things like bread and grains) -Edema/swelling (especially in my feet and lower legs) -Occasional itchy rash on my arms that resembles bug bites -Constipation and diarrhea and other IBS-like symptoms -Irregular periods -Random bouts of blushing -Small blisters inside my mouth -Weight loss (though I did recently go on a diet, but family and friends have told me I look too thin now. Not sure if this have anything to do with the other symptoms, or just from dieting.) Aside from these symptoms, I feel generally healthy and good, but on days after consuming meals that make me bloated and in pain I wake up with sore muscles and no energy for that whole day. Anyone have anything similar to this?

A: Personally, I think that it is very possible that you have celiac.It certainly is worth going to your GP and asking for the blood sceening tests to help get you on the correct path! Mouth sores could indicate an allergy, celiac disease, even Crohn's disease! No matter what the diagnosis is, you need to talk to a doctor about your symptoms and try to get some testing done so you can get a diagnosis and start feeling better! Good luck, hope you feel better soon! By the way, celiac aka gluten INTOLERANCE is an autoimmune disease (like lupus and diabetes) and has nothing to do with an allergy or histamine reaction. Just thought that I should clear up that misunderstanding! Also, check with your insurance before you make an appt with a specialist like a GI doctor. Some insurances make you pay services fees out of pocket without a referral! Good luck!

Q: Could I have a gluten allergy?
Anyone who knows what the symptoms of a gluten allergy please tell me.. Because I feel AWFUL whenever I eat only things that have gluten in them. I want to feel better. So please hellp!

A: Gluten allergy is also known as celiac disease, or gluten intolerance. Symptoms of Celiac Disease May Include One or More of the Following: * Recurring bloating, gas, or abdominal pain * Chronic diarrhea or constipation or both * Unexplained weight loss or weight gain * Pale, foul-smelling stool * Unexplained anemia * Bone or joint pain * Behavior changes/depression/irritability * Vitamin K Deficiency * Fatigue, weakness or lack of energy * Delayed growth or onset of puberty * Failure to thrive (in infants) * Missed menstrual periods * Infertility male & female * Spontaneous miscarriages * Canker sores inside the mouth * Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel Try cutting gluten from your diet for a couple weeks, see if your symptoms improve. If they do, try testing yourself with something that contains gluten, and if the symptoms come back, you likely have celiac. If you plan to get clinical testing for it, be sure to be eating gluten for a couple of weeks before and at the time the testing is done. Otherwise, you can get a false negative. To learn more about celiac disease, the best website is the Celiac Foundation's website: http://www.celiac.org

Q: what are symptoms of wheat/gluten allergies?
What are some of the symptoms of wheat/gluten allergies.

A: Some symptoms are stomach aches, fatigue, loss of energy and weight, a general feeling of discomfort. The way most doctors test for a gluten allergy is by a blood test, but the only for sure way of knowing if you have it is by getting a biopsy of your stomach. Which of course is not the first method of choice. If you family has a history of the allergy or if you or a family member has an auto-immune disorder (lupus, diabetes, etc) it is easier for you to have the condition. Google celiac disease. Tons of sites and info will come up. Good luck

Q: Gluten allergy causes breast cancer?
I have an aunt who is on a "gluten-free" diet and she swears by it. She says that she tested positive for a gluten allergy, and says that it is a type of autoimmune disease. She has never had cancer (*knock on wood*) but she told me that gluten was poisoning her, and that gluten sensitive people can develop cancer as a result of eating gluten. Before she stopped eating gluten she had weird symptoms: tired all the time, feeling sluggish, and others... but she swears that they have all gone away since she started this diet. Is it true that gluten can cause breast cancer or autoimmune disease in people with the allergy? She says that gluten is a poison to the system in people who are allergic and that it can eventually kill an allergy sufferer unless they give it up... I am not sure who is wrong or right but I have no idea what to believe.

A: Gluten allergy is very rare. The thing that is getting a lot of attention is gluten intolerance, which is not the same thing at all. The symptoms you describe your aunt as having had before she had this "test" sound like some that can be caused by gluten intolerance. They are not the type of symptom one gets from an allergy - think about allergic symptoms for a moment. They are things like rashes that come up within minutes of touching or eating something. Many allergies cause much more serious problems. Peanut allergy can kill almost instantly. Allergies cause reactions like this because of a histamine reaction, which is very fast. One form of gluten intolerance is celiac disease. If celiac disease is not diagnosed, or if after diagnosis a sufferer continues to eat gluten, it is not uncommon for bowel cancer to occur, because of repeated damage to the intestines. There are to my knowledge no other proven links between cancer and gluten intolerance, although it has to be said that there is very little research, since gluten intolerance itself has yet to be recognised by much of the medical establishment. This is a generational thing. Once the current crop of top medical scientists has died and taken their prejudices with them, we will most likely see some real progress in this area. Gluten if incorrectly digested (as is the case with some people) can break down into gliadorphin (or gluteomorphin), which has a structure very much like opium, and which can leak into the bloodstream and cause very nasty things, ranging from "foggy" thinking right through some serious mental problems like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as well as rheumatoid arthritis, migraine, depression, so many different things it's difficult to put them all down here. Imagine a drip-feed of opium every day (gluten is in almost anything) and you can see it could have lots of pretty devastating effects. That is the poison your aunt is referring to, I think. By the way, if your aunt is a blood relative and has been diagnosed with celiac disease, you and your mother/father, and anyone else related by blood, should get tests, because celiac disease and other forms of gluten intolerance run in families.

Q: What does a gluten allergy attack feel like?
For about two weeks now I have had pain varying from bothersome to outright agony. The pain is exactly the same as trapped wind but longer lasting and more painful than I've had before. Actually, I'm convinced that wind IS the cause of the pain but I need to know why all of a sudden I am getting this. have seen a medic who suggested cutting fats from my diet for a week, which has had no effect and eating too much fat usually causes me diarrhoea The only obvious trigger I can think of is bread or bread like products. I had oat flake cereal for breakfast yesterday, no problems. Lots of energy, no pain. I ate half a wholemeal bread sandwich and within two hours I was in pain but unable to break wind. I ate the rest of the sandwich later and had very bad pains feeling exactly like severe trapped wind for the rest of the afternoon. The odd thing is, is that the pain goes away when I lay down and within half an hour or so I feel okay. I can also then pass the gas (no jokes please!) and the relief is incredible! The medic suggested that because the pain goes when I lay down (and when I can pass gas) that it rules out anything more sinister like liver pain or gallstones (although the pain is close to where the gallbladder is). Occasionally I can feel slight bubbling sensations in my abdomen and a feeling like I need to pass gas but nothing happens. My diet is no more healthy or unhealthy than average and hasn't changed recently. I am overweight but this has never presented problems before as I am physically fit and take part in sports and training. Today I had the oat flakes again for breakfast and had no problems. At morning break I had some melba toast things and now I have some discomfort and pain again, which is why I am thinking gluten allergy. I don't think it's lactose intolerance as that usually causes diarrhoea and hives, which I don't have. When I stood up a few moments ago I got quite a bed pain where the wind is, but again cannot pass it. I sat back down and it has changed again to an annoyance rather than bad pain. I feel like I need to break wind, but nothing happening. Is this or any symptoms indicative of a gluten allergy?

A: I know you can buy gluten free bread in the grocery stores. You might want to try this and just eat around anything that is not gluten free.

Q: What is the difference between a gluten and wheat intolerance/allergy?
I was on a low carb diet and did not eat any breads for the past month and I felt great! My stomach pains, bloating, and constipation, and lethargy went away. As soon as I began introducing bread in small amounts back into my diet, I started to get the same symptoms again that I have had my whole life. I am thinking it is an allergy or intolerance. I have talked to my doctor in the past and she said to try an elimination diet to see what is bothering me...which I did. Are there tests that say which it is?

A: There is a blood test for food intolerances called the Elisa test,usually alternative minded doctors use it in there practice.If it bothers you then avoid it,there are plenty of alternative grains,wheat is not a good food for the vast majority of people,you do not have to be a celiac to be allergic or intolerant to wheat.I suffer from wheat and gluten intolerance myself and if I ingest it get severe stomach pain,bleeding and a flair up of IBS symptoms,but I am not a true celiac.Use rice,quinoa,corn,amranth and millet and avoid wheat,a low intake of grains reduces gut inflammation because grains have a disacharide starch which inflames the gut. check out http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.org

Q: Gluten Allergy/Celiac disease questions?
Ok i was told to get a blood test for gluten allergy and Celiac disease. i know that there is a difference but i am still confused on whether i have the right symptoms or whether i should bother to get the test done at all. my symptoms are memory loss, protein problems (can't keep my levels up properly), not producing enough tears, weight gain, O.C.D, A.D.H.D, mood swings, depression, no regular bowel movements (one extreme or the other), exhausted all the time, tingling in my hands and feet. I'm not sure why the O.C.D and A.D.H.D were on the symptom list my therapist gave me but i do have them i was diagnosed with them 4 years ago. the reason my therapist gave me the symptom list is because i was talking about the symptoms during my last session and she high recommended that i get a test done. i guess i just want a second opinion. what does everyone else think? i know from my research blood test isn't the more reliable method but i still want to get it done before i consider the biopsy i'm going to my family practioner on monday i'm going to try to see if he can do it if not refer me to a specialist.

A: Get a blood test. I'm a celiac, and you sound like you could be. Memory loss- I had that. It results from not absorbing enough nutrients and vitamins. When you're celiac, your immune system is busy attacking itself so you become malnourished. Protein problems- Same thing. You're not absorbing vitamins. Not enough tears- my mom had that and she's a celiac too. That's because your eyes are so dry. Your skin probably is too. Lack of nutrients also causes dry eyes, dry skin, brittle hair (like I had), etc. Weight gain- not as sure about this. Celiacs can be over and underweight. Just to repeat, since you're not absorbing nutrients, you are probably rarely full. You may overeat to compensate feelings of hunger, when in fact, you have had enough to eat. Your body just doesn't know it due to lack of vitamins. OCD and ADHD (especially ADHD) have been linked to celiac disease. Mood swings and depression- I had this. When you don't feel good from being sick, you just feel like crap anyway. That makes sense. Bowel movements- I had this too- gluten just makes it so they're not normal and usually too frequent because your body wants to get rid of the gluten it can't digest. Exhausted- I was. Due to amenia. Amenia results from lack of iron, another nutrient you may be missing. My ferritin (iron) levels on my blood test were forever low. Tingling in hands and feet- I HATE THIS- tingling results from lack of vitamin B12. If it goes on enough, it damages nerves. For the blood test, it measures several things. If you get one done, tTG and EMA are the ones that are most accurate for celiac. A blood test only takes a minute. You don't have anything to lose. If you do have celiac, trust me, there are much, much worse disease to have.

Q: Celiac disease symptoms even with non gluten alcohol?
The same symptoms I get from eating wheat or gluten appear when I drink, even if it is distilled spirits/non-wheat based. I know it makes sense to think that they are independent allergies, but other celiacs report the exact same thing. Where's the link? -Makes sense, but I got diagnosed early in life and don't think i damaged my intestines too bad redbridge is good but still makes me feel as if I had a real beer. Maybe I just have a separate sensitivity to alcohol

A: It could be many things, the colorings in the alcohols could contain gluten and they arent required to tell u that. YOu could be inadverntantly eating gluten in other ways and not realize it (toothpaste, chapstick, cross contamination from restaruants) and then u drink, get 'glutened' and assume its the alcohol. You could have secondary allergies or intolerances. You could be sensitive to things like niacin, a common B vitamin found in alcohols. Some ppl are just sensitive to different liquors, such as colored rums and red wine. I would try avoiding the alcohols that cause symptoms and see how it goes. If u still get 'glutened' then it wasn't the alcohol.

Q: Gluten free? Please help!!?
I having been having extreme abdominal pain for a while. I went to the doc...had tons of tests but cannot find anything wrong. I heard about a gluten allergy causing similar symptoms. If you are on a gluten free diet what can you eat? Does gluten free stuff taste bad? They even have gluten free cake mix. Also has anyone benefited from a gluten free diet. Thanks so much!

A: You will find some gluten free recipes here http://retete-culinare-diverse.ro/en/search.php?keyword=gluten+free&submit=Search Its are not bad at all.

Q: Wheat allergy question? symptoms....?
We recently had my son tested for allergies, his doctor was sure he had allergies to our cats. He had been sick since starting school, It usually starts with him clearing his throat a lot, then the cough comes, then ear infection , then bronchitis. When the results came back he has no "inhalent" allergies but on the food results we had several. Wheat was 18.8 - class 3 Gluten 19.9 class 3 Cheese Mold 20.0 class 3 banana 18.6 class 3 Whey 27.7 class 3 There were 23 others that had high numbers in the level 2 category.(including Rye, Barley, oat,and corn). Would a food allergy cause my son to have the symptoms i described above? Any info or websites on this matter would help....

A: Yes they would If he's at school during lunch time you might wana get an idea of what he's having and pack him his own lunch from time to time if he can't eat certain things like u described And u mite wana get him an epi pen for him to carry or I would say a close teacher you can count on that is if he starts to have a great deal of allergic reaction which doesn't allow him to breathe. An epi maintains his bodysystem back to health for about 20min and then seek medical help Hope this helps

Q: could i have a gluten allergy?
im not sure if this is a symptom but if anyone could help me with a good answer i would really apprieciate it. i noticed everytime i eat bread, or just about anything, i tend to blow up. what i mean by this is my skin starts to swell and retain fluid and gets really red sometimes almost purple,and it's usually in my hands and feet. it is very uncomfortable almost like burning water going through my hands and feet and my skin is hot to the touch. it lasts for about 5-10 min. Ive been testing myself,for instance i ate a piece of soft pretzle (small piece) and only one hand blew up. i ate the rest of it and the other followed. i did go to my doctor and he said it was adema. but i noticed its only after i eat. could it be a gluten allergy?

A: It could be the gluten but could also be the yeast, you should get tested.

Q: Could I be allergic to Gluten?
Does anyone have a Gluten Allergy that they can explain the symptoms to me? I have terrible stomach pain every time I eat and I feel very sleepy and depressed after eating. I do not eat a lot and I do not have to use the bathroom it is just a very full pain. Please help! I don't even want to eat anymore. ps. I stopped eating pasta and bread for a few days and did not feel bad...does that mean I could be allergic to Gluten?

A: I think it is definitely a possibility that you are intolerant to gluten. I have Celiac Disease (which means I cannot eat gluten) and the symptoms are different for everyone. Some common symptoms are stomachache, cramps, headache, diarrhea, and things of that nature. There are a couple ways you can find out if you are intolerant to gluten. 1) Go on a gluten-free diet for a set amount of time (say two-weeks) and see if you are feeling better. Remember gluten is not just wheat, it is wheat, oats, rye, barley, and malt flavoring. Also natural flavors can be wheat derived. 2)You could take an enterolab stool test to see if you have Celiac. I would not recommend going to a doctor for a blood test because those are not accurate, and regular doctors don't know too much about Celiac or gluten sensitivity. Hope I helped! :)

Q: celiac disease or gluten allergy?
I have recently within the last 3 or 4 months been really tired and have had periods where it is hard to think strait. It had initially started with diarrhea for about 2 weeks before i went to see a doctor at a walk in clinic, I have had blood testes, an xray of my small intestine, urine tests and stool samples, everything returning nothing out of the ordinary, I quit eating wheat and all the sudden started to feel better, however from time to time I have consumed minor amounts of things contain wheat and feel like complete shit. my symptoms include, itchy eyes, constantly tired, constipation, this is all accompanied by frustration, mood swings, lack of interest, at times it even feels hard to think and even like i am becoming irrational. I am hoping for some kind of help because it is frustrating and depressing when a doctor cant even figure this out, and when I always feel as if i have overcome it, but then relapse. I also have always watched my diet and consistently exercise, I am 24 and male

A: Celiac also known as gluten intolerance can cause symptoms you describe, the gluten causes severe inflammation of the intestines & bowel, with bouts of diarrhea or constipation, wind, bloating stomach cramps (that drop you to your knees), nausea etc. Has your doctor done gastroscope/endoscopic? A tube down the throat with a camera on the end, which looks into the stomach and bowel. The fact that your symptoms disappear when you avoid gluten is a good indicator, but it could also indicate IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which can also cause similar symptoms. I am gluten intolerant, and my symptoms almost disappear if I avoid gluten products.