Gluten can definitly cause joint issue, but I don't think many doctors/allergists make that connection or believe its true. Remember this is a pretty new thing for the world, and doctors have been taught certain things, and they usually don't look to food as the cause of medical issues.

The months before I went off gluten I had a major issue with my flexor muscle in my leg, For two weeks I couldn't lift it or walk, one finger swelled up for no reason and I had "tendonitis" in my elvow. I also couldn't move one shoulder to move my arm above my head for almost a week. All those were passed off as other things, but they were 100% from gluten. If I accidently eat something now, all those joints hurt again, but to a lesser extent.

My doctor did not even know that there was gluten in beer. SMH

I did my master's paper on it. The problem is the pharmaceutical companies educate doctors on diseases. They get a lot of information from them and they have no interest in educating the medical profession about celiec disease.

Now if Pfizer can come up with a pill to treat it, everyone will have it.

Celiac isn't a food allergy. It acts like an auto immune disease and your body attacks gluten as if its foreign. I would look into finding a doctor who is willing to run the tests. The blood test tests for antibodies so if you aren't eating gluten they won't show up and the test will come back negative. You have to eat gluten and your body produce the antibodies in order to test positive.

I can say that even my dermatologist knows about allergies!

He saw me with a specific skin issue that is RARE.... and instead of charging me oodles of dollars for unnecessary tests, he told me to get Zyrtec (which is typically for hay fever, not skin issues) and it would fix the issue. Guess what? He was RIGHT.

Some docs get it, some just don't..... and I tell you what, when I go to my dermatologist next time and he sees how cleared up my skin is and how my dry patches have gone away from avoiding gluten, I can guarantee you he won't be surprised.....

Hi

I'm new to this group and new to being gluten free, as was diagnosed as having celiac (btw do you spell it 'celiac' or 'coeliac' - I see both spellings and it's irritating me as I like to spell things right haha) last week by my doctor.

It's a shame that your allergist of all people isn't receptive to the idea.

I got diagnosed via a blood test from my doctor, could this be an option for you? I've had symptoms for a long long time but in the UK I was much younger (think ten years ago) so if a teenage girls goes to them with stomach issues and weight loss it's instantly labelled as eating disorder... so I never got tested for anything.

I think it's wholly plausible that joint issues are related to dietary factors. I know my skin has been absolutely terrible the past year in particular, as akaMrsmojo was saying. My skin has been really red and inflamed. A few days in and I can see the redness beginning to reduce and the puffiness of my face start to deflate a little.

Maybe as suggested it's time to start looking for a new allergist or pursue other avenues. I still think it may be worth a GP visit. For interest sake, my GP made me have a full blood count, celiacs test, serology, CRP, all the liver and renal tests etc. Detailed blood work did help as well as fecal specs. It's a pain, but ultimately worth it.

Wishing you the best of luck, feel free to friend me

Heather

Honestly, I do not think the testing is a 100 percent accurate. I think it can miss it many times. I tested negative but my doctor diagnosed me based on my symptoms and the fact I was completely cured without wheat and all gluten. He knew very little about it the disease. The only thing I heard that was 100 percent accurate is the small intestine biopsy. I refused that. Because you have to be actively eating gluten at the time. There was no way I was going back to being sick all the time for them to confirm something I know.

Yeah, the testing is not 100%. Not even close actually.

I had joint pain for years, and was on vicodin regularly it was so bad. Not to mention migraines, dark circles under my eyes, stomach issues, inability to lose weight, and more. I ASKED straight out if I could get tested for Celiac, and was turned down because I wasn't thin. My nausea was so bad that I could barely function, and I was so tired I would fall asleep standing. But there's nothing wrong with me!

Anyway I went gluten free and my symptoms were gone in a few weeks. Imagine that. I saw a GI about a year later when my gallbladder quit working, explained all the symptoms I had had, and she believed that I am Celiac. When they did a scope they tested for it, but you have to be eating gluten, and there's no way I could do that. So it was negative. There really needs to be better awareness about Celiac, and what it can cause.

On a separate note, there needs to be better awareness about how not following the diet if you've been diagnosed can be determental.

I asked my doc about testing for Celiac and you know what she said?

(Doc) "You would have to gluten yourself, do you really want to do that?

(Me) "Uh, no."

(Doc) "Exactly. Screw that test...."

Lol I love my doc, she's rad...

Sounds like you have a great doctor!

When I was figuring out my digestive issues a few years ago, I got sent to one of the two gastroenteroligists in town, who I later discovered was the one with the iffy reputation. First, since my blood test for celiac with my family dr. was negative, the gastro. told me it was IBS caused by stress and gave me a list of foods to avoid that cause gas (beans, potatoes,vegetables, dairy, practically anything with fiber or any nutritional value). I kept having issues, so a couple months later, I just decided to try eating gluten-free, and I started to feel much better. (Besides the times I kept accidentally eating gluten, not knowing it was in certain foods.)

I let the gastroenterologist know I was doing a bit better besides some occasional abdominal pain, and she all but rolled her eyes at me and told me that people with IBS do better on a "low carb" diet. (HUH. Wonder why?). I was eating plenty of potatoes, rice and gluten-free cookies. She told me she could give me a drug to stop spasms in my intestines, which just so happened to be an anti-depressant, and that should relieve my pain.

Now I know that the general public views people who try going gluten-free as trend-chasing, neurotic health nuts, but as I've looked back on this doctor visit a few years ago, I've started feeling more angry about it. I was having diarrhea almost daily and a constant, stretching ache in my gut. I finally experienced some relief with gradually eliminating gluten, and the doctor wanted to give me chemicals that would mess with my brain chemistry?! I've worked hard for the good mental health that I've had the last five years or so, and I refuse to take something for my head to see if it just might calm a gut that clearly just needed a diet that wouldn't irritate it.

Since then, I've learned that for a blood test to be positive, you have to have extensive damage in your intestines, and the test only detects a small percentage of the gluten antibodies that our bodies can produce. I was only about 6 months of GI trouble in when I got tested. A saliva test is being developed that will find all gluten antibodies and can detect them much earlier than a blood test can. The problem is, the medical community is not all up to speed on the research, and people with negative blood tests who felt better w/o gluten are often encouraged to keep eating it. ..Or you get people like the OP's allergist who don't know what even WebMD can tell you about celiac, which is that it is linked to joint pain and arthritis.