Celiacs Unite!

I am not one, but you might look at primal and paleo as a way of eliminating the glutens causing you problems.
There is a paleo group here and you can probably find a lot of support elsewhere in terms of paleo or primal approaches.

I was diagnosed with celiacs disease a few years ago when I started breaking out in these odd hives all over my body. I recently was told by my doctor to try and incorporate gluten back into my diet and see how I tolerate it. Well I have been eating gluten again for about a month and now i am breaking out in those hives on my back and I am having gastrointestinal problems, so I think I'm going to go back to eating gluten-free! It is pretty difficult though, I get what you mean.

I.m allergic to gluten.
Quitting gluten has helped with weighoss

I had a negative biopsy but every time I eat gluten I get dreadful mouth ulcers x feel free to add me anyone x

Yes, me! I just (re-joined) MFP this week. I'm now following the Paleo lifestyle, as it fits very well with someone who cannot have gluten or dairy (I just found out I'm intolerant to dairy). I'm doing awesome with this lifestyle! Feel free to add me.

Celiac with IBS and fibromyalgia. Lots of other food sensitivities and I'm allergic to dairy,
I have the opposite problem, I'm trying to gain weight.
I don't eat meat or poultry. I eat organic healthy foods, but they aren't calorie dense.
I realize it could also be absorption issues from the celiac. I take glutamine and lots of other supplements and probiotics.
I'm adding avocados, nut butters and coconut oil so now am heavy on fat, but still not enough calories!
I can't eat enough calories to maintain my weight let alone gain, so I joined MFP hoping to make a more concerted effort.
Anybody else with this problem?

I have celiac and lots of other food allergies, common with celiac. You can have negative test results and still have celiac. Did they do the genetic blood tests? Allopathic medicine is not as reliable as they would like us to believe so you are right to listen to your body.

I tested negative for Celiac, but I have a very high intolerance to gluten. I am low-carbing and could use some like-minded friends!!

I haven't been tested but I am sure I am seriously gluten intolerant. I spent most of my life completely sick and always wondering why. I finally googled my symptoms all together and saw that I may be allergic to gluten. I gave it up and a few days later I was feeling good and within a month I felt like a brand new person. I have gained about 20 pounds since cutting gluten out. It has been a struggle. I would like more gluten free friends to share with.

So I have been concerned with having celiacs for some time now. I have had stomach issues and have been chubby my whole life. The only times I ever felt 'good' have been when I switch to a low carb way of eating, as in no gluten! Then last week I was reading how many people are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease for years and never know it, and the signs. One of the signs that I never thought would be on that list was "chicken skin on the backs of your arms" well heck! I have had that since I can remember, along with the other signs, and come to think of it, my bf does too. I recently sent my genetic sample to twenty three and me and the findings were that I am 9x more likely to develop Crohns disease and 3x more likely to develop celiac disease.

So how do I go about getting tested for Celiac? Should I just skip it and continue eating the gluten free way?

My kid was diagnosed with celiacs and it was first alerted through a blood test, followed by an endoscopy. When the villli in the intestines are flattened, it is celiacs and can be seen.

I am not sure what villi is? also was it just routine bloodwork or were they looking for it?

Hi! Recently diagnosed celiac here. To get tested, you can ask your doctor for a celiac blood panel, which is a blood test that looks for antibodies to gluten in your bloodstream. Celiac disease is actually an autoimmune disease, so when you eat gluten, your immune system freaks out and sends antibodies into your intestines. These antibodies attack the parts of your intestine that absorb nutrients from food, the villi. In a healthy person, the villi look like tiny pipe cleaners sticking out from the walls in your intestine- in a person with celiacs, some of the villi will be missing or flattened. This is why celiacs is dangerous- if your intestines are damaged it's really easy to become malnourished, even if you're eating a lot. If you have a positive blood test, the doctor will usually give you an endoscopy to check how your villi are doing and give you an official diagnosis.

Gluten intolerance, which seems more common, is not an autoimmune disease- it's similar to lactose intolerance, where you'll feel like crap after you eat whatever you're intolerant to, but your body isn't permanently damaged.

I would recommend asking your doctor for the blood test, instead of just trying to avoid gluten. Avoiding all gluten is extremely difficult- some surprising food items that contain gluten include soy sauce, rice krispies, beer, most chocolates, most yogurts, most spaghetti sauces (Classico is gluten free), lunchmeat, and veggie burgers. It's just a total pain in the butt. If you have celiacs it's very important to avoid, so you should get tested so that you know you're not seriously ill- if the test is negative and avoiding wheat just makes you feel better generally, go for it!

Hope this was helpful

Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with Celiac disease two years ago and it was confirmed in a biopsy last year. (Note to the person above who asked what villi are--they are tiny hair-like structures on the inside of your intestine. You have to have a biopsy to find out if they are damaged or not. If you want to confirm a diagnosis of celiac disease, eat gluten a day or two prior to the test to make sure that your symptoms are evident.)

After several months of avoiding gluten, I gained more than ten pounds, which is why I'm on myfitness pal now. My doctor says that years of undernourishment might take some time to get used to. Last month, I had my second biopsy and my intestine is as healed as someone with celiac disease can be so now I only have to have another one in two years. (Doctors who care will biopsy you a year after going on the diet to make sure that you are healed or healing. You also get a photo of what it looks like--it's amazing the difference!)

I'm wondering whether any of the rest of you are using myfitness pal to track iron, fibre or protein, since these are the nutrients celiacs tend to lack.

Any other advice for a newbie?

Wife is Celiac, middle daughter is Aspy so she is off gluten, and the youngest is gluten intolerant. I'm the only one spared by the gluten monster but I'm the cook so as the family eats so do I. We've been off gluten for about 5 yrs now. It was really tough at first but we adapted. Other than my weight which was high prior to going GF, we are all much healthier now. Can't say for sure if it's the lack gluten or the healthier diet we drifted into out of necessity but it has been great for us. It hasn't translated into any weight loss (or gain) for me but I haven't really been trying until recently. Nice to know there are some other gluten-free's on the site that might have some good dieting advice.

I have coeliac, I was diagnosed in November 2012, after many years of unexplained wrenching gut pain and lethargy.