Pregnancy and Celiac Disease...my story

[merrygfblonde]

I was having diarrhea a few months before I got pregnant last year, but just dealt with it (basically, ignoring it). Then, when I was twenty-six or twenty-nine weeks pregnant, I started having preterm contractions which continued for the rest of my pregnancy, although the last two weeks of it, they calmed down, but I had high blood pressure and so was on bedrest.
After my baby boy, Elias, was born, I needed no stool softener. (Pregnancy actually helped me a little at first, because normal pregnant moms get constipated). My midwife was worried I had Crohn's Disease. Because of the diarrhea, the muscle that goes where the poo comes out was irritating my uterus. She sent me to a GI doc, because my baby was too young to come out yet, and they wanted to see if there was anything that could be done. I had a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy, but she didn't find anything.
A couple months after my baby was born, I had a colonoscopy. Nothing was found. So I was scheduled for a small bowel series of Xrays...nothing. Then a CT Scan.....nothing. Finally, the GI doc had me come into her office again, and told me there were some other tests she could do, if I wanted to pursue it (didn't tell me what they were, if you're in this position ASK WHAT THEY ARE) and she didn't want to take my gallbladder out, because that would have caused more problems, most likely.
So, I decided to get a second opinion.
I went to a Family Doctor, not just to get a second opinion, but because I was having nausea every day(NOT pregnant; ), joint pain, abdominal pain(sometimes very bad, like contractions, which are no picnic, my friend), back pain, bleeding more freely, thirsty all the time, fatigued all the time, problems seeing to drive at night, Flatus(gas), dry skin(which could be the dry winter air), weakness(worried I was going to drop my baby), depressed sometimes, mood changes, & hard time concentrating (which could also be attributed to "mommy brain"; ). Of course, I didn't tell him all of these symptoms, because I didn't think about it aka forgot:)
I was barely done telling him about my past GI history and a couple of other symptoms, and he said, "It sounds like Celiac Sprue." A regular doctor knew what is wrong with me. A GI doctor had no clue (at least none that she indicated to me.)
Moral of my story? If your doctor is not figuring out what is wrong with you, not just with Celiac, but with any odd symptoms, GET A SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH opinion until you're satisfied. You know your body best!
And that, my friend, is all she wrote.
Mary - newly diagnosed
ps. I am having an endoscopy (woohoo, only invasive thing I haven't had yet, I think, on Tuesday. I've been eating gluten free for a couple weeks though, so if anyone knows if I should eat gluten tomorrow, please pm me.)
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Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 1 Co 9.15

[aklap]

Hi Mary,

I didn't see this before I replyed to your PM. WOW - hang on to that doc that diagnosed you!!!!! One thing I have not seen anyone talk about is actual thirst. Usually you see that in diabetes. There are links to CD & Sjogrens (pronounced Show-grens) (where you are dry, eyes, mouth, skin, etc...). Have you been checked for diabetes? Since it is not uncommon to have both CD & diabetes (they are auto-immune diseases).

All the other symptoms sound about right.

Your tests sound like mine...Upper GI Xrays, Ultrasound, Scopes both ways...they found nothing...just "chronic reflux". The only way my problems stopped was going GF.

Good luck. Let us know how things turn out!
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Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[merrygfblonde]

I was misdiagnosed with Diabetes Type 2 in May of 03. I do not, in fact, have it. I drink alot of fluid, water, lemonade, tea, etc. My mom also does this, and she has other problems, so I think maybe she should get tested for CD. Would she just tell her doctor she'd like the blood tests for CD run? What if he doesn't know what to do?
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Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 1 Co 9.15

[aklap]

Hmmm interesting.

http://www.celiacforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=100&highlight=sjogrens
Here's a link to a post here that discusses a little bit about sjogrens & saliva production. Scroll down thru the posts - you'll see a link to a sjogrens site.

Since CD is genetic - yes family members need to be tested. Particularly if she has symptoms. If her Doctor doesn't know or want to mess with it...try to find another doctor. It sounds like yours "has a clue", could she go to him/her?

Usually they start with a set of blood tests called a Celiac Panel that should consist of these tests:

A complete Celiac Blood Panel:

antigliadin IgA and IgG (May indicate Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity)
anti-tTG and/or anti-endomysial (Looks for villi damage)
total serum IgA (rules out IgA deficiency)
anti-reticulin IgA (Rarely used but, a very thorough doctor will include this)

More on Diagnostic Testing

If the blood test come back positive, they may want to scope you to check for intestinal damage (the gold standard for Celiac diagnosis).
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Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa