Unofficial Poll-what age did you "become" celiac

NorthernElf

Ok, didn't want to try using the poll feature as I didn't want to have to stipulate age ranges. I guess the options would be from birth to - well, to whatever age it all started for you.

Plus - at what age did you get a diagnosis (if you got one).

So....that's what age did you start experiencing celiacs and what age did you get diagnosed. Oh - gluten sensitivity as well, but please say which you have ! Cool

Me first...started after a week long virus that basically had me unable to eat a thing for a week and required some IV fluids in the hospital and a shot to stop my gut from spasming - I was 34 (history of IBS though). No real diagnosis due to a doctor who only tested for transglutamase levels and scoped me after 3 months GF...without telling the gastro to look for celiacs (was looking at reflux issues). Now, however, even CC gives me headaches, fatigue, and bathroom trips so I'm sure I'm celiac. I'm 38.

Next.... Wink

Torrey · Joined: 11 Apr 2005 Posts: 1109 Location: Hawthorne, NJ

Hmm...ok, well, I had problems all throughout growing up, but no one could ever pinpoint the real issue at hand...it was always, "Oh, you have a sensitive stomach!" or "Oh, you're lactose intolerant!" or (my personal favorite), "You can't eat chicken!" Keeping a food diary in addition to the blood work really helped...

I was *finally* diagnosed with gluten intolerance at the age of 28...

I am now 32...
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~Torrey Smile

August 24, 1975
GF BD July 12, 2004

cruelshoes · Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Posts: 3556 Location: Washington State

The first 15.5 years of my life were completely normal. Symptoms started when I was 16 during 2 years of chemo and radiation for Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of childhood cancer. I went undiagnosed for 18 years, because it was always believed that my symptoms were due to radiation enteropathy. I was 34 when I was finally diagnosed with celiac disease through bloodwork and biopsy.
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-Colleen

Where are we going, and what am I doing in this handcart?

kb9oyo

A looong time ago and far, far, away.......Back when I was born in 1945, the doctor threw up his hands in disgust at my problems because he couldn't figure it out. My mom had studied diet therapy in college and finally worked out that I probably had celiac. Back then (and even later when **I** went to college) we were told that it was a childhood problem and that you would outgrow it, but you might develop sprue later in life! I grew up not liking breads and pastas, etc. DUH!! and just avoided most of them. I did develop a liking for cakes and cookies, though. As far as I know, no testing was ever done on me to confirm the diagnosis.

A couple of years ago, I heard about University of Chicago's free screening tests in October and signed up for it. Their directions for the test were to eat at least two servings of gluten each day for 6 weeks. I did that and managed to lose about 60 pounds! My score on their screening test was 27 when anything over a 4 was positive for Celiac. Because we didn't have any health insurance at the time, no biopsy was done. Their only advice at the time was just to go gluten free. I have done that and done some research on the Internet since then. With over 200 symptoms of celiac, I realized that I have probably had symptoms all of my life, but I didn't realize it. I mentioned it to my doctor at the time and he looked at my overweight body and announced that I couldn't have celiac because I was too fat and I didn't have diarrhea! I have been trying to keep myself gluten free ever since then, but it is more difficult for me since I never know when I have been glutened. No symptoms isn't always an advantage! And to add insult to injury, I gained most of that weight back Embarassed

Sue B.
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Sue Beyer

krisiw · Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Posts: 104 Location: Colorado

I started having digestion problems after I got pneumonia when I was three, so I would guess that was it. I've never been officially diagnosed but it was...two years ago, I first discovered a problem with gluten.

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 10971 Location: WI, USA

Non Celiac Gluten Sensitive - no official dx.

Went fully GF: Age = 40
Reflux bad enough to go to the doc: Age = 39
Growing issues with reflux: Age = 37 (estimate)

History: I always was kind of sickly as a kid - rarely bad enough to see a doc. Until my late teens-early 20's - for high blood pressure. No longer on meds for HBP.
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Al

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

forinajoy · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 277 Location: Texas

Ina was adopted from Romania at the age of 3 1/2.....she was severely underweight and malnourished and had issues with diarrhea then, this was thought to be due to poor nutrition in the orphanage (which I am sure was true!), but even with good nutrition she was still underweight and always had diarrhea. Through researching autism (Ina is a moderate functioning autistic), I found that a large number of autistic kids have CD, so I requested that Ina be tested for CD and she was officially diagnosed a few days prior to her 8th birthday. As a side note, my first attempt at GF baking was her 8th birthday cake and it was HORRIBLE! but she ate it without complaint Very Happy

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Connie, mom to Ina, 14 y/o with CD

ostrich · Joined: 30 Mar 2006 Posts: 5101 Location: Nebraska

I've had "tummy" troubles since I was 13ish. At the time they just labeled me with IBS. At 16 I had my gallbladder removed due to stones. About 2 years ago I was finally sick and tired of being sick and tired. I've been GF for about 1.5 years. Like Al, I don't have an official diagnosis. But my doctor is fully supportive of the diet.
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Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

nancw · Joined: 04 Oct 2006 Posts: 1279 Location: Denver, CO

Crazy stuff happening right when I turned 40 - thought it was premenopause. Went GF 13 months later and have been GF for 17 months. In retrospect, gluten was probably affecting me earlier in life than 40.
I do not have an official dx of CD.
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Nance

gluten, dairy, soy, rice, yeast and 99% grain-free

Fidissimus · Joined: 17 Mar 2006 Posts: 1975 Location: Portland, OR.

Seems like I've always had a "bad gut". I remember getting "reactions" as young as age 5. (Though at the time I didn't know what they were - just thought I ate something wrong... I sure did! lol) It got really bad once I turned 25 and I was having issues on a daily basis. I had all kinds of tests done for over five years and they never found anything wrong with me. I moved at 30 to Oregon and my new GP took one look at me, heard my story and said "Celiac!". Blood tests were inconclusive and he suggested I try the diet if I didn't want to be biopsied. At the time I didn't know the ramifications of that and opted to try going GF. I did, and never looked back! That was nearly seven years ago... (and now ya all know how old I am - Laughing

)
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Cheers!
Jenn

GF BD: Feb. 2001
Free of wheat, barley, rye, oats, dairy, eggs, almonds, pineapple and brewers yeast.
http://graindamaged.blogspot.com/

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 10971 Location: WI, USA

WestWalker · Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 308 Location: West Coast

First major symptoms appeared at age 20. Undiagnosed for 25 years. Diagnosed by blood tests and biopsy. I have been attempting to be GF for almost 2 years. (By attempting I mean I actively eat GF but find I can not stay away from it 100% out in the real world.) CD has not been very nice to me. Crying or Very sad

luvscowznh · Joined: 23 Dec 2004 Posts: 423 Location: Groton, MA

Diagnosed Celiac - blood tests and biopsy
First symptoms - around age 27 or 28
Went GF after diagnosis around 30
Been GF for 4 years (For Al - I am 34 now)

I think my Celiac triggered after a REALLY bad sinus headache that turned out to be blocked sinuses. My GP at the time just kept throwing the same antibiotics at me even though they weren't relieving my symptoms. Since I am also an atypical celiac - 5'10 and always a little heavy (especially after getting sprued..), or maybe just lack of knowledge, that GP didn't even mention Celiac. She did, however suggest that I had IBS and while there was nothing I could do about it, antidepression meds would help me cope. I got fed up with that Dr and went to a GI "specialist" - food journal in hand. I made the mistake of telling him that symptoms got worse during certain points in my cycle. He told me "It must be a endometriosis - go see your gyno". He also put me on meds that made me feel WORSE (which I didn't think was possible). When I told them they made me feel worse, they told me to stick with them - sometimes they take a while to work.

I looked around and found another GI specialist who follows the whole health philosophy. They looked at all of my symptoms and figured out I had Celiac fairly. (I think first or second visit). I have been working with them ever since and feel better than I have in years. I had a hard time grasping the whole gluten free concept at first. It was partly due to my internet research and this forum that I finally understood how important it was to be GF. (Took me about 4 months to go completely GF)

--Manda
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aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 10971 Location: WI, USA

skyeofblue · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 36

I started having atypical symptoms when I was very, very young, the severe more typical symptoms did not start until I was 20.

I was diagnosed with a gluten allergy in August of 2006 and then with Celiacs by bloodwork and biopsy after a 5 week gluten challenge in the end of November 2007. I had just turned 26.