Need a Diagnosis? Don't Give Up!

One of the most important things to remember when seeking a diagnosis of your symptoms is; Don't Give Up!

So simple, and yet so many people listen to doctors who tell them they're fine and their symptoms are all in their head. People stop looking and keep suffering.
My advice? Find a different doctor. One that will listen and not give up until they figure out what's wrong. If you know in your heart something is wrong, don't give up.

For years I had symptoms, stomach problems, headaches, exhaustion, etc. Mostly it was the stomach pain, irritable bowel, and inability to eat anything. Everything made me sick. A lot of the time I simply had toast for breakfast and ate nothing else all day until I was safely home where embarrassing stomach issues would be kept private.

Sure, I went to doctors, took their tests, got prescriptions for anti anxiety drugs (that's the only reason they could come up with for my problems), and finally gave up. I firmly believed no one could help me. There was something wrong with me and there was no help.

Life went on and I learned to cope. I didn't like social gatherings because most centered around food and then I'd get sick. I began to hate food. Yet I'd be so hungry by the time I came home I'd eat everything in sight. And life went on...

Call to Action;
When my daughter was 5 I started to see her having the same stomach issues as myself. We took her off milk and it got a little better (typical Celiac symptom) but she still had a bloated belly and problems with some food. It was hard to pinpoint. Doctors said she was fine. At this point I knew I needed answers to my problem so I could help my daughter. I started praying. Every time I was alone I'd pray for an answer, "I don't care what it is, just please send me an answer."

Back to the doctors and another brush off. This time I yelled at the doctor. Frustration welled up inside me and I said, "Something is wrong with me! Even a piece of bread makes me sick. Bread is what you give to sick people. What's wrong with me." He stared at me, obviously startled by my outburst, and said, "Celiac Disease."

Then he went on to explain I couldn't have it because I was 30 lbs over weight. "People with Celiac Sprue are really skinny," he explained. I asked him to test me and he refused. I went home and got on the internet and read everything I could about Celiac Disease and gluten. I went gluten free the next day. With in two weeks I was feeling better. Another month and life just got better, less painful. I took my daughter in and asked another doctor in the same practice to do the blood test. She said, "No, there's no reason to do that test." I sat down and crossed my arms. "I'm not leaving until you do the test."

She did the test; Daughter positive for Celiac Disease.

Moral to the story; Don't give up. I added years to my suffering because, for a while, I gave up. The answer is out there and sooner or later the right person, the right information, will come your way. Just don't give up.

Joy of Celiac

JOY OF CELIAC

The Doctor’s voice was quiet

He gave a little shrug

“You have Celiac Sprue.”

I asked, “Is that some kind of bug?”

“Oh no, just be careful.”

He was kind of cheery now.

He handed me a list of food,

I could not eat, oh wow!

There’s pizza on this list

And birthday cake here too!

And as I read it to the end

I never felt so blue.

To the Internet I ran

Fear clutching at my heart.

To discover if there was a chance

That pasta and I would not part!

Then there on the net

A wondrous thing appeared

A whole Celiac community

It wasn’t as bad as I feared.

They taught me many things

How to shop and bake with care

This Celiac thing got easier

Just because these folks were there.

So now I read the label

Of each can or jar or bottle

It’s not really so bad

My tummy just needs to be coddled

But at least I have an answer

Though recovery may not be fast

All those years of suffering

Will soon be in the past!

http://www.cafepress.com/crazypainterts.618281172

Possible Causes of IBS that Doctors Ignore

Way before I ever heard the word "Celiac" I was diagnosed with IBS or Irritable Bowel Disease. I thought that was the most ridicules thing I'd ever heard. I said to my doctor, "I know its irritated, now tell me why? Irritation is a symptom, not a disease." The doctor shrugged. I should have changed doctors then, but being raised a good Irish Catholic, I was taught to respect people in authority and doctors fell into that category. Or at least, they used to. Now I know different. I've heard, in med school, Doctors spend very little time studying Celiac Disease and I'm betting even less time on other causes of IBS.

Since then I've changed doctors and discovered a few things that can cause this most embarrassing and uncomfortable condition. We already know that Celiac Disease's main symptom, along with migraines, joint pain, and skin problems is constipation or diarrhea (aka IBS), but I always felt there was something else.

B-12
This little vitamin is a water soluble vitamin that rules the nervous symptom. One of its main symptoms is IBS. It also has a wide range of other symptoms. A B-12 deficiency is also known as Pernicious Anemia. B-12 is found in meat and other animal products. Vegans are often deficient in this vitamin, but if you're missing the intrinsic factor you won't absorb it no matter how you eat. I had my B-12 levels checked after watching a show called Medical Mysteries and they were bottomed out. I now go for B-12 shots every two weeks. I was a meat eater but for some reason my body was not absorbing the B-12. Since getting the shots I've been so much better! I get my levels checked on a regular basis and it took a while to figure out what dosage/time span was best for me, but it was worth it. For more information on Pernicious Anemia and B-12 deficiency go here; PAS Pernicious Anemia Society

Food Allergies or Sensitivities
I often wondered where this idea came from. I was always of the mind set that man was meant to eat the bounty from the earth. It was the natural way. However, when we really think about it, we have to admit few of us eat food in it's most natural state. Most days everyone eats a processed or prepackaged food. Even bread is processed and packaged. When was the last time you made bread from scratch? And if you did, was the flour used bleached and processed? When you read an ingredient label, can you identify each ingredient as a natural food?
Then we have to look at GMO's. Are we eating good food or something made in a lab? Do we know what process it went through to become food? What was added? Subtracted? Can we really trust it to give our body what it needs and can our body naturally process this chemical experiment? Or would the body reject it in the form of IBS?
Does it surprise anyone that since the evolution of GMO food in the 70's, the rise in food allergies, IBS, and Fibromyalgia  has tripled. Gee, I think I see a pattern here. More GMO, more gasto/nervous symptom problems. Wait! Do I need to get a rocket scientist for this issue?
There are allergies or sensitivities to real/natural/non-GMO food. You can get allergy tests and do an elimination diet to figure this out. It's a slow process but would be worth it if you got answers.

Food Dyes
Are made from coal tar. Yum! That same black gunk that is used to pave our streets. Who was the brainiac that thought we should eat this crap?
Red dye has been linked to hyperactivity in children. Red dye is in everything. Read labels and if it has a food dye in it, toss it back on the shelf.
In Europe most food dyes are outlawed. However, the USA is owned by the almighty $$$ and years behind in food safety.

Artificial Sweeteners
All artificial sweeteners are linked to incontinence in women. Anyone notice the surge in Depends commercials with the increased use of Splenda, Sweet n Low, and Equal? These things irritate the bladder (and who knows what else?) and should never be put into the body. Check it out here. Also on the subject of Artificial Sweeteners look here. Just google Incontinence women and artificial sweeteners, scary.

The only other thing I think people need to do is not give up. If your doctor can't give you answers, go to a different doctor. I changed doctors 3 times until I found one who would listen to me and not blow off my symptoms to generic diseases.

Never, never, never give up. The truth is out there. . .

Celiac Disease & IBS

Celiac Disease has many symptoms. Let's face it, Gluten can do terrible things to, not just our gut, but our entire body. It shows up in skin problems, migraines, and the big one diarrhea.

In the beginning, before Celiac was ever mentioned, the doc labeled my tummy issues as IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. My only thought to this was, "I know it's irritated! Now tell me why?"
The doctor shrugged. I went home and did some research.

The list of answers was never ending.
~Keep a food diary to find out what's bothering you. (On my list; everything!)
~Remove those top allergens; milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat. (Yes, all of the above!)
~Eat smaller meals throughout the day. (that resulted in getting the big D more often through the day)
~Take probiotics. (Minimal help, issues still there)
~Avoid sulfates. (no help there!)
~Eat one macaroon a day. (Really? Um, no, no help.)
~Candida. (back to the probiotic issue-still suffering_

The list went on. Navigating the Internet on a subject like diarrhea and IBS and you are deluged with information. Some I tried, some I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.

When the doc finally said Celiac but refused to test me and told me to go gluten free I was just desperate and uninformed enough to try it.

The IBS still followed me, however a lot of the other symptoms resolved. The pains in my gut that felt like someone had left a block of cement in there, gone. Skin, cleared. IBS came and went with no apparent reason. I often wondered if my gut was just so damaged that it was something I'd have to live with for the rest of my life. Then I read about Caltrate. Before we go any further I just want to be clear that I have no interest in this product outside of the fact that it has practically cured my IBS. I found this information in an IBS forum here.

I take half a tablet with breakfast and half with lunch. (Or dinner if I forget lunch) As long as I remember to do this the IBS is gone. Also gone is that loose queasy feeling down low in my abdomen.

I don't know why this works but read in this forum where someone thinks they can explain it.  Are they right? Who knows? It kinda makes sense but I've taken other calcium supplements before and they have not relieved my IBS. This one, the Caltrate in the purple bottle is the one that works for me.