Readers Respond: What Were Your Main Celiac Disease Symptoms?

Although diarrhea, fatigue and abdominal pain remain the most common celiac disease symptoms, the condition actually has more than 100 potential symptoms and associated medical conditions, some very common and some quite unusual.

In addition, it's not at all uncommon to have minor health complaints clear up once you go gluten-free. For example, when I started the diet, my lifelong, seriously annoying dandruff suddenly disappeared, my gums quit bleeding and my cuticles stopped peeling.

What were your main celiac symptoms? Also, what minor health complaints surprised you by disappearing on the gluten-free diet?

Nerve disorders and celiac

Diagnosed 2urs ago was experiencing little gastrointestinal symptoms some gas constipation but had restless body sensations burning feet electric shocks in feet arms hands aching joints burning hot right hand freezing cold left hand pins and needles in feet. Went to all the oligists none of them knew what was wrong did every test in the book I finally went on line and figured out since my bit D was so low I wasn't absorbing fats asked my rhematoligist to test me for celiac and confirmed what I already suspected. Followed up with endoscopy to confirm. Got my mom diagnosed last year she has suffered for years with stomach problems unfortunately she also found out she has follicular lymphoma. It's a simple blood test if you have any suspicion you have this get tested.

—Guest Kat R

Do I have celiac

Suffered server mouth ulcers, aching bone and muscle, fatigue, I am vitamin d deficient and my folic acid is lower than normal. I'm waiting on blood test results but can't seem to link these symptoms with gluten. I'm so confused!

—Guest Kel

fight for health

I worked at gluten hell for years (IHOP) and I got sicker and sicker with open sores all over my body. Since health insurance was not an option, I went undiagnosed until I almost died. Now I read the monsanto has won its supreme court case and will be able to poison all of us with corn and soy beans if we can eat those. The war on food must be fought. Down with fake food, fight for health!

—Guest bridgewench

Main symptoms of celiac

Bloated stomach Ibs, fibromyalgia, neuropathy in legs and feet, edema, swollen lymph nodes rash, brain fog

—Guest Maura

Joint Pain and Stomach Cramps on Waking

Severe back and leg pains,massive unexplained/unplanned weight loss over a year,stomach cramps and wind that wake me in the morning,itching,depression/anxiety/stress feelings.Finally diagnosed three weeks ago at age 53.Immediate diet change which is hard with a family still at home BUT I have to do it for me.GP put me on iron tablets, Vit C and D and B12 temporarily till my gut recovers enough to absorb for itself.Feeling better but was good to read on hear that others still have the gripey pains and have been told its part of the healing process. Dont feel so alone now and GP is learning all the time too!!

—Guest Jane

Symptoms

Did anyone feel like there was a cell phone vibrating in their abdomen before diagnosis? That's what I felt before my endoscopy revealed celiac.

—Guest Brenda

Michelle

Hi. I have had stomach problems since I was a child. Allergies as long as I can remember and bleeding from my backside since childhood. Actually I didn't know it wasn't normal. I am now 48 years old. If not for my 3 kids having health issues I may have continued my life this same way. My allergies grew worse every year. Hospital emergency room visits because i was choking on the air which started in spring until end of the summer for two years. Pneumonia in the winter. I almost died of pneumonia. Then my oldest got so sick she missed her last year of high school and simultaneously my middle child has eczema infected around his mouth. He was 7 and dr said put polysporin on it. But why is it there? My youngest cried every night in pain waking her from her sleep, couldn't keep her head up at the dinner table, everyday the teacher home called because because my daughter was in pain. Doctor poked around her stomach but nothing suggested. We were referred to a pediatrician finally.

—Guest Michelle

split personality

If i eat gluten im a totally different person with a bad attitude

—Guest rhirhi

celiac + MS

i've had symptoms of celiac for years (26 now, been going on for ten years or so) but Im not one to complain, and I always just assumed that stomach discomfort was normal after eating. I was diagnosed with MS about a year ago - it put me in a coma for a month and a half and almost killed me - but that experience made me much more open to the possibility of real health problems. I learned more about celiac disease in a nutrition class i was in and realized that would explain all my gastrointestinal issues, and after trying a gluten free diet for not even a week i was stunned by how much better it made me feel. i've done enough research now to know that all autoimmune diseases are correlated, and yes, correlation never implies causation, but I am always going to wonder if my celiac was preventing me from absorbing nutrients that led to multiple sclerosis. Maybe we'll never find a cure for MS, but it's been around for long enough we really ought to know what causes it.

—Guest bert

sleepwalking

My boyfriend was diagnosed celiac after 25 years of many of these same symptoms. In addition, he has violent sleepwalking episodes (jumping/punching through windows etc..) that immediately disappeared only when we switched to the completely grain free starch free diet we do now. I do not think I am officially celiac, but when I go out and slip off the diet we do at home I get sores in the mouth and irratable.

—Guest mj

No symptoms whatsoever

My 9 h/o daughter had no GI or other symptoms. Her pediatrician, at her annual visit, noticed that her growth chart leveled off. She wasn't absorping nutrients. My daughter had bloodwork that came back very high for celiac. The biopsy confirmed it. Her pediatric GI doc said she stopped growing at age 8. She is prepubescent so he said she should be able to catch up with her height and weight. She just had an 8-week blood draw and I asked to check for Vitamin D deficiency. She was low so is now taking a Vitamin D supplement in addition to her multi-vitamin. With a picky daughter, a GF diet is difficult but we've only been at it for 10 weeks.

—Libby51698

Waiting for my results

I have had awful headaches; constipation; fatigue and really no memory for a long time. Am now 32 and have intense stomach problems and very severe nausea which never happened before. Took my blood test today and am getting my biopsy next week. Hope this will confirm what I already know.

—Guest Momma2208

Bad pain in left arm

I have a really ad pain in my left arm and the joints hurt really bad at night. I have celiac just found out about 2 months now so all is new to me. I take Benadryl for my itching and noticed that it stopped the pain almost instantly. Now I know why my arm was hurting so badly.

—Guest Renee

no more gluten

does anyone get massive amounts of mucus spitting and coughing it up all the time?????

—Guest katie 2

newbie here

I had stomach issues that snowballed with age. My mom did too. I've had hyper and hypothyroidism, major depression, brainy fog and horrible short term memory, poor work effort so I quit. Finally diagnosed with bipolar, but Lithium etc knocked me out into space. Now all should be getting better this week after as virus.feel 11mos pregnant(not); dh pimples; unemployed; just trying to make it.

—Guest Ga girl