Do I have Celiac Disease or Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

For the past 2 years I have been getting stomach cramps and diarrhea after I eat. It got to an unbearable point this year so I decided to see a doctor. I had a blood test, that came back normal, however, my doctor believes I have celiac disease, he said it could be irritable bowel syndrome but he thinks it's celiacs. He wanted me to get a colonoscopy, which I refused to do so he asked me to go on a gluten-free diet for two weeks. The thing is I can eat wholemeal bread and not get diarrhea, I do get a bit of cramping but nothing too bad. I can't eat any breakfast cereals at all, that is the worst thing I could possibly eat, if I ate some I would spend the entire day in the bathroom. I also have alot of trouble with sauces, chips, nuts, chocolate, cakes, cookies, noodles, the list goes on, basically the only food I feel safe eating these days is vegetables, fruits, eggs, rice, chicken and fish. I think it might be IBS, only because I can eat wholemeal bread. Please give me your opinion.

Hi Tammy W

It sounds like you're on the right path to figuring out what you can and cannot eat. Your description of what is working for you so far does suggest that a gluten-free diet is worth a try.

I know many people with a variety of bowel problems, from celiac to Crohns, and I know that neither a diagnosis nor proper treatment is easy to nail down. There may be variations on these diseases that are still unknown.

It may take awhile to get used to the idea that you have to deny yourself certain foods that you enjoy. Use your doctors for diagnostics and opinions, but ultimately you will have to be responsible for the diet you follow to actually feel better.

Have you tried a multi-enzyme yet? You may find that it helps with digestion and makes you feel better. I use one called Inflazyme Forte by American Biologics. Do a search on froogle.com to find the current cheapest price. Or your local healthfood store can help you find another comparable one.

Hope this helps! Best of luck!

Honestly I applaud yoru doc and think u are in denial. Most Celiacs spend YEARS trying to get a correct diagnosis and here yours is trying to help you!!
There are many reasons the blood test can come back neg, which is why he asked to do the scope (the correct thing to do in his position.) There are reasons he suspects CEliac, and I applaud him for doing so! IBS is a LACK of diagnosis. IBS means they dont KNOW what is wrong with you! Celiac is not a death sentence! Its a liberation! Suddenly ALL you have to do is eat the gluten free diet and WHAM< you feel awesome! U save your fertility, u reduce your risk of cancer and you may even save yourself dental and eye damage!!! Untreated Celiac can lead to countless problems which is why he is pushing u to find out. He has your best interest at heart.

The symptoms of Celiac are so far and wide and not every time u ingest gluten will u have a reaction. Thats why u can eat the wholemeal bread. U probably dont recognized the symptoms that are there.

I personally say, suck it up and do the scope. He needs to do an endoscopy with biopsy to check your intestines for damage to the villa inside. Maybe if its an endoscopy, not a colonoscopy you'll feel better about the test? Rememer they an sedate u and u wont really remember anything.

Remember u do need to eat gluten for the test to be accurate, though so you'll have to resume eating gluten.

I think your doc is right and I"d like to know where he is and his name so if i run across any potential Celiacs in that area I can reccomend him!! Don't waste 15 years ofy our life trying to figure out whats wrong. If its Celiac, meds wont help, and th e ONLY thing u can do is the GF diet. There are TONS of GOOD GF foods out there I can refer u to. I have been GF for 3 years and I get pizza, donuts, brownies, cakes, breads, bagels, etc and I dont miss a thing.

Please feel free to email me for further help, I just hate tos ee any suffer for no reason.

I agree with the previous person, it sounds to me like you have celiac, and you are VERY lucky to get a fairly decent doctor, or he wouldn't have diagnosed it, but if you want to try this quiz, it might help you to work out if you are gluten intolerant, without taking that test: http://www.glutenfreedietbook.com/factsh...

Do you mean the doctor wants to do an endoscopy instead of a colonoscopy? That would be the test for celiac disease.
Don't base your not having celiac on being able to eat whole wheat bread. It could be that the gluten is not as processed in the bread you are eating is in the cereals and other stuff and you don't have the immediate problems they cause even though the gluten could be still causing damage.
First of all, there is nothing wrong with eating vegetables, fruit, eggs, rice chicken and fish. Many people with or without eating disorders are trying to get to that type of natural non processed food type diet. The other thing I want to point out is that having celiac doesn't exclude you from having IBS, although I think most celiacs bowel problems straighten out on a strict gluten free diet.