Lactose intolerance or Coeliac possibly? Anyone who knows lots re symptoms?

[sunshine05]

So I was diagnosed with IBS in my early 20's after pretty much always having stomach issues of some sort. My stomach has been bad on and off, sometimes I've been fine, other times have had weeks of issues. The issues are usually the same. Urgency to go on waking, loose stools, sometimes go 2-3 times in the morning, after that sometimes again once or twice later in the day but not diarrhoea, usually more solid later. Also get wind/bloating and discomfort that goes with it. Sometimes heartburn after fatty or rich meals. In the past I've tried cutting out wheat and or dairy, even went on an elimination diet but didn't really find out the cause as things gradually got worse again. I have been tested for coeliac but have since read that it can come back negative and you can still have it?? Have also read that you can have lactose intolerance as a result of Coeliac. So how do I find out what's wrong with me??

A side effect of this issue is that I find it hard to keep my weight stable. I am borderline underweight according to my BMI and desperately want to put on half a stone to look healthier. Have tried eating really healthily but sometimes my symptoms get worse doing that (too much insoluble fibre??) salads seem to aggravate my gut quite a lot. I'm just so fed up and when I go to the doc they don't really help. Any advice welcome! Have heard of the FODMAP diet but haven't tried it yet. It's so hard to restrict things as i have 3 kids and would have to eat separately. For example, ate macaroni cheese last night which is high in fat and milk/dairy and my gut isn't good today so is it lactose or just high fat causing the issues??

[sunshine05]

sorry forgot to add I'm 37 so have been battling this for a long time...

[daisychicken]

I can't answer all your questions.... but the blood test for coeliacs is not conclusive, to get a conclusive result you need a biopsy - you will need to ask your GP to refer you. Yes, you can be lactose intolerant if you have coeliacs, something to do with the way lactose mimics/is similar to something in the gluten that causes the damage to the villi. I can't remember exact specifics but the info is online if you search.

Your symptoms could be due to coeliacs (have you experimented with cutting out gluten? You can't cut gluten out for the biopsy though if you are referred to a specialist for that) but it could also be due to various other conditions.

Have you asked your GP if you could be referred to a specialist so that you can try and find the cause? I think that would be my next step AND I would keep a food/symptom diary to see if I could spot any links.

[sunshine05]

thanks for the advice daisychicken I'm hesitant to get referred as I know it'll be lots of tests and a biopsy sounds horrid but I do want to get a definitive yes it's coeliac or no it isn't so I can then at least rule it out and start looking at other diet options. My doc did say a while back that I could get retested but it means eating wheat for 6 weeks so that's 6 weeks of feeling like crap as it does seem to make a difference when I reduce it. I am wondering if my middle son also has the same as he has some issues with his guts and always looks pale and tired (anaemia from malabsorption?) so I'll be taking him to the docs soon too.

[Superworm]

I'm a coeliac and my blood tests have always been negative. I was diagnosed by chance via an endoscopy at 34 for ongoing reflux.

At diagnosis I was lactose intolerant and had problems with soy, which is common and due to the damage to the intestines. Once is been GF for 9 months, it went.

I would push for a referral. Digestive issues are the pits and I feel so much better now.