Can you have celiacs and crohn's ?

[bonbonbowen]

Hi, I was diagnosed with crohn's 6 years ago and have had a resection. My bloods have been showing remission since the operation but I've still had very bad symptoms and not responded to any medication. I have now been told (by a nurisionist) that I am intolerant to wheat, milk and eggs. So could it be celiacs with crohns? Or could I have been misdiagnosed with crohns in the first place? It took them a long time to find the crohns as it never showed up in blood tests.

 

[glum chump]

Hey bonbon

It might be that you have a wheat/gluten intolerance rather than celiac disease. You could ask your doctor to test you for celiac and you might know fairly quickly whether you have Celiac's. What tests did they initially perform to diagnose you with Crohn's? Why did they do a resection?

A lot of folks with Crohn's find wheat/gluten to be a problem for them. You might want to head over to the Diet and Fitness section of the forum and read stories from folks who have tried a gluten free diet.

I noticed that milk is on your list---many of us are lactose intolerant as well. I'm lactose intolerant, and either use lactose free milk, or use lactase pills before taking in dairy products.

I hope your doctor will order you the appropriate blood tests for celiac!

Take care,

Kismet

 

[bonbonbowen]

Hi There

thanks for the reply. I'm not sure what all the tests were to diagnose my crohn's. I had a lot of blood tests and three colonoscopies before i was finally told it was crohn's.
They did a resection of my terminal ilium because it was very ulcerated.

I don't know much about celiacs, can you have ulceration with it?
Ive managed to cut out wheat and dairy this week (although its been tough) and use soya milk.

What are these pills then? do they really work? as I would love to have chocolate occasionally.

Many Thank

Bonbon

 

[glum chump]

Lactase is an enzyme that helps break down the lactose during digestion. If you have insufficient lactase enzymes in your body, then the undigested lactose causes all sorts of problems---for me, it's bloating, gas, diarrhea and abdominal cramping. I usually buy them at the health food store---brie and other soft cheeses are my downfall! And I find them helpful and they work. I don't take them often---maybe once or twice a week.

Colonoscopies are usually good for diagnosing Crohn's, so hopefully, they saw inflammation and other markers to correctly diagnose you. A lot of people with Crohn's find/feel relief after a resection, but I'm not sure about ulceration with Celiac Disease. Someone else might have a better idea.

It must be frustrating to have symptoms, yet your blood tests are coming back positive for inflammation and infection.

I hope you're able to find some lactase pills so that you can enjoy chocolate!

Regards,

Kismet

 

[DustyKat]

It is possible for both to coexist but since you have had biopsies through colonoscopy and pathology via resection they would normally either rule in or rule out caeliac at that point as a matter of course.

Caeliac affects the villi (finger like projections) on the wall of the small bowel. Over time, with caeliac, these projections become damaged due to the allergic response to gluten. This is what the pathologist will look for in a biopsy, Crohns does not affect the villi this way and caeliac doesn't cause ulceration.

Dusty. xxx

 

[num1habsfan]

as dusty said, flattened villi is how they diagnose Celiac, or by blood test as a start. Celiac is typically on the low/right side.

There is a difference between Celiac, a gluten intolerence, and a gluten allergy. Celiac is autoimmune and will cause/trigger other diseases. A GF diet is necessary. A gluten intolerence means you get the symptoms like pain, bloating, diarrhrea, but is not associated with other conditions (its like a lactose intolerece). A gluten allergy will give you stuff like hives, watery eyes, sneezing; GF is recommended but you wont have long-term side effects on your body if you do consume it.

I have Celiac and also have had undiagnosed crohn's for the past 5.5 years. .



---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.625313,-102.434097