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Hi,

This actually happened to me a couple of years ago, about a year before the
wheat germ put me into the ER. I've been wondering about it ever since.

A friend suggested I try donating blood to the Red Cross to see if it would
help some of the health problems I was having (I think he was thinking iron
overload in me, I had gray complexion and the health problems I'd been
having for years). I donated one unit and felt OK for about a week
afterwards, then noticed my stools became progressively more pale until they
turned white on me (very scary looking). At the same time I started
developing abdominal pains on the right side, above belly button height but
on the side towards the ribs. Then the stools went yellow on me and have
gone from yellow to normal color at random over the last two years. Seems
like they go yellow for a month, then back to normal for a month, then
yellow, etc.

After I went GF last June, they still vary from normal color to yellow(ish).
I do notice sometimes when they are yellow they seem to almost dye the water
in the toilet with a yellowish tint. Most of the pains in the abdomen are
gone now, although I still get what feels like firmness or a bit of pain in
the area on the right where the pains first started two years ago. Lately
I've been getting bruises in my fingers very easily, which is kind of
freaking me out.

I've got the endoscopy and colonoscopy coming up at the end of the month.
From what I told my GI, he says sounds like CD. I went about 10 years with
the steatorrhea, started when I was 30, ended last year after I went GF.

I don't know if this points to something more serious. I told my GI about it
and he ordered blood tests to check for B-12 and I think liver function
tests. Haven't got the word back on them yet. Should get word after the
scopes next week.

Can anybody enlighten me as to what might have happened in me after this
blood donation in 2000? I was definitely eating gluten back then, not
knowing I was possibly CD.


Regards,

Jerry

* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *