<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> MY QUESTION: Have any diagnosed celiac's out there ever been diagnosed with diverticulitis as well, or prior to, their celiac diagnosis? My grandfather was diagnosed years ago with diverticulitis and I am wondering if he has actually been misdiagnosed all these years. He still complains about everything he eats and now my grandmother has been complaining that she can't cook anything cause he says it bothers him, no matter what it is. He also has sugar problems, blacks out if he has too much sugar. So far no one else in our family has been diagnosed but I am thinking there might be a connection between his diverticulitis, his daughter's endometriosis problems and my celiac. His other daughter, my mother, has been blood tested but came up negative, so far. I don't think my grandfather's dr is very up to speed on things, so I figured I would see if anyone had any info out there for me. I had been reading more about diverticulitis and saw that they made reference to possibly having IBS, instead of or as well as diverticulitis, which made me think. We all know how many dr's diagnose IBS and don't look for celiac! ********************************************* RESPONSES: Most of us past forty have diverticulosis. I've had one episode of diverticulitis (the acute infection of a diverticula). Most Americans don't eat enough fiber, and most of them have diverticulosis by the time they're fifty. But in non-technological tribal cultures that eat lots of fiber, it's almost unheard of. It's not at all a marker of celiac, though we do tend to have more than most. When celiacs have blood tests they return from 20 to 50 percent false negatives. But very few false positives. Most celiacs have an irritable bowel, hence IBS. And this does tend to cause more diverticulosis. Taking a regular fiber supplement such as Metamucil helps a lot. -vance ************************* Prior to finding out I had celiac, I, too, was told I had diverticulititis. Since going gf, I have been able to eat corn, nuts and tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. I have had no problem. For the first year, I did take the tiny seeds out of tomatoes and didn't eat a lot of corn, but ate some. I also made sure I chewed up the nuts real good. My suggestion would be to have your grandfather go gf for a couple of weeks and see how he feels. Good luck! Betty in OHIO **************** I went to the Mayo Clinic and they did multiple tests and I was diagnosed Celiac Disease just this fall. I had been previously diagnosed with diverticulitis several months before, and take FiberCom daily. Leta ***************** Diverticulum is pouches in the intestines can be any where, but usually lt area upper quad near naval. When this area becomes inflamed it is called diverticulitis sometimes it will cause lots of pain and the patient will pass blood or mucus. Certain foods can aggrevate this condition, like nuts, popcorn,oatmeal, seedy foods; tomatoes, grapes etc corn is another problem food. Yes, IBS goes hand and hand with this it can either be in the form of diarrhea, but more often it is constipation that causes the pain and troubles. No one with this condition should be allow to become constipated. He could also have developed GERD or acid reflux maybe if you tried Zantac 75, 150mg a day it would help. In the hospital we give 75mg in the am and 75 mg pm. Also, he probably needs a new doctor. Chris *************** Don't know where things fit in with this picture, but I was diagnosed with diverticulitus years ago (likely 20 years), and possibly 15 years as Celiac, although that is not a definite thing, as to have the biopsy, I had to go back on gluten, and I decided it was not worth it. Therefore, I am almost what you might call self-diagnosed Celiac, as I do stick to a gf diet and manage things quite well. I also know what to do if I run up against a gluten accident. I was told nearly 40 years ago that I had spastic colon, then irritable bowel syndrome, then diverticulitus, and they (the gastro) wonders if I have been celiac all my life. I am also lactose intolerant. My diet is very restricted, no raw veggies, (rarely I enjoy a caesar salad, or tossed salad), no cucumbers, carrots, celery, and nothing with seeds in them, tomatoes, strawberries, etc. I eat fish or chicken, no processed foods, no pork and beef only once a week, no more, lots of cooked veggies, and I do enjoy bananas, pears, and other canned fruit, but no apples, or citrus fruit because of the acid content. And I eat my potato flour buns, or make my own muffins, or buy Kinnickinnick products which are good, donuts, bagels, not the bread as it is awful. I do not eat sugar on anything, tend to have low blood sugar, but get it from fruit, or natural sources. I do not consume any caffeine, pop, coffee, just caffeine-free tea, mostly herbal teas. No wines, liquor, so a real bland diet, but it does pay off to feel better and not always need a bathroom every place you go. I have had the blood work done for Celiac testing, but am still waiting for it to come back from the lab. Hope this helps you somewhat. Joan, Kincardine *************************** My mother has diver. but will not be tested for fear of never eating Irish cake again. I am DH with a sugar response similar to you Gfather's. My brother is schiocrazy with all the classic celiac symptoms and a doctor in denial. -- Nancy ************************* Please summarize, my 7 year old daughter has CD, my dad intestinal lymphoma, and his mom diverticulitis and diabetes, and upset stomach a lot. Sound familiar? I'd love to know if there's a connection, I had my dad talked into being tested, and his oncologist talked him out of it! Said there was no connection. Thanks, Karen ************************* Yep, my long-time family doctor first said I had IBM, at teenage years. After suffering from diahrrea attacks for years and years, I started having more intense problems after I had a hysterectomy at age 41. He then sent me for a test and decided I had diverticulitis. But if you read about this, you probably discovered that about 40% of the population over 40 have this, though not everyone knows it or suffers from it. If it is bad enough, seeds (pickles, strawberries, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc.) can get trapped in the pockets and eventually cause inflammation of the bowel and many symptoms similar to what I suffer as a celiac. After continued problems that led to continual pain in my left side of back, we tested for kidneys---no problem. I had loose bowel movements nonstop for two years intermittant with severe diahrea. This at age 46. I asked him to please refer me to an enterologist. I told the enterologist my symptoms; he asked me a few questions and then we did stool tests and blood tests to eliminate some of the 3-4 possibilities of problems I could have, altho he highly suspected celiac disease. The blood work came back positive (over twice as many antigliaddens as normal), he said that he felt pretty sure that I had cd, but recommended the endoscopy. I did have the procedure and he confirmed that my villi were flat and that I did have scarring tissue in the small intestine. I went on the no wheat-oats-barley-rye diet and have been MUCH BETTER immediately. I am now 52. Still have some problems, but SO MUCH BETTER. After being on the diet for 6 years, I find that I am more sensitive to wheat now than before. And accidental ingestions result in severe nausea, throwing up, and diahrrea. Slight ingestions (??maybe plain vinegar or maybe wheat starch??), I still get loose stools and occasional pain in the left back side, but overall am feeling normal. I used to have such problems with bloating and flatulance, that it was embarrassing. After following the diet, these 2 symptoms disappeared within 3 days. I could eat red beans again with no more problem than a non-celiac diseased person. I think I still have a little IBS problems (get nervous easily and seem to react in my diet), but oils and fats no longer seem to bother me, so who knows? I do not avoid seeded products and I do not have any trouble in spite of the diverticulitis pockets..... I highly recommend your friend see an enterologist and, at the very least, have the blood tests to test for anti-gliaddens. P.S. After 35 years, I have decided to change family doctors. Don't actually go to the enterologist any longer, because there isn't really anything he can do for me--my well-being is up to me and how faithful to the diet I am--I do my best. ******************************** I was diagnosed many years ago with divertic.....eventually I got a CD diagnosis after years of docs not knowing what was going on. ****************************** I have been diagnosed CD for ~3 years. 3 months ago I started experiencing slight pains in the lower abdomen that got worse over the next couple weeks. After a few tests my gastro doc decided it may be Diverticulitis and put me on 2 types of meds. After the first round of meds (3 weeks worth) the pain was still there. After another round (3 weeks) the pain subsided almost completely. Occasionally I feel a twinge but attribute this as a call to eat, which usually works! Take care, mark ****************************** I am finding so many things associated with Celiac's disease. I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy after being on a gluten free diet for about 6 weeks. There was a biopsy done to diagnose Celiac's disease but it was negative according to my doctor. He said the colonoscopy indicated diverticulosis - not severe, nevertheless, there. I know I am gluten intolerant because after removing the gluten from my diet, I was finally pain free (abdominal) for the first time in 3 years. There were numerous symptoms also but being free of the pain and erratic bowel problems was enough for me. It is evident to me that many specialists are not up on Celiac's or gluten problems. My Dr. has an attitude about my finding the cause of my symptoms. It seems he is opposed to patients being pro-active in their health care. I would be wonderful if your grandmother could change grandpa's diet and see if it makes a difference. I find it is more difficult with elderly (depending on how old) to make changes as they can be quite resistant to stuff they don't understand. I sure hope he will go along with it at least to see if he can be more comfortable. Good luck. Shelly N. Calif. ******************************** Your grandfather's blackouts from too much sugar indicates the possibility of diabetes, a disease which should NOT be ignored. Yes, many doctors diagnose erroneously and miss C D all the time...diverticulosis is one of manymisses. ******************************** Have you Grandmother cook gluten free for a week...you'll see. ******************************** Yes, I have and the only that will really bother me (the day after) is when I eat peanuts. Which is exactly what the gastro told me when she diagnosed my Celiac, along with the diverticulitis. Kim ************************************ Yes I was diagnosed about a year before I was diagnosed with cd Christina