Can eating gluten when your intolerant cause a puffy face and pale anemic-like skin?

[healthiskey]

I am thinking I might be gluten intolerant as my dad and auntie both suffer with ceoliac disease.

[BabsyWabsy]

In short, yes. chewma.com/blogs/news/moon-... If you are also pale, this might suggest that you could be anaemic. You have close relatives who are coeliac. Please see your GP and ask to be screened for coeliac, but until you have been tested, don't go gluten free as it may cause a false negative. Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

[Hidden in reply to BabsyWabsy]

This is a good article, but endo doc does not mention coeliac nor does the author get tested. Very annoying when docs give half information.

[Hidden]

Coeliac and gluten intolerance are a different thing. Coeliac is an autoimmune condition which can be tested for, gluten intolerance is a dietary intolerance which can't be tested for. As BabsyWabsy has pointed out, close relative with coeliac is a good indicator you may have it/be more susceptible. It's a gene-based condition. If you have a pale anaemic complexion, you probably have anaemia, or B vit dificency. Good advice has already been given here - keep gluten in your diet, get tested. Be aware the blood test returns many false negatives, and if it does in your case, insist on biopsy for definitive result.

[healthiskey in reply to Hidden]

I’m 100% convinced I have anemia as I have pretty much all the symptoms and I even have a slight yellowish tint to my skin as well which is a symptom yet I got tested for it a few years ago when I was experiencing the same symptoms I am now and everything came back normal.

[Hidden in reply to healthiskey]

Iron levels are funny. They work on a range from about 14 up to around 200 of whatever the measurement scale is. If you are in the lower range of 'normal' you will have the symptoms of low iron, but doctors still term that as 'normal' when it really is not a good iron level for quality of life and you need to get your iron levels up. So many of things we are told are 'normal' on blood tests really aren't. They are 'normal' in that you are not falling over dead, but certainly not 'normal' in terms of optimum health and quality of life. You need to get tested for coeliac. B12 is also one of the things that suffers in coeliac and can also cause pale complexion and lack of energy.

[healthiskey]

I also read that not having a half moon shape on ur nails is a sign of anemia and I only have a half moon shape on my thumb nails and the rest I don’t.

[BabsyWabsy in reply to healthiskey]

I don't know about that as a diagnostic feature. I used to have half moons as a much younger person, but not any more. I am not anaemic.

[palmier in reply to healthiskey]

I got the half moons back on my fingers after taking strong b12 supplements.

[healthiskey in reply to palmier]

I tried taking vitamin b12 supplements but my body wouldn’t absorb them

[Meldrewmoanef in reply to healthiskey]

Hi, if your body cannot absorb B12 ,then you would have B12 injections, I also cannot absorb B12. I am rather confused g the comment regarding celiac disease and the gluten aspect, I was told that part of the coeliac auto immune disease is gluten intolerance along with B12 and aneamia are part and parcel of this diagnosis. Please get tested, if the Dr is reluctant insist it is your right to good medical care.

[healthiskey in reply to Meldrewmoanef]

I am getting tested on tuesday. I've been tested before a few years ago when i was having the same symptoms i am having now and it came back negative.

[Meldrewmoanef]

You need to be eating gluten for at least 6weeks before being tested, otherwise you will not get the correct diagnosis.