I'm not too keen on giving out some personal information, but I really hope that my doing this I am able to help someone else who might have gluten sensitivity and not know it. I received medical records in the mail today from doctors I visited a little over a year ago and can't believe how many tests I went through to determine what was wrong with me. I had had constant pain in my side that felt as though something inside were inflamed for weeks and had alternating diarrhea and constipation. The pain always got worse after eating. (Keep in mind at this time I was in Ukraine as a Peace Corps Volunteer where the diet contains a lot of bread and bread products, so I was eating gluten for pretty much every single meal.) My doctors there referred me to see a GI specialist since I have a family history of Crohn's disease on my mom's side. He performed a colonoscopy and recieved normal results. But the pain was intense, and I could barely function. Also, whenever he pressed on my side I couldn't even stand to be touched. After having a GI tract scan, an abdominal ultrasound, stool samples, and blood tests to check for cancer, he sent me to have my ribs checked out, fearing that perhaps I had fractured one. Those X-rays came back normal. Then I went to see a rheumatologist and a neurologist. I had a CT scan done and an MRI as well as more stool samples, urine tests, and bloodwork. Going through the bloodwork, I can clearly see that not once was a screening done for Celiac. Never. I had told the doctors originally that the pain always got worse with eating, but because my diet changed while seeing these doctors, the pain was just pretty much constant. Since they couldn't figure out what was causing it, they just said I had myofascial pain syndrome and gave me a ton of heavy pills to take to learn how to cope with the pain. I went back to Ukraine but couldn't deal with the pain and the necessary duties I had to perform as a volunteer. I was medically separated, something that broke my heart. It wasn't until this year, one year after my leaving Peace Corps service that I really started noticing my problems always came back when I ate gluten. I had unconsciously cut it out of my diet and had reintroduced it as part of a soft foods regimen for kidney stones. The more bread I ate, the worse I felt. The pain in my side came back, and I developed anemia. I also lost weight and had a change in bowel habits. Thank God I have a doctor here who listened to me and has referred me to see another GI specialist. Going through those old records pissed me off. For something that so common in people, why was I never tested for Celiac? I told them that my diet had changed and that I was eating more bread. Of course hindsight is always 20/20. I just hope that by sharing my story other people don't have to go through the needless testing I did and the worry that maybe it's all in your head.