Ep 223 IBS and Celiac Disease

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode –

I was able to attend the second webinar presented by the CCA during the month of May, Celiac Awareness Month. The subject of this webinar was IBS and Celiac Disease. There were two very engaging speakers, and I had the privilege of speaking with both of them for this podcast.

Meghan Donnelly is a Registered Dietician who works for Dr. Schar, as Senior Manager of Nutrition Services. We know the company as Schar gluten free.  Megan works with individuals who could benefit from a specialized diet.  She has worked with many patients who are celiac, as well as those who have IBS. She explains the low FODMAP diet, which is meant as a resource to identify specific foods that may be causing IBS symptoms in the gut. Megan explains the process of working through the diet as well as other forms of dietary treatment. Megan has some great slides in the webinar. The link is below.

Dr. Maria Ines Pinto-Sanchez is the Lead at the Adult Celiac Clinic at McMaster University’s Farncombe Digestive Disease Centre. Dr. Pinto-Sanchez gave a great description of both the similarities and differences in both the presentation, testing and treatment of IBS and Celiac Disease. I speak to her about the patient journey when presenting with symptoms that could be IBS or Celiac. She very well defines the differences of how the gut is affected in both conditions. There are some great slides and charts in the webinar presentation that illustrate these differences.

Also, Dr. Pinto-Sanchez would like to encourage everyone to fill in the international survey about covid and vaccines. You can find the survey at https://bit.ly/redcapCovid19VaccineSurvey. Best to have your vaccine certificates handy, as the survey is collecting that information as part of the survey.

Webinar link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3zFALsvUcI

Schar links – www.schar.ca

@scharglutenfree on Facebook and Instagram

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

IBS is a tender subject for me.  As I have mentioned in the past, I was diagnosed with IBS, and thought it just meant I had recognized symptoms, and all I could do was try not to eat things that caused problems. I went on that way for years. My celiac diagnosis ended my vague treatment plan for IBS. With celiac disease, I knew I had to avoid gluten completely. I had a plan and rules.

I suppose what made the diagnosis of IBS so difficult was that everything was “try”, and “maybe”, and “see how you feel”. Well, I felt lousy.  It took a while after my celiac diagnosis to realize that IBS was an “un-diagnosis”.  I have stayed away from discussions about IBS ever since.

That’s why I was so fascinated when Dr. Pinto-Sanchez identified clear, unmistakable, differences between celiac and IBS. No more “vague”, “it might be”, “stay away from”. There is now a recognized specific set of circumstances that make up a proper IBS diagnosis. Now that the mystery of what’s going on in the gut is becoming more clear, therapies can be developed to target those specific gut issues.

It was near the end of my conversation with Dr. Pinto-Sanchez that I realized there may be other people, as I was, diagnosed with IBS years ago and just trying to make it through with some of our own tricks and food omissions. There is now a proper diagnosis and there are different treatments.

I’ve moved on from my IBS diagnosis, but I hope everyone who believes they have IBS has undergone the new regime of first being blood tested for celiac disease (while eating gluten), then defining what is actually going on in their gut.  With proper diagnosis comes new and life-changing therapies like the FODMAP diet. If you think you have IBS, now is the time to find out more, maybe lots more!