Lower back pain with CD

I am new to this forum, but have been reading a lot of your postings. It sounds like Celiac and IBS are similar. I have been thinking I have IBS, but now, after reading some of these posts, I feel as though my symptoms could be related to CD. The reason is that I can almost pin point when my problems started. about 8 years ago I started the Atkins diet as a means of losing weight. I was successful at it and felt so good, I continued a very low carb diet for another 3 years. Then I went through a divorce and with all of that and being a single parent, I slacked off...I really didnt have the time it took to be so committed to the diet. Anyway, that's when it all hit me. I had severe bloating, constipation and the worst fatigue and brain fog I had ever felt. I put it off to the change in diet and the stress of my divorce, etc. about a year later I went to the doctor about it and the doc basically said "stress." SO I continued on my marry way...over and over again I tried to adopt the low carb diet again, but it never clicked. Then about 3 years ago I started having intermittent bouts of diarrhea. I thought it was because I am lactose intolerant....so this cycle stuck with me until this last summer. My diet was all over the place. I was eating any and every thing I waned....with wheat and dairy...non stop. I had also just come off 7 weeks of antibiotics, and a bout of salmonella. I was so sick!! My gut burned, I had diarrhea, my lower back hurt, my tail bone hurt. I was a wreck. It lasted about 2 months...I thought I might have a yeast overgrowth, so I started probiotics and tried eating low carb (now bread of any kind and no starches) for a few weeks....I got a little better...then I got lazy. A few weeks later, I was back to the old habits, and started with the low back and tail bone pain...diarrhea (undigested food, too) also a pain in my lower left abdomen, and an acid stomach. I went to my GYN and my GP to be checked...found nothing. The blood and stool tests that I had done came back normal, so the doc referred me to a GI, whom I meet with tomorrow. I have checked the tests that were done and I was not tested for CD. I have been back to the doc and started on psyllium, probiotic, and loads of water, which seems to help, but not totally.

My question is: Are these symptoms consistent with CD? Even the back pain?

Sorry if this sounds like I am rambling...there's just been so much happening, I wanted to get as much in as I could. Thanks for taking a look.
Dawn

Thanks Razzle, I was at the GI doc yesterday. They did a blood test for celiac. The doc says that if the results are abnormal they will do the biopsy. That, however, will be up to me. I'm not sure I want to spend the money on it...my insurance isnt the best. After reading up on the tests on the website I think I would rather do the testing that this lab offers. It is less invasive, accurate and far less expensive!

Thanks so much for the tip, I will let you know what happens!
Dawn

daisybrown: Taking a biopsy is the only 100% way of telling you have Celiac. Do not go gluten free before the test because it will be a false positive. When you know exactely what is wrong then you can deal with it. I have been Gluten free for 1 1/2 years and my stomach has finally healed. Be careful there is gluten in almost everything. (lotions, toothpaste, medications, and of course food.) Its takes awhile to go gluten free and be satified but in the end you know you have done the right thing. If you cheat now and again the gluten can damage your stomach and one side effect is stomach cancer. So you really have to be vigilant. Good luck....