A mystery surrounds our gluten-free story. It is a regular whodunit.

According to the Celiac Disease Center, first-degree relatives (parents, children and siblings) have a 1 in 22 chance of developing the disease in their lifetime. The risk for second-degree relatives (uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents) is 1 in 39. Only lifetime screening can help family members reduce the longterm effects of celiac, the center says. Antibody testing is necessary because celiac is a genetic condition and could appear again in the family at any time.

So, who done it?

First, my husband and I examined the symptoms.
For adults, these included:
Abdominal cramping/bloating
Appetite increase/cravings
Mouth sores
Dry skin
Constipation
Energy loss/fatigue
Weight loss
Tooth enamel defects
Muscle cramping (especially in the hands and legs)
Edema
Acidosis

In children, symptoms include not gaining weight, developmental delays and stomach bloating.

Neither of us experienced many of these symptoms, although we were both underweight as children and had experienced dry skin and energy loss (probably due to having two young children.)

The next step? We took on the case gluten-free:

My husband and I both ate what my son ate for the first few months. I felt fantastic. I was more energetic, concentrating better and happy to be in my kitchen working on making my family healthy. My husband felt --- hungry.

I scheduled a checkup with the doctor and asked for a celiac panel, which tests for the presence of certain antibodies that suggest a person has celiac. If the panel was positive, it meant that it's very likely I had celiac and should consult a gastrointestinal doctor for further testing to see if there was damage to the villi in my intestines. If it was negative, it meant that I did not have celiac. It came back ... negative.

I have come to the conclusion that it wasn't the gluten-free diet that caused me to have more energy and feel more healthy. It was that we actually were eating much more healthy. We were now on a steady diet of fruits, veggies, homemade meals and we were skipping processed foods, fast foods and sugary snacks. Go figure.

Then, the plot thickens...

I, of course, began worrying that my husband may have an undiagnosed case of celiac and for whatever reason is not bothered by eating the protein. Added to my worry is the fact that maternal and paternal relatives have had lymphoma. Celiacs who do not maintain a gluten-free diet stand a much greater chance of getting certain types of cancer, especially lymphoma.

Recently, I received a message from a distant relative of my husband who had been reading this blog. She pointed out that there are some second cousins and second-degree relatives who have celiac.

It appears the family link is weighing heavy on my husband's end. And with a lifetime of eating gluten, and a long list of negative, even life-threatening, effects of doing so, I'm hoping he does not have the disease.

Should my husband get a test to solve this mystery? It seems pretty elementary to me.

(The Celiac Disease Center also states that there is a simple cheek-swab test to reveal if someone is predisposed to developing celiac some time in their life. This may be an option for my younger son, who is not showing any symptoms of the autoimmune disease. It would put our minds at rest or alert us that he may develop the disease down the road.)