Joint Pain / Bone Inflammation

[StormyWen]

I have been eating gluten free for 8 days to try to figure out if being gluten free could help with the joint pain and bone inflammation I have in the front and back of my pelvis.  My PCP told me that a diet change would not help and that I should just go to a doctor she has recommended and get cortisone injections.....which I will do anything to avoid.

 

My brother is gluten intolerant (never did medical testing) and gets acid reflux and SEVERE joint pain all over if he eats any bit of gluten.  He has always told me to try going gluten free to see if it helps me with my acid reflux and migraine headaches but I never took his advice until now.  I also just started taking anti-anxiety medication at the beginning of this year and read that anxiety could be a symptom of gluten intolerance.

 

Here's my questions:

     1)  How long should I wait until I stop taking my acid reflux medication as a test to see if the gluten free diet has elimated the acid reflux?  Normally if I miss one dose I notice it so it wouldn't take more than a day or two to find out.....I just wasn't sure how long the gluten will be hanging around in my body.

 

     2)  Can gluten intolerance cause actual bone inflammation or hardening of the joints?  These are the things that are showing up on my most recent x-ray.

 

Thanks,

    Wendy

 

[jhol]

hi,

 

i can only answer one of your questions- about acid reflux. this was the only thing the docs found when i had my celiac tests. theres nothing wrong but reflux- heres 2 prescriptions for it. i just thought im not getting into taking medicines for this and that!!! - i went gluten and dairy free the next day (with a few mistakes). ive only had one problem with reflux since,when i ate strawberry smoothie.

 

everybodys different and i dont know what type of medication it is but if your still taking it how would you know if the diet has helped ?

 

gluten can cause joint pain- its one of my symptoms. sometimes you find you have to give up somthing else as well- in my case it was dairy, and nightshade vegetables(potatoes,tomatoes,peppers and aubergines) and my newest one soya!

 

hope you have some success in sorting out your problems, welcome to the forum. im sure others will have more answers for you.

[janpell]

If you don't get results I would do a full elimination diet with a strict food journal. Going gluten free isn't enough for me to keep my joint pain/arthritis at bay. I have many more intolerances to deal with but I am slowly introducing more and more into my diet (over time) and it is going very well. It all depends on how much damage you have going on (I'm guessing).  Fresh tomatoes are the worst offender for my joints.

[StormyWen]

everybodys different and i dont know what type of medication it is but if your still taking it how would you know if the diet has helped ?

I've been taking omeprazole for more years than I can remember.  If I don't take my daily dose I will have heartburn or acid reflux during that 24 hour period.  So my theory is that if I stop taking it once the gluten is out of my system that I should know pretty quickly if the diet change has helped....but I'm definetely not an expert!

 

I also think that the food log is a great idea that I'm going to try.  If I can get off of my prescription medications just from changing my diet I'm all for it.

[mushroom]

The gluten goes out of your system pretty much right away; it's the autoantibodies your body has made to fight it that take a little longer to clear.  Even so, as jhol says, the only way to know is to try it.

 

I had arthritic bony protrusions on my fingers when I first quit eating gluten.  My joints have remodeled over the years since, and no more little knobby bits now   and they move freely.  Still a little bit chubby though   along with my toes.

[Sassbo]

I am newly gluten free (first of 2013) and found out by doing the JJVirgin elimination diet.  (the perils of watching PBS during the holidays... found her there) I have been on Celebrex for 4 years for arthitis in my hands and hips.  It was to the point that I was limping and was impacting my activities.  Guess what?  Now that I'm gluten free, I stopped taking the Celebrex and I'm absolutely fine!  If I get "glutened" my joints get a bit achy....

 

Hope that helps...

[Deaminated Marcus]

The gastroenterologist I saw last week said there is no link between Celiac and fibromyalgia  (joint pain, body pain etc)

 

I don' t agree with him.

Sigh... why did I waste my time seeing that doctor.

 

Sassbo, that is encouraging. I believe it's all food related.

[Dozey]

Hi stormy wren, I'm afraid I don't know enough to help with your questions, but just wanted to say that long term use of acid reflux medication can interfere with vit B12 absorbtion, which can lead to a deficiency. You might want to check that out.

Jo