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Glutened Or Vitamin Deficient?

Melia

By Melia
in Food Intolerance & Leaky Gut

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Melia Newbie
Melia
Posted

HI.  This is my first post here.  I am sure you all know way more than my doc about celiac.  I was diagnosed in July and also had several severe vitamin deficiencies.  

 

My hands and feet are sometimes numb and tingly, finger tips feel like they are burning.  My joints hurt.  Doc says this is because my vitamins are low and I need to supplement.  I take my vitamins sporadically because I get wicked nauseous after ingesting them.  But this week I have been consistent since the burning in my fingers has been so intense.  Three days into being a good little pill popper my gut stops digesting.  I am plagued by epigastric pain and put myself on a clear liquid diet as the only way to deal with the stabbing pain and intense bloating.  I am taking the vitamins in the morning still with a half cup of sticky white rice to help settle the nausea.  

 

I am positive the vitamins are gluten free and I have not been contaminated as far as I can tell. 

 

The burning in my fingers is gone and my joint pain is much better but my stomach is not at all happy.

 

My question is, What would you do?  Should I stick it out with clear liquids, rice and vitamins and see if my gut heals?  Or should I ditch the vitamins?  Are there certain vitamins that are easier to digest?  I am taking centrum women's, B-100, and D-3.  

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1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

 You are relatively new to the gluten free diet.Have you tried other vitamins and or a regular gluten free diet? I am not sure what is in a clear liquid diet.  My game plan includes trying to keep as high of variety of things to eat as possible.  I go for high quality natural flavored vitamins.  I am currently using Ultra-Nutrients which I get from Dr. Osborne online. They are the only one I can find that I tolerate just now!  As you said, always be sure they don't contain gluten (wheat, barley, rye, or malt powder.) I also avoid soy.

 

Have you tried digestive enzymes? These were suggested to me by a medical doctor, a chiropractor, my functional medicine nurse and a Naturopathic doctor.  They made a difference for me.  You can get some at a nutrition store.  Mine have Lipase, amylase, and protease.  I like Dr. Howell's Original Formula Extra Strength.  It comes in powdered form (no capsule) which makes me feel secure that my body will get the good out of it.

 

My functional medicine nurse explained that the villi in the small intestine break down because of celiac disease.  One of their jobs is to tell the pancreas to fire.  If they are damaged, they can't do their job.  The digestive enzymes help to break down your food as you heal.  The good news is that the damage is reversible and healing will happen as you are careful with your diet.

 

You might post the name of your liquid diet to see if anyone here has experience with it.

 

Dee

notme Experienced
notme
Posted

the vit D-3 i bought (cvs) contains soy.  soy causes inflammation for me.  asked doc to switch it, so he gave me a script for D-2 that i can take once per week <still contained soy!  but at least it's only once per week....   <_<

 

have you tried keeping a food journal?  helpful to track down 'offending' foods, etc, and especially since when i get glutened, i have a delayed response time (24-48 hrs - i don't know immediately) and i couldn't remember what i ate 2 days ago.

Brandiwine Contributor
Brandiwine
Posted

Have you tried different brands of vitamins? There could be something else in the vitamins that are causing the issue. 

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

What about sublingual vitamins (dissolve under the tongue)? I take Vitamin b-12 that way.

Melia Newbie
Melia
Posted
  • Author

Thank you so much for all the input.  I will look into finding a proper doc and maybe getting some of those enzymes and liquid vitamins if possible.  It is nice to know that others have had the same problem and to learn from your experiences.  

 

I have been sticking with juice, gluten-free toast, rice, and the vitamins.  My fingers and joints are feeling better then they have for a while.  My epigastric pain is diminishing.  I tried peanut butter last night but it was not a pleasant experience.  I think I will try a little almond milk today.  

 

Thanks again

Galixie Contributor
Galixie
Posted

The symptom of your hands and feet being tingly or numb could suggest a vitamin B12 deficiency. B12 is a really difficult vitamin for the body to absorb. Anywhere in the methylation cycle something could go haywire and then you don't get the benefit of the vitamin even if you have it in your system. I've found this page which gives a good explanation of how the absorption process works: Open Original Shared Link (notice that it mentions celiac disease as a cause of malabsorption).

 

Sublinguals are one method to try to address the problem (there are also skin patches and nasal sprays on the market too), but if your symptoms are severe enough to cause tingling and numbness (which is caused because of nerve damage that adequate B12 would normally repair), then you should talk to your doctor about getting an injection of B12. You might need injections until your gut has healed sufficiently to allow you to absorb B12 normally again.

 

Also keep in mind that B12 only naturally occurs in animal-based products (meat and dairy). Some cereals are fortified with B12 but that particular vitamin doesn't naturally occur in any plants. If you do not eat animal-based products, you will need a good supplement that includes B12. B12 also needs adequate folic acid and iron to be the most effective, so you may need to find out and address your other vitamin deficiencies at the same time.

 

I've had B12 issues for years and I learned a lot about the subject and how to manage it from the Open Original Shared Link

The first thing I learned was that it's always a good idea to get printed copies of all the lab work that is done on you so that you can see the results yourself. This is especially helpful when you are managing deficiencies so that you can start to keep track of what works and what doesn't.

 

Sorry for the long post, but it's the one topic I actually know something about! lol

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  • 2 weeks later...
jumpingjuniper Rookie
jumpingjuniper
Posted

This won't solve all of your problems, but I do find that taking my vitamins before bed helps with avoiding the nauseous post-vitamin feeling - perhaps it could help with some of the other issues as well. I hear you, though, I need iron and I can't figure out a way to take it without killing my gut. Good luck, and great news that vitamins do actually help.

icelandgirl Proficient
icelandgirl
Posted

This won't solve all of your problems, but I do find that taking my vitamins before bed helps with avoiding the nauseous post-vitamin feeling - perhaps it could help with some of the other issues as well. I hear you, though, I need iron and I can't figure out a way to take it without killing my gut. Good luck, and great news that vitamins do actually help.

A fellow celiac recommended ferrous gluconate to me as a former of iron. It had been recommended to her as being easy on the gut and really helped her. I just started taking it yesterday as my ferritin is 15 (15-150 being normal)...no issues yet.
  • 4 weeks later...
athomp34 Newbie
athomp34
Posted

I have always gotten an upset stomach when I take vitamins. I have had success with taking them in smaller doses though (2-3x a day instead of 1x). Your body can only handle and digest so much of any one vitamin/food at a time anyway so you will also end up getting a better absorption rate. Look at health food stores, GNC or body building webistes for ones that require multiple doses throughout the day.

cmc811 Apprentice
cmc811
Posted

i've always had trouble with vitamins but I can take 1 kind without issue: Garden of Law Raw One for Women. The vitamins are from actual food sources, rather than synthetic like Centrum. The same brand also makes digestive enzymes and probiotics, which would be good for you to take as well.

cmc811 Apprentice
cmc811
Posted

For Vitamin D3 I like Rainbow Light Berry D-Licious Gummies. They are 2500 IUs and are free of gluten, soy and dairy.

  • 1 month later...
foam Apprentice
foam
Posted

HI.  This is my first post here.  I am sure you all know way more than my doc about celiac.  I was diagnosed in July and also had several severe vitamin deficiencies.  

 

My hands and feet are sometimes numb and tingly, finger tips feel like they are burning.  My joints hurt.  Doc says this is because my vitamins are low and I need to supplement.  I take my vitamins sporadically because I get wicked nauseous after ingesting them.  But this week I have been consistent since the burning in my fingers has been so intense.  Three days into being a good little pill popper my gut stops digesting.  I am plagued by epigastric pain and put myself on a clear liquid diet as the only way to deal with the stabbing pain and intense bloating.  I am taking the vitamins in the morning still with a half cup of sticky white rice to help settle the nausea.  

 

I am positive the vitamins are gluten free and I have not been contaminated as far as I can tell. 

 

The burning in my fingers is gone and my joint pain is much better but my stomach is not at all happy.

 

My question is, What would you do?  Should I stick it out with clear liquids, rice and vitamins and see if my gut heals?  Or should I ditch the vitamins?  Are there certain vitamins that are easier to digest?  I am taking centrum women's, B-100, and D-3.  

 

You need a b12 shot or 3. Typical normal thing for a celiac. Your symptoms are classic b12 deficiency. You'll feel amazing 5 hours after the first shot.

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