Could I Have Celiacs

[jennrnua]

Hi everyone. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 6 weeks ago, started on levothyroxine and assumed all would be good again. Boy was I wrong. My Obgyn found my hypothyroidism but I switched to my family practice doctor and his CRNP. After weeks of blood draws and an ultrasound, it seems as though I have Hashimotos Thyroiditis which apparently has a strong connection with Celiacs and the symptoms are so similar it's crazy. My stomach hurts more than it feels good now, I have a headache almost all the time (but I do have a cold I haven't been able to kick for 3 weeks.) I also developed mild but super itchy bumps/rash about three weeks ago on my hands, forearms, feet, shins and buttocks, thought it was poison oak until today when I learned about rash you can get with Celiacs. I have a lot of the classic symptoms too, but most of those also occur with thyroid disease. What do I do from here, I am lost and beyond tired of going to doctors.

[cyclinglady]

You just might have celiac disease. Only one way to know for sure is to get tested. Here are the tests to ask for:

Complete Celiac Blood Panel

tTG IgA and tTG IgG

DGP IgA and DGP IgG

EMA IgA

total serum IgA - a control test

AGA IgA and AGA IgG - less reliable older tests

endoscopic biopsy - make sure at least 6 samples are taken

Good luck! Keep eating gluten until all testing is complete.

[SMRI]

6 weeks is not enough time for your thyroid levels to work out.  It can take a year or so of going back and forth with blood draws and adjusting levels, sometimes more.  It would be nice if it were a quick fix though.  At your next appointment I would ask for the Celiac testing.

[nvsmom]

I agree with both of the previous posts, get the full celiac blood panel done and be patient with the thyroid problems.  Changes in thyroid meds need a good 6 weeks to affect your system and the tests.  You might still need some med tweaking.  Plus, when I started on Synthroid, my body was thrown for a loop and I felt pretty badly for a while; increased hair loss, fatigue and pain showed up and while I can't be sure the new meds caused it, it was quite the coincidence otherwise.

 

Good luck with the tests.  Remember not to go gluten-free before testing is complete... And welcome to the board,