High Inflammation Markers

[ysali]

Hello all,

I was diagnosed with celiac a few months ago and have been on a strict gluten free diet since then. One of my initial symptoms that led to testing was elevated inflammatory markers discovered during blood tests. 

My three month follow up was last week and I had just gone through a really bad reaction after some unfortunate cross-contamination from froyo (102.7 fever and severe diarrhea) which concerned my doctor so she ordered some more blood tests and allergy panels. She is now ordering a stool test because the inflammation markers are still extremely high and they have been unable to find a cause and the receptionist told me that if they found nothing in the stool I'd have to go see a rheumatologist. The blood work also showed celiac markers which I assume was due to the cross contamination so I was reminded to follow a strictly gluten free diet. 

Has anyone else dealt with elevated inflammation markers or could it possibly be the gluten ingestion that's causing inflammation? 

I of course am freaking out and probably will be until these results come in - unless of course I have to see a rheumatologist.

Thanks! 

[Ennis-TX]

I have been on a strict gluten free diet for over 3 years, I still had severe inflammation markers and inflamed intestines on my last check up. Seems I also had Ulcerative Colitis, which was reacting to other foods which was diagnosed at that time.  Not had it checked since my new ketogenic diet and some meds they got me on to get it back down.   The fever might be a allergic reaction to something? I never got a fever with gluten exposure, but I always run a 99-103F fever with corn which I am highly allergic to. I also get bleeding, and blood blisters in my digestive tract when exposed to corn, I would imagine it causes extensive inflammation.  Wish you luck in finding out the cause in your case.

[ysali]

5 hours ago, Ennis_TX said:

I have been on a strict gluten free diet for over 3 years, I still had severe inflammation markers and inflamed intestines on my last check up. Seems I also had Ulcerative Colitis, which was reacting to other foods which was diagnosed at that time.  Not had it checked since my new ketogenic diet and some meds they got me on to get it back down.   The fever might be a allergic reaction to something? I never got a fever with gluten exposure, but I always run a 99-103F fever with corn which I am highly allergic to. I also get bleeding, and blood blisters in my digestive tract when exposed to corn, I would imagine it causes extensive inflammation.  Wish you luck in finding out the cause in your case.

I know I'm probably over-reacting because I'm an obsessive googler which I know does more harm than good since it just makes me even more worried but it's a habit I can't seem to break.

The fever was one of the red flags that caused me to go to the GI in the first place. I'd be in the bathroom for 2-3 hours a few nights out of the week and it would end with me curled in bed with 101+ fever. I read somewhere that it's your body responding to the gluten you've ingested but who knows. My doctor did rule out Familial Mediterranean Fever just to be sure it wasn't coming from that and my colonoscopy came back clear so she ruled out UC, Crohns, and other things related to that. 

The fact that I got two sick two nights in a row after eating the fro-yo and then a gluten-free cheesecake I made worried her so she did some food allergy panels that all came back normal. I am lactose intolerant but taking a lactose pill or two handles that pretty well.

Something tells me that I'm consistently ingesting gluten due to shared kitchen space so I'm working on finding a solution to that which has proven to be difficult. I'm honestly hoping that this is what's causing the elevated markers because my family has a history of lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, UC, IBS, and lymphoma. 

[MelMel]

From some other posts I've read, Iodine in food is also a culprit.

 

[Ennis-TX]

1 hour ago, ysali said:

I know I'm probably over-reacting because I'm an obsessive googler which I know does more harm than good since it just makes me even more worried but it's a habit I can't seem to break.

The fever was one of the red flags that caused me to go to the GI in the first place. I'd be in the bathroom for 2-3 hours a few nights out of the week and it would end with me curled in bed with 101+ fever. I read somewhere that it's your body responding to the gluten you've ingested but who knows. My doctor did rule out Familial Mediterranean Fever just to be sure it wasn't coming from that and my colonoscopy came back clear so she ruled out UC, Crohns, and other things related to that. 

The fact that I got two sick two nights in a row after eating the fro-yo and then a gluten-free cheesecake I made worried her so she did some food allergy panels that all came back normal. I am lactose intolerant but taking a lactose pill or two handles that pretty well.

Something tells me that I'm consistently ingesting gluten due to shared kitchen space so I'm working on finding a solution to that which has proven to be difficult. I'm honestly hoping that this is what's causing the elevated markers because my family has a history of lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, UC, IBS, and lymphoma. 

Tips here, get a fold out table for your own prep space/safe zone.  Or use freezer/butcher paper on your prep surface. Get dedicated cook ware, if your cheap or in budget, I suggest getting nordicware microwave cook ware for omlettes, eggs, steamer, etc. so you can cook in a microwave and get a cheap counter top one of your own. I would also say get one of these combo rice cooker/crockpot/preasurecooker combo applaiance, great for soups, stews, roast, rice, riscotto, etc. You can use crockpot liners to be extra careful. Keep all your own food on the top shelfs, or on a dedicated table/organzier.  I was drove nuts living in a shared house and got my own dedicated gluten-free living space. and allergen free. Would have killed me staying in previous environment.

[knitty kitty]

Hello, 

I think the problem might be your dairy consumption, Ysali.  Celiac Disease results in damaged villi in the small intestine. The damaged villi can't absorb nutrients well, and they can't produce digestive enzymes that break down the sugars in milk. Taking lactose pills may help break down the milk sugars a little, but the protein in dairy products, casein, can elicit a reaction just as if you've eaten gluten.  You may want to consider going dairy free for several months in order to give your body time to heal.  You may be able to reintroduce dairy after you've healed more. 

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Celiac Disease causes malabsorption which results in malnutrition.  Damaged intestines can't absorb nutrients.  One frequently deficient vitamins is Vitamin D.  

Vitamin D is extremely important in regulating inflammation in the body.  

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Your doctor may prescribe D 2 (synthetic) if you're low, but D 3 is the most bioavailable form.  

Other vitamins that help with inflammation are discussed in this article.

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B vitamins are very important.  They all work together, so if you're low on one, supplementing them all would ensure proper functionality of each.

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I hope this helps us all on our journey towards health.

 

 

 

[sdlane]

By inflammation marker, do you mean the C-reactive protein CRP test?  Mine dropped from 17 to 10 when I went gluten-free.  Acute inflammation is 5.  I demanded a referral to an allergist because I'm super gluten-free strict, but I was still feeling terrible.  Turns out I'm allergic to almost everything but wheat.  Go figure.  A severe reaction to peanuts, oats and almonds is the worst!  I travel a lot for work and those are my usual go-to items when I'm not at home.  With all that being said, have you tested for allergies that might be increasing your systemic inflammation?