Hand tremors, raised cholesterol levels & chronic SIBO

[Barbara Gorman]

Diagnosed celiac two years ago and have been gluten-free ever since. However, two new symptoms have developed since then. Hand tremors and my cholesterol has gone up to 202 when it has always been low. Has anyone else experienced  hand tremors? I thought staying gluten-free would make celiac related issues disappear. Also I have chronic SIBO and after several rounds of antibiotics and staying on low FODMAP diet, I am still struggling with it. Welcome any helpful comments, knowledge-shares and advice. Be well.

[kareng]

3 hours ago, Barbara Gorman said:

Diagnosed celiac two years ago and have been gluten-free ever since. However, two new symptoms have developed since then. Hand tremors and my cholesterol has gone up to 202 when it has always been low. Has anyone else experienced  hand tremors? I thought staying gluten-free would make celiac related issues disappear. Also I have chronic SIBO and after several rounds of antibiotics and staying on low FODMAP diet, I am still struggling with it. Welcome any helpful comments, knowledge-shares and advice. Be well.

Two thoughts- 

Perhaps, now that you are digesting and absorbing food properly- you are getting (absorbing)  more cholesterol?  Or it could be unrelated.

with the tremors- the fact that they started 2 years later sounds like they may have a cause other than Celiac.  
 

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by kareng

[cyclinglady]

My cholesterol increased after my diagnosis.  It used to be very, very low and my doctors were happy about that.  Now I know that it was probably due to the fact that I was not absorbing my foods properly.  I do not worry about cholesterol.  I worry more about my blood glucose levels which might just contribute to heart disease rather than cholesterol.  

The tremors sound unrelated to celiac disease in your case.  I would see a doctor. Since my diagnosis,  I have learned that not everything is due to celiac disease.  

Have you had follow-up testing since your diagnosis?  How were you checked for SIBO?  Just a breath test?  Maybe time for another endoscopy to what actually is going on.

Finally, consider a second opinion from a celiac-savyy GI.  It might be worth every penny, even if you must go out of your network.  Take all your medical history.  It is your right to maintain your own personal medical records.  

I wish you well.  

[NNowak]

Many things can raise cholesterol (ie. alcohol, sugar, carbs) and some people are simply genetically predisposed to higher numbers. If your physician isn’t concerned, you can probably avoid that worry. I agree with cyclinglady that you may want to look into a GI that specializes in Celiac. The most reliable test for SIBO is biopsy, and will determine which bacteria you need to treat. SIBO typically is an issue as a result of another problem, such as celiac, gastritis, gastroparesis, colitis, etc. If you’ve been treated with the antibiotics since going gluten-free, perhaps the root cause has not been identified, or the type of bacteria was not treated effectively.  SIBO causes malabsorption, so my thought is that the tremors could be related to nutritional deficiencies.  A GI that specializes in Celiac can separate the issues and get to the bottom of it. 
 

Good luck!

[vvicin02]

I also have experienced the same thing. My cholesterol soared after diagnosis with celiac disease (1 year on GFD). The Doctor wanted to put me on some medication to lower it but I insisted that I wanted to try to control it by diet. After a month or so I reduced my carb intake and red meat and my cholesterol dropped by 50 points. My LDL is still not good and I am not out of the woods. Lot of it might be genetic and age. My Dad had high cholesterol so I suppose I too will share the same fate. I think there is some truth to the fact that we might be absorbing food better - that included cholesterol. 

[Posterboy]

On 12/8/2019 at 11:43 AM, Barbara Gorman said:

Diagnosed celiac two years ago and have been gluten-free ever since. However, two new symptoms have developed since then. Hand tremors and my cholesterol has gone up to 202 when it has always been low. Has anyone else experienced  hand tremors? I thought staying gluten-free would make celiac related issues disappear. Also I have chronic SIBO and after several rounds of antibiotics and staying on low FODMAP diet, I am still struggling with it. Welcome any helpful comments, knowledge-shares and advice. Be well.

Barbara,  I have not had our experience... (I have had "pins and needles" through due to peripheral neuropathy) but I do a lot of research usually now related to my prediabetes and other family/friends medical issues and I am always amazed about how much/many times I find out that there are studies about this or that that most doctor's don't know about...especially recent research....say only 5 years old and newer and I got a hit on your condition Hand tremors that might help you....https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2018/bcr-2017-223945.abstract it less than 2 years old...so it still brand spanking new as research age goes....I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advise...

Posterboy,

[knitty kitty]

On 12/8/2019 at 11:43 AM, Barbara Gorman said:

Diagnosed celiac two years ago and have been gluten-free ever since. However, two new symptoms have developed since then. Hand tremors and my cholesterol has gone up to 202 when it has always been low. Has anyone else experienced  hand tremors? I thought staying gluten-free would make celiac related issues disappear. Also I have chronic SIBO and after several rounds of antibiotics and staying on low FODMAP diet, I am still struggling with it. Welcome any helpful comments, knowledge-shares and advice. Be well.

Here's a great article on SIBO...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3099351/

From this article, I learned SIBO can cause vitamin B12 deficiency that doesn't show up on regular tests.  There's a section about Celiac Disease and SIBO specifically that's really interesting. 

B12 deficiency alters the metabolic pathways resulting in more cholesterol production

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25763114

I found the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol diet helps me fight against SIBO.  I'm allergic to antibiotics, but this diet starves out the bad bacteria allowing the beneficial bacteria to flourish.  

B12 deficiency affects the nerves and tremors can be the result.  I've had hand tremors when my B12 was low.

https://www.livestrong.com/article/363746-what-vitamin-deficiencies-cause-tremors/

Hope this helps!

Edited December 14, 2019 by knitty kitty
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