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Stomach bloating and joint pain

mistermuffin
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mistermuffin Newbie
mistermuffin
Posted

I just gotta say that I'm really struggling with Celiac and healing from this diagnosis has been the hardest thing I've tried to do. I was diagnosed last year in May and I think it took until October or November of that year until I finally managed to get all sources of gluten out of my diet. My main symptoms are stomach bloating, brain fog, and really painful joints, and when I've got the joint pains I start to get seriously depressed. That's definitely the hardest part. While on the diet, the joint pains haven't gone away completely, but I felt like they were getting better. Lately, I'm struggling because I'm no longer certain. Last year when I was in the thick of it and really struggling with pain, I stopped playing guitar because my fingers just couldn't handle it. Two weeks ago I tried to pick up the guitar again and I felt fine while playing it for 30 minutes, but the next morning I woke up and my fingers were hurting like crazy again. It's got me second guessing myself and thinking that the only reason my joints were better is because I stopped using them like I used to. Idk. My rheumatologist has run every test in the book and says she doesn't see any sign of any rheumatic issue, but when I'm suffering with the joint pains and feeling depressed it's really hard to keep the positive attitude and trust my doctors. 

I guess I'm writing this now because I'm really struggling in this particular moment and I'm trying to reassure myself that this is just a bump in the whole healing process. I've been told that it can take months, or even years to recover from joint inflammation caused by celiac so I'm just gonna try and stay as positive as possible and not expect too much too soon.

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GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted
(edited)

You are right, healing can take quite a while.  Part of the slowness can be caused by lack of important nutrients our bodies need to heal and function.  And also the immune system is very sensitive and can react to tiny amounts of gluten cross contamination.  The immune reactions don't stop right away but can continue for weeks or months.

Something you can try for joint pain is eliminating all nightshades and soy from your diet.  Nightshades are tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant.  They all contain alkaloid chemicals that some people can not process well.  Soy is just plain bad for people IMHO.

Another important thing is vitamin D.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause joint pain and is fairly common in celiac.  You could try some Nature Made 1000 IU vitamin daily for a few months to see if it helps.  Boron may help also as it interacts with calcium and vitamin D.

Sweet potatoes are ok as they are not nightshades.  Black pepper is ok too.

Edited by GFinDC
cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Hang in there!  Listen to the wise advice from GFinDC.  It takes time to heal.  ?

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