Can all this be caused by celiac disease?

[Pow10]

I have suffered over a decade as a result of numerous failed surgeries & a severe infection caused by it! Since then, I have neuropathy down my leg & foot, severe lower back pain, constant constipation, severe abdominal bloating and gas after eating, thyroid disease, vision deterioration, dry eyes, dry mouth, low vitamin  D levels, anemia, abnormal blood work indicating some type of autoimmune disorder, joint pain, easily bruising, slow healing of cuts, scrapes or burns- usual appear infected quickly, blister like bumps on scalp which multiply with increased stress, hair loss, weak nails, ringing in the ears...and it goes on. Finally, some of the symptoms have been linked to celiac disease. As a result, I am now on a gluten free diet and some symptoms are beginning to improve. Is it actually possible that most if not all my symptoms are inter-related to my celiac disease? I new to all this and hoping for more insight.

[Scott Adams]

Welcome to the forum!

The short answer is YES! All, or nearly all, of your symptoms could be due to untreated celiac disease:

 Since you've already gone gluten-free, unfortunately, you won't be able to get tested for celiac disease to verify that you have it, as you need to be eating gluten daily in the weeks leading up to any tests for it.

If your symptoms are resolving, and continue to do so, it's likely that they were caused by gluten sensitivity, and possibly celiac disease.

[Pow10]

Thank you Scott so much for getting back to me and confirming what I thought based on my body’s response to going gluten-free. I have seen so many doctors over the last decade but each one seemed to look at my symptoms in isolation and deemed the others as unrelated. Following my colonoscopy, (actually 2 in a month and a half- due a positive biopsy requiring removal of the area), my doctor told me to try a gluten free diet and see if it helped my numerous Gastrointestinal issues. I did sort of half-heartedly at the time, since I really knew nothing about it and thought it was just another half-baked idea. It wasn’t until my husband and I were out town and I had severe flair up that my husband went on-line and started doing some research.  When he started plugging in symptoms and asking about gluten, results from thing led to another. Finally, we started to understand what gluten was and could be doing to me. After which, I spoke with my doctor who confirmed I should switch to a completely gluten free diet and give it couple months.the results of which have been amazing. I’m really surprised by problems, which had been previously dismissed as unrelated, that have slowly been improving. The change is quite remarkable! I still don’t feel I found a doctor that truly looks at the whole picture. I am truly appreciative of this site and the guidance and support it offers. 
I do have a question regarding getting vaccinated for Covid 19- since the vaccination alters the RNA could it also negatively impact my condition? I can’t decide if getting it is safe considering how new they are or not. Any advice or insight would be very helpful! Thanks a ton!

[Scott Adams]

There are no known issues with the covid-19 vaccine in those with celiac disease, so definitely get vaccinated. 

It's great to hear that you are recovering, and keep in mind that eating out is a common source of contamination (I take GliadinX AN-PEP enzymes before eating out--they are a sponsor of this site), and there are many details you should learn about the diet:

 

[Pow10]

Thank you so very much- I wish I’d read this response before last night’s dinner out. The restaurant assured me my dinner would be gluten-free, unfortunately it was not. As a result, my abdomen swelled up with 30 mins. of eating and then it went downhill from  there. Any other suggestions on what to do if I am accidentally exposed to gluten? Is there anything else I can have on hand to take at the signs of symptoms beginning? Thank you so very much for your support.

[RMJ]

I’m so glad that you are getting good results by going gluten free!

The COVID-19 vaccines do not alter your RNA.  The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines contain messenger RNA. It remains in your arm muscle for a short time (hours) while it is “read” and the spike protein from the virus produced.  Messenger RNA does not last in the body for very long - it is broken down. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine contains DNA that codes for the spike protein from the virus.  Again, it does not alter your DNA and does not enter the nucleus of your cells,  but your body uses it as an instruction to make messenger RNA and then the virus spike protein.

Doctors are recommending that people with autoimmune disorders still get the vaccine.

[GodsGal]

On 4/2/2021 at 12:07 PM, Pow10 said:

Thank you Scott so much for getting back to me and confirming what I thought based on my body’s response to going gluten-free. I have seen so many doctors over the last decade but each one seemed to look at my symptoms in isolation and deemed the others as unrelated. Following my colonoscopy, (actually 2 in a month and a half- due a positive biopsy requiring removal of the area), my doctor told me to try a gluten free diet and see if it helped my numerous Gastrointestinal issues. I did sort of half-heartedly at the time, since I really knew nothing about it and thought it was just another half-baked idea. It wasn’t until my husband and I were out town and I had severe flair up that my husband went on-line and started doing some research.  When he started plugging in symptoms and asking about gluten, results from thing led to another. Finally, we started to understand what gluten was and could be doing to me. After which, I spoke with my doctor who confirmed I should switch to a completely gluten free diet and give it couple months.the results of which have been amazing. I’m really surprised by problems, which had been previously dismissed as unrelated, that have slowly been improving. The change is quite remarkable! I still don’t feel I found a doctor that truly looks at the whole picture. I am truly appreciative of this site and the guidance and support it offers. 
I do have a question regarding getting vaccinated for Covid 19- since the vaccination alters the RNA could it also negatively impact my condition? I can’t decide if getting it is safe considering how new they are or not. Any advice or insight would be very helpful! Thanks a ton!

Hi!

I'm definitely not a medical professional, researcher, or scientist. So, this is not intended as advice. Ultimately I believe that each person has to make these choices for themselves.

I thought‪ pretty long and hard about getting vaccinated. For myself, I chose to get the vaccine. My thinking behind that decision was:

1) Most of the symptoms of Covid are the same symptoms that I have or may have on a daily basis. That is especially true if I accidentally get "glutened" or "dairy-ed". I work hard to avoid that, but unfortunately it does happen from time to time.  So, there is a good chance that I could get and/or spread Covid without even knowing that I had it.

2) My job is not one that allows for social distancing. So, I could unintentionally spread Covid to alot of people.

3) While the vaccine itself is new, my understanding is that mRNA research has been going on for awhile now. The process of making the vaccine has gone faster because the developers have been able to use knowledge gained from previous mRNA research. 

I hope this is helpful!