Nita

[Nita hearn]

I am elderly and diagnosed with celiac disease a year ago after having my gallbladder removed. Are there any other elderly celiacs ,and how they cope with this disease.?I don’t seem to hear from them.

 

[trents]

8 hours ago, Nita hearn said:

I am elderly and diagnosed with celiac disease a year ago after having my gallbladder removed. Are there any other elderly celiacs ,and how they cope with this disease.?I don’t seem to hear from them.

 

Welcome to the forum, Nita hearn!

You are not alone. I am 72 and some of our other moderators on this forum are well past retirement age I am sure. And there are many other seniors and elders who have joined this forum. Being diagnosed at an advanced age with celiac disease is a lot more common than you think. The sad part is that, although celiac disease can have onset at any age, the fact is that most who are diagnosed in their latter years probably were living with the disease for many years before ever getting a diagnosis. This is due to the general "unawareness" on the part of medical care providers about celiac disease when we were younger. Still a problem but improving. I have laboratory proof that had onset of celiac disease at least 13 years before my diagnosis in my early 50's. By then, I had developed osteopenia, mild anemia and elevated liver enzymes.

How do we cope with this disease? First of all, you must dedicate yourself to learning to eat truly gluten free to avoid further damage to your body. Secondly, you must learn to gracefully navigate the social changes that avoiding gluten inevitably brings. Both take time. Do you have specific questions or issues about coping?

Here is a primer for getting off to a good start with the gluten free journey as far as avoiding gluten:

You likely will not get much help from the medical community as far as coping so you have to take the educational component upon yourself. This forum is a lifeline in that regard. Also, if you live in the UK and perhaps some other European countries, their are stipends from the healthcare system to offset the cost of gluten free food. Some of our UK moderators can pipe up in that regard.

Edited May 10, 2023 by trents

[Nita hearn]

Thank you for the replies I have read all the information, it was difficult at first, but I am gluten free in my kitchen ,my husband has his wholewheat bread kept in a cupboard in the utility room with his board and separate butter. And his sandwiches are made in the same place,My bread is put in a bag and toasted in the other side of the toaster.I am getting my head round it. I also have diverticulitis but I am coping with that too. I do get tingly toes and fingers. I take forvia  multivitamins and wondered if I should take any other extra vitamins.

 

 

[trents]

30 minutes ago, Nita hearn said:

Thank you for the replies I have read all the information, it was difficult at first, but I am gluten free in my kitchen ,my husband has his wholewheat bread kept in a cupboard in the utility room with his board and separate butter. And his sandwiches are made in the same place,My bread is put in a bag and toasted in the other side of the toaster.I am getting my head round it. I also have diverticulitis but I am coping with that too. I do get tingly toes and fingers. I take forvia  multivitamins and wondered if I should take any other extra vitamins.

 

 

Is forvia a brand name? Make sure all supplements you take are gluten free. Wheat starch can be used as a filler in pills.

Long-term undiagnosed/untreated celiac disease inevitably results in vitamin and mineral deficiencies because of the damage it does to the villous lining of the small bowel, the place where essentially all of the nutrition in our food is absorbed. The constant inflammation wears down the villi which results in a greatly reduced surface area for absorbing nutrients. It typically takes a full two years or more for the villous lining to heal after going gluten free, depending of course on factors such as the amount of damage and age. For those newly diagnosed, on this forum we commonly recommend, in addition to a multivitamin, B-complex, D3 (5000-10,000 IU daily, sublingual B12, magnesium citrate or magnesium glycinate and zinc. B vitamins are water soluable and non toxic when taken in large amounts because you just pee out the excess.

Do you have Costco stores where you live? Costco's Kirkland and Nature Made lines of vitamins and supplements are good quality and will clearly state on the label of they are gluten free.

The tingling in your toes and fingers is likely reflective of neurological damage caused by gluten toxicity or vitamin/mineral deficits. And by the way, serum testing for vitamin and mineral deficiencies is not always helpful because the body can rob it stores to keep blood levels adequate for metabolic purposes. Calcium is a prime example. The body will leach calcium from the bones in order to keep blood levels adequate for other functions, so when you get a blood test for calcium it will seldom be low. Symptoms are a better indicator IMO.

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by trents

[Nita hearn]

Forvia multivitamins were recommended by my dietician I live in the uk and I order them from the US .

[Wheatwacked]

Before you get your gall bladder removed.  Not enough choline (liver, eggs, beef) in your diet a major cause of gallbladder issues.  Less than 10% of adults in the UK get enough.

Could we be overlooking a potential choline crisis in the United Kingdom?   it was discovered that less than 10% of the population were found to achieve the AI for choline 

Gall Bladder, A Vital Organ That is Being Removed At Alarming Rates  

What are the warning signs?

• Belching
• Gas
• Indigestion
• Pain between the shoulder blades
• Pain in the abdomen (on right) under ribs and next to the belly button
• Bloating shortly after meals
• Intolerance of fatty foods
• Nausea and vomiting
• Constipation

 

[knitty kitty]

@Nita hearn,

Hello!  Welcome to the forum!  Age doesn't matter here.  Since you've been recently diagnosed, you're a youngster.  

Talk with your doctor about supplementing with extra B Complex vitamins along with a multivitamin.  In correcting vitamin insufficiency, we need more than the daily requirements because we have to replenish the depleted stores inside the cells, as well as what is required for the body to function daily.  So we need a bit more than the 100% daily requirements.  

B vitamins come in different formulations.  Some forms have to be broken down by the body  before the body can use them.  Some forms are more easily utilized by the body.  Methylated forms of B vitamins are ready for the body to utilize right away.  

I like Life Extension's Bioactive Complete B Complex.

https://www.lifeextension.com/vitamins-supplements/item01945/bioactive-complete-b-complex?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxZ66wPX__gIVZnJMCh0MvA6HEAQYAyABEgK-x_D_BwE

@Wheatwacked likes Geritol.  It comes in a liquid for better absorption.

Hope this helps!

[Nita hearn]

2 hours ago, knitty kitty said:

@Nita hearn,

Hello!  Welcome to the forum!  Age doesn't matter here.  Since you've been recently diagnosed, you're a youngster.  

Talk with your doctor about supplementing with extra B Complex vitamins along with a multivitamin.  In correcting vitamin insufficiency, we need more than the daily requirements because we have to replenish the depleted stores inside the cells, as well as what is required for the body to function daily.  So we need a bit more than the 100% daily requirements.  

B vitamins come in different formulations.  Some forms have to be broken down by the body  before the body can use them.  Some forms are more easily utilized by the body.  Methylated forms of B vitamins are ready for the body to utilize right away.  

I like Life Extension's Bioactive Complete B Complex.

https://www.lifeextension.com/vitamins-supplements/item01945/bioactive-complete-b-complex?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxZ66wPX__gIVZnJMCh0MvA6HEAQYAyABEgK-x_D_BwE

@Wheatwacked likes Geritol.  It comes in a liquid for better absorption.

Hope this helps!

Thank you for the reply ,yes I am new to this and knowing what to take to help keep healthy is worrying. I make most of all I eat and very little of processed food. I am still learning.

[knitty kitty]

Yes, that's the way to go!  

I make most of my food with very little processed foods.  

I limit my amount of carbohydrates (sugar and potatoes) because I have Type Two Diabetes.  

Yes, there is lots to learn!  Asking questions is a good way to learn.  

How are you feeling?  The B Complex vitamins should make the tingling in your fingers and toes go away.  That tingling is usually peripheral neuropathy which happens when we don't get enough B vitamins.

[mcarretero]

On 5/10/2023 at 12:46 PM, Nita hearn said:

Forvia multivitamins were recommended by my dietician I live in the uk and I order them from the US .

I have been diagnosed this year and I am 66, my life has changed drastically. I bought forvia vitamins after I spoke to the company. I guess they are on their way to get certified. I hope they help me

[Nita hearn]

 Was diagnosed coeliac two years ago when I was 78 ,I found the diet hard to do as there is hidden gluten in a lot of products. In fact I am still learning.
I do my own cooking .My husband keeps his bread in separate cupboard in the utility room and his preparation is done in that room,but other than that he will eat what I eat and said he doesn’t really notice much difference.

I also have diverticulitis which adds to choice of foods.

I’me just getting over a flare up now .I have a gluten-free app on my mobile which is helpful ,but there is gluten-free items that are not marked on their products so it’s then when you find ingredients yourself some will say could contain certain gluten item in.I’m still in learning zone.