Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Incredibly Painful Joints


Canadian Karen

Recommended Posts

Canadian Karen Community Regular

My joints flare up and are incredibly painful. Particularly my right thumb, wrist, elbow, hip and ankle - all on the right side.

I have previously had the bloodtest for rheumatoid arthritis and it came back negative. Now I know for certain it is some form of arthritis that I have (based on the kind of joint pain I endure) and someone on here mentioned it before and the description fit me so well...... I'll be darned if I can't find that name now, and I want to discuss it with my doctor when I go back to her.

Can anyone remember the name of this particular arthritis that I am talking about?

Thanks!

Karen


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



lonewolf Collaborator

I don't know what kind of arthritis it is, but just wanted to say how sorry I am that you're going through this. I had arthritis that hurt so bad - I wouldn't want anyone else to have that pain. (Mine was psoriatic arthritis - goes along with psoriasis but is the same as rheumatoid without the rheumatoid factor showing positive on the blood test.) Mine got better with a very strict diet of only rice, fish, sunflower seeds, some fruits and some vegetables. And I did a lot of the things in the book, "Restoring your Digestive Health". (Lots of pro-biotics, stuff to kill intestinal yeast, lots of Omega 3's...) Don't know if that would work for everyone though.

Nantzie Collaborator

I did a search to see if I could find a list on the types of arthritis and found a link for you --

Open Original Shared Link

They say that there are over 100 types of arthritis. This looks like a very thorough list with a lot of different links.

I hope you're feeling better soon. One of my symptoms is pain, so I can sympathize...

It just shows how jaded I've become with the celiac stuff when I wondered if a "negative" blood test for RA is anything like a "negative" blood test for celiac. :rolleyes:

Hey! I just was looking at this list on the about.com link and Celiac Disease is on there because RA is related to celiac. Sounds like this might be a pretty thorough resource, or at least a good starting point...

Gentle hugs to you,

Nancy

RiceGuy Collaborator

Well, I've been dealing with this exact sort of thing, and I believe I have only now discovered what the cause has been. The pains are going away now thank goodness, once I eliminated the nightshade foods!

Apparently, the poison in them is dangerous to everyone, but the levels are typically too low for most to notice! Here's a link to a description of nightshade foods and their effects:

Open Original Shared Link

I can't say if it has any relevance to your particular pain, but I figure it's worth considering anyway.

Rikki Tikki Explorer

Awww Karen :angry::angry::angry: You are in my thoughts

CarlaB Enthusiast

That hurts! I used to get it in my left side -- thumb and knee. I took msm, glucosamine and chondroitin (one pill has them all) and it helped tremendously.

I have also read that about the nightshades.

Nancym Enthusiast

Was it me perhaps? Ankylosing Spondylitis?

Women tend to experience it differently from men. We get more fibromyalgia symptoms and less fusing. For me it afflicts my joints (every one of them including... get this... my ribs), muscles and tendons. :\ Sometimes the muscles go into terrible spasms and I've had tendonitis in the jaw and the forearms.

Here's a web site you might find useful: kickas.org

It is much more difficult to diagnose in women because we often don't get the classical fusing.

I gotta say, all the supplements in the world don't really seem to help.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Ursa Major Collaborator

Karen, I am sorry you are having these problems now, as if you needed anything else to deal with!

Thanks, rice guy for posting the link, it explains a lot to me, and may be worth consideration by anybody with joint problems.

Karen, I used to get the exact same thing, I've had days where I couldn't walk or use my right hand/arm at all, due to joint pains and weakness in the very same joints, strangely also on the right side! Since I've cut out the lectins (and nightshades belong to those as well as to the salicylates, by the way), I don't usually get those problems now.

CarlaB Enthusiast

Funny both of you had right side and I had left. I am left-handed. I doubt it means anything, but just interesting.

mythreesuns Contributor
Funny both of you had right side and I had left. I am left-handed. I doubt it means anything, but just interesting.

Just to add to the confusion....I'm left-handed and although my "gout" is in my left big toe, most of the other pain is in my right side from my ankle to my fingers!

AndreaB Contributor

That was an interesting article about the nightshades.

Karen,

I only had minimal joint pain and don't know whether it was attributable to gluten and/or soy since I cut out both around the same time.

Canadian Karen Community Regular
Funny both of you had right side and I had left. I am left-handed. I doubt it means anything, but just interesting.

Canadians get in on the right side, the Americans on the left side! :lol:

Nancy, I do believe it was you! Thanks again for the name and I am going to research it more.....

That link about the nightshades was very interesting, but very troubling. If I had to give up potatoes, I would die! Basically, I live on potatoes and rice.

Also, thanks for the link to the arthritis forum. I joined and have asked a question there......

Hugs.

Karen

CarlaB Enthusiast
Canadians get in on the right side, the Americans on the left side! :lol:

I would die! Basically, I live on potatoes and rice.

:lol::lol::lol:

You wouldn't die ... you'd still have rice! <_<

queenofhearts Explorer
That link about the nightshades was very interesting, but very troubling. If I had to give up potatoes, I would die! Basically, I live on potatoes and rice.

Can you tolerate sweet potatoes? They're from a different family...

Nancym Enthusiast

Karen, I'm going to get myself on the Paleo diet. I've heard a lot of folks have had success with it in regards to arthritis. I don't know if I can give up my beloved chilis though. I'm quite addicted to Thai curry. :P

So far the best thing for me has been my medication. Not all drugs work for everyone but the Sulfasalazine seems to work for me fairly well. Some folks have to take stuff that suppresses the immune system. Not something I want to do!

lonewolf Collaborator
Can you tolerate sweet potatoes? They're from a different family...

Add sweet potatoes to the list of things I ate on my super-restricted diet when dealing with horrible arthritis. And, I do agree that eliminating all nightshades is a great idea.

RiceGuy Collaborator
Funny both of you had right side and I had left. I am left-handed. I doubt it means anything, but just interesting.

...And for me it traveled! First in my shoulders (or was it the neck?), then into one shoulder blade, slowly progressing over two weeks or so over to the other side, then some ribs, then into my mid-spinal region, then the ribs on the other side...It basically kept traveling like a snake until it got to my legs, the first of which was useless for a month, with several weeks on either side of the curve. Then just when I thought it was finally over...BAM! The other leg acts up - but this time nearly over night!

That link about the nightshades was very interesting, but very troubling. If I had to give up potatoes, I would die! Basically, I live on potatoes and rice.

Ditto! Only now I have given up the potatoes, along with tomatoes and peppers :( Yeah, it's not something I wanted at all, believe me. But when the pains reside, you'll acquire the willpower if you don't already have it. Fortunately, willpower isn't something I've had trouble finding. It's just not easy locating the culprits in the diet, especially when it just starts up one day even when you haven't changed anything :angry:

Sweetfudge Community Regular

Arthritis runs in my family. I think I'm still young enough to avoid it, although I do have achy knees, especially when I work out. I use this stuff though, and I love it. My mom who just developed arthritis uses it as well, and says it helps so much. Check out this link, and pm me if you're interested:

Open Original Shared Link

Here's the page with full ingredient list:

Open Original Shared Link

Hope you get to feeling better :)

ravenwoodglass Mentor

Add me to the list that got relief at last by eliminating nightshades. I cut them out totally for a while and now can have them as long as it is not more than a couple times a week. I went nuts on potatoes and tomato based stews after I was diagnosed celiac so I think it cropped up because of that. I have the most joint damage on my right side but eventually almost all my joints were effected. I was told it was osteoarthritis because I didn't show positive for the RA factor. Gluten free gave me a lot of relief but eliminating nightshades was the final peice of the puzzle for me.

Canadian Karen Community Regular
Add me to the list that got relief at last by eliminating nightshades. I cut them out totally for a while and now can have them as long as it is not more than a couple times a week. I went nuts on potatoes and tomato based stews after I was diagnosed celiac so I think it cropped up because of that. I have the most joint damage on my right side but eventually almost all my joints were effected. I was told it was osteoarthritis because I didn't show positive for the RA factor. Gluten free gave me a lot of relief but eliminating nightshades was the final peice of the puzzle for me.

Me too about the potatoes and tomato based, only for me it's soups. The thing that is really scary is that throughout my life, my one and only safe food whenever I was in so much pain and my insides felt so raw and irritated, was potatoes. No matter how bad it was, I could still eat potatoes without bringing on the pain. If I lose potatoes, I am in trouble..... I have honestly never tried sweet potatoes - will have to give it a go.....

queenofhearts Explorer

Sweet potatoes are incredibly nourishing-- they show up on lots of Superfood lists. And I find them extremely soothing. They are very easy to prepare, taste great in my opinion, & are cheap! And available year round!

What's not to like?

RiceGuy Collaborator

If you like potatoes in soups/stews, I'd suggest turnips as a substitute. I've had times when I couldn't barely tell the difference, as both are so close in texture and color when cooked that way.

I'm adding millet to my diet now. Apparently it's very easy to digest, and quite a nutritious grain. I'll find out soon enough how well I tolerate it...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - tiffanygosci replied to tiffanygosci's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      12

      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

    2. - RMJ replied to Riley.'s topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      4

      Outgrow celiac?

    3. - knitty kitty replied to Riley.'s topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      4

      Outgrow celiac?

    4. - knitty kitty replied to tiffanygosci's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      12

      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

    5. - trents replied to Riley.'s topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      4

      Outgrow celiac?


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,979
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    volivier
    Newest Member
    volivier
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • tiffanygosci
      Thank you for sharing all of this, Knitty Kitty! I did just want someone to share some commonality with. I did not know This one Deficiency was a thing and that it's common for Celiac Disease. It makes sense since this is a disorder that causes malabsorption. I will have to keep this in mind for my next appointments. You also just spurred me on to make that Dietician appointment. There's a lot of information online but I do need to see a professional. There is too much to juggle on my own with this condition.<3
    • RMJ
      I think your initial idea, eat gluten and be tested, was excellent. Now you have fear of that testing, but isn’t there also a fear each time you eat gluten that you’re injuring your body? Possibly affecting future fertility, bone health and more? Wouldn’t it be better to know for sure one way or the other? If you test negative, then you celebrate and get tested occasionally to make sure the tests don’t turn positive again. If you test positive, of course the recommendation from me and others is to stop gluten entirely.  But if you’re unable to convince yourself to do that, could a positive test at least convince you to minimize your gluten consumption?  Immune reactions are generally what is called dose response, the bigger the dose, the bigger the response (in this case, damage to your intestines and body). So while I am NOT saying you should eat any gluten with a positive test, the less the better.  
    • knitty kitty
      @Riley., Welcome to the forum, but don't do it!  Don't continue to eat gluten!  The health problems that will come if you continue to eat gluten are not worth it.  Problems may not show up for years, but the constant inflammation and nutritional losses will manifest eventually.  There's many of us oldsters on the forum who wish they'd been diagnosed as early.    Fertility problems, gallbladder removal, diabetes, osteoporosis and mental health challenges are future health issues you are toying with.   To dispel fear, learn more about what you are afraid of.  Be proactive.  Start or join a Celiac group in your area.  Learn about vitamins and nutrition.   Has your mother been checked for Celiac?  It's inherited.  She may be influencing you to eat gluten as a denial of her own symptoms.  Don't let friends and family sway you away from the gluten-free diet.  You know your path.  Stick to it.  Be brave. 
    • knitty kitty
      @tiffanygosci, Hello.  I apologize for your thread being hijacked.   I recognize your symptoms as being similar to what I experienced, the migraines, food and chemical sensitivities, hives, nausea, the numbness and tingling, joint pain, tummy problems, sleep problems, emotional lability, and the mom brain.  My cycle returned early after I had my son, and I became pregnant again with all my symptoms worsening.  Unfortunately, I lost that baby.  In hindsight, I recognized that I was suffering so much from Thiamine deficiency and other nutritional deficiencies that I was not able to carry it.   Celiac Disease affects the absorption of nutrients from our food.  There's eight B vitamins that must be replenished every day.  Thiamine Vitamin B1 becomes depleted first because it cannot be stored very long, less than two weeks.  Other B vitamins can be stored for two months or so.  But Thiamine can get low enough to produce symptoms in as little as three days.  As the thiamine level gets lower, symptoms worsen.  Early symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are often attributed to life situations, and so frequently go unrecognized by medical professionals who "have a pill for that".   I used to get severe migraines and vomiting after gluten consumption.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins are needed to turn carbohydrates, fats and proteins into fuel for our bodies.  With a large influx of carbohydrates from gluten containing foods, the demand for Thiamine increases greatly.  Available thiamine can be depleted quickly, resulting in suddenly worsening symptoms.  Emotional stress or trauma, physical activity (athletes and laborers) and physiological stresses like pregnancy or injury (even surgery or infection) increase the need for Thiamine and can precipitate a thiamine insufficiency. Pregnancy requires more thiamine, not just for the mother, but for the child as well.  The mother's Thiamine stores are often depleted trying to meet the higher demand of a growing fetus.  Thiamine insufficiency can affect babies in utero and after birth (autism, ADHD).  Having babies close together doesn't allow time for the mother to replenish thiamine stores sufficiently.   Thiamine insufficiency can cause migraines, pins and needles (paresthesia), and gastrointestinal Beriberi (gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, back pain).   Thiamine deficiency can cause blurry vision, difficulty focusing, and affect the eyes in other ways.  Thiamine deficiency can damage the optic nerves.  I have permanent vision problems.  High histamine levels can make your brain feel like it's on fire or swelling inside your cranium.  High histamine levels can affect behavior and mood.  Histamine is released by Mast Cells as part of the immune system response to gluten.  Mast Cells need Thiamine to regulate histamine release.  Mast Cells without sufficient thiamine release histamine at the slightest provocation.  This shows up as sensitivities to foods, smelly chemicals, plants, and dust mites.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins are needed to lower histamine levels.  Vitamin D is needed to calm the immune system and to regulate our hormones.  Menstrual irregularities can be caused by low Vitamin D.   Celiac Disease is a disease if Malabsorption of Nutrients.  We must take great care to eat a nutritionally dense diet.  Our bodies cannot make vitamins.  We must get them from what we eat.  Supplementation with essential vitamins and minerals is warranted while we are healing and to ensure we don't become deficient over time.  Our bodies will not function properly without essential vitamins and minerals.  Doctors have swept their importance under the rug in favor of a pill that covers the symptoms but doesn't resolve the underlying issue of malnutrition. Do talk to your doctor and dietician about checking for nutritional deficiencies.  Most blood tests for the eight B vitamins do not reflect how much is available or stored inside cells.  Blood tests reflect how much is circulating in the blood stream, the transportation system.  Blood levels can be "normal" while a deficiency exists inside cells where the vitamins are actually used.  The best way to see if you're low in B vitamins is to take a B Complex, and additional Thiamine and look for improvement.   Most vitamin supplements contain Thiamine Mononitrate, which is not easily absorbed nor utilized by the body.  Only thirty percent of thiamine mononitrate listed on the label is absorbed, less is actually utilized.  This is because thiamine mononitrate is shelf stable, it won't breakdown sitting on a shelf in the grocery store.  It's so hard to breakdown, our bodies don't absorb it and can't turn it into a form the body can use.  Take Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine or TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) which the body can utilize much better.  (Ask for an Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test for Thiamine level.  Though not accurate, this test does better picking up on a thiamine deficiency than a blood test.) Are you keeping your babies on a gluten free diet?  This can prevent genetically susceptible children from developing Celiac Disease.   P. S. Interesting Reading  Thiamine deficiency in pregnancy and lactation: implications and present perspectives https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10158844/ Descriptive spectrum of thiamine deficiency in pregnancy: A potentially preventable condition https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37458305/ B vitamins and their combination could reduce migraine headaches: A randomized double-blind controlled trial https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9860208/
    • trents
      @Riley, on this forum we sometimes get reports from people with similar experiences as you. That is, their celiac disease seems to go into remission. Typically, that doesn't last. At age 18 you are at your physical-biological peek in life where your body is stronger than it will ever be and it is able to fight well against many threats and abuses. As Wheatwacked pointed out, absence of symptoms is not always a reliable indicator that no damage is being done to the body. I was one of those "silent" celiacs with no symptoms, or at least very minor symptoms, whose body was being slowly damaged for many years before the damage became pronounced enough to warrant investigation, leading to a diagnosis. By that time I had suffered significant bone demineralization and now I suffer with back and neck problems. Please, if you choose to continue consuming gluten, which I do not recommend, at least get tested regularly so that you won't get caught in the silent celiac trap down the road like I did. You really do not outgrow celiac disease. It is baked into the genes. Once the genes get triggered, as far as we know, they are turned on for good. Social rejection is something most celiacs struggle with. Being compliant with the gluten free diet places restrictions on what we can eat and where we can eat. Our friends usually try to work with us at first but then it gets to be a drag and we begin to get left out. We often lose some friends in the process but we also find out who really are our true friends. I think the hardest hits come at those times when friends spontaneously say, "Hey, let's go get some burgers and fries" and you know you can't safely do that. One way to cope in these situations is to have some ready made gluten-free meals packed in the fridge that you can take with you on the spot and still join them but eat safely. Most "real" friends will get used to this and so will you. Perhaps this little video will be helpful to you.  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.