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Celiac Disease And Ulcerative Colitis

bumblebby

By bumblebby
in Related Issues & Disorders

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bumblebby Newbie
bumblebby
Posted

I was diagnosed with UC 13 yrs ago. Since then I have been hospitalized more times then I can count, often for conditions not directly related to UC.

I started reading up about celiac disease recently and decided to try a gluten free diet. Many of my worst symptoms have subsided drastically.

Anybody else see a drastic improvement in their UC on a gluten free diet? Makes me wonder why in all these years I was NEVER tested for celiac disease.

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Noel1965 Apprentice
Noel1965
Posted
I was diagnosed with UC 13 yrs ago. Since then I have been hospitalized more times then I can count, often for conditions not directly related to UC.

I started reading up about celiac disease recently and decided to try a gluten free diet. Many of my worst symptoms have subsided drastically.

Anybody else see a drastic improvement in their UC on a gluten free diet? Makes me wonder why in all these years I was NEVER tested for celiac disease.

Hi Bumblebby - I don't know if what I will have to say will help you but you sure have me questioning a link between celiac and UC as well. When my son was born in 1993 he cried constantly and his doctor said it was colic. As time went by (weeks) he continued to cry nonstop and could not keep his formula down. A few tests were done but did not get a diagnosis soon enough to avoid the tragedy soon to come. My husband (at the time) shook my son and damaged his brain very badly. He was left severely brain damaged, blind, cerebral palsy, seizures.... After this his crying and inability to keep food down was thought to be related to his brain damage. He had surgery so his food would go directly to his stomach and a fundo. to keep the food down. A few years after that he was diagnosed with UC and based on the symptoms I believe it was diagnosed correctly. He got a colostomy bag and had constant D which I thought was because of the shortening of the length of intestine he had. My Jordie passed away last year due to RSV and pneumonia.

A few months ago I saw an episode of "House" with the outcome being the mother had celiac and her baby also had it. I now question whether or not my Jordie had celiac and that was the start of our"new lives". My friends say not to think about it as it doesn't change anything but I wonder if that was the problem.

So yes, if I was told there was a link between celiac disease and UC I would believe it.

bumblebby Newbie
bumblebby
Posted
  • Author

Sorry to hear about your son. That is just horrible.

It would be interesting to see if there are more people who have had experiences that they believe relate UC and celiac disease.

bmzob Apprentice
bmzob
Posted

i have a feeling it might be related too b/c i ended up with uc and celiacs as well. I know UC is a very common misdiagnoses of celiacs. i'm planning on doing more research on it online.

mouse Enthusiast
mouse
Posted

I am so sorry Noel for the hardship that you and your son had to go through. I am sending you many Hugs.

I was diagnosed about 40 years ago with UC. Over the next couple of years it went away. Before it disappeared, I was in the ER several times and put on so many drugs to control the pain. Which leads me to believe that it was not UC but probably my undiagnosed Celiac Disease.

Noel1965 Apprentice
Noel1965
Posted
I am so sorry Noel for the hardship that you and your son had to go through. I am sending you many Hugs.

I was diagnosed about 40 years ago with UC. Over the next couple of years it went away. Before it disappeared, I was in the ER several times and put on so many drugs to control the pain. Which leads me to believe that it was not UC but probably my undiagnosed Celiac Disease.

Thanks for the hugs mouse.....unfortunately I am still needing them. So based on the responses so far it does look like there could be a connection. It just angers me so much if celiac disease was what my son had to start and the doctors missed it and the death of my son and the pain for all of us could have been avoided! Sorry for ranting just so much pain

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Noel, please accapt a hug from me, too. I don't know much about UC, but it does seem like there could be a link. I know that a lot of UC patients do better on a gluten-free diet.

I'm so sorry about what happened to your Jordie. Your story made me so sad. I also don't blame you for still trying to get answers for him. Not being able to change what happened is no reason to tell you to move on and not think about it. It's quite possible that the poor little thing had Celiac--of course you'll never know for sure but it's clear that there was something else going on with him.

Take care :)

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spunky Contributor
spunky
Posted

I'm sorry for your pain, Noel. Doctors seem to be of no help in these things and much suffering comes because of their inadequacy, many times.

I've read of a curious link between nicotine and ulcerative colitis. Some people with ulcerative colitis get sick of the awful, often ineffective drugs, and use either a nicotine patch, or real tobacco in the equivalent of around 4 cigarettes' worth per day to control uc symptoms.

I've run across another study that says celiac disease doesn't happen as much in smokers as in nonsmokers, same as uc. Sometimes when people stop smoking they get smacked with sudden onset of celiac or uc.

I've read another study that says canker sores are a common complaint in people who stop smoking...canker sores can sometimes be a symptom of celiac disease.

I think if doctors had as much brain power as they want us to believe, research would be ongoing to find a safe way to deliver nicotine to people who could benefit from it medicinally, not to mention just learn to accurately diagnose people so that they can fight a disease before it destroys life and health.

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