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Confused

KayJay

By KayJay
in Related Issues & Disorders

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KayJay Enthusiast
KayJay
Posted

I am confused about a few things and looking for some answers.

Is Celiac an autoimmune disease? I don't think I actually have celiac just gluten intolerance according to Dr. Fine. I have never had a biopsy but have been gluten-free for 3 years now and doing fine until recently.

I read on here that if you have one autoimmune disease you are at a higher risk of developing more. 4 years ago when I was really sick they did blood test and thought I had Lupus. I know that is a common mistake right?

Well, I have been fine but recently got the flu. I think that triggered something and I have no idea what. I have had zero energy and can't get rid of a low grade fever even with the antibiotics I am on. I went to the doctor and he is testing my thyroid and blood counts but I have little hope of them finding anything. It just took so long to get diagnosed with this I have little faith in Doctors sometimes. (He even had little faith in finding anything) I guess I should mention that I have gained 11 pounds (in the last 7 months!) despite eating right and working out :angry:

Help! I don't know what is going on with me or who to turn to. I have an 18 month old and I feel like I am being a horrible mother to her because I have absolutely no energy to play :(

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wowzer Community Regular
wowzer
Posted

Celiac is an autoimmune disease and so is thyroid. I don't have an official celiac diagnosis. I have been tested for lupus, herpes, all sorts of things. All my tests came out negative. I have had so many extremely itchy rashes and finally when I saw DH a light bulb came on. I went gluten free the beginning of the year and it has helped a lot of my symptoms. I still am missing something, but hopefully I'll figure it out. It sure is frustrating to feel awful. My husband thinks I make these things up. I have a little sister whom was diagnosed with celiac at a year. She has a long list of the autoimmune disorders going. I hope you find your answer soon.

RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

When I first went gluten-free, it took about 6 months to really begin to see some changes. Once that started, I knew I was on the right track. However, like many others, over time other things began creeping up. Thanks to the member on this board, I did finally figure out some of the major ones. So now I take a sublingual methylcobalamin (vitamin B12) supplement, and also a magnesium supplement. It wouldn't surprise me if I find it necessary to supplement other nutrients, but I'm hopeful that won't be the case. I also had to cut out all dairy, though I wasn't eating much of it anyway. Getting more proteins from beans and grains also has helped.

One allergy which did surface was to corn. I think I've narrowed it down to GMO varieties, because organic ones and things like popping corn are still generally ok. I get cold-like symptoms from the ones that bother me. Nightshades also seem to bother me the last I tried any, but I don't consider the reaction to be an allergy. Rather, it's more of an inability on the part of my digestive system to filter out the neurotoxin which they contain. It happens to be toxic to everyone, but most people have a high enough tolerance such that the usual amounts consumed don't create enough of an impact to get noticed.

As for your fever, that I know is supposed to indicate some kind of effort by the immune system to kill off whatever microbial gremlin is bugging the body. I do imagine it's quite possible for a fever to be caused by other things, but I've not researched it. Sometimes though, antibiotics can do more harm than good, and I do know from experience how they can really mess with the body in all sorts of ways. So I'd caution about taking such things, or any drug for that matter.

Some other things which have plagued a number of the members here are canola and MSG. Though I haven't seen fever as being related to MSG, it does cause migraines for many. Apparently it can be in vaccines too. Here's a link to some good Open Original Shared Link for anyone who want to look into it.

I wish I had some definitive answers for you, but hopefully between all the replies and your own research, you'll find the solutions you seek.

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    • Zuma888
      Hypothetical question about antibodies

      By Zuma888 · Posted

      Thank you so much.
    • knitty kitty
      Hypothetical question about antibodies

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      You have one gene for Celiac.  You have a second autoimmune disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is frequently found at a higher rate with Celiac.  HLA genes carry autoimmune disease genes like Celiac and Hashimoto's and diabetes and others.   You have Celiac symptoms of reacting after gluten.  You said "I am however still suffering from the effects of the gluten challenge (food sensitivities, slight brain fog, weird stool, fatigue, swollen thyroid, bodyaches)."  And your anti-thyroid antibodies increase after gluten exposure.  While tTg IgA does not directly attack the thyroid, gluten exposure does trigger the  immune system to produce antibodies against the thyroid in genetically predisposed individuals.  You did not eat sufficient gluten (10 grams of gluten per day for two weeks minimum) to raise the autoimmune antibodies to the point they can be measured in the blood, so your blood tests may well be inaccurate.  You could choose to continue the gluten challenge of 10 grams a day for at least two weeks and get retested.   At the very least, you know that gluten is harmful to your thyroid, and because you are genetically predisposed to Celiac disease, a strict gluten free diet would be beneficial for your overall health.  
    • Zuma888
      Hypothetical question about antibodies

      By Zuma888 · Posted

      Thanks @Scott Adams! I guess my question now is: do the celiacs who can get away with regular contamination without villi damage as you mentioned have to be strict about cross-contamination ? 
    • Zuma888
      Hypothetical question about antibodies

      By Zuma888 · Posted

      Thank you very much @knitty kitty! I'm glad you brought up the point about histamine. I have been taking an antihistamine after meals where I don't feel so good and never knew why it helped so much. At first I thought I might have a food allergy, but I recently did a food allergy test and I actually have ZERO food allergies. Regarding your last point about the stages of grief, are you saying it's likely that I have celiac? I have Hashimoto's BTW and I know for sure that gluten causes an autoimmune response to my thyroid as my anti-TPO and anti-Tg go up and my throat feels swollen. Could the symptoms be due to that autoimmune response?
    • knitty kitty
      Hypothetical question about antibodies

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Zuma888, The antibodies produced in response to gluten are made in the intestines.  When the body is provoked sufficiently, the antibodies overflow out of the intestines and into the blood stream.  Once in the blood stream, the antibodies can be measured with tTg IgA tests.  Three grams of gluten per day for two weeks minimum is enough gluten to make you feel the symptoms of having been glutened, but the antibodies are not in sufficient quantity to be measured in the blood. Ten grams of gluten per day for a minimum of two weeks is required to get the anti gluten antibodies at a high enough level in the blood stream to be measured by tTg IgA tests. So, no, occasional cross contamination or (heaven forbid) intentional cheat days will not be sufficient for tTg IgA testing.  You will still be making antibodies which will still be causing inflammation and damage to the intestines and body.  Histamine is released as part of the immune response to gluten.  High histamine levels lead to food sensitivities, brain fog, and body aches.   The damage done to the gastrointestinal tract affects the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals.  Malabsorption of fats can cause changes in stools.  Insufficient absorption of vitamins and minerals can cause damage to other organs like the thyroid if it can't get enough Selenium, iodine, iron, zinc, and Thiamine.  Brain fog and fatigue can be caused by low Thiamine and other B Complex vitamins.  Vitamin D is needed to regulate the immune system.  One gene is all that's needed to develop Celiac disease.  I know a Celiac diagnosis is a change that can be difficult to get your head around.  Many people go through the five stages of grief.  One stage is "bargaining".  Sounds like you're stuck there.  Every little cheat counts to your detriment.  But sticking to a gluten free diet, makes every meal a success.   Read the comments below the article... Best wishes!  Keep us posted on your progress!
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