My Friend

[beelzebubble]

hi,

i thought i might mention this here as we are all very familiar with auto-immune disorders.

my closest friend has been ill for about a year. as far as i can tell, her main symptoms have been lethargy, insomnia, nausea, diarrhea, bruising, and joint pain. she's having trouble getting any sort of concrete diagnosis. she was given the blood test for celiac, but it came back negative so the doctor won't pursue that (though, we all know that it's still a likely possiblity). she tested negative for the rheumatoid factor, but positive for anti-nucleus antibodies and mono. her current diagnosis is rheumatoid arthritis.

does anyone have any thoughts? i'm really worried about her and will do whatever i can to help her get well, so if you have an idea but need more info, ask and i will get it.

thanks, in advance, for your help.

carrie

[CoolCat1]

It could be Lupus. Also, my friend's husband has rhematoid arthritis and I suggested he go gluten-free and she says he's way better. He's starting to get more movement and has no more abdominal pain.

[vany4]

I have many of the same symptoms. Has she been tested for Lyme disease? Has she gotten her thyroid tested? Just a couple of thoughts..

[sasha]

Hi ~

I'm new here. Just saw this post and can relate. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia about a year ago. I've recently through a chiropractor's suggestion started avoiding gluten. His reason for me avoiding it was due to a mold allergy. I have had some improvements with my symptoms and done a small amount of research, without much luck. I just found out the term celiac today. So, I'm wondering...got the wheels spinning as to wether or not I might have celiac disease.

I have been tested for almost every auto immune disorder/disease with negative results. Blood work showed that I have an auto immune deficiency. And a rheumy diagnosed the fibro, I think just to get me out of her hair. I tend to be a thorn in my docs sides (very proactive about my care).

Any tips or advice would be welcome. I've tried reading through posts, but am overwhelmed with how many there are. Can anyone offer a starting point? Thank you.

Sasha

[3boyzmom]

Carrie,

Question about the negative Celiac blood panel... Was she within normal limits of all the tests or was any of it positive. Reason I ask is that sometimes if the IgA and tTg are normal regardless of an elevated IgG the results could be read as negative for Celiac's disease.

But an elevated IgG could indicate a gluten intolerance that has not led to Celiac's disease. Many doctors do not recognize the validity of being gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive...

Although someone who has Celiac's disease is gluten intolerant, you can be gluten intolerant and NOT have Celiac's disease. The gluten intolerance is, in my opinion, what leads to the various auto immune disorders.

If her anti-bodies to gliadin are all normal then she'll have to start checking elsewhere.

Just a thought,

Priscilla

[beelzebubble]

these are all good suggestions. i will talk with her a bit about them. as far as the celiac test goes, i'm not sure. all i know is that she tested negative. i'll ask her.

thanks,

carrie

[Guest barbara3675]

I have fibromyalgia, have a granddaughter who is a diagnosed celiac, and I blood tested negative with a normal SED rate. I bought the best Enterolab test there was and just got it back and I am gluten intolerant and also cannot tolerate cow's milk. I wonder how my doctor is going to react to this information when I present it to him. If he doesn't accept it, I will be finding a doctor who is more understanding. I have been eating gluten-free for two months now and all the tummy tenderness is pretty much gone, so that should be one CLUE right there. Milk and ice cream give me a real bloaty, gassy feeling and I can go from constipation to diarreah in a heartbeat. I think Enterolab is the way to go. Barbara