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

Dr Appt Today With New Pcp


deesmith

Recommended Posts

deesmith Apprentice

I changed PCP because, as I posted on another topic, my former Primary Care Physician would not do the tests that Dr. Peter Green ordered. So today I saw my new doctor. He seems ok, and he said he'd do most of the tests, so I guess I'll keep going to him, for now. But I did have a minor issue with him:

He started to tell me about celiac disease and how some people look malnourished, etc. but most people don't, that's a misconception. (Like I didn't already know that). However, then I felt like he was treating me a certain way because of the way I look. I have a sister who is about 5'4 and weighs about 96 now (she gained a couple of pounds since going gluten-free in Jan). But I don't look like that. I'm about 5' and weigh more than I used to. I don't think I'm fat--- well, maybe a little. I just always used to weight about 110-115 forever and ever, until I started getting really sick.

But I have malabsorption issues. I do know that I'm not absorbing calcium. I wasn't absorbing iron, but that's leveled off since I've been gluten-free.

Anyway, I was mentioning to him that I'm a little concerned because my poop still floats most of the time, almost always. He said that was interesting because usually celiac's poop floats because they are not absorbing fats, but obviously I'm absorbing fat, because I definitely don't look malnourished or anorexic!

Is that true? Do you have to be one of the ones that's wasting away to not be absorbing fats?

I'm just curious, that's all.

Oh, also he said he'd do the bone density test but he thought that would come out normal. How can he tell that just by looking at me? OMG! I'm just going to wait to see what all the test say.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Nancym Enthusiast

Lots of celiacs are overweight or even obese. And you can get fat from more than just fat...

deesmith Apprentice
Lots of celiacs are overweight or even obese. And you can get fat from more than just fat...

Yeah, I thought it was a stupid question. Your answer makes sense.

Thanks!

Nantzie Collaborator

I was on the chubby side when I found out about all of this - size 14-16. Now I'm size 10, sometimes 8. I lost 30 pounds over the course of about six months just from going gluten-free - no additional diets or exercise. And more than my fair share of gluten-free junk food, I might add. :ph34r:

I think that the medical community in general just doesn't know much about how food effects our bodies. From what I understand, they don't even spend much time studying nutrition at all.

This might be a doctor you can educate as the symptoms get better. My doctor didn't know much about celiac either. But she was totally behind whatever I wanted to do as far as trying the diet. So just keep him informed when you see him about any improvements you experience.

:)

Nancy

deesmith Apprentice
I was on the chubby side when I found out about all of this - size 14-16. Now I'm size 10, sometimes 8. I lost 30 pounds over the course of about six months just from going gluten-free - no additional diets or exercise. And more than my fair share of gluten-free junk food, I might add. :ph34r:

I think that the medical community in general just doesn't know much about how food effects our bodies. From what I understand, they don't even spend much time studying nutrition at all.

This might be a doctor you can educate as the symptoms get better. My doctor didn't know much about celiac either. But she was totally behind whatever I wanted to do as far as trying the diet. So just keep him informed when you see him about any improvements you experience.

:)

Nancy

You're right. Thanks for the advice. Today I told him about hidden gluten like in "natural flavors". He seemed interested and intrigued.

I just need to calm down and be more patient with educating people around me. I've just been getting frustrated lately. I used to be so mellow!

Archived

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

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

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





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      5

      Son's legs shaking

    2. - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      5

      Son's legs shaking

    3. - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      5

      Son's legs shaking

    4. - Scott Adams replied to Russ H's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

    5. - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      5

      Son's legs shaking

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,869
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    MaryannHall
    Newest Member
    MaryannHall
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • lizzie42
      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
    • Scott Adams
      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
    • knitty kitty
      @lizzie42, You're being a good mom, seeking answers for your son.  Cheers! Subclinical thiamine deficiency commonly occurs with anemia.  An outright Thiamine deficiency can be precipitated by the consumption of a high carbohydrate meal.   Symptoms of Thiamine deficiency include feeling shakey or wobbly in the legs, muscle weakness or cramps, as well as aggression and irritability, confusion, mood swings and behavior changes.  Thiamine is essential to the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which keep us calm and rational.   @Jsingh, histamine intolerance is also a symptom of Thiamine deficiency.  Thiamine is needed to prevent mast cells from releasing histamine at the slightest provocation as is seen in histamine intolerance.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins and Vitamin C are needed to clear histamine from the body.  Without sufficient thiamine and other B vitamins to clear it, the histamine builds up.  High histamine levels can change behavior, too.  High histamine levels are found in the brains of patients with schizophrenia.  Thiamine deficiency can also cause extreme hunger or conversely anorexia.   High carbohydrate meals can precipitate thiamine deficiency because additional thiamine is required to process carbohydrates for the body to use as fuel.  The more carbohydrates one eats daily, the more one needs additional thiamine above the RDA.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses. Keep in mind that gluten-free processed foods like cookies and such are not required to be fortified and enriched with vitamins and minerals like their gluten containing counterparts are.  Limit processed gluten-free foods.  They are often full of empty calories and unhealthy saturated fats and additives, and are high in histamine or histamine release triggers.  It's time you bought your own vitamins to supplement what is not being absorbed due to malabsorption of Celiac disease.  Benfotiamine is a form of Thiamine that has been shown to improve intestinal health as well as brain function. Do talk to your doctors and dieticians about supplementing with the essential vitamins and minerals while your children are growing up gluten free.  Serve nutritionally dense foods.  Meats and liver are great sources of B vitamins and minerals. Hope this helps!  Keep us posted on your progress!
×
×
  • 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.