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New Here----possible Symptoms?


dorothy13

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dorothy13 Newbie

Hi, I found this site today in my quest of trying to put "puzzle pieces" together. I'm 40+ years old.

I began experiencing fatigue 12 years ago.

Since then, I've been diagnosed with:

autoimmune hypothyroidism

morpea (autoimmune skin disorder)

severe vitamin D deficiency (had rickets during early childhood but wasn't treated)

osteopenia

migraines (averages 5 a month)

I also have chronic neck pain, muscle spasms/twitches in my middle back, middle back pain, occaisional muscle spasms in my thigh, abnormally low white blood cells that haven't been investigated, tiny white spots on my arms (I suspect vitiligo), swollen thumb joint, bloating/abdominal pain and hard stools come and go depending on my food choices, mild redness in face which worsens under heat/poor sleep/food choices. My massage therapist says my back muscles are consistent with those she treats who have fibromyalgia.

About 9 years ago I went through a long period of reoccuring sore throats, exhaustion, brain fog, flu-like pain and symptoms. Going on a low-glycemic diet and mild exercise program really helped my symptoms. I particpated in celiac testing research (out of Maryland, I think) and the test came back negative. I've heard Dr. Kenneth Fine speak as well & he makes a lot of sense. I also went gluten-free for awhile and felt better.

I'm considering going gluten-free again to see if I can stop the migraines, spasms, back pain. Going gluten-free is such a huge commitment and I wanted to see if anyone here can relate to the symptoms I've listed.

(FWIW, I'm now on a maintance dose of prescription vitamin D 50,000U every 2 weeks and daily take 1000mg calcium/400IU vitamin D/400 mg magnesium. Finally, my bone density improved. It didn't improve on weight bearing exercise. My vitamin D is now in normal limits. I'm tested every 6 months.)

Thanks for any help!

Dorothy


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    • Colleen H
      I did ... But aren't we going to be vitamin deficienct if we are not eating due to being sick ?? If the food we eat is gluten free and we have other sensitivities , how do we get out of the cycle??  Thank you 
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    • trents
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    • trents
      If you were off gluten for two months that would have been long enough to invalidate the celiac blood antibody testing. Many people make the same mistake. They experiment with the gluten free diet before seeking formal testing. Once you remove gluten from the diet the antibodies stop being produced and those that are already in circulation begin to be removed and often drop below detectable levels. To pursue valid testing for celiac disease you would need to resume gluten consumption equivalent to the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread daily for at least two weeks, preferably longer. These are the most recent guidelines for the "gluten challenge". Without formal testing there is no way to distinguish between celiac disease and gluten sensitivity since their symptoms overlap. However, celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the small bowel lining, not true of gluten sensitivity. There is no test available for gluten sensitivity so celiac disease must first be ruled out. By the way, elevated liver enzymes was what led to my celiac diagnosis almost 25 years ago.
    • trents
      Then it does not seem to me that a gluten-related disorder is at the heart of your problems, unless that is, you have refractory celiac disease. But you did not answer my question about how long you had been eating gluten free before you had the blood antibody test for celiac disease done.
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