Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • 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

Cushion's Disease And Celiac?


annapumpkin

Recommended Posts

annapumpkin Newbie

Hi I was diagnosed with Celiac about 6 years ago and have been gluten free ever since, August of 05 I had to have my gallbladder removed due to a 1/2 inch diameter gallstone that took gallbladder function to 13%. After that i have been fine and pain free. About 5 months ago i started to get intense abdominal pain again, kinda like gluten only it never subsides in intensity. My GI doctor had only one solution for me...pregnisone and vicoden. :( Along with all this in the past 5 months i have also gained 80+ pounds and gotten major stretch marks all over my body. The funny thing (or not so funny) is that I cant keep and havent been able to keep any food down. I am now eating cream of rice cereal and somedays i even throw that up. I have chronic diarrhea and lost my job due to the fact that i have accidents. I havent had my period since August of 07 and I have terrible migraines. My doctor thinks that I may have Cushion's Disease but my blood and urine tests are showing up normal. So my doctor is keeping me on pregnisone and vicodin with no future stop date, because the endocrinologist wont see me due to normal lab tests. I noticed however when i decreased my dose of pregnisone 100% of the symptoms came back within 2 days. The pain is so horrible I thought the gallbladder pain was bad...but this...I feel like im going to go insane the vicoden doesnt even touch it anymore!...Anybody have any advice or similar situations?! HELP!

-Cheryl


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Morrisun Newbie

Hmm...have you had any tests done like CT scan or anything like that? I think you should try to find someone who will do more testing, have they done any of these??

Open Original Shared Link

annapumpkin Newbie

My GI doctor has run the 24-hour urine cortisol level test and it came back all normal...the other tests I have never even heard of! That link was soooo helpful...thanks. I have another Doctor's appointment on Monday and I will know then if she decides to take me of pregnisone and do more tests. Im kinda freaked out. :blink:

-cheryl

Morrisun Newbie

Yeah I don't blame you! I had some of those symptoms and they finally determined I have PCOS, and my blood work ALWAYS comes back normal. Good luck on Monday!

cyberprof Enthusiast
Hi I was diagnosed with Celiac about 6 years ago and have been gluten free ever since, August of 05 I had to have my gallbladder removed due to a 1/2 inch diameter gallstone that took gallbladder function to 13%. After that i have been fine and pain free. About 5 months ago i started to get intense abdominal pain again, kinda like gluten only it never subsides in intensity. My GI doctor had only one solution for me...pregnisone and vicoden. :( Along with all this in the past 5 months i have also gained 80+ pounds and gotten major stretch marks all over my body. The funny thing (or not so funny) is that I cant keep and havent been able to keep any food down. I am now eating cream of rice cereal and somedays i even throw that up. I have chronic diarrhea and lost my job due to the fact that i have accidents. I havent had my period since August of 07 and I have terrible migraines. My doctor thinks that I may have Cushion's Disease but my blood and urine tests are showing up normal. So my doctor is keeping me on pregnisone and vicodin with no future stop date, because the endocrinologist wont see me due to normal lab tests. I noticed however when i decreased my dose of pregnisone 100% of the symptoms came back within 2 days. The pain is so horrible I thought the gallbladder pain was bad...but this...I feel like im going to go insane the vicoden doesnt even touch it anymore!...Anybody have any advice or similar situations?! HELP!

-Cheryl

Cheryl, I'm sorry you're in pain. Do you mean Cushing's Disease? Wow, that plus celiac is a lot to handle and I think Cushing's is more rare than celiac, and I have no idea how they treat it, so I can't help there.

Just like celiac, you have to keep at the doctors and keep being the squeaky wheel that gets the grease. Find a Cushing's expert (try a Cushing's support website maybe) or an endocrinologist.

Best of luck to you!

RiceGuy Collaborator

I just Googled to find these:

Info about the condition:

Open Original Shared Link

Info and supplements that can help:

Open Original Shared Link

Support community:

Open Original Shared Link

HTH

cmbajb Rookie

Hi. I had Cushing's Disease, pituitary tumor, surgery in 1995. Your doctor needs to remember that there is cyclical Cushings, which means that the cortisol levels are not high constantly, they cycle up and down. Good endos will do multiple 24 hour urine tests, morning and evening blood cortisol tests and daytime and during the night saliva tests. There are others to do also, of course, but these are the easiest beginning points. Note that you could also have Cushings due to taking the prednisone. The symptoms are just as bad as Cushings by a tumor, and the withdrawal can be just as difficult. Good luck with your doc on Monday.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



annapumpkin Newbie

Hey all, more depressing news unfortunately. I went to my Dr on Monday and she never showed and I was passed on to a new Dr that knew totally nothing about me...he didnt even bother to pull my medical record! I explained what was going on and the guy tried to convince me i wasnt a celiac!!! I almost laughed at him...if he had bothered to look at my record, I have had 3 separate tests showing I was BUT NO...he wanted to conduct yet another test. So I got to spend my afternoon sitting in the lab with 103 degree fever due to having a cold...no one cared. I couldnt freakin believe the doctor had no clue! So he renewed my prescription of prednisone and vicodin for another 3 WEEKS til I can see the other doctor again...hopefully this time she will show :angry:

As far as the prednisone I have only been on a low dosage for a month and all my syptoms went away until i went down to the 5mg dose and within 2 days all syptoms returned. This pain and my symptoms have been going on for almost 4 months now...with still no leads.

Judyin Philly Enthusiast

SO SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR APT

WE CAN GET SO DOWN OVER APTS LIKE THIS.

SINCE YOUR GB WAS TAKEN OUT, HAVE YOU LOOKED IN HABBA SYMDROME?

YOU CAN GET IT W/ OR W/O A GB.

I'LL TRY TO FIND THE LINK ON HERE I PUT UP.

JUDY

HERE'S ONE LINK AND CK POST # 24 I THINK IT WAS

Open Original Shared Link

ravenwoodglass Mentor

This is just a thought, and if you have eliminated the possibility forgive me mentioning it. Have you checked all the meds they are giving you with the company that makes them? Are they prescribing any generics? Did they prescribe anything new before all this started?

annapumpkin Newbie

Hey Judy thanks for the advice im definately going to check out that link. :)

Raven, to answer your question before all this started I was totally medication free. They started me on prednisone last month...and they started me on vicodin about 3 months ago :(

I called the companies and was informed they were gluten free medications especially the prednisone, which I was also told helps treat the symptoms of gluten intolerance. Other than that im not taking anything. I have learned from all my past medical experience that my body loves to hide things....all my tests show up perfectly normal even when taken to the ER for massive pain. My 1/2 inch diameter gallstone didnt even show up on the HIDA scans and I went through 3 of them! Thanks for all your help and advice guys I really appreciate it.

  • 3 weeks later...
JustMe75 Enthusiast

I was thinking Habba too, Judyin Philly.

I saw a show on Discovery Health Channel about it and the woman who had it said she had uncontrollable diarrhea and had accidents too. Its a simple fix, you take a bile binding pill called cholestyramine 1/2 hour before meals and the problem goes away. I would look into it, maybe even call that Dr Habba since I doubt most other doctors know about it.

Here is his website

Open Original Shared Link

Good luck!

annapumpkin Newbie

Wow that is interesting you would say that....my GI doctor just put me on the powder form of cholestyramine about a week and a half ago...so far no improvment...but it might be too early to tell. She is having me take it for the next year! :o My GI doctor also is going to try to take me off the prednisone due to the fact im starting to show signs of diabetes from it. She wants to replace it with a slow release steriod called Entocort. I still have to do my own research on it.

AliB Enthusiast

You might, like me, actually be very intolerant of all carbohydrates. I went gluten-free/Dairy Free in January and immediately the most severe pain I had in my stomach, and the diarrhea stopped but I was still getting issues with quite a few other foods.

The only things that didn't affect me were basic foods, plain unprocessed meats, fish and poultry, well cooked vegetables and some fruits.

I coped like that for a while, then 2 weeks ago I went on to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which was similar to what I was already doing, but I have cut out all carbs apart from simple ones in honey, yogurt, fruits and vegetables.

Now after the two weeks I have noticed over the last 2 days that my stomach has stopped reacting to most of the other foods - I even had some cheese 2 days ago without getting the reaction I would have had.

A severe Candida or other bacterial overgrowth can also be behind severe stomach pain and discomfort, bloating and diarrhea/constipation, and carbohydrates and sugar encourage that.

The fact that it came on a few months after you started gluten-free does suggest that you have also become very intolerant of other foods. The problem is that when we go gluten-free we often tend to compensate by eating lots of carbs made from gluten-free products and flours. Because Celiacs and GI's can often have a problem with not just gluten, but actual carbohydrate intolerance, we eventually will become intolerant of the other carbs that we are now replacing the Gluten with.

Because the problem is Carb intolerance rather than just gluten, consuming them also inhibits the repair and restoration of the gut so we can then find that we are back at square one. I keep seeing this on the forum. People get better for a while after dropping the gluten then start to get sick again. The trouble with Carbs too, is that the more you have, the more you want. Your weight gain more than anything suggests an extreme Carbohydrate Intolerance. The more carb you have, the more toxins the bacteria produce, the more fat the body has to make to store it in because the liver can't cope, the more fat you get - it's a vicious cycle.

Can I suggest you try what I have done and get back to basics for a while? It is a bit hard to start because of the craving for carbs, but after a short while the craving goes and it gets easier, especially when you start to feel a bit better. It can take a few weeks to show any result and you do have to be pretty disciplined, but it is worth it in the long run.

If you want to try it you can Google Specific Carbohydrate or SCD and I also have started another thread on it on the Other Food Intolerance and Leaky Gut Issues section.

annapumpkin Newbie

WOW! :blink: that was alot of information to digest...literally...lol. I never even knew that it can go that far. I am definately going to take a closer look at that and try it....I mean at this point I am willing to try anything just to get rid of that pain. Thank you so much for all that information AliB, wow, dont mean to sound redundant but I never even looked at it that way! thanks again. :)

Generic Apprentice

It's possible you could be having problems with your common bile duct. I had my gallbladder out in Jan and continue to have pain. I am currently trying to get diagnosed by my dr. Here is a link that itchy girl posted.

Open Original Shared Link also check this link out.

Open Original Shared Link

itchygirl Newbie

More fun reading

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

If you are having severe pain you may wish to push for more diagnostics, as well as a better long term pain management choice than vicodin (too much tylenol). Alternative pain control methods, such as the duragesic patch, may be easier on both you and your liver. Vicodin is only good for short term limited pain control.

  • 2 weeks later...
annapumpkin Newbie

Ok just an update! My GI Doctor is now thinking that I may be a refractory celiac, which means that I am still showing most symptoms of celiac even though I am on the gluten free diet. The only thing is is that I am going to be on a steriod called Entocort for awhile. I did look into the previous links that you guys sent me and brought them up to my doctor...she said she wants to do a little homework first but will be looking at them. But for right now, or until she conducts more diagnosics she wants to put me on Entocort. Even though she is doing this, I have changed my diet to mostly fiber and protien to help rule out the yeast factor (cant hurt right). I have been feeling a little better but I still am having episodes. Anyways, thanks for the help and the links they have been tremendously helpful!

-Cheryl

cmichelle Newbie

Get a scan done! They may have dropped a stone! It could be blocking your intestinal tract - sounds very serious if you can't keep anything down, don't wait!

Hope you feel better soon!

  • 4 weeks later...
annapumpkin Newbie

Hey all!

Sorry it has been awhile since I have posted. Here is an update. I am still staying away from all the specific carbs and sticking with the high fiber, high protein. It really hasnt made a difference though...in fact I am still gaining weight! :angry: I really dont know what to do anymore. When my doctor transitioned me from the prednisone to the entocort...i couldn't have either in my system, so I went 2 days without steriods. Let me tell you that was by far the worst 2 days I have had in a long time. I had an episode each day and they were soooo painful and extreme I passed out the first time from the pain and the second time I was throwing up with diarrhea from the pain. I still managed to refuse going to the ER though :huh: .

Since I have been on the Entocort the episodes have decreased to about 2-3 times a week and only need the occasional vicodin...I am usually able to tough out the pain. I am still having the daily diarrhea and sometimes still having accidents. I did have my period for the first time in 7 months though! :rolleyes: the only problem is is that it lasted 9 days and made me borderline anemic! I cant win!!!!!

My doctor ordered a barium swallow and I get the results tomorrow. Only problem is, is that my doctor quit last week...I mean this is the only doctor familiar with the past 8 months of my medical testing! The only other GI available is the one that wasnt convinced I was celiac. (the one I talked about in previous post). So I am starting from square one again. And my pills are almost gone.

And last but not least on top of all that my weight gain is getting really out of control. I have gained 55 pounds in the past 8 months. :( I dont even recognize myself anymore...all i see is this fat blob...and no one can help me! I mean im friggin eating one meal a day due to lack of appetite still and its all fiber and protein at that! Im really getting deep depression. I have heard of this diet called Siemons protocol or HCG diet and was wondering if that might help me at all. If anybody has any info on that let me know!

Other than that, this has been my life since last post. Sorry its so depressing. Hopefully tomorrow I will learn that my new doctor isnt incompetant and can help me. Cheers!

cyberprof Enthusiast
Hey all!

Sorry it has been awhile since I have posted. Here is an update. I am still staying away from all the specific carbs and sticking with the high fiber, high protein. It really hasnt made a difference though...in fact I am still gaining weight! :angry: I really dont know what to do anymore. When my doctor transitioned me from the prednisone to the entocort...i couldn't have either in my system, so I went 2 days without steriods. Let me tell you that was by far the worst 2 days I have had in a long time. I had an episode each day and they were soooo painful and extreme I passed out the first time from the pain and the second time I was throwing up with diarrhea from the pain. I still managed to refuse going to the ER though :huh: .

Since I have been on the Entocort the episodes have decreased to about 2-3 times a week and only need the occasional vicodin...I am usually able to tough out the pain. I am still having the daily diarrhea and sometimes still having accidents. I did have my period for the first time in 7 months though! :rolleyes: the only problem is is that it lasted 9 days and made me borderline anemic! I cant win!!!!!

My doctor ordered a barium swallow and I get the results tomorrow. Only problem is, is that my doctor quit last week...I mean this is the only doctor familiar with the past 8 months of my medical testing! The only other GI available is the one that wasnt convinced I was celiac. (the one I talked about in previous post). So I am starting from square one again. And my pills are almost gone.

And last but not least on top of all that my weight gain is getting really out of control. I have gained 55 pounds in the past 8 months. :( I dont even recognize myself anymore...all i see is this fat blob...and no one can help me! I mean im friggin eating one meal a day due to lack of appetite still and its all fiber and protein at that! Im really getting deep depression. I have heard of this diet called Siemons protocol or HCG diet and was wondering if that might help me at all. If anybody has any info on that let me know!

Other than that, this has been my life since last post. Sorry its so depressing. Hopefully tomorrow I will learn that my new doctor isnt incompetant and can help me. Cheers!

Annap, I hope you have good luck tomorrow. Write back and let us know what happens.

~laura

annapumpkin Newbie

So, my doctor's appointment was actually in a way very encouraging. My new doctor spent literally 25 min with me answering all my questions! On the bad side I was told that there is nothing more that the GI department can really do for me due to the fact that they cant solve my issue. They referred me to start up with an endocrinologist. My new doctor in the meantime wants to go back and do both scopes again :(

But the good part about that is that they will be doing them both at the same time, so I will be knocked out and not feel anything this time. :)

I did find out though that I am now officially anemic, which I kind of already knew but it was confirmed. The new doctor is also genetically testing me for Crohn's, IBD, IBS, and colitis. He also prescribed me Belledonna to replace the vicodin! (YAY, i finally get to ditch that stuff) On the other hand, he also prescibed an antideppressant :blink: which he stated would help with the pain and sleeplessness. So, all I really have to say is...we shall see. Not much anyone can do at this point but wait. Thanks for the support guys, and thank you soooooooo much for letting me vent. :lol:

I will keep you guys updated as I know more.

cyberprof Enthusiast
So, my doctor's appointment was actually in a way very encouraging. My new doctor spent literally 25 min with me answering all my questions! On the bad side I was told that there is nothing more that the GI department can really do for me due to the fact that they cant solve my issue. They referred me to start up with an endocrinologist. My new doctor in the meantime wants to go back and do both scopes again :(

But the good part about that is that they will be doing them both at the same time, so I will be knocked out and not feel anything this time. :)

I did find out though that I am now officially anemic, which I kind of already knew but it was confirmed. The new doctor is also genetically testing me for Crohn's, IBD, IBS, and colitis. He also prescribed me Belledonna to replace the vicodin! (YAY, i finally get to ditch that stuff) On the other hand, he also prescibed an antideppressant :blink: which he stated would help with the pain and sleeplessness. So, all I really have to say is...we shall see. Not much anyone can do at this point but wait. Thanks for the support guys, and thank you soooooooo much for letting me vent. :lol:

I will keep you guys updated as I know more.

Annap, I'm glad you got new meds and also that you got a referral and more testing. I hope it helps but if not keep looking.

~Laura

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,182
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Jeff45459
    Newest Member
    Jeff45459
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • JForman
      We have four children (7-14 yo), and our 7 year old was diagnosed with NCGS (though all Celiac labs were positive, her scope at 4 years old was negative so docs in the US won't call it celiac). We have started her on a Gluten Free diet after 3 years of major digestive issues and ruling out just about everything under the sun. Our home and kitchen and myself are all gluten-free. But I have not asked my husband/her dad or her other siblings to go completely gluten-free with us. They are at home, but not out of the home. This has led to situations when we are eating out where she has to consistently see others eating things she can't have and she has begun to say "Well, I can't have <fill in the blank>...stupid gluten."  How have you supported your gluten-free kiddos in the mental health space of this journey, especially young ones like her. I know it's hard for me as an adult sometimes to miss out, so I can't imagine being 7 and dealing with it! Any tips or ideas to help with this? 
    • Jane878
      By the time I was 5 I had my first auto0immune disorder, Migraine headaches, with auras to blind me, and vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound. I was 5 years old, and my stepfather would have pizza night, milling his own flour, making thick cheesy gluten pizza, that I would eat and the next day, I would have serious migraines, and my mother & stepfather did nothing about my medical problems. When I was 17 in my first year at college, I was diagnosed with my 2nd known auto-immune disorder, Meniere's disease. I was a elite athlete, a swimmer, and soccer player. And once again my parents didn't think anything of understanding why I had a disorder only older people get. Now after my mother passed from Alzheimer's disease she also suffered with living with gluten. She had a rash for 30 years that nobody could diagnose. She was itchy for 45 years total. My brother had a encapsulated virus explodes in his spleen and when this happened his entire intestines were covered with adhesions, scar tissue and he almost lost his life. He has 5 daughters, and when I finally was diagnosed after being pregnant and my body went into a cytokine storm, I lost my chance to have children, I ended up having Hashimoto's disease, Degenerative Disc disease, and my body started to shut down during my first trimester. I am 6ft tall and got down to 119lbs. My husband and I went to a special immunologist in Terrace, California. They took 17 vials of blood as we flew there for a day and returned home that evening. In 3 weeks, we had the answer, I have Celiac disease. Once this was known, only my father and husband made efforts to change their way of feeding me. At the family cabin, my stepfather & mother were more worried that I would ruin Thanksgiving Dinner. It wasn't until one of my cousins was diagnosed with Celiac disease. They finally looked into getting Gluten Free flour and taking measures to limit "gluten" in meals. He did nothing but ask for me to pay for my own food and wi-fi when I came to the cabin to stay after our house burned down. When he informed my mother, they proceeding to get into a physical fight and she ended up with a black eye. The is just more trauma for me. Sam had no interest in telling the truth about what he wanted. He lied to my mother that he had asked my husband if I could pay for "food" when he asked Geoffrey if I had money to pay for my wi-fi. My mother hates when he spends so much time on the computer so he lied and said I could pay for my own food. I will remind you I weighed 119lbs at this time. (At 6ft) that is a very sick looking person. Neither parent was worried about my weight, they just fought about how cheap my stepfather was. As my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014. He had her sign over the will to a trust and added his children. He had no testimonial capacity at the time, so she signed without proper papers. Making this Trust null and void. When I gave my brother my childhood home, my mother stated I would be getting an equal part of inheritance to the house on Race. It currently worth 2.0 million $. I got nothing, and my stepfather has since disowned me b/c of my claim and he knows that my mother would never have left it uneven between my biological brother and myself. She sat me and my husband down, as we lived at the Race Street house and treated and took care of it as our own. My brother took over b/c he was going through a horrific divorce and needed a home so he could get a better custody deal with his soon to be ex-wife who was a Assist DA for Denver. She used the girls against him, and he & I were the primary caregivers. We, Judd and I spent the most time with them pre the divorce. Once Judd moved into the house, he threw all of my mother, grandmother and my family heirlooms out to the Goodwill. Nobody told my mother about this as she was going through cancer treatment and had Alzheimer's disease in her mother and her sister. My stepfather and biological brother took advantage of this matter, as I called a "family council" that my brother just never could make it to at the last moment. All of the furnishing, kitchen ware, everything was in the house my brother just moved into. He had had 2 weddings, I chose to elope b/c my stepfather ruined my brother's first wedding by talking about his relationship with my brother in front of my dad and his entire family, insulting him and having my grandfather leave the ceremony. It was a disaster. My stepfather just plays dumb and blames my father for the slight. I was the only child not to have a wedding. So, my mother and stepfather never had to pay for a thing. My mother had had an agreement with my father he'd pay for college and all medical issues with their kids, myself and Judd. So truly my mother never had to pay for anything big for me in her entire life. I am looking for anyone that has had a similar story, where they grew up in a household that had a baker that regularly milled flour and ate gluten. What happened to you? DId you suffer from different auto-immune diseases b/c of living with a baker using "gluten" Please let me know. I have been looking into legal ways to get my stepfather to give me what my mother had promised, and he erased. Thank you for listening to my story. Jane Donnelly  
    • trents
      Possibly gluten withdrawal. Lot's of info on the internet about it. Somewhat controversial but apparently gluten plugs into the same neuro sensors as opiates do and some people get a similar type withdrawal as they do when quitting opiates. Another issue is that gluten-free facsimile flours are not fortified with vitamins and minerals as is wheat flour (in the U.S. at least) so when the switch is made to gluten-free facsimile foods, especially if a lot of processed gluten-free foods are being used as substitutes, vitamin and mineral deficiencies can result. There is also the possibility that she has picked up a virus or some but that is totally unrelated to going gluten-free.
    • Sheila mellors
      I asked about the new fruit and nut one and the Dietician said yes I could eat it safely. Hooe this helps
    • Heatherisle
      Daughter has started gluten free diet this week as per gastroenterologists suggestion. However says she feels more tired and like she’s been hit by a train. I suggested it could be the change to gluten free or just stress from the endoscopy last week catching up with her. Just wondering if feeling more tired is a normal reaction at this stage. I suppose it’s possible some gluten might have been present without realising. Have tried to reassure her it’s not going to resolve symptoms overnight
×
×
  • Create New...