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

Feeling A Little Down

FoxersArtist

Recommended Posts

FoxersArtist Contributor
FoxersArtist
Posted

I was diagnosed with celiac a little less than a month ago after a huge struggle with my health. I had managed 3 pregnancies with two live births in the past 3 years before finding out about celiac but they took a major toll on me and my babies. With two out of the three pregnancies I hemorrhaged - once while taking blood thinners and nearly died from it. One pregnancy miscarried and I had pre term labor with all three pregnancies - so much that I was forced to be on bedrest for most of the pregnancies. During one pregnancy, my whole left leg turned into a giant blood clot which left me hospitalized for over a month and partly crippled in that leg now. Because of the clotting, I had to give myself subcutanious injections of blood thinners for the entire course of the last pregnancy but even still, I formed clots. Both of my miracle babies were born premature and one had complications after birth. They were both low birth weight babies despite the fact that I tried stuffing myself while pregnant (and never gained a pound!)

Each pregnancy was taking a huge toll on my health and after our little daughter was born (7 months ago) hubby and I milled over the idea of having me "fixed." We had never believed in sterilization as an option before and really wanted to have more kids, but we decided that it would be better for our 2 kids to have their mom, rather than try to have more kids who would end up with no mom at all. We talked, and talked and agonized and prayed and talked some more. We decided to have the procedure done - a type that is non reversable and very effective, for my health and my family. I had a hard time accepting it, but decided to be brave for my family.

Now that I know I have celiac disease I have been reading a lot about how it can cause pre term labor issues and low birth weights. It was likely not the cause of being hypercoagulant and hemorrhaging...but it was the cause of SOME of my problems...problems that held a lot of weight in our decision to stop having kids. I can't help but think...wow...what would a pregnancy be like without enduring 25 weeks of contractions? I know it's too late now but I'm feeling a bit guilty and grieving a little...wondering if I made the wrong decision...wondering if there could have been more, despite the clotting/bleeding issues. My Drs. obviously would rally to tell me that I made the best decision for my health, but my heart is having a hard time seeing that reason.

-Anna

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


gfgypsyqueen Enthusiast
gfgypsyqueen
Posted

Wow you went through a lot during those pregnancies. It sounds like you and the kids are doing well. You are gluten-free now. Do you know if the kids are celiacs too? One of mine is. I know the decision to not have more kids is such a hard choice especially when your kids are young. Combining that decision with the life changing "no more gluten" lifestyle change is really hard on anyone's emotions. Adjusting to the gluten-free life can be really hard at first. Hopefully you'll start feeling better about everything soon. If not, be sure to talk to your husband and Drs about some options and alternatives.

FoxersArtist Contributor
FoxersArtist
Posted
  • Author

Our 2 year old is also a celiac, which is really such a blessing because he has been so much better since we discovered his celiac.

-Anna

Wow you went through a lot during those pregnancies. It sounds like you and the kids are doing well. You are gluten-free now. Do you know if the kids are celiacs too? One of mine is. I know the decision to not have more kids is such a hard choice especially when your kids are young. Combining that decision with the life changing "no more gluten" lifestyle change is really hard on anyone's emotions. Adjusting to the gluten-free life can be really hard at first. Hopefully you'll start feeling better about everything soon. If not, be sure to talk to your husband and Drs about some options and alternatives.
dollamasgetceliac? Explorer
dollamasgetceliac?
Posted

Hi, I am really sorry you are feeling this way, if this is any help to you, I don't know but I have had many misscarages and many health issues comparable to yours in one way or another. I like your describtion of your diseases ... Like... Like.... you have a great sence of humor, and that is good to be funny just laugh it off, so I hope that you know that there is someone out there who went through all that: early contractions, Misscarages, Hystorectomy, just like you.... because of Celiac? Our Doctors, Nurses , people in general need to find out about this Disease.

Best Wishes

Fiddle-Faddle Community Regular
Fiddle-Faddle
Posted

Might adoption be a possibility for you?

finally diagnosed Apprentice
finally diagnosed
Posted
I was diagnosed with celiac a little less than a month ago after a huge struggle with my health. I had managed 3 pregnancies with two live births in the past 3 years before finding out about celiac but they took a major toll on me and my babies. With two out of the three pregnancies I hemorrhaged - once while taking blood thinners and nearly died from it. One pregnancy miscarried and I had pre term labor with all three pregnancies - so much that I was forced to be on bedrest for most of the pregnancies. During one pregnancy, my whole left leg turned into a giant blood clot which left me hospitalized for over a month and partly crippled in that leg now. Because of the clotting, I had to give myself subcutanious injections of blood thinners for the entire course of the last pregnancy but even still, I formed clots. Both of my miracle babies were born premature and one had complications after birth. They were both low birth weight babies despite the fact that I tried stuffing myself while pregnant (and never gained a pound!)

Each pregnancy was taking a huge toll on my health and after our little daughter was born (7 months ago) hubby and I milled over the idea of having me "fixed." We had never believed in sterilization as an option before and really wanted to have more kids, but we decided that it would be better for our 2 kids to have their mom, rather than try to have more kids who would end up with no mom at all. We talked, and talked and agonized and prayed and talked some more. We decided to have the procedure done - a type that is non reversable and very effective, for my health and my family. I had a hard time accepting it, but decided to be brave for my family.

Now that I know I have celiac disease I have been reading a lot about how it can cause pre term labor issues and low birth weights. It was likely not the cause of being hypercoagulant and hemorrhaging...but it was the cause of SOME of my problems...problems that held a lot of weight in our decision to stop having kids. I can't help but think...wow...what would a pregnancy be like without enduring 25 weeks of contractions? I know it's too late now but I'm feeling a bit guilty and grieving a little...wondering if I made the wrong decision...wondering if there could have been more, despite the clotting/bleeding issues. My Drs. obviously would rally to tell me that I made the best decision for my health, but my heart is having a hard time seeing that reason.

-Anna

Hi Anna, I can't tell you that you made a great decision, because it is something that you and your husband only know. But I can tell you that it is great for your children to have a mom now and enjoy what you have, for their are people out there (celiac or not) who will never have the chance to conceive and give birth. I to have had 4 pregnancies and 2 live births. I dealt with hard situations, and miscarriages as well as hemmorages. (nothing as bad as you described) but I see what I have and never regret the decision that I made to have a procedure to prevent me from having more children. You do feel a little ping in your heart when you see new babies, but at the same time, I thank my lucky starts for the two children I have. Someday you will say, I know this is the right decision, but right now you can say. "okay I feel a little guilty", but then look at what you already have and try to move on. Good Luck. Just a little advice from a Celiac .

Ursa Major Collaborator
Ursa Major
Posted

I also want to say that maybe you could adopt a couple of kids who wouldn't have parents otherwise.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


home-based-mom Contributor
home-based-mom
Posted

Anna, my heart goes out to you having to make such a gut-wrenching decision, but keep remembering that you made it after much talk and prayer, and you made it based on what you were convinced at the time was the absolute best for your own health and for your family. You cannot beat yourself up with "yeah buts" "what ifs" and "if onlys" because those never solve anything. You did the best you could with the information you had at the time. Your reasoning was sound. Accept your decision and realize that it most likely was indeed the right thing to do.

Adoption was suggested and I agree wholeheartedly. Many people in our church have adopted children - mostly children that were either in their homes as foster children, or were foster children in the homes of friends or relatives and they just fell in love with the kid. Some of my friends were adopted as infants and the world is a better place because of it.

There are many children who need a loving family and your family sounds like it qualifies! :D

FoxersArtist Contributor
FoxersArtist
Posted
  • Author

This really helped me. I guess deciding to stop looking back at the decisions I have made in the past is probably what is most healthy for the present and future. I do know that seeing babies will give me that "ping." Adoption is certainly an option and something that I was super gung-ho about before I had so many bonding issues with our celiac son. I have always been one to accept and love others as family, even if they aren't related and thought that I really had a heart to adopt. But after struggling so much with our son who refused to bond and hearing from others who say that adoption is so hard because there is a frequent lack of bonding, I really became fearful of the idea. I would rather die than to go through that kind of rejection again. If God wants us to adopt, I know he will mend my broken heart and put me in a place where adopting would be a wonderful and healthy experience. That may take some time, though. Thank you all for your support.

-Anna

Anna, my heart goes out to you having to make such a gut-wrenching decision, but keep remembering that you made it after much talk and prayer, and you made it based on what you were convinced at the time was the absolute best for your own health and for your family. You cannot beat yourself up with "yeah buts" "what ifs" and "if onlys" because those never solve anything. You did the best you could with the information you had at the time. Your reasoning was sound. Accept your decision and realize that it most likely was indeed the right thing to do.

Adoption was suggested and I agree wholeheartedly. Many people in our church have adopted children - mostly children that were either in their homes as foster children, or were foster children in the homes of friends or relatives and they just fell in love with the kid. Some of my friends were adopted as infants and the world is a better place because of it.

There are many children who need a loving family and your family sounds like it qualifies! :D

Archived

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

Go to topic listing

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

      Son's legs shaking

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

      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      3

      Son's legs shaking

      @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...
    4. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Paulaannefthimiou's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      Oats naturally contain a protein called avenin, which is similar to the gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. While avenin is generally considered safe for most people with celiac disease, some individuals, around 5-10% of celiacs, may also have sensitivity to avenin, leading to symptoms similar to gluten exposure. You may fall into this...
    5. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      6

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      @SamAlvi, It's common with anemia to have a lower tTg IgA antibodies than DGP IgG ones, but your high DGP IgG scores still point to Celiac disease. Since a gluten challenge would pose further health damage, you may want to ask for a DNA test to see if you have any of the commonly known genes for Celiac disease. Though having the genes for Celiac...
  • 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
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      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
      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      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
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @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!
    • Scott Adams
      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Oats naturally contain a protein called avenin, which is similar to the gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. While avenin is generally considered safe for most people with celiac disease, some individuals, around 5-10% of celiacs, may also have sensitivity to avenin, leading to symptoms similar to gluten exposure. You may fall into this category, and eliminating them is the best way to figure this out. Some people substitute gluten-free quinoa flakes for oats if they want a hot cereal substitute. If you are interested in summaries of scientific publications on the topic of oats and celiac disease, we have an entire category dedicated to it which is here: https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/oats-and-celiac-disease-are-they-gluten-free/   
    • knitty kitty
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @SamAlvi, It's common with anemia to have a lower tTg IgA antibodies than DGP IgG ones, but your high DGP IgG scores still point to Celiac disease.   Since a gluten challenge would pose further health damage, you may want to ask for a DNA test to see if you have any of the commonly known genes for Celiac disease.  Though having the genes for Celiac is not diagnostic in and of itself, taken with the antibody tests, the anemia and your reaction to gluten, it may be a confirmation you have Celiac disease.   Do discuss Gastrointestinal Beriberi with your doctors.  In Celiac disease, Gastrointestinal Beriberi is frequently overlooked by doctors.  The digestive system can be affected by localized Thiamine deficiency which causes symptoms consistent with yours.  Correction of nutritional deficiencies quickly is beneficial.  Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine, helps improve intestinal health.  All eight B vitamins, including Thiamine (Benfotiamine), should be supplemented because they all work together.   The B vitamins are needed in addition to iron to correct anemia.   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.