Villi Damage

[BandC]

I read the essay from Enterolab with great interest but unfortunately I got diagnosed with Celiac at the age of 61 and have a lot of the problems they mention..."leading to loss of hormone secretion by glands (hypothyroidism, diabetes, pancreatic insufficiency, etc)"

I have been gluten free for over a year and have been on a complex programme of nutritional supplements with little success, I must assume that I have serious villous atrophy. Can you please tell me if:

1. My villi atrophy can recover?

2. Is it possible to restart full hormone secretion from my adrenals, pancreas and thyroid?

3. Are there any non invasive tests for villous atrophy?

4. My muscles are extremely stiff and sore and I find it difficult to walk. Could this be caused by the Celiac Disease?

I would warmly welcome your advice as I feel a little depressed about my chances of recovery after reading the essay.

[Lillian]

I read the essay from Enterolab with great interest but unfortunately I got diagnosed with Celiac at the age of 61 and have a lot of the problems they mention..."leading to loss of hormone secretion by glands (hypothyroidism, diabetes, pancreatic insufficiency, etc)"

I have been gluten free for over a year and have been on a complex programme of nutritional supplements with little success, I must assume that I have serious villous atrophy. Can you please tell me if:

1. My villi atrophy can recover?

2. Is it possible to restart full hormone secretion from my adrenals, pancreas and thyroid?

3. Are there any non invasive tests for villous atrophy?

4. My muscles are extremely stiff and sore and I find it difficult to walk. Could this be caused by the Celiac Disease?

I would warmly welcome your advice as I feel a little depressed about my chances of recovery after reading the essay.

[Lillian]

Hi Band C,

Don't get discouraged. I believe you need to thoroughly review all your questions with your gastroenterologist and you'll see that #s 1, 2, and 4 are probably yes. I'm not sure about #3. Your villi can completely recover. Yes your stiffness could be due to being glutened. You probably have to tighten the diet- that's it. And watch the diabetes- you should know what to eat and how to take good care of yourself by now. If not, get educated and be sure to be on the right nutritional plan and check in with a nutritionist/dietician on a regular basis. Don't tell me you can't afford it. You can't afford not to!

I was diagnosed 4 years ago, at 53 and have been pretty gluten free since. I'm still learning and adjusting. And I usually feel just fine. And when I don't, oh well- I try to figure out why. Not everything has to do with gluten. I had parathyroid surgery because of high calcium and right now I'm working on bringing up my vitamin D level. So at this point, the Celiac

diet is totally doable and under control. It's the other stuff that I'm working on. Just remember that as long as you eat fruits and vegetables (nothing marinated, preserved, or canned), and fresh chicken, meats, and fish- watch the condiments- you'll feel great. By the way- no strawberries- they're packed in wheat straw! Duh!

You'll be fine, but learn to recover by yourself little by little. Good luck! Lillian