Didn't Consider Celiac Until I Went Gluten Free

[dreamingthought]

About 4-5 months ago I started having joint pain which progressively got worse, but didn't go to the doctor until about a month ago. The only test results that have come back with anything abnormal is my CRP is double what it it should be and my Sed rate is high.

I tested negative for Lupus and RA, both of which seemed most likely.

My husband and I have been trying to get healthier and loose all our baby weight. So I decided to try a detox diet. I went almost completely Gluten free except for ezekiel bread, and had a small amount of dairy(yogurt, occassional milk, i'm breast feeding so I felt i needed it). I felt better after a few days. Then we went back to some of our old habits and i felt like crap again. I've cut out the gluten again and my joint pain is improving again.

Could it be Celiac?

I'm going to see a rhuemotolgist at the end of August... My doctor tentatively is calling it Fibromyalgia... but I wouldn't have inflammation if it was Fibro, would I?

my symptoms are:

• Joint Pain, especially in the right shoulder and hips, but other areas as well, including neck, knees, fingers and toes. It's worse in teh morning and gets worse again in the evening after being at my desk at work.

• Brain fog

• Swollen lymphnodes in my neck (so bad it hurts to turn head to the left)

• occassional pain and pressure in my ears & dizzyness (doctor said I probably have a sinus infection and put me on antibiotics)

• pain/ache in my right side and lower belly (ultrasound turned out negative for any abnormalities)

• constipation

• occassional nausea

• fatigue, i can never get enough sleep

• High Sed-Rate

• High CRP, double the normal

• I also had baby via c-section 9+ months ago and still breat feed... not sure if that's relavent.

Are any of these symptoms not symptoms of Celiac?

I just dont' know what else it could be... especially if it's not lupus, and I dont' think it's Fibro

[slmprofesseur]

I had the same symptoms following my c-section. I do not have a firm diagnosis on celiac, I went gluten free because I was breast feeding and my son is allergic to wheat, eggs, and nuts. I noticed my pain in the side/belly went away, heartburn, and asthma symptoms gone. I also has ringing in the ears and sever brain fog. I feel much better being Gluten-free.

Hopefully your doctor will be more understanding than mine!

My own philosophy is if something makes you sick then don't eat it!

[dreamingthought]

I had the same symptoms following my c-section. I do not have a firm diagnosis on celiac, I went gluten free because I was breast feeding and my son is allergic to wheat, eggs, and nuts. I noticed my pain in the side/belly went away, heartburn, and asthma symptoms gone. I also has ringing in the ears and sever brain fog. I feel much better being Gluten-free.

Hopefully your doctor will be more understanding than mine!

My own philosophy is if something makes you sick then don't eat it!

Thanks for the response! having a little one with allergies must be rough. None have turned up with my little boy so far, but my husband and I are doing what we can to get healthier so we can raise him with good eating habits, which has helped me greatly on this diet.

My doctor's refered me to a specialist and that's pretty much it... she hasn't really told me much one way or another besides that.

Though I'm not really sure I'm completely gluten-free. I eat the Ezekiel bread, which I'm pretty sure has gluten.... so maybe it's just a senitivity, and cutting back on gluten has helped?

All i know is that my blood sugar isn't spiking and dipping anymore, and the brain fog and the joint pain has let up, so i finally feel close to normal! YAY. And dropping 7lbs is definately a plus.

It's been a long road for me to learn how foods affect me, but if this is the answer, then it's worth it!

[dreamingthought]

In case anyone has similar symptoms... turns out I have lyme disease. i guess going gluten free can help with lyme disease, though a diagnosis and treatment is what I really needed.

[mftnchn]

So glad you are figuring this out.

I actually have both celiac and lyme disease. Some here have lyme disease and gluten sensitivity resulting from it.

So it still might be worth testing for celiac.