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

Celiac Disease And Anemia?

savedbygrace92

Recommended Posts

savedbygrace92 Newbie
savedbygrace92
Posted

I have not officially been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, had the classic symptoms and I am feeling somewhat better on a gluten free diet. I have, however, been diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anemia. I am wondering how long it should take for my intestines to heal enough to be able to reap the benefits of an Iron supplement. It doesn't seem to matter if I take a supplement, get it naturally from my diet, but I still feel weak, dizzy, tired (12+ hours of sleep later) and am getting weaker by the day as it seems my body isn't getting any of the iron it needs. Does anyone else suffer from both Celiac and Anemia? How long did it take you to feel better?

P.s. I know that I should see a doctor, I also know that without testing there is no guarantee that I have celiac disease, etc.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Mother of Jibril Enthusiast
Mother of Jibril
Posted

Iron deficiency anemia isn't the only thing that can make you feel weak, dizzy, and tired... Other common causes include hypothyroidism and deficiencies in vitamins like D and B-12 (pernicious anemia). Someone with celiac disease can have all of these conditions at the same time :blink:

Everyone is different when it comes to healing. It depends on your age, how careful you are about cross-contamination, how much damage there was, what kind of damage there was, etc... Some of the neurological symptoms (neuropathy, ataxia), for example, can take a long time to go away. It only takes a few weeks on a gluten-free diet to get a negative result on a celiac blood test.

IMO, a good place to start now would be a CBC and a CMP. You could also try vitamin D on your own. I found this website helpful (Open Original Shared Link). I know it can be tricky to find a good doctor :( I had one who told me that "fatigue is common with a lot of autoimmune disorders" (which is true), so "I better just get used to it" (WRONG). I didn't go back to him again.

savedbygrace92 Newbie
savedbygrace92
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the info! I know that I don't have thyroid problems, I was tested for them less than three months ago. It is definitely possible for me to have vitamin deficiencies. Because I'm already on a gluten free diet, I know that a blood test will likely come back negative. I am thinking about the possibility of doing the enterolab testing. Does anyone else know about this and how it works? Did it work for you? As far as cross contamination goes, it would be very unlikely. I do almost all cooking in my home, don't eat any foods that could have come in contact with gluten, and my entire family is gluten free, so the likelihood of cross contamination in my home is VERY minimal. I have been VERY careful about ingredients, etc. I'm guessing depending on the kind of damage you are right... do you know how long it can take those symptoms to go away? Months? Years? Hopefully months :) I want to feel better!!!! Of course, I don't know how much damage there was, and I'm hoping that some testing can enlighten me on that.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

Hi and welcome! :)

I had iron deficiency anemia before I was diagnosed--it was mild for years and years and in the year before I was diagnosed it worsened to the point where I couldn't even stand upright for very long. I took suppliments, and although they made me ill, they weren't very much help.

For me (and it different for everyone), it took about 6 months. Pre-diagnosis, my hemaglobin was 8, and 6 months later, it was 14.6. It was so nice when it finally resolved--I had it for so long that I had pretty much forgotten how it felt to not feel dizzy when I got out of bed in the morning! :P

Anemia is a very common symptom of Celiac. If your villi are damaged and they begin to heal on the gluten-free diet, hopefully the anemia will begin to improve. Hope so :D

Yoekie Apprentice
Yoekie
Posted

I am anemic as well. I found out in early december. The doctor scared me to death, telling me I was on the edge of needing a bloodtransfusion. Then he told me what to eat (lentils, spinach, liver) and put me on a very high dosis of ironpills which made me sick, so I switched to intramuscular injections which I get weekly from my GP. Then I went to a GI for second opinion on possible celiac and he said the injections aren't enough to get it back up, so I'll probably get IV at hospital weekly now. I'm waiting for the blood results to see how much of the injections I've acutally taken in.

So, what you need, depends on how anemic you are and how well you cope with the pills. But please go to a doctor, because if it's serious, you cannot get it back up 'just' with the right food and pills because you only take in a part of that. You need more.

I know how it feels, I wake up to a bloodtaste in my mouth every day and although I'm 23, I can't work because I need to sleep 12 hours and rest during the day. I thought I had cfs so I'm actually very happy I have a condition that is treatable... so I'd go and get that treatment if I were you!

curiousgeorge Rookie
curiousgeorge
Posted

I am in the process of iron injections myself. I have had three of five and WHOA, I noticed a HUGE difference in how I felt afte the second one. I have been gluten-free since last may and the iron seems to be my nemesis. It was going up with oral iron but EVER so slowly. I haven't had the blood work yet but I can tell its gotten way higher.

  • 1 month later...
thleensd Enthusiast
thleensd
Posted

Getting my iron up was the hardest thing for me to do.... My ferritin was all the way down to TWO! But after my diagnosis and going 100% gluten free (not almost gluten free...it won't work), my iron shot WAY up. (And in two weeks! Not common if you visit the iron deficiency forums) And this is after years of trying to get my iron up with iron supplements *three times* per day! Now, I am only taking it once a day and Floravital (made by flouradix--reg. flouradix has gluten). It's expensive, but it's really a life saver for me. It's iron and B complex. I tolerate and absorb the liquid much better even though it's a small dose.

How long have you been gluten-free? My blood work was negative because I had gone off gluten before testing, which is a bad idea. You must be on gluten for tests to show it. My biopsy was positive, but my doc almost didn't do it because my tests were neg.

I have not officially been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, had the classic symptoms and I am feeling somewhat better on a gluten free diet. I have, however, been diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anemia. I am wondering how long it should take for my intestines to heal enough to be able to reap the benefits of an Iron supplement. It doesn't seem to matter if I take a supplement, get it naturally from my diet, but I still feel weak, dizzy, tired (12+ hours of sleep later) and am getting weaker by the day as it seems my body isn't getting any of the iron it needs. Does anyone else suffer from both Celiac and Anemia? How long did it take you to feel better?

P.s. I know that I should see a doctor, I also know that without testing there is no guarantee that I have celiac disease, etc.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,856
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Sonya Haskin
    Newest Member
    Sonya Haskin
    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

    • Jillian83
      Celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis has taken Me from Me

      By Jillian83 · Posted

      He is. Which makes everything even more difficult. I’m not a believer in “staying for the kids” but I have nowhere to go and it’s not just me, it’s me plus my babies. We live in a beautiful place, lots of land in the country and me and the kids love the place we’ve called home for their entire lives. But Im seeing that he’ll never change, that my kids deserve a happy healthy Momma, and that staying in this as is will be the early death of me. Then I look at the scars covering my entire body…this disease and the chronic stress I’ve been enduring for years that tell me I’m no longer beautiful and no one will ever look at me with interest again. I try self care, try to give myself grace so I can just start loving myself enough to gain strength but the slightest sparkle in my eye and skip in my step attracts his wrath and it all comes crashing ten fold. Life is just absolutely railing me from every single direction leaving me wanting to wave that white flag bc I don’t feel like there’s much hope no matter what happens. 
    • trents
      Celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis has taken Me from Me

      By trents · Posted

      Is this man the father of your children?
    • Jillian83
      Celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis has taken Me from Me

      By Jillian83 · Posted

      Hi, I was recently diagnosed with Celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis after years of suffering without answers. I lost my mind. I lost my job. I lost so much time. I lost Me. Conventional doctors are opulent come near me and the one who did sat across the room, misdiagnosed me, pumped me full of steroids which collapsed my entire hip for 6 months. So without answers I began my holistic journey. Fast forward a couple of years and still struggling with a mysterious whole body itchy, crawling “skin hell”, perfect teeth now deteriorating, thick hair now thinning rapidly and no more than a day or 2 at most relief….An acquaintance opened up a functional medicine practice. Cash only, I found a way. Within a month tests clearly showing my off the charts gluten allergy/sensitivity as well as the depletion of vital nutrients due to leaky gut and intestinal damage. dermatitis herpetiformis was more than likely what I was experiencing with my skin. I was happy. I thought this is easy, eat healthy Whole Foods, follow the diet restrictions and I finally get to heal and feel confident and like myself again very soon! 😔 Supplements are very pricey but I got them and began my healing. Which leads to the other major issue: not working, stay at home Mom of young kids, entirely financially dependent on my man of 7 plus years. He’s never been supportive of anything I’ve ever done or been thru. He controls everything. I’m not given much money ever at a time and when he does leave money it’s only enough to possibly get gas. His excuse is that I’ll spend it on other things. So my “allowance” is inconsistent and has conditions. He withholds money from me as punishment for anything he wants. Since being diagnosed, he’s gained a new control tactic to use as punishment. He now is in control of when I get to eat. He asked for proof of my diagnosis and diet bc he said I made it up just to be able to eat expensive organic foods. Then after I sent him my file from my doctor he then said she wasn’t a real doctor. 😡. I go days upon days starving, sometimes breaking down and eating things I shouldn’t bc I’m so sick then I pay horribly while he gets annoyed and angry bc I’m not keeping up with all the duties I’m supposed to be doing. His abuse turns full on when I’m down and it’s in these desperate times when I need his support and care the most that I’m punished with silence, being starved, ignored, belittled. He will create more of a mess just bc I’m unable to get up and clean so that when I am better, I’m so overwhelmed with chores to catch up that the stress causes me to go right back into a flare from hell and the cycle repeats. I’m punished for being sick. I’m belittled for starving and asking for healthy clean water. I’m purposely left out of his life. He won’t even tell me he’s going to the grocery or to get dinner bc he doesn’t want me to ask him for anything. I have no one. I have nothing. Im not better. My supplements ran out and I desperately need Vitamin D3 and a methylated B complex at the very minimal just to function….he stares at me blankly…no, a slight smirk, no words. He’s happiest when im miserable and I am miserable.  this is so long and im condensing as much as I can but this situation is so complicated and disgusting. And it’s currently my life. The “IT” girl, the healthy, beautiful, perfect skin, perfect teeth, thick and curly locks for days, creative and talented IT girl….now I won’t even leave this house bc Im ashamed of what this has dont to my body, my skin. Im disgusted. The stress is keeping me from healing and I think he knows that and that’s why he continues to keep me in that state. He doesn’t want me confident or successful. He doesn’t want me healed and healthy bc then how would he put the blame of all his problems on me? This journey has been hell and I’ve been in Hell before. I’ve been killed by an ex, I’ve been raped, robbed, held hostage, abused beyond nightmares but the cruelty I’ve experienced from him bc of this disease is the coldest I’ve ever experienced. I’ve wanted to give up. Starving and in tears, desperate…I found a local food pantry in our small town so I reached out just saying I had Celiac and was on hard times. This woman is blessing me daily with prepared gluten free meals, donations, educational info, people who know this disease and how they manage life and the blessings just keep coming. But it’s overwhelming and I feel like I don’t deserve it at all. He just glared and I know he’s going to sabotage it somehow. I don’t even know what to do anymore. I’m so broken and just want peace and healing. 
    • cristiana
      Ibuprofen

      By cristiana · Posted

      @Colleen H   I am just curious,  when you were tested for coeliac disease, did the doctors find out if you had any deficiencies? Sometimes muscle pain can be caused by certain deficiencies, for example, magnesium, vitamin D, calcium, and potassium.   Might be worth looking into having some more tests.  Pins and needles can be neuropathy, again caused by deficiencies, such as iron and B12,  which can be reversed if these deficiencies are addressed. In the UK where I live we are usually only tested for iron, B12 and vitamin D deficiencies at diagnosis.   I was very iron anemic and supplementation made a big difference.  B12 was low normal, but in other countries the UK's low normal would be considered a deficiency.  My vitamin D was low normal, and I've been supplementing ever since (when I remember to take it!) My pins and needles definitely started to improve when my known deficiencies were addressed.  My nutritionist also gave me a broad spectrum supplement which really helped, because I suspect I wasn't just deficient in what I mention above but in many other vitamins and minerals.  But a word of warning, don't take iron unless blood tests reveal you actually need it, and if you are taking it your levels must be regularly monitored because too much can make you ill.  (And if you are currently taking iron, that might actually be making your stomach sore - it did mine, so my GP changed my iron supplementation to a gentler form, ferrous gluconate). Lastly, have you been trying to take anything to lessen the pain in your gut?  I get a sore stomach periodically, usually when I've had too much rich food, or when I have had to take an aspirin or certain antibiotics, or after glutening.  When this happens, I take for just a few days a small daily dose of OTC omeprazole.  I also follow a reflux or gastritis diet. There are lots online but the common denominators to these diets is you need to cut out caffeine, alcohol, rich, spicy, acidic food etc and eat small regularly spaced meals.   When I get a sore stomach, I also find it helpful to drink lots of water.  I also find hot water with a few slices of ginger very soothing to sip, or camomile tea.  A wedge pillow at night is good for reflux. Also,  best not to eat a meal 2-3 hours before going to bed. If the stomach pain is getting worse, though, it would be wise to see the doctor again. I hope some of this helps. Cristiana    
    • Me,Sue
      Knowing what to do when feeling unwell.

      By Me,Sue · Posted

      I was diagnosed with coeliac disease a couple of years ago [ish]. I love my food and a variety of food, so it's been hard, as it is with everyone. I try and ensure everything I eat doesn't contain gluten, but occasionally I think something must have got through that has gluten in. Mainly I know because I have to dash to the loo, but recently I have noticed that I feel nauseous after possibly being glutened. I think the thing that I have got better at is knowing what to do when I feel wiped out after a gluten 'episode'. I drink loads of water, and have just started drinking peppermint tea. I also have rehydration powders to drink. I don't feel like eating much, but eventually feel like I need to eat. Gluten free flapjacks, or gluten free cereal, or a small gluten free kids meal are my go to. I am retired, so luckily I can rest, sometimes even going to bed when nothing else works. So I feel that I am getting better at knowing how to try and get back on track. I am also trying to stick to a simpler menu and eat mostly at home so that I can be more confident about what I am eating. THANKS TO THOSE WHO REPLIED ABOUT THE NAUSEA .
×
×
  • 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.