Muscular Problems

[bentit]

Hi sice being diognosed with ceiliac and using the diet ,I'm still having problems with inadiquate strenght in most of the muscles in my body.

is this a sympton of ceiliac or is this something new I will need to look into,

[chasbari]

While everyone's circumstances are a bit different, I will relate my experiences thus far after being newly diagnosed in February. I had been struggling with what my rheumatologist was certain was primary rheumatoid arthritis for the last 5-6 years (Symptoms of flares and muscle weakness for at least 20 years prior!)

By this past November I could barely get myself out of bed or a chair and walking up and down steps was a herculean task. For some background information: I have been involved in the fitness industry over the years and have been building exercise equipment that I have no longer been able to use due to extreme weakness and the joint pain accompanying an ever worsening RA. Until I was finally diagnosed with celiac, that is.

My wife finally put me on the road to a celiac diagnosis in November and we started a gluten-free diet in spite of the advice to wait as I was so sick I felt I had no choice to wait on doctors. Luckily I had a doctor who was willing to proceed with biopsy in spite of my negative blood work as I had been gluten-free by the time I had my initial testing done. I was beginning to get some strength back by this time. The gluten-free diet was helping some but there were still difficulties.

I was then pointed in the direction of a Paleo diet by a friend who is a fitness/strength training professional. The results were simply miraculous. Within 48 hours of starting a STRICT paleo regimen I was no longer gelling in the morning and strength was increasing rapidly. I hit a plateau of sorts though and noticed that my whole body was not recovering from working out... it just seemed like I was moving resources to whatever muscle group got worked the hardest. I got my bone scans done and it showed that I needed to do something to counteract my osteopenia.

My PCP wanted to put me on Boniva or Fosamax...IV as there are still absorption issues. I refused and said I wanted to give it a year to see what that would do if I was able to incorporate weight bearing exercise again. I also planned to add vitamin D3, calcium and magnesium to my dietary schedule. I was reluctant at first as I was feeling much better but still not recovering from workouts as I had hoped... 4 months ago a major whole body workout consisted of trying to get out of a chair and shuffle across the room, mind you.

I am impatient. I could tolerate chin-ups which I had not been able to do at all for the last 5 years but the shoulders and sternum couldn't handle any attempt at dips... until I finally went shopping this weekend and picked up my supplements.. all carefully checked to make sure they were gluten-free, soy and yeast free.

WOW. I was doing squats yesterday and able to handle dips as well. I know some of it might be because my gut seems to be in a hurry to heal but the addition of supplements, in my case, has surprised the cynic in me. Don't know if this is of any help but the keys for me have been strict paleo with no legumes (peas, beans, peanuts) no dairy at all, no soy and no grains initially. I have added Rice Chex back in so I have some sort of crunchy indulgence but I stay away from corn and any other alternatives. I stick with lean meats and fish. I boil or steam all my veggies as I cannot tolerate raw ones very well at all. I drink any leftover broth from any veggies I prepare, I eat as much of the whole fruits as is possible. I stay away from any spices at present. I tried some cassava chips with sea salt and garlic but found that I was a mess the next day and my hands were quite swollen for about 24 hours. I don't salt anything and don't need sugar because things like acorn squash, carrots and yams are so sweet naturally now that I have gotten rid of processed sugar. I dreaded the first plain acorn squash I was having because I remembered how my mom used to fix them with brown sugar and butter. I was expecting bland but was pleasantly surprised at how the sweetness seemed to explode on my taste buds when I took the first bite. I have been dropping weight but have been getting progressively stronger.

Good luck with your recovery and be patiently in a hurry to find the answers that work for you.

Chuck