Does It Get Worse Before It Gets Better?

[hal000]

Hi, I've been diagnosed with celiac disease (January 2009) and follow a strict gluten free diet, I didn't expect miracles and knew it would take time for the gut to repair itself but I feel ten times worse.

I've also got thyroid problems that aren't showing up in blood tests (docs think it's autoimmune thyroiditis), what's thrown me is that my thyroid symptoms have got worse since I've followed a gluten free diet not better.

I read somewhere that if you're taking Thyroid meds you my have to decrease the dose due to greater absorption through the gut (I'm not taking thyroid meds), do you think it's possible that now that my gut is better at absorbing nutrients it's affecting my antibodies with the automimmune thyroiditis?

My docs are not being much help with coming up with an explanation, ironically it was the thyroid problems that finally convinced me I could have celiac disease.

Sorry for the long message - I'm just at my wits end with trying piece the puzzle together, many thanks

[MaryJones2]

I don't really have a formal answer for you but I know that my thyroid problems only became apparent after going gluten-free. I don't know if my thyroid necessarily got worse or it was just more noticable because everything else got so much better. I don't recall my doctor ever mentioning that increased absorption would require less medication either. Maybe someone else can shed some light on that one. I do have to adjust my medication based on the season.

[RiceGuy]

My only thought is that many who are just starting out on the gluten-free diet have problems when they try to adopt too many gluten-free processed foods. It is often advised to start simple, to give the body time to heal. Plain veggies, fruits, legumes, meats, etc. Avoiding all those carb-rich gluten-free prepackaged breads, high sugar foods, etc can make a big difference. Also, many on this board have found additional intolerances after going gluten-free. So perhaps you're intolerant to something else in your diet, such as one or more top allergens, including dairy, soy, corn, eggs, nuts, etc. It is often recommended to try avoiding dairy at first, until the body heals.

Can you outline what your diet is like? Perhaps someone will spot something.

[hal000]

Thank-you Janet, that's a very good point.

Hi riceguy........Mostly I'm on a paleo diet - organic chicken, broad beans, celery, fish, fruit - blueberry's, strawberries (I'm lactose intolerant so that's off limits).

The only gluten free processed food is some corn pasta twice a week (maybe cut that out) and the odd biscuit (2 a day). Looking at the packaging they do contain soya lecithin as an emulsifier but it seems like such a small amount it couldn't have this impact.

I think from what you say riceguy it's time to just stick to the un-processed foods and see how I go. If and when I improve in a few months I can start integrating other food stuff into the diet again.

I need to start taking on board just how sensitive the body is and how easily it can be thrown offcourse.

It's possible the thyroid could have got worse irrespective of the new diet, it's just a bit demoralising to feel worse.

[RiceGuy]

Thank-you Janet, that's a very good point.

Hi riceguy........Mostly I'm on a paleo diet - organic chicken, broad beans, celery, fish, fruit - blueberry's, strawberries (I'm lactose intolerant so that's off limits).

The only gluten free processed food is some corn pasta twice a week (maybe cut that out) and the odd biscuit (2 a day). Looking at the packaging they do contain soya lecithin as an emulsifier but it seems like such a small amount it couldn't have this impact.

OK, while I don't usually go overboard with the goitrogenic avoidance thing, I'll just point out that beans and strawberries are said to have goitrogenic compounds. Supposedly corn does too, but not every list of such foods shows that. Tapioca is supposed to be as well, and it is in a lot of gluten-free baked goods.

Perhaps these articles will be of some help:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Incidentally, everything I've read about soy lecithin suggests that the goitrogenic compounds are not part of it. Apparently, lecithin is part of the lipid fraction, whereas the isoflavones are part of the protein fraction.