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

Whal Else Could Be Wrong?


Demby Flex

Recommended Posts

Demby Flex Newbie

Hello, I'm a newbie to this forum. I have been gluten free for over a year but am still coping with a lot of daily muscle pain/tension(from my toes to my neck - mostly on the left side), headaches, off balance feeling, cracking joints,crackling noises in my ear, fatigue, fuzzy vision etc. - just a general feeling of being not well. I've been very very careful about avoiding gluten and my entire house is gluten free (and I rarely eat out)so I don't think that accidental glutening or cross contamination is an issue.

I have been tested for everything under the sun from rheumatoid arthritis to sjorgen's syndrome to lyme disease and can't figure out what else could be going on. The doctor's told me that I possibly could have tmj, but I have been wearing a splint for five months with little relief. I did have a low Vitamin D level back in April (not deficient just lower than the normal range), and have been taking extra vitamin D (1,000 UD) since.

Is it possible that my Vitamin D levels could be still low and causing these symptoms or could I have developed some sort of food intolerance? Something else?

I appreciate any ideas, thanks!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



AlysonAnn Newbie

Hi, I am in the same exact situation. I've been gluten free for only a month. I continued feeling bad, and now almost worse after giving up gluten. I am having shivers, fatigue, brain fog, fuzzy vision, constipation and a lot of hair loss.

The symptoms seem to arise only after eating things. Never in the morning. I would like to hear other people's opinions and experiences with what could be happening to us. I can't get through the day feeling like this. I just want to curl up with a blanket and stare at the wall. This is not good!

I feel your pain.

-Alyson

ravenwoodglass Mentor

What are you guys eating? You should be going with whole unprocessed foods as much as you can. It is also not unusual for us to have other intolerances. The most common are soy and dairy. Also make sure you are doing all you need to in your home to prevent cross contamination. It can take a while to heal but after a year you should be well on your way. Make sure you have checked all drugs, OTC and script for gluten with the maker. Also check all supplements and be sure to read the whole label as barley and wheat grass can be in the item but it is still allowed to have a gluten-free label. CC can even come from nonfood sources like makeup, shampoos, pet foods, remodeling materials, the workplace if you work around flour or use it when cooking for others and art and craft supplies.

I hope your feeling better soon. Read as much as you can here and ask any questions you need to.

AlysonAnn Newbie

Hi ravenwoodglass, thanks for your advice. I have been reading around a lot and I gave up dairy, soy, all medications and supplements. As I had said I am eating only whole veggies and fruits, rice, gluten free pasta, and olive oil. I have been pretty minimal for a while now with no positive change. I am going to look into salicylate, amines and glutamate intolerance and sensitivities. I don't know what else to do.

-Alyson

Glee06 Newbie

Sorry to hear your still having problems. It does take time to heal. I have noticed I have begun to have problems with corn and rice-they each have their own gluten as well. :( Check out the book Specific Carbohydrate Diet or SCD and also look into the health benefits of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar. I hope you feel better soon.

mushroom Proficient

I did have a low Vitamin D level back in April (not deficient just lower than the normal range), and have been taking extra vitamin D (1,000 UD) since.

Is it possible that my Vitamin D levels could be still low and causing these symptoms or could I have developed some sort of food intolerance? Something else?

I appreciate any ideas, thanks!

If your D is low, 1000 IU is not going to get it back in range any time soon. Your D needs to be mid-range for you to feel good. The way my doc explained it to me, if you take that small a dose it is like having an empty gas tank and putting in one gallon to get you to the next gas station -- you are always running on empty. You need to fill up the tank first (I took 50,000 IU once a week for two months, and presently take it every month. I have just seen a nutritionist who prefers that I take 3000 IU every day (and my levels are good now) so you can see that your 1000 IU is not going to get you very far :o I would ask your doc to give you some prescription D3 to bring your range up to mid-level and then take 3,000. But that's just my experience and opinion.

cassP Contributor

AlysonAnn: i dont know anything about u- but do u think u might need meat and fish in your diet?? some people feel best as a vegan, but others like me would be absolutely sick without meat. **also- have u gotten your thyroid checked?? sometimes thyroid problems can cause hair loss

idk?? hope you first 2 posters are getting everything checked with your doctor... i dont know how long you were Celiac or gluten intolerant before your diagnosis... some people have a lot of complications from years of nondiagnosis. ??? a friend of my mom's wasnt diagnosed till she was in her 50s... by then she had some Osteoporosis.. and had strange symptoms like Paget's Disease- of course it took like 25 years for someone to dx her with Celiac <_<

good luck with everything... hope you 2 feel better soon


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Demby Flex Newbie

Thank you all for your responses. I will go back to the doctor to have my Vitamin D levels re-checked and having the vitamin level increased. Have any of you had magnesium supplements resolve muscle pain? My magnesium levels are fine, but I've heard that the blood test is not necessarily accurate.

I will also check into the Cider Vinegar and Specific Carbohydrate Diet, as well as soy possibly causing an issue. I don't seem to eat much soy in my food, but I do eat a lot of soy lectin - can this still cause issues?

Thanks again,

Katherine

ravenwoodglass Mentor

Hi ravenwoodglass, thanks for your advice. I have been reading around a lot and I gave up dairy, soy, all medications and supplements. As I had said I am eating only whole veggies and fruits, rice, gluten free pasta, and olive oil. I have been pretty minimal for a while now with no positive change. I am going to look into salicylate, amines and glutamate intolerance and sensitivities. I don't know what else to do.

-Alyson

You are doing the right things. You have only been gluten free for a month and it can take some time to heal. We can also have withdrawls from gluten so you may have a bit of that going on also. I don't see any protein in your diet, what are you eating for protein? If you are a vegetarian beans and nut butters added to your rice would be a good idea. If not make sure you are eating some meat, chicken or fish.

dilettantesteph Collaborator

Have you seen this?

Naturally gluten free grains can be contaminated. Are you eating any processed grains? Like pasta? It could be contaminated too. I buy my grains whole, sort, wash, dry and grind myself. I am very sensitive to low levels of gluten.

GFinDC Veteran

You are doing the right things. You have only been gluten free for a month and it can take some time to heal. We can also have withdrawals from gluten so you may have a bit of that going on also. I don't see any protein in your diet, what are you eating for protein? If you are a vegetarian beans and nut butters added to your rice would be a good idea. If not make sure you are eating some meat, chicken or fish.

Agree agree agree. Try some meat or add some avocadoes I'd say ditch the gluten-free pasta for a while and stick with rice or quinoa. Are you eating nightshades? Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant? They can cause problems for some people.

Skylark Collaborator

Hi, I am in the same exact situation. I've been gluten free for only a month. I continued feeling bad, and now almost worse after giving up gluten. I am having shivers, fatigue, brain fog, fuzzy vision, constipation and a lot of hair loss.

I just learned about this recently. Some people get an opiate-like effect from gluten.

Open Original Shared Link

You might be going through something like narcotic withdrawals. The shivers and fatigue certainly fit. I don't know how long it will last if that's what is happening to you. I didn't have to go through anything like that myself.

There's a TON of other info on that website, so if the opiate idea doesn't feel right you might find something else helpful. I hope you feel better soon.

DembyFlex, you might look at the FAILSAFE diet on that site. It's supposed to be really good. I'm thinking of trying it myself.

Archived

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

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - knitty kitty replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      8

      My only proof

    2. - Wheatwacked replied to Jmartes71's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      8

      Related issues

    3. - NanceK replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      8

      My only proof

    4. - Wheatwacked replied to Scatterbrain's topic in Sports and Fitness
      4

      Feel like I’m starting over

    5. - Scott Adams replied to Kirita's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      3

      Recovery from gluten challenge


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,291
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    DottieLyn
    Newest Member
    DottieLyn
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      @NanceK, I do have Hypersensitivity Type Four reaction to Sulfa drugs, a sulfa allergy.  Benfotiamine and other forms of Thiamine do not bother me at all.  There's sulfur in all kinds of Thiamine, yet our bodies must have it as an essential nutrient to make life sustaining enzymes.  The sulfur in thiamine is in a ring which does not trigger sulfa allergy like sulfites in a chain found in pharmaceuticals.  Doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition (nor chemistry in this case).  I studied Nutrition before earning a degree in Microbiology.  I wanted to know what vitamins were doing inside the body.   Thiamine is safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Not feeling well after starting Benfotiamine is normal.  It's called the "thiamine paradox" and is equivalent to an engine backfiring if it's not been cranked up for a while.  Mine went away in about three days.  I took a B Complex, magnesium and added molybdenum for a few weeks. It's important to add a B Complex with all eight essential B vitamins. Supplementing just one B vitamin can cause lows in some of the others and result in feeling worse, too.  Celiac Disease causes malabsorption of all the B vitamins, not just thiamine.  You need all eight.  Thiamine forms including Benfotiamine interact with each of the other B vitamins in some way.  It's important to add a magnesium glycinate or chelate supplement as well.  Forms of Thiamine including Benfotiamine need magnesium to make those life sustaining enzymes.  (Don't use magnesium oxide.  It's not absorbed well.  It pulls water into the intestines and is used to relieve constipation.)   Molybdenum is a trace mineral that helps the body utilize forms of Thiamine.   Molybdenum supplements are available over the counter.  It's not unusual to be low in molybdenum if low in thiamine.   I do hope you will add the necessary supplements and try Benfotiamine again. Science-y Explanation of Thiamine Paradox: https://hormonesmatter.com/paradoxical-reactions-with-ttfd-the-glutathione-connection/#google_vignette
    • Wheatwacked
      Your goal is not to be a good puppet, there is no gain in that. You might want to restart the ones that helped.  It sounds more like you are suffering from malnutrition.  Gluten free foods are not fortified with things like Thiamine (B1), vitamin D, Iodine, B1,2,3,5,6 and 12 as non-gluten free products are required to be. There is a Catch-22 here.  Malnutrition can cause SIBO, and SIBO can worsen malnutrition. Another possibility is side effects from any medication that are taking.  I was on Metformin 3 months before it turned me into a zombi.  I had crippling side effects from most of the BP meds tried on me, and Losartan has many of the side effects on me from my pre gluten free days. Because you have been gluten free, you can test and talk until you are blue in the face but all of your tests will be negative.  Without gluten, you will not create the antigen against gluten, no antigens to gluten, so no small intestine damage from the antigens.  You will need to do a gluten challange to test positive if you need an official diagnosis, and even then, no guaranty: 10 g of gluten per day for 6 weeks! Then a full panel of Celiac tests and biopsy. At a minimum consider vitamin D, Liquid Iodine (unless you have dermatitis herpetiformis and iodine exasperates the rash), and Liquid Geritol. Push for vitamin D testing and a consult with a nutritionist experienced with Celiack Disease.  Most blood tests don't indicate nutritional deficiencies.  Your thyroid tests can be perfect, yet not indicate iodine deficiency for example.  Thiamine   test fine, but not pick up on beriberi.  Vegans are often B12 deficient because meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy are the primary souces of B12. Here is what I take daily.  10,000 IU vitamin D3 750 mg g a b a [   ] 200 mg CoQ10 [   ] 100 mg DHEA [   ] 250 mg thiamine B1 [   ] 100 mg of B2 [   ] 500 mg B5 pantothenic acid [   ] 100 mg B6 [   ] 1000 micrograms B12 n [   ] 500 mg vitamin c [   ] 500 mg taurine [   ] 200 mg selenium   
    • NanceK
      Hi…Just a note that if you have an allergy to sulfa it’s best not to take Benfotiamine. I bought a bottle and tried one without looking into it first and didn’t feel well.  I checked with my pharmacist and he said not to take it with a known sulfa allergy. I was really bummed because I thought it would help my energy level, but I was thankful I was given this info before taking more of it. 
    • Wheatwacked
      Hello @Scatterbrain, Are you getting enough vitamins and minerals.  Gluten free food is not fortified so you may be starting to run low on B vitamins and vitamin D.   By the way you should get your mom checked for celiac disease.  You got it from your mom or dad.  Some studies show that following a gluten-free diet can stabilize or improve symptoms of dementia.  I know that for the 63 years I was eating gluten I got dumber and dumber until I started GFD and vitamin replenishment and it began to reverse.  Thiamine can get used up in a week or two.  Symptoms can come and go with daily diet.  Symptoms of beriberi due to Thiamine deficiency.   Difficulty walking. Loss of feeling (sensation) in hands and feet. Loss of muscle function or paralysis of the lower legs. Mental confusion. Pain. Speech difficulties. Strange eye movements (nystagmus) Tingling. Any change in medications? Last March I had corotid artery surgery (90 % blockage), and I started taking Losartan for blood pressure, added to the Clonidine I was taking already.  I was not recovering well and many of my pre gluten free symptoms were back  I was getting worse.  At first I thought it was caused a reaction to the anesthesia from the surgery, but that should have improved after two weeks.  Doctor thought I was just being a wimp. After three months I talked to my doctor about a break from the Losartan to see if it was causing it. It had not made any difference in my bp.  Except for clonindine, all of the previous bp meds tried had not worked to lower bp and had crippling side effects. One, I could not stand up straight; one wobbly knees, another spayed feet.  Inguinal hernia from the Lisinopril cough.  Had I contiued on those, I was destined for a wheelchair or walker. She said the symptoms were not from Losartan so I continued taking it.  Two weeks later I did not have the strength in hips and thighs to get up from sitting on the floor (Help, I can't get up😨).  I stopped AMA (not recommended).  Without the Losartan, a) bp did not change, after the 72 hour withdrawal from Losartanon, on clonidine only and b) symptoms started going away.  Improvement started in 72 hours.  After six weeks they were gone and I am getting better.  
    • Scott Adams
      Hopefully the food she eats away from home, especially at school, is 100% gluten-free. If you haven't checked in with the school directly about this, it might be worth a planned visit with their staff to make sure her food is safe.
×
×
  • 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.