Family History Rinehart?

[Kay DH]

I know nothing about my family history from my Dad's side. He died about 20 years ago from GI cancer and his Mom died about 50 years ago; I think he was her only child. Dad would not talk about his family. He left the family farm in Idaho to join the Army Air Corp for WW II, and his father never forgave or spoke with him again. I have determined that if I have Celiac, then it is from my grandmother's side. Her brother, Dr. Stanley Marshall Rinehart, had 3 sons with Mary Robert Rinehart (the author). Granted this is a rather loose thread, but just from the curiosity side I wonder if any of Dr. Rinehart's descendants had Celiac.

Last September I developed GI symptoms a couple of weeks after the flu and high stress. Symptoms were mostly D, C, brain fog, mood, stiff joints, skin rash, muscle aches, bloating, cramping, and dizziness. I went gluten-free a few weeks after this and the GI and neurological symptoms resolved in a few days and the others mostly within 6 months. I am very sensitive to CC so am diligent in avoiding the nasty gluten molecule, but my record is 2 months gluten-free so far. My tests were all negative, but blood was IgA only and 2 months after gluten-free, the gluten challenge was 1 week and the GI only took one biopsy (he dismissed my symptoms as diverticulitis; all the colon biopsies were negative). I am positive for HLA-DQ8. So, I probably have Celiac but no diagnosis. Tough thing about being a scientist is not knowing. Thanks for any input/experiences.

[rdunbar]

how long have you had the DH? from what I understand, if it is really DH, then you have Celiac, it's the same thing, only it's attacking the skin (as well as the gut); Apparantly, people with DH may show less, or no GI symptoms even.

I can remember having an itchy scalp and blisters over 20 years ago, but only got severe GI symptoms over the last several years, (ironically after i had stopped eating wheat, but did'nt know about gluten, and CC, so was still getting gluten all the time, perhaps becoming even more sensitive to it?)

how is your DH responding to being gluten-free? like you, I notice I am super sensitive to gluten; Dr.Green writes in his book that people with DH tend to be 'exquisitly sensitive' to gluten. Also, it takes time for DH to go away, because the antibodies can linger within the layers of your skin for a long time, so it's essential to not reactivate them with an accidental glutening.

some people heal faster than others, and it may depend on the severity of the DH and how long you've had it.

As far as the family history, its interesting to look into, check out ancesory.com. you may even find some stories, or old documents.

I can see signs of celiac on both sides of my family so have kind of given up on playing the blame game about whose genes passed the celiac along.

[txplowgirl]

Hi Kay,

I'm a family history nut. I went to genforum.com and typed in the names you were searching for and I came up with relatives. There is a Barton Reinhart that has a lot of info. I'm sure if you write to him he may have what you're looking for.

Have fun

Vicky