Almost 1 Year gluten-free

[glutenfr3309]

i am coming up on my 1 year gluten-free anniversary the beginning of april...yay!! i have seen a dramatic turn in my health since then and overall feel 110% better than i used to. i'm still trying to figure out how sensitive i really am and recognizing those symptoms (specifically with eating out and cross contamination- my kitchen at home is gluten-free).

i did have my vitamin levels check when i was first diagnosed and were considered 'normal'. (i had the start of inflammation no flattening damage yet)

before i went gluten-free my thighs were extremely sensitive to touch and i always bruised easily. i have noticed a little difference but they still really hurt and now my one thigh is covered in bruises from just scratching yesterday!

i have scheduled a doctor's appointment for next week to have my levels retested. i'm wondering that even though they were in the 'normal' range i could still be low on certain vitamins for my body. i'm not entirely sure how much knowledge the doctor will have on celiac/gluten intolerance and what is included in the regular testing. i plan on taking the copy of the previous results with me to the appointment.

any thoughts on which vitamins i should be sure they check?

[mamaw]

I like to check B-12, B-6 Vit D,calicum,magnesium ferritin to name a few.

[IrishHeart]

throw in Vit K---if you are bruising easily!!

[SGWhiskers]

I found that calcium/magnesium helped the sensitivity in my skin. I also found that when I tried to reintroduce dairy on multiple occassions, I bruised more easily. I have a milk allergy and had the nick-name banana legs growing up. Last time I tried milk for a few weeks, Banana legs made her return.

[healinginprogress]

My thighs hurt to touch, too!!! I always thought, man, this can't be normal, it hurts! ahhhh yet another symptom to blame on gluten...and another symptom that will hopefully go away! Sorry you're still having pain and bruising

[LivesIntheSun]

That's fascinating- I can't bear having my thighs touched. I had always thought that was just me, I never realized it could be connected to gluten. So is sensitive thighs a recognized phenominon connected to gluten sensitivity? This gets more interesting every day....

[glutenfr3309]

thanks everyone. maybe i'm still some how getting a little gluten although i am not getting the symptoms like i used to.

my thighs have been like that as long as i can remember. it's not the fronts but the sides.

i actually have been trying to convince my mom to get tested. she has always had stomach issues and always bruises (worse now on cumadin). she said my grandfather was the same way with bruising.

i looked up the lab work results from may. iron and B12 were the only obvious ones to me.

iron and TIBC:

iron bind.cap. (TIBC)

result= 348

ref interval= 250-450

UIBC

result=297

ref interval= 150-375

iron, serum

result= 51

ref interval= 35-155

iron saturation

result= 15

ref interval= 15-55

vitamin B12

result= 386

ref interval= 211-946

[Tigercat17]

thanks everyone. maybe i'm still some how getting a little gluten although i am not getting the symptoms like i used to.

my thighs have been like that as long as i can remember. it's not the fronts but the sides.

i actually have been trying to convince my mom to get tested. she has always had stomach issues and always bruises (worse now on cumadin). she said my grandfather was the same way with bruising.

i looked up the lab work results from may. iron and B12 were the only obvious ones to me.

iron and TIBC:

iron bind.cap. (TIBC)

result= 348

ref interval= 250-450

UIBC

result=297

ref interval= 150-375

iron, serum

result= 51

ref interval= 35-155

iron saturation

result= 15

ref interval= 15-55

vitamin B12

result= 386

ref interval= 211-946

[/quote)

It seems like your iron saturation is a little low. I had mine checked back in August and it was 23. I was feeling a little tried, also. My doctor reccommended me to start taking iron supplements again and all of the triedness went away along with the easy brusing. The next time you get bloodwork and it's still this low, I would definitely ask your doctor if you should take an iron supplement. This could explain for the easy bruising.

Good Luck!

[Tigercat17]

thanks everyone. maybe i'm still some how getting a little gluten although i am not getting the symptoms like i used to.

my thighs have been like that as long as i can remember. it's not the fronts but the sides.

i actually have been trying to convince my mom to get tested. she has always had stomach issues and always bruises (worse now on cumadin). she said my grandfather was the same way with bruising.

i looked up the lab work results from may. iron and B12 were the only obvious ones to me.

iron and TIBC:

iron bind.cap. (TIBC)

result= 348

ref interval= 250-450

UIBC

result=297

ref interval= 150-375

iron, serum

result= 51

ref interval= 35-155

iron saturation

result= 15

ref interval= 15-55

vitamin B12

result= 386

ref interval= 211-946

Opps! Sorry - I think I goofed up my reply.

It seems like your iron saturation is a little low. I had mine checked back in August and it was 23. I was feeling a little tried, also. My doctor reccommended me to start taking iron supplements again and all of the triedness went away along with the easy brusing. The next time you get bloodwork and it's still this low, I would definitely ask your doctor if you should take an iron supplement. This could explain for the easy bruising.

Good Luck!

[glutenfr3309]

went to the doctor on tuesday and had some bloodwork done...results aren't in yet. she was really nice and took the time to understand my (and family) history and why i was there to see her.

she is running the iron tests, vitamin d, i think thyroid, and one other i can't remember. she also said that if tests come back normal for my iron that she may send me to a hematologist because i am contently bruising...i even have a bruise from where the needle was! i also have a LOT of blood clotting history in the family so she seemed extra sensitive to that. she thinks that it could also be that, even though i have had luck with my gluten-free diet relieving previous problems, that maybe i'm just not getting enough nutrients in general.

it dawned on me that maybe i'm still getting traces of gluten some how in products that are considered gluten-free OR i'm dealing with another intolerance (maybe dairy). i feel fatigued again and have been struggling to get out of bed during the week. my stomach overall feels fine, which was a problem before, but i'm starting to notice other symptoms that i never really took into account.

i have been trying to figure out how sensitive i am especially with cross contamination when eating out. i do know that when i eat at a restaurant that has specified gluten free meals i usually feel ok vs. no specified meals on the menu and they have to talk to the chef, etc. last night i ate out and the waitress asked the kitchen, etc. they have a bartender who eats gluten-free and she was telling me things that he regularly eats and has been ok.

afterwards, i had ice cream. major cramping in my ribs/stomach, thought i would have to go straight to the bathroom but i ended up not having to.

today, my entire body hurts. my thighs are super sensitive and every single joint in my body hurts, although my stomach feels fine. guess these are my cross contamination and/or possible new intolerance symptoms i'm dealing with now. i never imagined that i was THAT sensitive.

it amazes me how much has changed in the last year and how just the littlest things can trigger symptoms in my body!