A Little Help?

[MSOUPS]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum as I have yet to be able to get an accurate diagnosis. Let me catch you up to where I am at as of now.

Three years ago I began to have severe constipation, weight gain, and fatigue; I thought it was due to being out of shape and depression, I had lost my mother to cancer at the same time.

As time went on, things only seemed to get worse. I began to go from needing a nap here and there to wanting to sleep all the time. I felt like everytime I ate anything, I would feel an "out of body experience", where I can't focus at all and need to sleep to feel better.

I occasionally wake up in the morning with very itchy skin, brain fog, and EXTREME fatigue. I eventually got diagnosed hypo-thyroid with an elevated TSH but was told that my TSH wasn't elevated to the point where I "should" be experiencing this degree of symptoms.

So I am currently on thyroid meds which don't seem to be helping with my weight or my symptoms.

I was also prescribed an anti-depressant, basically because I am so down on how I feel all the time and my weight gain even though I have run 6 half marathons in the past year and logged hundreds of miles during training.

I had the celiac gene test which came back positive but the bloodwork for the other stuff did not. I also had a biopsy which came back kinda confusing. He said that I could have it but probably don't? The blood work wasn't positive or negative, it was in the middle if that makes sense.

So this past weekend I went to San Diego, CA to run another half marathon. I felt decent even though I had no strength through this past training plan. I pushed through the best I could and tried to prepare myself. I decided to "carb up" with pasta, non-gluten-free, and paid for it. I felt okay but gastro wise, I was a mess. I had to stop about every 3 miles, which destroyed my hopes of finishing within a good time. I felt okay yesterday, had chipotle chicken bowl after the race and a carls jr. lettuce burger for dinner on the drive home to Vegas. However, I woke up this morning completely out of it, not able to function at all. Dizzy, foggy, fatigued. I thought it may be partly dehydration but I have taken in plenty of fluids today and it doesn't seem to be helping at all. I have urinated 4 times in the past hour so I know that I am well hydrated now.

Any help?

Thanks in advance.

[Skylark]

That sure sounds familiar. I have that same hypothyroid trouble but my TSH isn't high enough that I should be symptomatic.

You need to be off gluten. First, it is likely to help your thyroid symptoms. There seems to be some crossover between celiac and autoimmune thyroid disease. Second, some doctors don't realize that developing celiac is a process. You have "in the middle" bloodwork, and an "in the middle" biopsy. You are probably celiac and it would only be a matter of time before you had positive bloodwork and damage on biopsy.

Good luck with the diet. I hope it helps.

[eatmeat4good]

That is a severe glutening reaction.

It will continue if you continue to eat gluten.

I couldn't figure that out for years, but the delayed reaction, fatigue, brain fog, and weakness were all definitely related to gluten. Every time I get cross contamination or trace gluten...I feel the way you described.

You should feel much better without gluten...the symptoms should disppear if they are related to gluten. Mine are gone, unless of course I make a mistake with gluten, then I pay.

Have you been tested for Hashimoto antibodies? TSH can go up and down and sometimes appear to be normal.

Worth checking it out. Hashimoto's and Celiac are very common together.

[MSOUPS]

I started a gluten-free diet on Monday, trying to keep high hopes.

I have also noticed that I tend to feel worse when I have caffeine, has anyone heard of a sensitivity or intolerance devoloping to caffeine as well?