Joint Pain From Dairy?

[RonBoy79]

Hello everyone, I'm a 32 year old male who has been dealing with wide spread joint pain and tendonitis for the last 5 years. Within the last year it's gotten bad enough that I've sought medical help without any relief. I had a complete arthritis panel that checked for Rheumatoid, Lupus, Lyme, and others... all came back negative. I was sent to a Rheumatologist who did some x-rays and explained to me that I was experiencing "a collection of everyday aches and pains, and should learn to use better posture while sitting at my desk"... I kiiinnndddaaa wanted to punch him in the tea bags

Not satisfied, I combed the internet looking for answers. I kept seeing celiac as I cross-referenced my symptoms. I read into it and decided to try going gluten-free and see what happened. Within 3 days I had began to notice the first real relief from the joint pain in years, by the end of the first full week I was virtually pain free. Words could not express how happy I was. I went straight to my General Physician and asked to be tested for celiac... the blood work came back "inconclusive"... which I understand is not uncommon. They're setting me up with a Gastro asap.

The problem came during week two of going gluten-free, the pain returned with a vengeance. For the life of me I could not find out what I had done. I'd been ultra strict with the gluten, but I kept reading that many celiacs also have dairy sensitivities. After experiencing the ease in my symptoms I had decided to get back to the exercising that the joint pain had made almost impossible. I'd been drinking whey protein shakes after my workouts and I figured that they could be my culprit. I cut the whey out and dropped all other dairy and the joint pain is virtually gone again. Everything I'd read about dairy sensitivity had to do with gastro-intestinal symptoms (which I have very few of oddly enough).

Is it common for dairy to contribute to joint pain? Can I expect this to get better with time? I'll do WHATEVER it takes to avoid that damn joint pain, but avoiding TWO common American food categories will be a lot to deal with in it's own right.

Thanks for any tips or advice

~Ron

[eatmeat4good]

Hi Ron,

First of all, your journey was much the same as mine, in searching for answers from docs. I had really bad joint, bone and muscle pain. They just said Fibromyalgia...when the Lupus tests came back negative. But...it is interesting that I did just the same as you....went gluten free when I found Celiac on this site...used whey protein shakes, got better for a while then got worse. I had read that many people can't tolerate dairy...but I didn't want to believe I would be one of them...so I kept messing around with it...for months. I am now 10 months gluten free and I had been "mostly" dairy free. Last week I tried ice cream and gluten free pizza...and oh yuck..I felt awful.

I did some reading on casomorphons and gliadomorphins and the ways they both cause your body to hurt if you are sensitive to them. It is interesting reading. It turns out casomorphins from dairy effect some people as badly as the gliaden from gluten grains. I wouldn't doubt if your joint pain is a result of both. It may be temporary...they say some people can return to eating dairy eventually when they have healed enough. Or maybe your joint pain was the result of both gluten and casein. Yes, it is very hard to do, but it is worth it if it fixes your joint pain.

I'm still eliminating and experimenting and go into denial every time my son gets a gluten free pizza and I want to eat some too. I wish I would stop that. It gets me every time. Um good luck and I hope you figure this out. Joint pain is no fun at all. I feel for you in all the pain you have had to deal with and with dr's denying any problem....I laughed out loud at your comment about wanting to kick them in the tea bags...I've had that feeling myself when they told me their conclusion was neurotic excoriation (but it was DH, the skin form of Celiac), then depression/anxiety and fibromyalgia (but it was the neurological form of Celiac)...and then the old IBS...when it was really the gastrointestinal symptoms of Celiac. Yeah...you right man! Somebody needs to have their tea bags shaken up a bit! Hang in there...and be proud of yourself for saving your own life! YOU found it!

[eatmeat4good]

I also wanted to add that at the very least you should have your vitamin levels checked. Celiacs are often deficient in A, E, D, K, iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc. In my case, only D was low, but after supplementing for a couple of months at 5,000 mg a day plus calcium, my joints felt waaaaayyyy better. D is fat soluble and you can get too much so you have to have your level checked. I only stayed at that dose until the level came up to normal range...now I take it as it says on the bottle. Nature Made Vitamins are gluten free...(all the ones I have seen anyway). Best of luck!

[RonBoy79]

I also wanted to add that at the very least you should have your vitamin levels checked. Celiacs are often deficient in A, E, D, K, iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc. In my case, only D was low, but after supplementing for a couple of months at 5,000 mg a day plus calcium, my joints felt waaaaayyyy better. D is fat soluble and you can get too much so you have to have your level checked. I only stayed at that dose until the level came up to normal range...now I take it as it says on the bottle. Nature Made Vitamins are gluten free...(all the ones I have seen anyway). Best of luck!

Thanks, eatmeat4good...

I'm going to read into these casomorphons and gliadomorphins, and get my vitamin levels checked as well. I appreciate the supplement tips. I'm really into fitness, so I'll have to find an alternative to the whey protein. It's nice to know that I'm on the right track now, and there are a lot of other people here who've been through this and are willing to help.

I can only imagine that my Grandmother who suffered with lifelong chronic pain probably had the same condition, man how the internet has changed our world...

[eatmeat4good]

Yes, thank God for the internet or you and I and many others would still be suffering.

Sorry about your Grandmother...it's really tragic...I think of my Dad who is no longer living...who obviously had this all his life....and wonder what he would have been like off gluten. He had horrible moods, anger and spent a lot of time in the BR and had no muscle tone. Tragic. If only he'd known...yeah...it's sickening.

But we are the CHANGE!!

The other tip I like to give people is NutsOnline has a huge selection of Certified Gluten Free goods like nuts, flours, fruits and candy (ok the candy is for me not you I've never gotten sick from their stuff. They also have something called green pea protein. I tried it as a substitute for whey...OK...I said none of their stuff made me sick...but that one pretty much did. (not from gluten...just cause it was gross)So if you find a good protein substitute...let me know!

[organicmama]

I'll have to find an alternative to the whey protein.

Look for pea protein or hemp protein. You will probably have to go to more natural stores to find them though. They are both Gluten-free Casein-free.

[ChristiL]

Ahhh, dairy. Yes, it can cause joint pain. I am still experimenting with my diet as well and keeping a food journal, etc. to see what the culprits are. I have long known that I have a problem with dairy (started out as sneezing when I consumed milk or ice cream, later involved full fledged head congestion and sneeze "attacks" that lasted 30 full minutes).

Later I developed digestive problems and a pain in my right side, just below the rib cage, what seemed like every time I ate. Just a couple weeks ago, I had it happen for the umpteenth time and got frustrated and sat down to do some internet research. I KNEW I hadn't had any dairy at all which is what I blamed all my problems on. Of course, I ran across celiacs disease and gluten intolerance and started looking at the symptoms and it was like a light bulb came on. I had many symptoms.

Like I said, I have many symptoms, but no true diagnosis, so I've been experimenting with eating and journaling my reactions. Surprisingly, things like spaghetti doesn't seem to bother me unless I have it combined with a slice or two of bread in a day. (so far, that's my analysis). I ordered the CeliacSure from Gluten Pro (it should be in Monday or Tuesday), so I've been trying to eat gluten "heavy" (and realizing a negative on the test doesn't rule out gluten as a culprit).

I also have joint pain (knees, hips, shoulders and neck mainly). I had been eating completely dairy free (reading all labels, etc.) for the last week and hadn't determined if the joint pain was better or worse, still just evaluating. Last night, some friends asked us to meet them for dinner and I thought it was a good time to "test". We went to Ruby Tuesdays and I ordered the petite sirloin with broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes and I had one cheddar garlic biscut. OMG. Within an hour I was bloated, achy and my abdomen sticking out like I was pregnant or something. Within 3 hours, my joints HURT - including my left shoulder/top of arm that felt like it was bruised. By bedtime, my right side was flared up and hurting and I had trouble falling asleep. Woke up this morning and my shoulder isn't near as sore and tender, right side isn't hurting, and my belly has mostly shrunk down to normal. My knees and hips do still ache and worse than they have been the last week or so.

Not sure if mine is all dairy or a combo of dairy/gluten. I realize I had gluten in the biscut, but I also had dairy in the mashed potatoes and the biscut as well. (I had gluten on purpose for lunch, so it could have been an overload of gluten, too). I have no doubt that dairy is a big problem for me and I'm not too sure that it isn't causing the same response in my body that gluten does to celiacs - the whole auto immune thing, etc.

After doing my CeliacSure test the first of the week, regardless of results, I am going dairy free (mine seems to be casein) and gluten free and see what happens.