Lots Of Syptoms- Few Answers....

[Jortyle]

Hi everyone!

I am in need of some help. I am a 26 year extremely active (at least I was) male. About 6 months ago I started not feeling well. Nothing specific to my stomach or digestive system, fatigue, anxiety, extreme hunger, foggy head, etc... I was being treated for a sports injury with some steroid medication (already feeling poorly before taking meds). A few days after taking the meds I began to feel extremely bad. Went to the doctor, checked my blood sugar and it was at 300. Immediately the doctor diagnosed me with Type 1 diabetes. It really didn't make sense to me at the time why they would ignore what I felt was an obvious reaction to the medication, and a second opinion (also from a PCP) diagnosed with Type II. So, I was put on Metformin, while taking Metformin, my blood sugars dropped like a rock. I was hospitalized with Hypoglycemia! My PCP said, "It is totally impossible for a diabetic to go Hypo on 500mg daily of Metformin." He still would not admit that I could possibly NOT have diabetes (HUGE EGO). I showed him my BS meter which reflected regular 30s and 40s after meals at which time I was diagnosed with "Hypoglycemia."- LOL I finally got to an endo who ran my A1C which came back at 5.3. She declared that I definitely do NOT have diabetes of any kind (following a glucose tolerance test) despite testing positive for "low" level of GAD antibodies... Unfortunately, despite my BS returning to "normal" my symptoms never got better and the fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, and a more specific recurring abdominal pain developed. Not to mention that I went from a healthy 6'1" 180 lbs to a scrawny 150 now... I went to the GI who performed a EGD and discovered some celiac like issues, lymphocytes >30, some flatening, and "chronic and severe" inflammation of my stomach. Apparently, the results were not specific enough to celiacs to diagnose, however, he felt there was need for further blood work, and allergy tests. Celiac panel should be back in two weeks. I have started a gluten free diet, two days in symptoms are still fairly severe. SO SICK OF BEING SICK AND TIRED!!! At this point I am sooo sick of listening to doctors who don't have a clue... Anyone else have something similar happen to them? About how long does it take to feel better once gluten free?

MANY THANKS!

[ravenwoodglass]

Welcome, you are in the right place no matter what your blood tests results are so don't stop the diet if the results of those are negative.

As to the BS issue that has happened to me also. With myself I had gone to the doctor early on in diagnosis for help after a glutening. He pronounced me diabetic and pushed meds on me also. I refused them though but did a lot of BS monitoring and found the only time it was elevated was when I was glutened. I read later on that it is not uncommon for some folks to have high BS when sick.

As to how long before you feel better it can vary. Some of us will go through a withdrawl so you may be moodier for a week or so. It will pass. It will be best if you go with whole homecooked foods for a while to keep cross contamination risks to a minimum. Cutting out dairy is a good idea until you heal. Do take precautions in your kitchen to avoid CC, new dedicated toaster, replace scratched nonstick pans, strainers and wooden utensils.

If you are not someone who has cooked a lot at home do feel free to ask for hints for quick and easy stuff.

I hope you are feeling better soon and ask any questions you need to.

[89Mirageman]

I am a type 2 diabetic and I also take 500mg of metformin twice daily, that alone will make you feel tired. It makes me feel tired anyway. When I read that you took steroids and it made you feel worse my jaw hit the floor. I had an ear infection back in June and after several attempts to cure it with antibiotics they finally wrote me a prescription to take steroids for 5 days. Those were probably the worse 5 days of my life. I got extremely constipated (always had issues with constipation before that but never this bad)and had zero energy. My blood sugar shot up to 361 once but I was able to keep it under 200 for the most part while on the steroids since I was barely eating.

Since then I have found this site and have been gluten free for about 3 weeks now. At first I felt great but have been tired again lately. I worked really hard on Saturday outdoors and think I may have over done it. My leg muscles have been sore ever since. I just think my body is weak from years of not knowing what was wrong and its going to take time to heal. I decided today to cut out soy and lactose as well.

Honestly my trust in Doctors is pretty low right now as I'm sure yours are too. It seems they have the perfect cure for you 20 seconds after you enter their room. They are so quick to write you a prescription and ignore you when you try to tell them what you're dealing with. I'm sure there are some great ones out there, I just haven't met him/her yet. I can't believe they misdiagnosed you as a diabetic, well yes I can too.

[lovegrov]

Assuming you have celiac, which certainly sounds like a VERY strong possibility, two days is definitely not long enough to feel significantly better. I remember sitting on my bed and crying because I was so tired of feeling bad and that was 5 weeks after I was diagnosed. You'll get there.

richard

[Rose W]

I'm 46, and for the past two years, I have NOT felt like me. Mental fog, fatigue - sometimes in the extreme, weakness, gut pain, weight gain, bloating, and more. Like you, I'm TIRED of being sick and tired! Since January, I've been to doctors, trying to figure out what is going on, but all I've gotten is basically "you're fat and middle-aged". Just 24 hours ago, I stumbled upon something about celiac disease, and I KNOW that's what is going on with me. Today, I started my gluten-free life! On Monday, I'm going in to the doc's and requesting all blood tests for celiac disease. So, as a fellow newbie to the realization that we're NOT going crazy, I salute you for being pro-active in your health!! Trust what your body is telling you. Doctors may be discouraging, and mis-informed. Keep looking for a supportive and informed doctor.

Do you know what my 'AHA' moment was yesterday? It was while looking at a listing of celiac symptoms, (of course, I had many of them), but one caught my eye. It was "Low Cholesterol because of mal-absorption". I have the lowest cholesterol that my doctor has ever seen! As well as low blood calcium, low iron and low blood counts. But no doctor I've seen has been able to explain why I have abnormally low cholesterol. When I went in last month complaining of extreme stomach pain, distention, and feeling bloated and 'full up', neither of the two docs caught on. But now I know, and I join you in taking charge of my health!