Diagnosis Help

[Mojowarren]

I have been struggling with hives daily for the past 3 months. They come on between 2pm-6pm and cover my hands and feet and then move to my arms and chest. They last through the night and usually are gone in the morning. Then it repeats the next day. I have removed perfumes, prescriptions, etc... with no relief. My sister was diagnosed with glutten intolerance 3 months ago. She has had relief of many symptoms she had that she would not have associated with gluten. One of them being joint pain. That is another problem I have been battling. I had back surgery 10 years ago at age 25. I was physically healthy and played 2 on 2 sand volleyball at the time but had a genetic deformation in the lower back which cause the problem. About 2 years ago I started having lower back pain which I was told was not unusual. I had a child last year and since then the back has gotten worse. It is almost imposible to touch my toes in the morning and it slowly loosens up through out the morning. We did an MRI and extensive blood tests for a structural problem or for arthritis, both of which were excluded. They just suggested that I manage the pain as best I can. With the relief my sister had I am wondering if it is a reaction to gluten. I have had stomach/intestinal problems in the past but they were very isolated insidents that occur about every other month but do not seem to be consistent so I have always ruled them out.

So my question is, is has anyone had daily hives and back pain be their main symptoms?

Thank you for any help.

[UKGail]

Yes, given your sister is gluten intolerant, I think there is a good possibility that your pain is exacerbated by gluten-induced inflammation. It was 2 consecutive frozen shoulders that finally led to my gluten intolerance diagnosis (I wasn't responding to physiotherapy, and was, in fact, getting worse every week, and the physio said that something else had to be wrong....). I also suffered from regular migraines which stirred up old neck, thoracic and lumbar spinal pain caused by a car accident some years previously. I only had intermittent stomach or digestive issues. All this pain has gone away since going gluten free, and I am finding that migraines and joint/muscle pain are the first thing to return if I accidently come across any gluten traces.

In the 6 months or so before going gluten free I felt like an old woman, I was so stiff I could hardly move. I gave up trying to exercise as it was counter-productive, it just made everything worse, even just gentle stretching.

As for hives, well I did get these in just last year when my symptoms suddenly worsened and took off in new directions. I stopped getting them within a couple of months of going gluten free. I find that taking anti-histamines helps to control these allergy-type symptoms. I still take them every day.

I tested negative to the celiac antibodies, but key marker of my illness was a very high ESR. Once I went gluten free this fell back steadily to a more normal range. I also tested negative to any auto-immune antibodies like RF etc which can also cause these sorts of symptom, except for a slightly elevated anti-cardiolipin antibody level, and lowish RBC. Again, these markers quickly normalised on the gluten free diet.

I think it would be a very good idea to go for testing, and when the testing is done (but not before), give the gluten free diet a strict and decent trial to see if it helps.

Good luck.

PS If you have structural back trouble, and have not long given birth, the best thing to fix back pain is pilates. It is important to find a teacher who is medically qualified though, or experienced at the rehab level, to ensure they don't injure you further. This is how I fixed my injuries from a car accident. If you are gluten intolerant, it won't work properly without the gluten free diet though.