munchkinette

My cholesterol is higher, but only because of my HDL. My regular doctor (not the sub) said it was excellent, even though it was higher. Last time I saw her was this summer though, which is about a month before my symptoms started. My main concern is to fix the hair loss ASAP. I can't afford to lose much more! I've also been getting panic attacks. I had no idea those could be related to thyroid disorders until I started googling thyroid issues... but those have been happening a lot lately as well.

(Follow up to my earlier thread, "Hair Loss") I got my test results back. My TSH is 2.81. I know that's borderline using the new "normal" ranges. My TSH a year ago was 1.46, so it has doubled since the last test. Is this a normal amount of fluctuation? What tests should I get next? So many of my symptoms fit with a thyroid issue, and multiple family members have thyroid disorders, but I don't know what to say to my GP. The normal range on my tests say that TSH should be .4 to 4.0. (Actually not my GP, but filling in while my regular GP is on maternity leave, so he doesn't know me.) Is this enough for a referral to an endocrinologist? So far my other tests (ferritin, CBC, metabolic panel) look normal. I haven't gotten the Vit D test back yet, although I do take 5000 IU and I'm absorbing iron, so I don't expect it to be off.

I picked 20-30. I had lots of ear infections when I was little, up to the age of about 15. I don't think I've taken antibiotics once since high school. I've been taking probiotics for at least 4 years though. I think it helps a lot since I rarely get colds.

I've had my thyroid tested over the years, but it's always been pretty normal. I think it was 1.4 last time. Still, something new is happening. I have read that the new range should be 2.5 or 3.0 though, so if he doesn't get it right I'll go see an endocrinologist. I probably should anyway.

That's what the doctor has ordered to begin with. Plus some kind of thyroid test. I'll find out when I get there since I set up the first round of testing over email. I already take a multivitamin with iron, plus 5000 IU of vitamin d3 every day, and probiotics. I shouldn't have deficiencies, but who knows. Last time I wasn't absorbing anything even though I was taking vitamins.

I've had some blood tests for Celiac, but I can't get the biopsy. I was a mess after getting glutened right before Thanksgiving. I've only been feeling better for about 3 days now. I can't handle eating enough for the biopsy. I do have several other autoimmune diseases in my family, that's why I'm not ruling it out. But some of the symptoms I've been having (except hair loss) are similar to what I felt before going gluten free. Have you tried an endocrinologist? That was actually something I was considering.

A little background: I did my first triathlon in mid-September, so I was training hard for most of the summer. At the beginning of August my training peaked: instead of getting better, I just got slower. My hair started falling out. By the time the race happened, I was pretty sure that I was experiencing symptoms of overtraining. At the same time, school has been INSANE, and my stress levels have gone through the roof. It's the beginning of December, and I'm still losing hair. I've lost maybe 40% since August. I'm still unable to exercise hard like I used to, so I'm only walking (instead of running) and occasionally riding my bike at an easy pace. If it had just been overtraining, I would have recovered by now. I think the combined stress from school and the triathlon may have triggered something else. Stress from school triggered problems that led me to go gluten free 6 years ago, so I think something may be happening again. I feel like my insulin response was a little out of whack too after the race, but it seems better since I've gone to a low carb diet. I was eating dairy for a while too, but I decided to stop. Any thoughts on the hair loss and fatigue? My doctor ordered some basic vitamin deficiency and thyroid tests but I"m wondering if I should ask for anything more specific. I'm pretty sure it's something hormonal, but I wouldn't rule out the beginning of something autoimmune.

I am not great at making up recipes and substituting, but I have the ingredients for brownies. Does anyone have a recipe that uses cocoa powder and coconut milk? I DO NOT have actual chocolate in the house. I have the standard staples for gluten-free baking, like gluten-free flour and xanthan gum.

I posted this already in the weight loss section, but it might fit better here. I've noticed my belly is huge since I've lost weight, and I'm trying to figure out why. I'm mostly eating meat and produce. I limit the fruit, but I've been eating TONS of vegies. What vegies give people problems? I know some people have issues with nightshades, but what else? I'm not sure if it's just the volume of vegies I'm eating, or the fiber, but sometimes I get super bloated and gassy- like one in particular doesn't agree with me.

I've been on a diet recently to lose a few pounds, and I've done OK so far. I've lost some fat everywhere, and now it seems like my belly looks really big in comparison. It's still the "problem area" on my body, even though it's not all from extra fat. I'm currently gluten, dairy, and soy free. I eat somewhat Paleo style- I have a serving of black beans or sweet potatoes first thing in the morning, and maybe one serving of fruit in a day. After that, I'm pretty much only eating meat and cooked vegetables. I don't eat much in terms of calories, but those vegetables are huge! Why is it that I look pregnant after a big meal, but I can never tell when anyone else has eaten a big meal? I really have no idea if I just digest REALLY slow, or if I'm intolerant to something else. I cook almost everything myself, so I don't think there's any hidden gluten. I haven't really kept up with all the other things that people have problems with on this forum. I know that certain fruits and vegies can be an issue.

Thanks for the responses. It's interesting. The one girl I talked to at the meetings said she went into remission on a Gluten-free Casein-free low sugar diet, and some doctors supported her while others didn't. It sounded very similar to my own experience with negative tests, a variety of responses from doctors, but major health improvements on a different diet.

I'm currently training for my first triathlon in order to raise money for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. I picked this one because I know that some of their research does overlap other GI immune conditions. I'm not totally sure how though. I've found some research about shared genes. I want to make sure I'm telling people the right things, since many of them have experience with celiac only. My main question now is how many people with Crohn's and/or colitis follow a gluten free diet? Is it the same or different from the celiac diet in any ways? I've met one person who said she couldn't eat many other gluten free replacement grains. Is that something that varies by person? Also, how does a doctor distinguish between celiac disease and Crohn's when it affects the small intestine?

I've been kind of conflicted about this lately. I've been trying to do more things to live more sustainably. A lot of people go vegetarian. I don't feel like this is an option for me, considering all the things I can't eat. I definitely can't eat gluten, and I really have trouble with dairy and soy. I have a long history with anemia, so I really hesitate to cut back on the red meat. Has anyone modified their gluten-free diet in order to be more sustainable? If so how? Other than eating more local foods and grass-fed meats, I'm not sure what I can do that won't compromise nutrition.

I'm planning on using real time pcr to quantify. I asked my professor about trying an ELISA test. He said this was way more sensitive because you can get down to the number of dna molecules, but that he didn't need ELISA for the purpose of the class project. I'm just learning these techniques, but his background is with plant genomics, including a few decades with corn. I ended up picking a variety of different things- some are labeled as ELISA tested, some are made on shared equipment, some have no gluten ingredients and don't claim to be gluten free, and some are gluten free when packaged but I got them out of the bulk bins just to see what I'd get. They are all relatively homogeneous foods like flours, sauces, and crackers because I have to use small samples. Here's an example of the kind of thing I'm trying to do. (My project is to learn techniques as they apply to certain types of research, not do original research.) Previous Study

Cooking for myself has been the easiest way for me. I'm a student on the diet, but I like exotic foods, so I basically have to cook anything interesting. I usually set aside one or two days per month to cook and freeze a ton. Then I just grab one of the frozen meals in the morning, and it thaws in my back pack by the time lunch rolls around. It's a good way to save even without a gluten-free diet. Amazon is/was doing free Prime shipping for students. I think they still ship regular speed for free. I typically try an expensive thing at Whole Foods once just to make sure I like it, then buy it for half the price (in bulk) on Amazon. I get all my Bob's Red Mill, probiotics, sustainable canned tuna, and sometimes meal bars off Amazon.