Celiac Disease Support Group

Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder of the digestive system that occurs in genetically-predisposed individuals. It is characterised by damage or flattening to all or part of the villi lining the small intestine, which interferes with the absorption of nutrients. This damage is caused by eating anything with gluten (gliadin), a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley...

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patnard 04/28/2013

I am not a member of this ds group but have been reading over some of the old posts and am amazed. I was told by my GI Dr. (after endoscopy & colonoscopy with biopsy) that I have celiac disease. I have had the symptoms for years why did it take so long? First I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's 32 years ago then Lupus, then anemia (had 5 iron infusions) then came sjogren's, had a hysterectomy, IBS, trigeminal neurolgia and finally celiac disease. I've had so many symptoms over the years it came down to me getting really sick not being able to control my bowels and constant vomitting for me to get a correct diagnosis.It's been about 6 months since I have gone gluten free but I find it to be so challenging, I am feeling better but have good and bad days. My body tells me when I have cheated almost immediately. I'm really glad I found this site and plan to continue reading your post's for help. I have gotten some very helpful information and recipes. I am working with a nutritionist but every little bit of info helps. This disease can suck the life right out of you literally. I will be checking in often, thanks for the help.

nanny1611 04/28/2013

Hi, patnard, and welcome to this group. So sorry to read of your CD journey, but glad you finally found the source of your problems. While I've never been diagnosed with CD, I am definitely gluten iintolerant and choose to stay GF for life. I have Polymyositis, with overlapping Dermatomyositis and Lupus. I also have thyroid issues bordering on Hashimoto's and had a hysterectomy. My current doctor told me that "Gluten is like a poison to anyone with an autoimmune disease, and gluten likes to attack the thyroid." There are many good resources online to help you, such as Gluten Free Society and Celiac.com--
http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/
http://www.celiac.com/

Here is a good video by Dr. Peter Osborne. He has found that gluten is linked to almost 200 disorders. Dr. Osborne (Gluten Free Society) also explains why some people with CD continue to have problems even on a traditional GF diet. For instance, corn can cause me problems. So other grains can cause difficulties.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv5RwxYW8yA

Also, join Pinterest if you are not already a member. I have found approximately 1,000 GF recipes there--more recipes than I'll ever be able to try. But it's been fun, and I've tried lots of new dishes, most of which are really good. Thanks for joining us, and I hope you will be encouraged here with us. Best wishes to you.

deleted_user 04/30/2013

Doctors are trained to treat and move on. They don't learn to listen to the entire patient or even take time to listen to all symptoms.

I nearly died from Celiac before anyone paid attention to me. It is the way doctors are trained that is the problem.

Good luck with this new journey.

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