Marciab
02-18-2007, 01:05 PM
I was diagnosed with CFS/FM back in 1990. My initial symptoms included fatigue, pain, myoclonus (seizures), ataxia, nueropathies, brain fog, etc.
I went on a the elimination diet (no gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, corn or chemicals) back in July - Sept 2005.
As of Sept 2006, I no longer have ataxia and I only get a mild myoclonus if I accidently eat gluten. I'm still working on the fatigue and brain fog.
This website from the NIH states that celiac / gluten intolerance is often misdiagnosed as CFS and IBS.
NIH = National Institute of Health
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/
I copied a small part of this article in and edited this to allow the paragraphs to be read easier.
*************** NIH celiac article ****************
What is celiac disease?
Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.
People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, found in wheat, rye, and barley.
Sometimes the disease is triggered-or becomes active for the first time-after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.
----- > WHOA !!!! DID THEY SAY VIRUS ??? Many of us started that way ...
What are the symptoms of celiac disease?
Celiac disease affects people differently. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system, or in other parts of the body.
Symptoms of celiac disease may include one or more of the following:
gas
recurring abdominal bloating and pain
chronic diarrhea
pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool
weight loss / weight gain
fatigue
unexplained anemia (a low count of red blood cells causing fatigue)
bone or joint pain
osteoporosis, osteopenia
behavioral changes
tingling numbness in the legs (from nerve damage)
muscle cramps
seizures
missed menstrual periods (often because of excessive weight loss)
infertility, recurrent miscarriage
delayed growth
failure to thrive in infants
pale sores inside the mouth, called aphthous ulcers
tooth discoloration or loss of enamel
itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis
A person with celiac disease may have no symptoms. People without symptoms are still at risk for the complications of celiac disease, including malnutrition.
The longer a person goes undiagnosed and untreated, the greater the chance of developing malnutrition and other complications.
Why are celiac symptoms so varied?
Rearchers are studying the reasons celiac disease affects people differently.
Some people develop symptoms as children, others as adults.
Some people with celiac disease may not have symptoms, while others may not know their symptoms are from celiac disease.
How is celiac disease diagnosed?
Recognizing celiac disease can be difficult because some of its symptoms are similar to those of other diseases.
In fact, sometimes celiac disease is confused with irritable bowel syndrome, iron-deficiency anemia caused by menstrual blood loss, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, intestinal infections, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
---- > WHOA !!! Celiac is confused with CFS ??????
As a result, celiac disease is commonly under diagnosed or misdiagnosed.
Recently, researchers discovered that people with celiac disease have higher than normal levels of certain autoantibodies in their blood.
To diagnose celiac disease, physicians will usually test blood to measure levels of
Immunoglobulin A (IgA)
anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTGA)
IgA anti-endomysium antibodies (AEA)
Before being tested, one should continue to eat a regular diet that includes foods with gluten, such as breads and pastas.
If a person stops eating foods with gluten before being tested, the results may be negative for celiac disease even if celiac disease is actually present.
If the tests and symptoms suggest celiac disease, the doctor will perform a small bowel biopsy.
***************** End of report ***********
The people here and at the celiac dot com message board are very knowledgable and helpful. But there is tons of info on the net.
FYI: The tests for celiac are not as good as they should be at this point, so the only real way of know if the diet will help you is to try it. I recommend fresh fruits, veggies and meats and raw nuts and seeds so you get your nutrients too. :D
Hope this helps someone .. Marcia
Edited to add: I also eliminated corn, soy, dairy, eggs and chemicals, back in July 2005. But, I believe my problems were from undiagnosed celiac (gluten). I have read on this board and elsewhere, that dairy, corn, soy and chemicals can make us sick too.
Please check this out for yourselves ... Marcia
I went on a the elimination diet (no gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, corn or chemicals) back in July - Sept 2005.
As of Sept 2006, I no longer have ataxia and I only get a mild myoclonus if I accidently eat gluten. I'm still working on the fatigue and brain fog.
This website from the NIH states that celiac / gluten intolerance is often misdiagnosed as CFS and IBS.
NIH = National Institute of Health
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/
I copied a small part of this article in and edited this to allow the paragraphs to be read easier.
*************** NIH celiac article ****************
What is celiac disease?
Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.
People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, found in wheat, rye, and barley.
Sometimes the disease is triggered-or becomes active for the first time-after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.
----- > WHOA !!!! DID THEY SAY VIRUS ??? Many of us started that way ...
What are the symptoms of celiac disease?
Celiac disease affects people differently. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system, or in other parts of the body.
Symptoms of celiac disease may include one or more of the following:
gas
recurring abdominal bloating and pain
chronic diarrhea
pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool
weight loss / weight gain
fatigue
unexplained anemia (a low count of red blood cells causing fatigue)
bone or joint pain
osteoporosis, osteopenia
behavioral changes
tingling numbness in the legs (from nerve damage)
muscle cramps
seizures
missed menstrual periods (often because of excessive weight loss)
infertility, recurrent miscarriage
delayed growth
failure to thrive in infants
pale sores inside the mouth, called aphthous ulcers
tooth discoloration or loss of enamel
itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis
A person with celiac disease may have no symptoms. People without symptoms are still at risk for the complications of celiac disease, including malnutrition.
The longer a person goes undiagnosed and untreated, the greater the chance of developing malnutrition and other complications.
Why are celiac symptoms so varied?
Rearchers are studying the reasons celiac disease affects people differently.
Some people develop symptoms as children, others as adults.
Some people with celiac disease may not have symptoms, while others may not know their symptoms are from celiac disease.
How is celiac disease diagnosed?
Recognizing celiac disease can be difficult because some of its symptoms are similar to those of other diseases.
In fact, sometimes celiac disease is confused with irritable bowel syndrome, iron-deficiency anemia caused by menstrual blood loss, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, intestinal infections, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
---- > WHOA !!! Celiac is confused with CFS ??????
As a result, celiac disease is commonly under diagnosed or misdiagnosed.
Recently, researchers discovered that people with celiac disease have higher than normal levels of certain autoantibodies in their blood.
To diagnose celiac disease, physicians will usually test blood to measure levels of
Immunoglobulin A (IgA)
anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTGA)
IgA anti-endomysium antibodies (AEA)
Before being tested, one should continue to eat a regular diet that includes foods with gluten, such as breads and pastas.
If a person stops eating foods with gluten before being tested, the results may be negative for celiac disease even if celiac disease is actually present.
If the tests and symptoms suggest celiac disease, the doctor will perform a small bowel biopsy.
***************** End of report ***********
The people here and at the celiac dot com message board are very knowledgable and helpful. But there is tons of info on the net.
FYI: The tests for celiac are not as good as they should be at this point, so the only real way of know if the diet will help you is to try it. I recommend fresh fruits, veggies and meats and raw nuts and seeds so you get your nutrients too. :D
Hope this helps someone .. Marcia
Edited to add: I also eliminated corn, soy, dairy, eggs and chemicals, back in July 2005. But, I believe my problems were from undiagnosed celiac (gluten). I have read on this board and elsewhere, that dairy, corn, soy and chemicals can make us sick too.
Please check this out for yourselves ... Marcia