Newly diagnosed Celiac here

NerdieMcChub

Hey guys! I'm a new Celiac, though no stranger to cutting out gluten or autoimmune diseases.

I have Hashimoto's, thyroid autoimmune disease. I have gone gluten free for a few months at a shot a few times, but fell off the wagon.

I have been gluten free for just over a week now and just got my Celiac diagnosis today. I'm looking for more friends who are gluten free, celiacs, or have thyroid issues!

cpp_happy

I have celiac disease, dx 6 years ago. Feel free to friend me!

duckykissy

I am not a Celiac (at least the test 3 years ago came out negative) but I am definitely gluten free. Found out recently I may be allergic to wheat (removing it caused my eczema to clear up) and Barley is now causing huge energy and joint issues so all gluten is out. I also have Hashimoto's (20 years and counting). Feel free to friend me/ steal a look at my diary.

meglhall2015

Hey I'm gluten free and dairy free. Not diagnosed as celiac as I haven't the energy to go back to gluten for 6 weeks before the test, but have felt one million percent better since cutting out dairy and gluten. Feel free to friend me and check out my food diary

canadjineh

No Hashi's here, and not certified celiac as I was tested after being off gluten celiac style for several months. It's not worth it to me to do a gluten challenge and get a confirmed diagnosis. My fibromyalgia has improved immensely from going GF. I eat celiac style, although technically I use the same knives on my bread as I do on my husband's, although washing them first. You are welcome to friend, just send me a message with it re: met on GF group.

annk18

how is the diet going? My husband is celiac and I have Hashimotos and keep a total and gluten free diet. Easier for both to be on the same diet and I feel much better with the fibromyalgia also. I have discovered a total th Deletee new way to cook. It is exciting.

Anniel88

Welcome! I have both as well. I struggled with Hashi symptoms for years and was finally diagnosed with Celiac. It took me several months before my symptoms normalized. I had some bad days, but then one day everything just clicked. I've now been gluten free for over 2 years and have hardly any symptoms anymore! I only wish I had known sooner! It may take some adjusting, but you'll get the hang of it.

rosenbear1

Diagnosed last fall.....feel so much better now that I have cut out gluten. It has been hard but totally worth the struggle.

Flab2fitfi

Hi been diagnosed for over 20 years. There are lots of useful advice out there and many new recipes to tryout.

canadjineh

Hi newbies and those of us who have been GF for a while: Interesting information out today on Medscape. It is a member-only studies site for medical professionals so I will take 'cut & paste' quotes word for word (condensed out of 8 pages of data) as a health reminder for all

"Newly published articles in your areas of interest for February 23, 2015:

News & Perspectives:


Medication and Supplement Use in Celiac Disease"

"Lactose intolerance is a common misdiagnosis in CD patients because the mucosal injury renders them unable to digest lactose-containing products. Malabsorption secondary to mucosal injury also explains nutritional deficiencies of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as the B vitamins, thereby diminishing the absorption of iron, calcium, and folic acid.[1] As a result, patients may develop iron-deficiency anemia refractory to oral iron supplementation, and potentially osteoporosis and osteopenia due to bone loss secondary to decreased calcium and vitamin D absorption.[1] Reproductive abnormalities, such as delayed puberty, secondary amenorrhea, infertility, or subfertility, may be explained by the combination of nutritional deficiencies and the damaging effects of systemwide chronic inflammation.[11] Other common manifestations, such as dermatitis herpetiformis (DH; a papulovesicular rash), result from the immunologic responses to gluten ingestion.[1]

While all persons with CD are intolerant to gluten, not all individuals who are intolerant to gluten have CD. Recent studies have confirmed the existence of nonceliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), a hypersensitivity or form of gluten intolerance wherein individuals experience a complex of symptoms similar to that of CD. Unlike CD, NCGS is not hereditary and is not associated with malabsorption, nutritional deficiency, or an increased risk of autoimmune disorders or intestinal malignancies.[3,7] Furthermore, immunologic mechanisms or serologic markers for NCGS have not yet been identified.[3] Diagnosis of NCGS is made by excluding both CD and an IgE-mediated allergy to wheat, and is otherwise based on the manifestation of symptoms associated with gluten consumption."

"In all cases, the adoption of a lifelong GFD has been shown to relieve symptoms, and in CD patients it has been shown to normalize serologic markers of CD and restore intestinal villi otherwise degenerated by inflammatory reactions.[3] Nonadherence to the GFD can result in serious complications associated with malabsorption, including fractures secondary to low bone mineral density, and in some cases intestinal malignancies such as intestinal T-cell lymphomas, small-bowel adenocarcinoma, esophageal cancer, and B- and T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas.[7]"

"Gluten is a common ingredient in many commercial food products. Less commonly known, however, is that gluten may be used in the manufacture of such unsuspected products as medications, supplements, and vitamins. Although product selection can be a nuisance, it is extremely important for persons with CD to review the nutrition labels of all foods and beverages, as well as the package inserts (PI) of medications and supplements, prior to ingestion.[12]

Gluten's role in small-intestinal inflammation and damage over time results in decreased absorption of common dietary nutrients and therefore likely causes malabsorption of oral medications, as well.[13] GI complications that can also hinder nutrient and drug absorption include impaired gastric-emptying rate, abnormal permeability, pH changes, decreased epithelial surface area, and reduced metabolizing enzymes.[13] Oral administration of most medications relies on absorption through the small intestine via passive diffusion, in which drug molecule characteristics play a large role.[13] GI-tract abnormalities may shift this diffusion process into systemic circulation, ultimately resulting in increased or decreased absorption of drug molecules. Since drug molecules have varying and unique chemical properties, it is difficult to determine the exact mechanism of absorption for all drugs in patients with CD. Based on their molecular properties, drugs currently under investigation for their absorption characteristics in gluten sensitivity include acetaminophen, aspirin, indomethacin, levothyroxine, prednisolone, propranolol, and certain antibiotics.[13] Routine monitoring of serum drug levels for medications with narrow therapeutic indexes may be warranted in CD."


continued in next post because it is too long for a single post.

canadjineh

continued from previous post

"Although the FALCPA regulations safeguarded consumers seeking to identify wheat-containing products, they did not apply to rye and barley, which also contain gluten. FALCPA did, however, require the FDA to issue a proposed rule to define and permit voluntary use of the term "gluten-free" on food labels. In August 2013, the FDA issued a final rule under FALCPA on the use of the term "gluten-free" in food labeling for manufacturers choosing to use the term. Manufacturers who labeled FDA-regulated foods and dietary supplements as "gluten-free," "no gluten," "free of gluten," or "without gluten" were given until August 5, 2014, to comply with the new rules and ensure that the product contained no more than 20 parts per million of gluten-containing ingredients or derivatives (i.e., ≤20 mg gluten/kg of food). Failure to meet the requirements for the claim would be considered misbranding.[17]

At present, no legislation is in place to facilitate the identification of gluten-containing ingredients in prescription and nonprescription medications."

"As previously mentioned, manufacturers of prescription or OTC medications are not required to disclose on the package labeling whether the product contains gluten. Consequently, it is important to investigate each orally ingested medication, supplement, and vitamin for the presence of any ingredients or excipients that may contain gluten. This often can be accomplished by evaluating the ingredient list, contacting the manufacturer, or utilizing a variety of other resources. Gluten can potentially be introduced and contaminate otherwise gluten-free products during the manufacturing process, although the likelihood is low.[6] Key points to consider are that even if a brand product is confirmed to be gluten-free, it cannot be assumed that the generic version is also gluten-free, and that if a product has a new formulation, appearance, or manufacturer, it is prudent to reassess it and confirm that it remains gluten-free.[6]

When evaluating the gluten content of prescription and OTC products, it should be remembered that gluten can be masked in an excipient. Starches used as excipients in pharmaceutical products are often derived from rice, potato, or tapioca, which are gluten-free. However, if the source of the starch is not explicitly stated, the excipients may contain gluten. Sources of excipients that contain gluten include barley, farina, kamut, rye, spelt, triticale, and wheat.[19,20] See Table 3 for a list of excipients that may contain gluten and should be investigated to determine the source of the starch.[6]

Excipients that are considered safe for consumption in individuals with gluten intolerance include sweeteners such as glucose, fructose, and corn syrups, as well as fillers, thickening agents, and polymers such as gums and cellulose derivatives.[5,6] Sugar alcohols such as mannitol and sorbitol, which commonly are used as sweeteners and bulking agents, are gluten-free, but if ingested in large quantities can cause gluten-like symptoms, such as diarrhea.[21] Barley-based brown rice syrup, wheat-based dextrin, and maltodextrin should be avoided.[5]"

"Given the lack of validated resources to verify the gluten content of prescription and nonprescription medications, it is best to check with the manufacturer, especially since there may be conflicting information in what appears in published materials and what is provided by the manufacturer.[18] Utilizing PIs, contacting pharmaceutical manufacturers, and visiting websites can assist pharmacists in determining whether a medication potentially contains gluten.

For prescription medications, the PI should include a detailed listing of excipients; however, if this information is not readily available, the FDA provides drug labeling information for prescription and some OTC medications at DailyMed (dailymed.nlm.nih.gov). For nonprescription products, there often is nothing in the PI regarding gluten content, necessitating a call to the manufacturer for verification.

Manufacturer contact information may be located by checking the product or its packaging, conducting an Internet search using the manufacturer's name, or accessing drug-information resources (online databases) such as Clinical Pharmacology, Facts & Comparisons, and Martindale. When requesting information from a manufacturer, it is helpful to provide the lot number. Exploratory research by Mangione and colleagues concluded that information concerning the gluten content of nonprescription products is often readily available and easy to access if the manufacturer is contacted.[18]

Additionally, there are some websites that may assist pharmacists in identifying gluten-free products. GlutenFreeDrugs.com, which is maintained by a clinical pharmacist, contains a detailed chart listing selected brand and generic medications that are gluten-free, as well as those free of lactose or soy. (Note that this is not an all-encompassing list of products.)"

I hope this info was helpful to all my GF peeps!

rainbowdust919

I was diagnosed about a year and a half ago. I still have a lot of sick days, despite being completely gluten free and never "cheating." However, I'm finally to the point where it seems like I have more good days than bad days for the first time in over 4 years! After a while, it becomes second nature.

canadjineh

Glad it is helping you, rainbowdust919. It does get to be second nature although we always need to keep aware of changing formulations in our favorite foods. For instance I used to be able to eat Cheerios many years ago, but now they've added wheat starch when they used to be strictly oats. Sux!

fattybumclaire

I haven't managed to get a positive diagnosis for coeliac as I can't imagine how to survive the 6 week challenge. I gave up gluten around 4 years ago after many years of IBS symtoms. I also have thyroid issues, I have non cancerous lumps growing in my thyroid and the usual things such as stupid tiredness and difficulty to lose weight but because the blood tests always come back borderline the docs wont do anything about it. I believe the two illnesses are linked. Happy to be friends, I have been off mfp for a few months but back again now - getting as healthy as i can as i just turned 40 this weekend!!!!!