photo courtesy of LMS
Several years ago, before we found out I had celiac, I had a very extensive physical done, and my vitamin D levels were low, as was my calcium. They weren't sure why I was low, but ever since I've taken supplements to correct the deficiency.
I read a post awhile ago that was eye-opening. I originally found Pete's blog pre-celiac diagnosis, when I was looking for info on closed ski resorts in Colorado, which he wrote an interesting book about. Once I went gluten free I started reading his blog, which as a fellow gluten free athlete, though I'm nowhere near his level, is quite helpful and encouraging.
Pete says that the athlete they highlighted had bad shinsplints that were caused by low levels of vitamin D and calcium. He goes on to say that this is a common occurrence in athletes with celiac that hasn't been diagnosed. Once she went gluten free her vitamin levels increased, her bones got stronger, and her shinsplints went away.
Hmmm. Sounds like me. Only I'm not a champion runner :)
Seeing the connection between vitamin deficiency (Ca and D) caused by the untreated celiac and shinsplints and stress fractures was good for me. As I've mentioned before, I've had problems with chronic shinsplints since I was in college. I've seen progress recently, which I attributed to the physical therapy I've been doing, but after reading Pete's post, I think it's a combination of the PT and the vitamin supplementation. Years of intestinal damage and low vitamin levels doesn't get undone overnight, unfortunately.
I'm coming up on my 3 year gluten free anniversary this month, but I'm only a couple months past my 1 year "free of everything my body doesn't like" anniversary (less than that if you count from when I eliminated almonds and coconut). I think I've made more progress this past year than in the previous two. I know LMS has improved more this past year. I sorted her clothes a couple weeks ago, and she's finally outgrowing a lot of her clothes. She didn't grow much the last two years, so it's nice to see evidence that her growth is picking up again.
Yay for progress, and yay for progress validated!
Hey, I was wondering ...
ReplyDeleteDid you ever get an official Celiacs diagnosis? I know you're doing much better being gluten free, but I didn't know if you'd ever been tested and come back with the Celiacs diagnosis. Anyway, I know that you'd talked about PCOS being a related problem with the gluten, but didn't know if any gluten resistance was called Celiacs. Just curious. Congrats on 3 years gluten free - that's impressive.
No, I never got an official diagnosis. I would have had to start eating gluten again for the test to be accurate, and I wasn't willing to go through that amount of pain and suffering. That said, I do feel it's celiac, not just an intolerance, for several reasons:
ReplyDelete1. genetics- we have relatives who have been diagnosed with celiac disease, and it is genetic
2. the ongoing intestinal issues we've had point to the intestinal damage that is common with celiac disease (but not always with gluten intolerance). Not being able to digest other foods because of the damage is a huge factor
3. celiac is an autoimmune disorder, and we have a family history of autoimmune disorders- mom's RA and my sister's MS. I don't know that they're truly connected, but to me it makes sense. Add in all my "allergy" problems- I test negative for everything, yet still react badly to so many things. Last spring my allergist got pretty frustrated and said I must have an overactive autoimmune system for me to react the way I do. Sounds about right to me.
It's hard to separate gluten intolerance and celiac disease- I read somewhere that gluten intolerance should be called pre-celiac disease. Unfortunately, they just don't know a lot about any of it- there's so many different possible symptoms, and everyone seems to display them in different combinations. There are tests, but they can give false negatives. Doctors aren't up to date on research and don't know what to look for. It's all quite annoying and frustrating. Right along with that is a lack of research into the connection between PCOS and gluten intolerance/celiac. Anecdotal evidence shows a high percentage of women with PCOS are also gluten intolerant. PCOS is best treated through diet (low carb) and exercise, so going gluten free (as long as you eat a whole foods diet) should help the symptoms.
That's my two cents anyway :)