The Dark Side Of Autoimmune Disease
Autoimmune disease has taken over my life. My body is no longer my own. It has been consumed by this illness.
I was called into the doctors yesterday. I received a phone call whilst I was at work, asking me to attend asap. I new it was regarding some test results, but which one. Was everything ok?
The answer is no.
I got to the doctors and she told me that my blood test came back positive for ceoliac disease. Its official.
I now have to have a referral for a gastroenterology appointment where I will have to have a camera and biopsies taken. I am assuming this is to find out the severity of it and if any damage has been done.
Whilst I am glad in a way I have another diagnosis. I am upset. I'm upset for the little girl at 12/13 years old, that had repeated trips to the hospital and doctors with excruciating stomach pain. The 16 year old that was told in hospital she was “bunged up” and prescribed laxatives and told she had IBS. The 17 year old girl that was admitted to hospital following tummy pains, and was told she was anaemic and needed a 2 pint blood transfusion. The 21 year old young woman that met her partner but was unable to conceive 7 years on.
It seems to me that I have more than likely had Coeliac for a very long time. What is worse is that on researching this illness yesterday, I discovered there is a strong link between Coeliac actually causing thyroid malfunction. When the gut is not working properly, due to Ceoliac, it causes Malabsorption of antibodies needed. This causes toxicity which mimics the antibodies that the thyroid needs. So the thyroid absorbs what it thinks it needs to be healthy, but in fact it is taking in toxic bodies destroying it. Could my thyroid have been saved, if my coeliac had been diagnosed earlier? It appears the answer is yes.
I had already started following a gluten free diet, because even though I didn’t suspect coeliac, I thought I may have an intolerance to wheat and gluten. I had been following this for about 3 weeks prior to my coeliac diagnosis. For the first time in a long time, I had started to feel better. My energy had increased. My toilet trips weren’t as frequent or taking so long and I didn’t feel bloated and sluggish. The kicker to this, is in order to get the best results from my biopsy, I have to go back to being “glutened”.
Last night, I thought I would “treat” myself to a very glutinous Chinese takeaway. Big mistake. Almost instantly I felt flushed. My head felt like I had a pressure pushing on it, I feel instantly fatigued, and worst of all that excruciating stomach pain returned. It felt like my stomach was being squashed from the inside and then twisted. It was agony.
Some common side affects of Gluten on Celiacs include:
Eating foods containing gluten can trigger a range of gut-related symptoms, such as:
diarrhoea, which may smell particularly unpleasant
abdominal pain
bloating and flatulence (passing wind)
indigestion
constipation
fatigue as a result of malnutrition (not getting enough nutrients from food)
unexpected weight loss
an itchy rash (dermatitis herpetiformis)
problems getting pregnant
nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy)
disorders that affect co-ordination, balance and speech (ataxia)
Many of us “Spoonies” have multiple vitamin deficiencies, for me it I am deficient in Vitamin D and Folic Acid. More info about these vitamins and there effects can be found Here.
This morning I woke up, and I felt like I did before I was diagnosed with thyroid disease.
years on.following tummy pains, and was told she was anaemic and needed a 2 pint blood transfusion.