Celiac disease and chronic fatigue

[syrella]

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

I've been trying to narrow down which symptoms are connected to each other by plotting a family history of medical conditions but I haven't made much head way.
My brother has the IBS issues plus a lot of headaches. I don't think that he has ADHD but if he does, it is much milder than mine as he managed to get through a very difficult school... and he's clean, and organized... on time... ha, ok, definitely not ADHD. He has had depression problems in the past and he is a ball of anxiety.

I have an uncle and cousin on my mom's side with ADHD but no medical problems. There are no allergy issues on that side of the family to my knowledge.
There might be some sort of auditory problem, but only my mom my brother and one of my nieces have that... I'm the only one in that group with inattention.

On my dad's side, allergies are a problem. There may also be a thyroid issue as two of my cousins (one now passed) are morbidly obese. But, no signs at all of ADHD.

I'm confident that the underlying problem for my particular flavor of ADHD is at least in part an auto-immune issue. I'm highly sensitive to dairy/casein but was unable to establish if anything else was contributing. I may have an auditory processing disorder on top of that. To round it all off, I grew up with 0 structure which certainly hasn't helped. I can't emphasize enough how little structure was in my life... no regular bed time, no family meals, no curfew... I might as well have been raised by wolves in some respects.

Sorry about the slow response...

Yes I do think it's probably genetic to a certain degree. I have a cousin with ADHD and my dad has it too. I am fairly certain that my uncle has Asperger's syndrome or something like it as well (highly intelligent, an avid collector, no social skills, can't hold a job, etc).

There is some giftedness on my mom's side too. My grandfather struggled with terrible anxiety but he also was an engineer and a member of MENSA. I'd say I have a family history of "different" people haha.

I have autoimmune issues on both side of the family with arthritis being the biggest (psoriatic, rheumatoid, and ankylosing spondylitis). Diet plays a huge role in those too, so I'll probably end up on some super healthy and restricted diet later in life.

I don't have any obesity that runs in the family except for my mom's side and that is more distant relatives that live in the Midwest states. Environment probably is a contributing factor.

Oh well... I hope you are able to figure out what's wrong. Good luck!

[Drewbacca]

Originally Posted by syrella

Yes I do think it's probably genetic to a certain degree. I have a cousin with ADHD and my dad has it too. I am fairly certain that my uncle has Asperger's syndrome or something like it as well (highly intelligent, an avid collector, no social skills, can't hold a job, etc).

There is some giftedness on my mom's side too. My grandfather struggled with terrible anxiety but he also was an engineer and a member of MENSA. I'd say I have a family history of "different" people haha.

I have an uncle on one side who was nominated for a Nobel Prize in chemistry. I've also found that my thinking style has more in common with his siblings than the other 3/4 branches of my family tree. The difference between genius and debilitated can be the difference of only one gene though.

One other thing to keep in mind regarding a gluten free diet. Gluten is sugar. Sugar releases insulin. Insulin converts most amino acids (the precursors for norepinephrin and dopamine among them) into fat and reduces them in your brain. At the same time, tryptophan (serotonin precursor) is able to cross into the brain much easier than when it was competing with the other amino acids. Serotonin will surge and dopamine and norepinephrin will drop. The Serotonin surge makes you feel fat, dumb, and happy.
It also makes you tired. Think post Thanksgiving meal food-comma from all the fixn's. So, feeling more energetic and less tired is expected when you consume less carbs. Don't take that as an indication that you have an allergy/sensitivity. Believe me, if you cut it out of your diet for a while and then digest it again, you'll know if you have a reaction. I can't eat Mozzarella cheese without serious consequences. A celiac can tell if something has gluten in, even a very small amount, once they've purged their system for a while.

[syrella]

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

I have an uncle on one side who was nominated for a Nobel Prize in chemistry. I've also found that my thinking style has more in common with his siblings than the other 3/4 branches of my family tree. The difference between genius and debilitated can be the difference of only one gene though.

One other thing to keep in mind regarding a gluten free diet. Gluten is sugar. Sugar releases insulin. Insulin converts most amino acids (the precursors for norepinephrin and dopamine among them) into fat and reduces them in your brain. At the same time, tryptophan (serotonin precursor) is able to cross into the brain much easier than when it was competing with the other amino acids. Serotonin will surge and dopamine and norepinephrin will drop. The Serotonin surge makes you feel fat, dumb, and happy.
It also makes you tired. Think post Thanksgiving meal food-comma from all the fixn's. So, feeling more energetic and less tired is expected when you consume less carbs. Don't take that as an indication that you have an allergy/sensitivity. Believe me, if you cut it out of your diet for a while and then digest it again, you'll know if you have a reaction. I can't eat Mozzarella cheese without serious consequences. A celiac can tell if something has gluten in, even a very small amount, once they've purged their system for a while.

That's a good point. Yep, the line between genius and disability is blurred I would say. It has good points and bad points.

Yeah, I know I have lactose intolerance and, possibly due to the IBS, I can't handle fatty foods. Cheese makes me immediately sick, even more than milk. What I have trouble with is distinguishing what makes me feel good and what makes me sick unless the reaction is strong and obvious. I feel kind of crappy and low energy a good portion of the time, though I will rarely have good days. The key is gonna be figuring out why the good days are good.

Long story short, I need to keep a food diary for myself... organizational skills, don't fail me now!

[syrella]

Oh, one thing though... Gluten isn't a sugar itself. It's a protein... But it's also true that cutting it out of your diet means giving up lots of carbohydrate rich foods like most breads. Is that what you meant?

[hjajck]

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

It's very difficult to eliminate gluten, it's in everything... even most types of soy sauce. Good luck jiffyPOP.

I disagree. I've been GF since August 2011, and there are a lot of substitutions as well as very quick and easy recipes for other items.

I am not a diagnosed Celiac, but 'self diagnosed' as gluten-intolerant. I suffer from both IBS and Colitis, and a GF diet has eliminated my symptoms.

I started "cheating" by introducing gluten back in around the holidays and ALL my symptoms returned.

On the plus side, my migraines have almost completely disappeared.

[Drewbacca]

Originally Posted by syrella

Oh, one thing though... Gluten isn't a sugar itself. It's a protein... But it's also true that cutting it out of your diet means giving up lots of carbohydrate rich foods like most breads. Is that what you meant?

I was referring to the carbohydrates, which go along with the gluten... sorta like eating the wrapping paper! :P I think I need sleep before I say any other stupid things!

[Drewbacca]

Originally Posted by hjajck

I disagree. I've been GF since August 2011, and there are a lot of substitutions as well as very quick and easy recipes for other items.

You're misreading what I said. I wasn't implying that there aren't alternatives out there. Gluten free is rather trendy at the moment, which is great for the celiacs out there because their options have sky rocketed in the last few years.

I was just warning jiffypop that it's hard to eliminate gluten because it is good at hiding in food where you least expect it.

Or to put it another way, hard to eliminate but relatively easy to replace (so long as you do all of your own cooking, at least).

[hjajck]

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

You're misreading what I said. I wasn't implying that there aren't alternatives out there. Gluten free is rather trendy at the moment, which is great for the celiacs out there because their options have sky rocketed in the last few years.

I was just warning jiffypop that it's hard to eliminate gluten because it is good at hiding in food where you least expect it.

Or to put it another way, hard to eliminate but relatively easy to replace (so long as you do all of your own cooking, at least).

Ah, yes, I did misread. My apologies.

You're right - gluten is hidden in everything!

[Drewbacca]

Originally Posted by hjajck

Ah, yes, I did misread. My apologies.

I've done worse.

[syrella]

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

I was referring to the carbohydrates, which go along with the gluten... sorta like eating the wrapping paper! :P I think I need sleep before I say any other stupid things!

Haha ok, thanks for clearing it up. That's what I thought you meant, but I wanted to make sure.

I am glad to hear that gluten free items have gotten more available. I hope people aren't just trying them out of the hope that they'll lose weight or something silly. I have also noticed, quite unfortunately, that gluten free doesn't necessarily mean healthy. I almost bought this ADHD cookbook a month ago, but all of the recipes were for junk food!

[hjajck]

Originally Posted by syrella

Haha ok, thanks for clearing it up. That's what I thought you meant, but I wanted to make sure.

I am glad to hear that gluten free items have gotten more available. I hope people aren't just trying them out of the hope that they'll lose weight or something silly. I have also noticed, quite unfortunately, that gluten free doesn't necessarily mean healthy. I almost bought this ADHD cookbook a month ago, but all of the recipes were for junk food!

It does seem to be a very popluar "diet", but what most people don't realize is true Celiacs and gluten intolerant people have absorbtion issues. Some (not all) and actually gain weight when eating GF because their bodies are now able to absorb all the nutrients.

I was afraid to start GF eating because I had heard how expensive it is. I found that if I don't buy the "specialty items" (bread, baked boods, etc.), that it's not any more expensive than eating regularly, and healthier, too.

GF is what you make of it. It can be healthy, but as you've pointed out, it can be unhealthy as well.

[Drewbacca]

Originally Posted by syrella

I am glad to hear that gluten free items have gotten more available. I hope people aren't just trying them out of the hope that they'll lose weight or something silly.

Not so much for weight as chronic medical issues that modern mainstream medicine seems incapable of solving...
I honestly don't blame anyone for trying it. I'm just pointing out that it has become quite popular as of late. I don't think that the trend will stick around in its current format, but I think that the lingering effect of alternative grains will probably stay with us. Of course, as we continue to research the gluten issue, it could end up more common... depending on what future research finds.

[syrella]

Originally Posted by Drewbacca

Not so much for weight as chronic medical issues that modern mainstream medicine seems incapable of solving...
I honestly don't blame anyone for trying it. I'm just pointing out that it has become quite popular as of late. I don't think that the trend will stick around in its current format, but I think that the lingering effect of alternative grains will probably stay with us. Of course, as we continue to research the gluten issue, it could end up more common... depending on what future research finds.

Sorry, I don't mean that people shouldn't try it. More awareness is probably a good thing. Perhaps even a portion of the people actually have undiagnosed celiac disease or gluten intolerance and it'll help them. I'm sure that people have plenty of good reasons for attempting to eliminate gluten from the diet.

I just know that sometimes "fad" diets start from the strangest places and I feel bad because my personal opinion is that most "gimmick" diets don't work. Calorie restriction usually means calorie gain later on once the diet is over. There is no magic drug for weight loss, at least not at the moment. If there was, there wouldn't be so many people struggling with their own biochemistry.

[dasikins]

Originally Posted by syrella

Has anyone here been diagnosed with celiac disease? I am thinking of getting myself tested. I have had IBS symptoms and fatigue since I was little, with no discernible cause. I always just assumed it was normal, just like my ADHD symptoms.

I recently read an article that suggested that celiac disease can cause more than just stomach problems. I've heard it implicated in chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia both. According to a research article I read, Italian children diagnosed with ADHD were significantly more likely to have celiac disease in comparison with the general public. It suggested that kids with ADHD should get tested, even if they don't report any obvious GI symptoms.

FYI:


"Celiac disease is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats."

Read more here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001280/

My GI doc said that blood work can indicate a pretty accurate diagnosis. It's not always correct, but I think it is worth it to check.

I am in the same situation and unfortunately we have to go through several specialist. It could be so many different things.