Autoimmune disorder

[sportynik]

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease awhile ago. I was put on 150 mg of pulse steroids to help it and then 60 mg of steroids every day for eight weeks. I am having neuropathic pain in my legs from the hip down that is a sharp needle sensation, bad headaches, back pain, dizziness, stiffness in hands,and  chest pain and pressure that feels like my chest just caved in. I am also drinking lots of water and I am really dry in the mouth all the time. My lips are always dry also as well as my skin. My contacts don't stay in my eyes because they are so dry. I also have sores in my ears. I also have trouble thinking and remembering and I cannot concentrate. My doctor's cannot find what other autoimmune disorder that is going on with me because of the steroids. I am getting taken off the steroids slowly. I have also just been diagnosed with steroid myopathy. Do you know what I could have? What are side effects of steroids?

[sportynik]

Hi finepickle,  Thank you so much for all of your help and I hope I didn't bother you. My parents are totally aware of what is going on but we don;t want to do anything different till we talk to my doctor in a couple weeks. My mom also is a nurse so she knows alot about what is going on she also think I might have sjogren's disease and they tested me but we still haven't found out what the results are. Right now we are just doing research and waiting to see because of my steroids we don't want anything else to go wrong. Me and my mom think I have lupus and my doctor's do too but we can't find it because of the steroids right now. Do you have any other advice for me?

[finepickle]

Hi Sportynik,

Good to hear you are taking a B supplement.  The doctor can test your blood for vitamin deficiencies.  I don't have any other auto-immune disease besides the Hashi's.  It has taken many months for me to feel better after going gluten free.  I started feeling better within a few weeks, but it took months for me to learn how to avoid eating gluten.  

Here is some info from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness site.

This is a list of test for celiac that doctors do to find the different antibodies.

http://www.celiaccentral.org/What_is_Celiac_/Related_Diseases/98/

    * Total IgA
    * IgA antitissue transglutaminase (tTG)
    * IgA antiendomysial antibody immunofluorescence (EMA)
    * If IgA is deficient, IgG tTG test should also be ordered. At the discretion of the doctor, antigliaden IgG can also be ordered.

This is a list of related auto-immune disease that people with celiac tend to get, also from the NFCA site.  Some people get onf of these, or two, or more.  It kind of depends on each person, and one of the factors is how long they have had celiac and kept eating gluten.  Once people stop eating it, they tend to get better, but it is not that all their autoimmune diseases go away.  They just don't tend to get worse.

Related Diseases

People with Celiac Disease often suffer from other illnesses, such as:

    * Autism
    * Dermatitis Herpetiformis
    * Type 1 Diabetes
    * Thyroid Disease
    * Infertility
    * Osteoporosis/Osteopenia
    * Depression
    * Sjogren's Disease
    * Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
    * Intestinal Cancer
    * Peripheral Neuropathy
    * Down Syndrome
    * Turner Syndrome
    * Williams Syndrome
    * Liver Disease
    * Migraine


I think you are wise to do reasearch on your condition.  Please don't make any changes to what you are doing for your health/diet etc without talking to your parents first and getting their approval.  They need to know what is going on with you so they can help you.

[sportynik]

How do you know if you have poor food nutrient absorbtion? I am taking a B-12 supplement right now and have been for a long time but that isn't helping me. Did you notice a difference after you started taking the B-12 supplement?

[sportynik]

Hi finepickle,
        No I have not tried the gluten free diet but I am going to see a specialist soon so maybe they will suggest that. My thyroid is under control now and the Hashimoto's is better so the dizziness and all those other symptoms my doctor's think they have to do with lupus. What kind of sinus problems did you use to have? My feet and ankles are swollen up but they also think that is because of something else because they do not go blotchy. I have extreme hairloss and that has just started happening in the past couple weeks and they also think that is because of lupus. Do you have any thing like lupus or any other autoimmune disease?

[finepickle]

Hi Sportynik,

Also, many celiac people have poor food nutrient absorbtion due to damaged gut linings.  Celiacs are often vitamin B deficient.  They say that vitamin B deficiency can cause nerve damage and pain.  I take a liquid B-12 supplemnt for that.  It is just a liquid that you squirt in your mouth and hold it for 30 seconds so it gets absorbed in the mouth.
I also take a regular B vitamin pill with all the B vitamins for extra measure.  I use Spring Valley brand liquid B-12 (made b Nature's Bounty Co), but there are other brands available.

[finepickle]

Hi Sportynik,
There are many varying symptoms of celiac.  Celiac can lead to a variety of different autoimmune diseases.  I found out I had it because my sister looked up the symptoms of my thyroid condition and also my GI tract (digestive) symptoms.  I did go to a specialist to get tested later, although it took 4 months to get the appointment.  I went gluten free (GF) last Dec-07, and didn't get to see a specialist until May.  Since I went GF my symptoms have reduced, and I feel much better.   I  used to have sinus problems a lot.  I still have ringing in my ears that comes and goes.  My feet and ankles used to swell up a lot and turned all blotchy looking but have started to look kind of normal now.  And they feel warm now which is very different.

Ok, now thyroid by itself can cause a lot of different symptoms, hair loss being one, dizzness another, sweating, tiredness, confusion, the list just goes on.  The thyroid affects your body metabolism, so it can really throw things out of whack.  I looked up lupus and it does sound like a tough thing.  Have you tried any diet changes to see if they help you?  It is a fairly simple thing to do if it does help.  I know it made a big change in how I feel.

I have hair loss but also my father and 2 uncles had the same pattern baldness.  I haven't felt like it was related to celiac or thyroid but maybe there is a link.  Hmmm.