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, with celiac disease do you have hair loss?

[sportynik]

Sorry I forgot you said something about a rash. What does that look like and where is it usually located?

[sportynik]

Thanks for commenting. How do you live with celiac is it really hard? How many different diseases do you have? Are you having alot of problems now? When were you diagnosed with celiac  disease? The symptoms that I have are dizziness, can't walk without walker, bad hedaches, trouble typing stiff hands, muscle aches, body aches, horrible neuropathic pain in legs (pins and needle sharp stabbing pain), dry mouth, dry eyes, nausea, chest pressure ( feels like my chest is sinking), short of breath, and trouble reading and concentrating. Does celiac disease go along with those?

[finepickle]

Hi Nik,

Just kidding about the fun, dumb joke I guess.  A gastroenterologist is one doctor who would check for celiac.  Some people see an endecrinolgist instead.  Celiac is a genetic condition, not a pathogen like a bacteria or virus.  I read somewhere that 1/3 of the USA population have some of the gene markers for celiac.  But only a fraction of them actually develop celiac.  They say that for some reason it becomes active in people due to some trigger.  Which can be about anything it seems, a cold, stress, anything.  What they mean is that people can go through life with no symptoms and then suddenly develop symptoms, although they have had the genes all along.  Other people have symptoms at birth though.  The biopsy is done with an endoscopy, they take samples from the samll intestine.  A gastroenterologist is the doctor for that test.

There is only one treatment for it, and that is the diet.  There are a few celiac research centers around, if you can find a center close to you that is the a good place for testing.  There is one at University of Maryland and another at  University of Chicago.  There is another one in CA at San Diego I think.  Your primary doctor should be able to do the celiac test panel though.  They just draw some blood and send it to a lab for testing.  Just make sure to ask them for a complete set of tests, like the list I posted.  Sometimes they only test for one antigen, and that is not good enough.

I do have trouble swallowing at times, but I think that is because of my thyroid problem.  I also get sweat head at night when sleeping, I wake up with a sweaty head sometimes.  That is also due to thyroid.  People with celiac can develop a variety of other autoimmune diseases.

Have a look at this list:

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

[sportynik]

Also what doctor deals with celiac disease?

[sportynik]

Thanks again for commenting. How do you get celiac disease? What do you mean celiac patients have more fun? With celiac disease do you have trouble swallowing without water? I do think I have lupus as well as my doctor's but the tests aren't coming out positive because of my steroids but I did test positive for antiphospolipid syndrome which is connected to lupus. Do you have any other advice for me? Please write back. Thanks.