Symptoms with RA & Eczema

Marilyn · Joined: 07 Jul 2005 Posts: 8

I read about how they stick an endoscope down your stomach & into your duodenum to check the villi of the small intestine for celiac.
I don't have what it takes to swallow anything other than food. Are there other ways than that to find out if you have celiac?
I had a lot of bone pain when I was a kid growing up. Had a lot of constipation, bloating, and nausea & gas after eating. Never knew why. I gave up milk & dairy thinking that was the problem.
When I was 25, in 1976, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Now anymore I would get crampy diarrhea, or constipation alternating. Since 1996 I got horrible eczema on the front of the shins of my legs, and then on the right side of my neck and under my jaw and up the side of my face near my mouth. Now, that doesn't sound like where anybody else gets it. Is it possible to be different and still have celiac?
In the meantime I quit eating anything with gluten in it. Within a week I felt totally better, and the eczema went away.
Would this be good indication that I could be Celiac?
-Marilyn

PrtPaty · Joined: 09 Dec 2004 Posts: 65 Location: Oregon

Hi Marilyn,

It's nice that you could join us. I too was worried about having to swallow something because I gag very easily. When I had my endoscope I also had a colonoscopy too (a gift for turning 50-ha!) Right before they sedated me they put a -don't know what they called it- but, a mouthpiece with a long narrow tube-like thing on it, kind of like one of those long deflated balloons, into my mouth. That is what they used to put the scope inside down my throat. It's kind of hard to explain, but then they knocked me out and I only have a very vague memory of a slight sensation in my throat and that's it. Nothing to it, no pain, no choking or gagging at all. They knew I was anxious so they gave me enough medication that I was pretty well out of it.

As I understand it, the very bottom line of the diagnosis, whether the tests are positive or negative, is whether the symptoms improve on a guten-free diet and return upon re-introduction of gluten. You have to be eating gluten in order for the biopsy to be accurate since the gut can start to heal quickly. Your symptoms all sound like CD and you said they improved on the GF diet so you may have your diagnosis. Of course it's nice to have an official diagnosis, but sometimes for whatever reasons the tests alone don't always confirm it. Did they do blood tests?

There's lots of info around here.
God bless,
Patty

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8602 Location: WI, USA

Marilyn Jean · Guest

Thank you, Al for your information. My mother had severe hayfever when I was growing up, and she didn't have her allergies until she was 29. Then she became very allergic to wheat and grain, because the doctors told her that my Dad needed to be on a whole grain diet, and she ate whatever she made for him, naturally.
Adult onset diabetes runs on her side of our family. My mother died from diabetic seizure. She was not overweight or anything, she was very petite.
I suspect that I could be starting to be insulin resistant as well.
I read on mercola.com that sugar & wheat breads, etc. spike the blood sugar, and when that happens, inflammatory prostaglandins are released, and they either cause or aggravate the pain from RA.
Now what's really bugging me is how do I stop dropping the weight? My doctor said I was losing weight because I stopped eating anything containing grain, and cane sugar. He said that it was good my giving up grain and white sugar. But, I'm 5'5" tall, and I have dropped from 137 to 112. I am starting to get nervous about this. If this keeps up I will start looking like a scarecrow!!! Tonight I gave in and had a semi-sweet chocolate bar and about 3 glasses of wine. LOLOLOL!!!
But I know I will pay for that.
-Marilyn

Ann · Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 54 Location: Charleston, S.C.

Welcome Marilyn,
I just thought I'd add my 2 cents into the scope thing. I have a sort of phobea with swallowing, choking, etc. so when they told me I needed to do this I objected. But, like everyone else, they sedated me sufficiently, & I didn't feel a thing. In fact I have to do another one next month, & I'm not nervous about it. Good luck in your quest for answers. I'm about 2 months into it & although I've learned alot, I still have a long way to go. In fact, although I'm trying very hard, I suspect I'm still not GF 'cause I don't feel much better. Hang in there.
'The other' Ann

Niskter57 · Guest

for the Endoscopy, they tried to put me under and it didn't work. I was fully awake and man did I gag. It only took maybe all of 3-4 minutes and it was done. They tried to calm me so I wouldn't gag so they could take the pictures. It wasn't fun but when you want results, you do what ya gotta do.

On another note. I took my daughter to the doctor about the scaley stuff and blisters on her hands and the doctor didn't even consider DH, she said it was ezyma. Gave her a steriod creme to use for 2 weeks on and one week off and told her to use a cataphyl cream for her hands and said there was no cure. Could the Dr. be wrong or am I just paranoid? Thanks,
Nikki from Sugar Land.

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8602 Location: WI, USA

Nikster57 · Guest

Al: Yes I have seen those pictures and it looks exactly like what she has but the doctor said no. I told her about CD and DH but she didn't even want to biopsy. When I called and asked them if they knew about it they said the doctor would know and they asked the doctor where they would biopsy and they said the back of her hand. I thought it was suppose to be adjacent to the lessions. Adjacent to me seems it would be next to the lession. My daughter and I are both concerned because she is wanting to get pregnant after she gets married (I hope that's it). Laughing

Maybe I should get a second opinion. Thanks Al.................Nikki