(Age:
? years, female)
May not be part of the picture, but my first health problem was in spring of 1993.
I was on a coach trip to New York City (NYC) with friends. They noted how little I was eating. In hindsight, that was a pattern. As I commented, “I have absolutely no metabolism because I never, ever lose weight”. But on that trip I developed edema of both feet and every stop at the hotel I elevated them but the edema continued even after home. So I went to my family doctor who ordered blood work & found a dead thyroid and extreme anemia. In fact, he was somewhat alarmed and started Synthroid and iron.
I improved and I began eating.
In December 1994, friends and I flew to NYC and I noted I was beginning to have rushed trips to bathrooms notable only because public washrooms are rather scarce in NYC. But after coming home this became more and more troublesome. The doctor tested for food poisoning and by January, I was house bound.
The doctor made an appointment with an internist and he saw me quite quickly and I had been keeping a chart of my bathroom history. He ordered more blood work and a test of consuming tomato juice then blood work.
Another approximately six days of fat consumption followed along with stool collection. I was alone at home during the collection, which of course you know was a good thing.
On my first appointment with the specialist he told me he felt it was celiac disease so it was very hard to continue eating the food he felt was causing the problem until after the biopsy.
But I was able to go on a planned trip to NYC in April 1995 and had my last ever bread made with wheat at the Russian Tea Room.
I feel perhaps the low hemoglobin in 1993 may have been partly celiac related. But when my thyroid was not active and I was put on up to Synthroid 0.175 mg and did well, I just thought the problem was solved.
I have had no related problems since following a gluten-free diet.
(Good luck with your review.)
