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Becky writes: “I was diagnosed with lactose intolerance 2 years ago, and going lactose free settled some of my gastrointestinal problems, but not everything. I tried going fructose free for a month earlier this year as things like coconut cream and apples upset my stomach. Things were still not right, I was incredibly tired even after a good night’s sleep and had difficulty concentrating. I would wake with headaches frequently. I knew there was no medical reason for the tiredness. So I tried going gluten-free as a desperate measure a few months ago and felt less tired within two days. My fuzzy head disappeared too which meant I could concentrate better. Then I found your website and read a couple of your books – this all made a lot of sense at this point. I tried going back on a small amount of gluten after a month and I was back with the tiredness, headaches, stomach upsets. In addition, when I went back onto a normal amount of gluten, I had marked muscle weakness initially in my legs but frequently my whole body. At this point I went to my GP to request coeliac blood tests - I'd been tested before, but I wondered if anything had changed after my accident and didn't know if the IgG-gliadin test was one of the previous tests. My results were: The results were tTg 0, total IgA 0.77, IgG-gliadin 6 (normal range 0-20). I really don't understand the numbers in light of the symptoms (I am a scientist by training and am used to dealing with numbers).
I have since gone gluten free again (6-8 weeks) and a number of other strange symptoms have disappeared: burning sensation on the skin of my face, tingling in my calves and arms had almost gone (been getting steadily worse over the last 18 months), blurry vision (sometimes, not permanent so not an eye problem). My stomach still gets upset at times but I don't know why, although fructose still seems to upset it. My stools still float - I didn't realise this was unusual!! I have always been thin and currently have a BMI of around 19. I'm now in my mid 40s and have never been on a weight loss diet as I've never needed to. Please can you explain how I can be apparently sensitive to gluten yet have such a low IgG level. Many thanks for your books and crusade to raise the awareness of the effects of gluten. I tried going gluten-free as logically this seemed to be the only thing it could be, but it was great to find your website and associated information. Regards, Becky.” My response: Dear Becky, thanks for your story and kind words. I am glad that you have lost most of your symptoms off gluten. Yes, gluten does interfere with the nervous system. You ask about your blood test results:
Your tTG of zero tells me that you do not have any gut tissue damage.
Your gluten antibody tests are not raised. But the gluten antibody tests are not perfect at making the diagnosis. A gluten-free trial is always worthwhile. Let me know of your progress. Cheers Rodney Ford. |
