Apparently, fibromyalgia and gluten sensitivity have a lot of similar features, according to Deirdre Rawlings, writing for FOODS FOR FIBROMYALGIA.
Physical symptoms associated with gluten intolerance and celiac disease include the following:
- Abdominal cramping / bloating
- Abdominal distention
- Appetite increased (to the point of craving)
- Back pain
- Constipation
- Dehydration
- Decreased ability to clot blood
- Diarrhea
- Dry skin
- Edema
- Electrolyte depletion
- Energy loss
- Fatigue
- Gas / flatulence
- Mouth sores or cracks in the corners
- Muscle cramping (especially in the hands and legs)
- Night blindness
- Weakness and lethargy
Emotional states associated with gluten intolerance and celiac disease are:
- Brain fog
- Depression
- Difficulty concentrating
- Disinterested in normal activities
- Irritable
- Mood changes
How many of these sound like a person with fibromyalgia, depression, mild anxiety, and irritable bowel? Exactly. How about if I just list the symptoms I don’t have?
- _____?
Yeah, I’ve got it all. And my weekend (Friday-Sunday) was very, very gluten rich and surprisingly increasingly painful. So I might have a sensitivity, if not an allergy (I also sometimes break out in unexplained rashes, which I currently have), and I ought to ask my doctor to do tests to determine whether this is possible. Until then, I should eat a low-carb diet.
But gluten is sooooo yummy. My favorite foods are ice cream, bread, chocolate, and pasta.
So I could change my diet and possibly turn everything around (and also lose a lot of weight without my favorite foods to tempt me) but lose the comfort of those favorite foods except on rare occasion.
Or I could go on as if this weren’t a possibility.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I made an appointment for next Wednesday (3/10) with my rheumatologist and I will definitely be bringing this up.
Luckily, my “adoptive” grandmother (my husband’s maternal grandmother)’s husband has gluten intolerance and he eats a gluten-free diet, so she could have some great suggestions, and there are many cookbooks and diet books out there.
I don’t know what I’m hoping for. Maybe a notable sensitivity in tests, but not a complete intolerance, giving me the the ability to indulge in very small amounts and leading to a breakthrough turnaround that changes my life. Yeah, that would rock.