Diagnosed 4 Autoimmune Disease Together - Arthritis, Coeliac, Hypothyroidism..


May 20, 2015

I'm 25 and over the past 6 years I've been diagnosed with 4 pretty serious autoimmune conditions. When I was 19, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis which is often crippling, even now. I was told this was an autoimmune condition. Shortly after, I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease, another autoimmune condition. The Arthritis and symptoms of the coeliac disease when I hadn't controlled it obviously made me feel unwell and I often felt lethargic and unhopeful due to a lot of pain and stuff going on in my body. 

I managed to go on a clinical trial which allowed me to have a new and powerful arthritis drug which dramatically improved the condition and I managed to cut gluten out of my diet. I also lost a bit of weight - this helped. 

However, after the trial, my symptoms of arthritis gradually came back but was usually kept under control with the exception of a few flare ups. 

When I was 23, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes after getting a very quick onset flurry of symptoms (another autoimmune condition) - I find this very difficult to manage. 

I've recently moved cities and transferring all of my specialists and treatments left me with no arthritis medication, and a long wait until I see a diabetes specialist to adjust insulin levels. As you can probably imagine, I've been in an awful lot of pain and been feeling very down, tired and lethargic. I'm very upbeat although having so many conditions and I don't let it bring me down, even though I work a full-time job 8 til 5 everyday. I've been having problems with blood tests, platelet counts, that kind of thing. 

I was aware that I had the antibodies for Hypothyroidism as I had the test for that about a year ago and I knew it was just a matter of time before I developed it. Upon my most recent blood tests, my TSH level was 47.7 - ten times the top end of the normal limit. I've literally just started levothyroxine but, as you can imagine, I feel completely overloaded with health issues and like my head is going to explode and quite down about it all. 

I'm sorry to give you my life story but I was just wondering if any one else has any of the other conditions I have and how they manage with all of them? 

Also - how should I have been feeling with a TSH of 47.7? Should I have been feeling VERY different because, like I said, I always feel fairly tired and down due to the combination of illnesses. Any advice at all would be appreciated - I feel massively alone with this.

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I weigh around 130 lbs. at 183 m.

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The paediatricians said it would be a good idea to get him tested and she would refer him to other paediatrician to arrange for tests to be done.

She also said it might be a good idea to try removing wheat and gluten from his diet.

So we removed gluten and wheat from his diet straight away. He has had no wheat or gluten in his diet for 4 weeks now and we are seeing big improvements. He is like a different boy, he is a lot more happy, less tired, he is doing normal poos fro the first time in a very long time and he is getting his appetite back. He is finally for the first time in over 2 years not refusing food and is starting to eat proper meals.

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My son is due to see second paediatrician in 3 weeks time. I don't know if they will do tests then or if we will have to come back another time. Should I re add wheat to his diet now so he can be tested, will 3 weeks be long enough.

Was it a bad thing to remove gluten and wheat from his diet.

Does it sound like he might have celiac disease or a gluten intolerance

 

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