GLUTEN & autoimmune - how does it behave?

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I thought I would post a personal observation re gluten and wondered if it made

sense.

Last March I discovered that I have thyroid antibodies.

I have many food allergies but was surprised to find I am borderline for gluten

as I never get an upset gut with wheat. I decided that because there was not

much I could replace wheat with I would try and cut down this is what happened:

My TPA was 314 (ref 0.0-49.0) on 30/03/11

I stopped gluten on SOME days completely. This meant that if I had rice for

lunch I would have rice snack too later in the day & NO gluten that day.

Other days I had wheat & would have a wheat snack.

Originally I would have had a mixture most days.

I expected the TPA result would be a bit lower but no!!

My TPA was 601 (same ref) on 02/12/11

I found this surprising but maybe just a natural fluctuation. Alternatively I

wonder if no gluten is had one day, the immune system will spot it as a new

enemy & attack with even more vigour?

I would be interested to hear if anyone has had similar experience.

I did have another result when I had the Genova Total Thyroid Screen but it is a

different re range. ie 387 (ref 0-35 Iu/ml) on 23/01/12

ANOTHER EXPERIENCE - ALSO ODD was the following:

A dietician suggested as I showed a borderline gluten sensitivity it would be

worth stopping gluten completely for 2 weeks and then having a portion & note

any symptoms. Well I got to 12 days and by mistake as I was taking communion at

church I suddenly realised it was a tiny piece of wheat cracker (like the water

biscuits) only about 3/4 " approx. I thought oh well, its not much, I will just

add a portion of wheat to it when I get home in an hour and do the test 2 days

early now.

I was not expecting ANY reaction and thought if anything it would be a gut

problem. Within about 20 minutes I felt completely " spaced out " like I had been

drugged! I couldn't concentrate and had a heavy head. I thought things were out

of focus but as I could read the clock it must just be how I felt. I thought it

must be coincidence. By the time I got home over an hour later I was still

similar but not quite as bad. I ate a piece of banana spelt " cake " (only

ingredients were banana, spelt flour (has gluten) and sunflower oil, all

organic. I washed it down with water and again I felt worse. It eventually

seemed better but I had no energy all afternoon & had a job to push myself out

of the chair. Unusually I went to bed absoloutely done for & left my husband to

do all the chores I normally do last thing at night. I was totally exhausted, I

just lay on the bed until I could summon up the energy to crawl into it!

I kind of hoped that if that was the gluten then as I have now gone totally

gluten free I would feel great but I don't! Its now 12 days ago.

Can anybody cast light on these two odd events? I feel a bit nervous of

repeating the challange of trying gluten again as it really ended my day and I

feel it must have been the wheat.

I look forward to hearing any comments,

Best wishes,