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Sorry this has taken so long to summarize. There were 34 responses in all
with a wide variety of suggestions, so I've presented all of them below. Thank
you so much for all your responses.

__________________

Growing up I took iron supplements-prescribed by
my doctor.  My mother used to cook me liver a lot too.  When I grew up, I
became a vegetarian.  When I was pregnant, my doctor worried that I was
anemic and made me take two iron supplements daily.  I eat nutritious foods.
 I came to the conclusion that I was a person who did not absorb iron well.

For most of my life, I have had strong, white fingernails.  In recent years
(after having digestive problems due to gluten intolerance), I have
developed some slight ridges and striped color of the fingernails. I
suffered for a number of years before realizing that gluten was the culprit.

I have wondered if I had trouble absorbing iron my whole life due to having
the genes for celiac disease.  Perhaps this was my only symptom until I was
in my 30s and started having obvious distress.

I am very careful of my diet now.  The fingernails may have improved slightly.
_______________________


Are you taking vitamin and mineral supplements? Healing can take a long time
in the gut, and you may not be absorbing the nutrients you need yet.
Ironically, these nutrients are also needed to heal properly! Supplements can help a
lot. Also, wheat substitutes do not always contain the same levels of many
nutrients found in gluten bread, etc.

Maybe have your doctor test your blood for vitamin absorption. If you cannot
absorb the supplements very well either, you may need to have B12 and other
nutrients by injection until your gi system can do the job again.
_____________________________

I had ridges in my nails until I stopped using Centrum as my multivitamin
and switched to One a Day.
____________________________


If you are having a difficult time increasing your RBC you might try
increasing your folic acid and Vit. A containing foods or take a general vit/min
supplement.   Vit. A  and folic acid are found to help with hemopoisis (manufacture
of RBC) and for iron absorption.

Sometimes ridges can be due to calcium deficiency.
_____________________________


have you had your trace elements tested? your vitamins? still anemic? how
much damage did your biopsy show?
__________________________


Be sure to take lots of gf vitamins, especially calcium and d.
Did you have a dexascan to check your bone density level?
I had a huge ridge -really a valley -in one nail for almost 3 years and it
suddenly
disappeared after nearly 4 years of gf.
It may take time. Be sure you are GF and take those GF vitamins
_______________________________



I am 79 and a lifelong Celiac.   First, your nails will not change, mine
have been the same as yours since birth and being GF has nothing to do
with them after they are formed.  Second, it is likely that you are not GF
yet if you have not put on weight.  I did after about 2 or 3 months.
Remember that you have to check your meds too.
Third, I have a similar problem with my bloods for the last couple of years
since I had the second 15" of my small intestine out.  If your blood lows or
highs, include Hematocrit, read up on Testosterone.  I am going to get some
and hope it corrects mine.  Of course, I do not know how old you are but
this is a crazy disease in the way it affects people, but first order of
business is to get GF and then get a transglutaminse test (measures
antibodies from gluten in your system) to prove that you are GF.
_____________________________________

I  was not sure if you'd seen articles below. I believe you would not still
be anemic if you are GF for so long and the body does repair itself when the
vitamin is replaced and absorbed. Did they check for all anemias like B-12 folic
acid & ferrous sulfate?

Sometimes, there are other reasons for the problems with your nails besides
Iron anemia., including hypothyroid, hemochromotosis and autoimmunity disorders.

 Koilonychia, or "spoon-shaped"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&
dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15053406

Am Fam Physician. 2004 Mar 15;69(6):1417-24.    Related Articles, Links

Nail abnormalities: clues to systemic disease.

Fawcett RS, Linford S, Stulberg DL.

Thomas M. Hart Family Practice Residency Program, York Hospital, York,
Pennsylvania 17405, USA. [log in to unmask]

The visual appearance of the fingernails and toenails may suggest an
underlying systemic disease. Clubbing of the nails often suggests pulmonary disease or
inflammatory bowel disease. Koilonychia, or "spoon-shaped" nails, may
stimulate a work-up for hemochromatosis or anemia. In the absence of trauma or
psoriasis, onycholysis should prompt a search for symptoms of hyperthyroidism. The
finding of Beau's lines may indicate previous severe illness, trauma, or
exposure to cold temperatures in patients with Raynaud's disease. In patients with
Muehrcke's lines, albumin levels should be checked, and a work-up done if the
level is low. Splinter hemorrhage in patients with heart murmur and unexplained
fever can herald endocarditis. Patients with telangiectasia, koilonychia, or
pitting
of the nails may have connective tissue disorders.

Publication Types: Review

http://www.hooked-on-nails.com/naildisorders.html

Symptom: Nail symptoms - WrongDiagnosis.com

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