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Thankyou all for your reactions on CD/arthritis dd 16/3/96.  Before I
posted this message I had another one ready, but never sent it.  It gives
a lot more information about my medical history (and more questions too,
I assume).  Maybe there are more people out there who recognize any of
these symtoms.  (ps, I'm can't anwswer back so quickly, because my
husband does the e-mailing.)  So here is my original, unabrigded message:
 
     Hello, I'm Marleen, I'm 48 and live in Amsterdam, Holland.  Since
June last year I was diagnosed CD.  My diagnosis has been a very
complicated one according to the doctors.  They said that I have had it
for 20 to 30 years.  It's very hard to find what caused the "trigger".
The real symptoms started about a year and a half ago (anemic, loss of
weight, joint pains in my feet) to end with serious diarrhea, vitamin
deficiencies, fatigue, etc.  I personally feel that my "trigger" was a
bursitis operation (in my ankle) I had in 1989 wich was followed by a
thrombosis in my whole left leg a week later.  After that, the problems
started to pile up.  But the "trigger" could also have been in 1982 when
I had discitis caused by a pyelitis during pregnancy.  During this
pregnancy I had lost a lot of weight to result in weighing less at
birthing than before pregnancy.
 
     Since the thrombosis I have always had pains in my feet and my legs.
My intern always blamed it on the thrombosis (post thrombosis syndrome).
As far as I know now only the pain in my legs could apply to that.  The
pain in my feet has now been diagnosed as arthritis due to years of
malabsorption which could become better after a GF diet, so my
rheumatologist says.  I take painkillers daily, otherwise it is difficult
to walk.  I have physiotherapy since the beginning of november.
 
     Last year a new discovery was done concerning thrombosis and CD.
Possible CD patients appear to have Homostasis in their blood before
going on a GF diet.  The combination of these two factors can cause
thrombosis.  My conclusion:  A GF diet decreases the chance of thrombosis
for CD patients.
 
     Now my questions:  Does anybody have any information on CD and
arthritis and/or joint pains?  How long will it take before there are any
positive effects on arthritis after starting a GF diet?
 
     If anybody has any information on this or suggestions or questions
(I may not have been clear enough) please let me know.  I'm anxious to
get off these pain killers.
 
     Just one more question:  Does anybody know if wheat germ oil
(vitamin E) contains gluten.  I've been asking around, my dietitian says
no, but it didn't sound very convincing.
 
Marleen Nijland