<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Hi to you all and Happy Fall!!
        With all of the talk recently about joint pain and arthritis I feel
the need to see if anyone on the list can help me (and my doctor) to figure
out if there is any relationship with my Celiac Sprue to the fact that the
cartilage on my right knee continues to defray or come loose.  In three
weeks I will undergo my third arthroscopic surgery in three years.  My
orthopedic surgeon is puzzled because he has done research on celiac sprue
as it relates to bone problems (because of my situation) but he doesn't come
up with anything that relates particularly to cartilage.  Lots of stuff on
bone problems.  He says I'm too young (44) to be seeing this kind of
cartilage damage.  My blood work doesn't show signs of arthrits but the
knee/cartilage looks and acts arthritic.  It's extremely painful.  I'm
starting to feel similar pain in my other knee and my left hip.
 
        Each time he does the surgery he removes all of the loose
cartilage, getting to bare bone.  He then drills into the bare bone spots
causing them to bleed.  That bleeding causes scar tissue inside that can
hopefully help to replace the missing cartilage.  That's my nondoctor's
interpretation of what he does.
 
        Anyway,  he's thinking of doing some kind of a biopsy of the
cartilage this time to see if he can find a link to my sprue.  Any other
ideas any of you know about?
 
        One of the reasons he is seriously looking at my malabsorbtion is
because I went from doctor to doctor (with all of the typical, nasty
symptoms) for 10 years before I finally found a doctor who guessed it was
celiac sprue and did the biopsy.  Ten years is a long time for a body to be
starving.  Who knows what kind of damage was done during that time.  My
doctor wants to consider all possibilities.  We would both appreciate any
input from those of you on the list who might know ANYTHING on this
subject.
 
        Surgery is set for October 14th.  Thanks to all of you.  I
apologize for the length of this.
 
        Kathy
 
Gluten Free and Happy to Be