Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Tingling Fingers?


yogamommytrainer99

Recommended Posts

yogamommytrainer99 Apprentice

I have had this problem for quite some time. When I wake up my fore arm and hand are asleep primarily on my left side. I have alway attributed this to sleeping on my side and compressing the nerve in my arm.

But lately the numbness has been staying for a while - like it's now 1pm in the afternoon and I still have some numbness in tips of my ring and pinky fingers. Can this be a side effect of gluten? I have been gluten free for a month and I am very vigilent about reading label and eating cleanly - no cheating and very little processed foods.

Anyone else with these issues and do they clear up after a longer period of being gluten-free?


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



captaincrab55 Collaborator

Do you rest your elbows on a table or desk? That can cause a problem in the pinky, ring and part of the middle finger. Have you ever had a nerve conduction test?

yogamommytrainer99 Apprentice
Do you rest your elbows on a table or desk? That can cause a problem in the pinky, ring and part of the middle finger. Have you ever had a nerve conduction test?

I don't rest them - I work part time as a personal trainer & yoga instructor - and the rest of the time I am looking after my two young children. I also have never had my nerves tested...

The Fluffy Assassin Enthusiast
I have had this problem for quite some time. When I wake up my fore arm and hand are asleep primarily on my left side. I have alway attributed this to sleeping on my side and compressing the nerve in my arm.

But lately the numbness has been staying for a while - like it's now 1pm in the afternoon and I still have some numbness in tips of my ring and pinky fingers. Can this be a side effect of gluten? I have been gluten free for a month and I am very vigilent about reading label and eating cleanly - no cheating and very little processed foods.

Anyone else with these issues and do they clear up after a longer period of being gluten-free?

It's pretty much the classic symptom of B12 deficiency, in turn pretty much the classic symptom of celiac sprue. It's called peripheral neuropathy. Mine cleared up quickly, almost immediately in fact. Some people take longer and some people have suffered enough gut damage that they can no longer take in vitamin B12. It can take as long as two years for the symptoms to go away. You might want to consider B12 supplements. Most people get the most benefit from the sublingual tablets.

RideAllWays Enthusiast

I get this all the time, in my left thumb, first and middle fingers. They tingle and then go numb. I very seldom feel it on the right hand but it has happened.

Korwyn Explorer
I have had this problem for quite some time. When I wake up my fore arm and hand are asleep primarily on my left side. I have alway attributed this to sleeping on my side and compressing the nerve in my arm.

But lately the numbness has been staying for a while - like it's now 1pm in the afternoon and I still have some numbness in tips of my ring and pinky fingers. Can this be a side effect of gluten? I have been gluten free for a month and I am very vigilent about reading label and eating cleanly - no cheating and very little processed foods.

Anyone else with these issues and do they clear up after a longer period of being gluten-free?

Not long before I was diagnosed and went gluten-free, I also started experiencing numbness and tingling (my decline was very rapid once my celiac disease triggered full blown). These have almost completely cleared up after 3+ months gluten-free/SF/CF.

Jackie927 Rookie

All of my test were negative but I have the same problem with my left side also. It's also my ring and pinky finger but my whole left side has tingling, numbness and pain. Can't help you, just wanted you to know you're not alone. Hope gluten-free works for you. I'm still waiting after gluten-free for a total of 2 weeks........was a month but had to eat for biopsy.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



DreamWalker Rookie

It's pretty much the classic symptom of B12 deficiency, in turn pretty much the classic symptom of celiac sprue. It's called peripheral neuropathy. Mine cleared up quickly, almost immediately in fact. Some people take longer and some people have suffered enough gut damage that they can no longer take in vitamin B12. It can take as long as two years for the symptoms to go away. You might want to consider B12 supplements. Most people get the most benefit from the sublingual tablets.

Exactly. A few months after being gluten free, I began taking sublingual B12 supplements & a liquid B complex & B6. (Err. I was a bit B-deficient according to blood work.) Anyhow, all this weird tingly/numbness in my fingers subsided after another month or two! First thing I did was pick up a guitar. :) It's still present but very, very mild - barely noticeable in comparison.

You probably want to look into B12 supplements. (Although, sublingual is far better. I don't absorb the plain capsules - it's like ingesting nothing.)

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      127,355
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Nebulae77
    Newest Member
    Nebulae77
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121k
    • Total Posts
      70.1k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):




  • Who's Online (See full list)


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Lynnard
      Thank you - that makes perfect sense and I understand. celiac disease is an autoimmune disease which will cause further damage while gluten sensitivity is different. Based on my symptoms and bloodwork, I am almost certain I have celiac disease.  I kind of hate to hope for a positive biopsy but a negative one would be frustrating for sure. Regardless, I have done a lot of research on gluten-free diet and am prepared to begin a new lifestyle journey - with a lot of questions along the way.  I appreciate your information and advice! 
    • trents
      Let's talk about terminology for the sake eliminating (as much as possible) confusion. Unfortunately, the terms "gluten sensitive" and "gluten intolerant" have, historically, been used indiscriminately. There are two primary categories of gluten disorders whose "official" terms are 1. celiac disease and 2. Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or NCGS for short.  I believe there is an evolution toward using the term "gluten intolerance" to refer to celiac disease and "gluten sensitive" to refer to NCGS. I say that because the words "gluten sensitivity" are actually found in the official medical term for the non celiac medical disorder involving gluten. Does that make sense? The difference between celiac disease and NCGS is that celiac disease causes inflammation in the small bowel lining and (over time) does damage to it so that it becomes inefficient in absorbing nutrients from what we eat. This is the area of the intestinal track where all of our nutrients are absorbed. Of course, this can lead to any number of other medical problems. NCGS, on the other hand, does not cause inflammation or damage to the lining of the small bowel and therefore does not produce the antibodies that celiac disease antibody tests look for. Neither will NCGS, therefore, produce a positive biopsy result. NCGS and celiac disease, however share many of the same symptoms in the area of GI distress and NCGS is 10x more common than celiac disease. There is, at the present time, no defining test for NCGS so an NCGS diagnosis is arrived at by first eliminating celiac disease for which we do have tests for. Having said that, some experts believe that NCGS can be a precursor to celiac disease.  Yes, you are correct in stating that both conditions require a gluten free diet.  So, in the absence of official testing for celiac disease (and official testing done under the proper conditions) a person who is experiencing distress when consuming gluten cannot be certain whether they are dealing with celiac disease or NCGS. Not to have an official diagnosis of celiac disease while actually having the condition makes it difficult for some folks to stay on the gluten free bandwagon. It's just the psychology of the situation and wanting to rationalize away a very inconvenient and socially isolating medical condition.
    • Lynnard
      Thank you!  This is super helpful and confirms everything I have read. I was definitely eating lots of gluten before both testing and endoscopy. If the biopsies do come back negative, I'm wondering how conclusion/distinction is made between celiac and gluten intolerance is made.  Or does it matter because presumably recommendation of gluten-free diet will be the protocol??  
    • trents
      You are welcome! We frequently get similar comments. Knowledge about celiac disease in the medical community at large is, unfortunately, still significantly lacking. Sometimes docs give what are obviously bum steers or just fail to give any steering at all and leave their patients just hanging out there on a limb. GI docs seem to have better knowledge but typically fail to be helpful when it comes to things like assisting their patients in grasping how to get started on gluten free eating. The other thing that, to me at least, seems to be coming to the forefront are the "tweener" cases where someone seems to be on the cusp of developing celiac disease but kind of crossing back and forth over that line. Their testing is inconsistent and inconclusive and their symptoms may come and go. We like to think in definite categorical terms but real life isn't always that way.
    • Rogol72
      Hey @Morgan Tiernan, Sounds just like my experience. I was diagnosed with dermatitis herpetiformis over 10 years ago. It appeared suddenly as a very itchy rash which looked like Eczema. When a steroid cream didn't clear it up, my Dermatologist (who had come across it before) suspected dermatitis herpetiformis and performed a skin biopsy which came back positive for dermatitis herpetiformis. The important thing is to get a definitive diagnosis of dermatitis herpetiformis. What you've described sounds like classic dermatitis herpetiformis though. Hopefully, your Dermatologist has come across dermatitis herpetiformis before and performs the skin biopsy correctly as trents mentioned. I've had the blisters on the knees, hips, forearms/elbows or anywhere that pressure is applied to the skin ... from clothing or otherwise. They itch like nothing on earth, and yes salt from sweat or soaps/shower gels will irritate a lot. I've been on Dapsone and it is very very effective at eliminating the dermatitis herpetiformis itch, and improved my quality of life in the early stages of getting on top of dermatitis herpetiformis while I adjusted to the gluten-free diet. But it does have various side effects as trents said. It can effect the red blood cells, lowering hemoglobin and can cause anemia, and requires regular blood monitoring whilst on it. You would need to consider it carefully with your Dermatologist if you do have dermatitis herpetiformis. Here's a very informative webinar from Coeliac Canada discussing everything dermatitis herpetiformis related.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAdmsNiyfOw I've also found this recent interview with a Dermatologist about dermatitis herpetiformis to be educational.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZnLeKutgUY Keep the chin up and keep advocating for yourself for a proper diagnosis. Though it sounds like you're on top of that already. Are you in the UK or Ireland? I'm curious because your surname is Irish. 
×
×
  • Create New...