Banana

And yes, I am stuffing my face with toast.  Next stop: cake.  

Hi Wheatwacked.  A lot to think about for sure.  But, for now, just re. Vitamin D.  I guess there are complexities and contradictions to wade through with any condition / medication.  When I was getting diagnosed with PsA, one poor fellow patient who could barely walk was told that she either had inflammatory arthritis or, possibly, was suffering the effects of exceedingly low Vitamin D.  I guess a long period of trial & error ensued for her.  So yes, I have some idea of the potential impact of low Vitamin D and apparently at least some doctors do too.  But then, once I was diagnosed, I was told to be careful about sun exposure because both Methotrexate and Adalimumab cause photo-sensitivity which can pre-dispose to skin cancer.  And I have had one 'pre-cancerous' lesion removed from my face.

A few years back my Vitamin D levels were found to be particularly low and my GP recommended supplementation.  That was fine until I lost sensation in my lower spine (mobility wasn't compromised).  I was then instructed to stop taking Vitamin D because it can cause pressure on the Cauda Equina nerves which could, potentially, paralyse me from the waist down.  However I take on board the information in your first link, it may well have been the case that telling a patient to stop taking a supplement is a whole lot easier than testing etc. to confirm if that is justified.  But, anyway, I currently hedge my bets.  We do get a bit of sun here lol.  And I live in the relatively sunny South East.  And I love being outdoors.  I avoid burning but face, arm & lower legs do go a darker shade of pale in the summer.  However you have reminded & encouraged me to get my Vitamin D levels tested again and to have another go at supplementation, though hopefully with some support from a doctor.  I know that Vitamin D is incredibly important for, I guess, the whole body & the mind, but medical practice does not seem to have taken that on board.

Hi Wheatwacked.  I take on board what you say about diet and supplements too.  I think I was malnourished as a child, not so much as an adult though.  But I did get Psoriatic Arthritis which is autoimmune in my 50s.  These days my diet is pretty good I think - tons of vegetables, beans and pulses, fair amount of dairy including milk & plain yogurt, some fish, little meat and very few processed foods.  I can see that I may be somewhat deficient in Vitamin D because of a) living in the UK and b) needing to avoid much exposure to the sun due to the drugs I take for PsA.   Additionally it does seem that autoimmune diseases love company.  Most people I know with PsA have at least one other autoimmune thing going on.  I had severe onset of PsA, some doctors thought I'd be permanently disabled by it, but fortunately the drugs and, possibly, my lifestyle seem to have quietened it down considerably.  So all in all I'd say that if I do have coeliac it shouldn't be too difficult for me to manage with diet etc.  

I've been gluten free for 2 days, which I realise is nothing ... yet today is the first day in 6 weeks or so that I've been clear-headed and stayed awake!  (This might also explain my current positive tone!)  So maybe not coeliac, maybe 'just'(?) gluten intolerance.  It's a shame that I'd need to re-introduce gluten well before a diagnostic blood test - which probably means tomorrow - but hey.

Thank for your reply, it helped concentrate my thoughts.  Playing a tricky game here as despite my advanced age I'm due to start a post grad. course at beginning of October.  Fortunately quite close to home & just 2 days a week attendance required but obviously  I fear spending first few weeks in pain etc.  But totally get what you're saying so will jump off the wagon tomorrow.   NHS wheels turn slowly as I mentioned, so assuming specialist orders Coeliac tests I can factor in the waiting time.  And anyway, I will really press for the test if somehow he doesn't think it's required.

Hi everyone.  I'm in the UK.  Currently experiencing gastro problems.  I'm 68 and this is pretty much the first time in my life that my gut has caused me any trouble.  I guess it all started about a year ago when my bowel movements changed & stayed changed.  Smaller, somewhat paler & they float (I think I'm getting used to talking about these things in detail quite quickly!). Over time I started to dread getting out of bed because I'd wake up feeling hungry & grab some muesli for breakfast ... and that was when it would all start: breakfast and then going to the toilet just knocked the stuffing out of me for an hour or more.  About 2 months ago I got severe abdominal pain & generalised weakness / lousy feeling all over.  That went on for about 5 weeks during which I went to see a GP.  Astonishingly (for our area) there actually WAS a GP available and she was calm, considered, thorough and has been proactive in trying to get to the bottom of this.  However the NHS does work a little slowly so no answers as yet.

The severe pain has subsided.  However I am still very debilitated, still have slight pain in abdomen most of the time (though not at night fortunately).  I have psoriatic arthritis (it is autoimmune) and while it has disabled me in the past, Methotrexate and then the 'new' biologic drugs (and maybe luck) have helped considerably for many years now.  I'm fairly strong and active by inclination though of course not so much recently.

One of the reasons I'm posting here is because I do have some kind of aversion to wheat & oats ... tasty as that homemade muesli was, I now flinch at the thought of it.  Same with the lovely fresh sourdough bread I used to buy. Obviously(?) I am aware of gluten intolerance and have been checking out coeliac disease but shying aware from wheat or products likely to be 'contaminated' with wheat has been visceral, feels almost instinctive.  

I am used to to struggling to get through some days, most people with autoimmune diseases would say that I think.  But this is particularly horrible - I sometimes feel too weak & weird to speak.  I have a telephone appointment with a GI specialist in 2 days time.  And a gynaecological scan in 5 days.  Is there anything any of you would suggest asking the GI doctor?  Oh, and I have had blood and stool samples tested - all were fine apart from my usual high cholesterol.  But I don't know what the blood test checked for, I will ask about that.

Apologies if I've missed any key things, I'm just reaching out ... information gathering etc.