Kerry McKenzie:  My Journey with Gluten Intolerance/Celiac

If you saw me 8 years ago, you would think I was anorexic.  I wasn’t a pretty site, believe me.  I was very pale and fragile.  I was in pain all over...but what was wrong with me? I had so many symptoms that doctors were totally perplexed and confused.  The symptoms didn’t seem to relate.

I have since found out that the many symptoms and auto immune issues are a tell-tale sign of celiac disease!   But it also makes it a difficult disease to diagnose because it looks like so many other diseases. In my case, it took ten years for a diagnosis.  Even the Mayo Clinic didn’t find it! 

I had health issues since I was about 10.   I missed a lot of school due to mono, pneumonia, the flu, etc... At age 20, I was diagnosed with Endometriosis-a pretty extreme case as my bladder was adhered to my colon from all the scarring. The pain was so extreme and the bleeding was so heavy that I stayed home from school about once a month.

I was extremely fatigued all through college and always felt like I had to push myself just to get through each day.  I used to compare myself to my friends and wonder why I couldn’t “keep up” with them...And then after the birth of my first child at 25, I experienced debilitating fatigue and muscle weakness, weight loss, major abdominal and GI pain, and many “weird” symptoms like numbness and tingling. I had days I was too weak to take care of Katie Jane (my baby at the time) or even myself.  Forget dinner and cleaning the house!!!

What an emotional roller coaster it was going from doctor to doctor. Most called it Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia.   One even suggested it was Post partum depression.   Eventually I was diagnosed by various Atlanta specialists as having Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, Osteopenia and Lupus.  My audiologist found that I had lost 50% of my hearing in my left ear, but didn’t know why!    I had a rapid heart beat often and strange visual changes.

The medications they had me on just weren’t working well and I was just getting worse...So, a year later, I went to the Mayo clinic in Rochester for a month with my husband, Matt.  There they discovered thyroid disease and nodules, Raynaud’s syndrome and neuropathy, an Autonomic disease called POTS syndrome (causing near fainting, racing heart, fatigue and nerve pain), chronic gastritis, Chronic Pancreatitis, Anemia, and Malabsorption.   I was then diagnosed with Crohn’s disease & asthma in Atlanta.  Again, my question was, “Why?”  There must be an underlying reason for all these issues!  There are too many for this to be a coincidence!

So I was on 20 different medications including a morphine pain patch for these disorders and I wasn’t getting better.  In fact, I was on a speedy decline.  My family was very concerned that I would not make it through. I truly believed that there was something causing all the various diseases-I was told by one doctor to stop asking that question, because I would only make myself crazy.

Losing faith in the conventional medical community at this point, I decided to give alternative medicine a try.  I was very skeptical and afraid to get my hopes up again, but I figured it was my last shot at getting well.  I found an excellent team of “Integrative Medical Doctors” in Atlanta and tests found that I had Celiac disease/Gluten Intolerance and many food allergies, as well as Candida overgrowth and lead, mercury and arsenic toxicity.  They also told me that my blood work at that point was indicative of cancer—more specifically leukemia.  The doctor was ready to refer me out to an oncologist, but after discussing me with the other doctors she decided to wait and see if it could be treated naturally first.

I finally knew why I was so ill!!!!! My cells (building blocks of the body) were starving because of Malabsorption and the damage to my digestive system.  This is why I had anemia and Osteopenia. The Gluten from the foods I was eating caused inflammation throughout my body and caused an immune system crash! I was started on a massive amount of supplements and nutrients and made major changes in my diet. I also went through 20 three hour IV chelation treatments.

After taking their supplements for a couple months, I decided to give Shaklee supplements a try.  I knew that I could depend on their quality and their safety. 

The Shaklee supplements made all the difference in my health.  Because they are so highly absorbable, I was able to correct my deficiencies rather quickly.  I tried other health food store brands, and they didn’t make a big difference…With Shaklee supplements, I felt a difference in my energy levels in 30 minutes!  I started sleeping better and my blood work tests improved dramatically.  People started commenting on how my coloring and my skin had improved.  My body was repairing itself!  Today, I have more energy, only occasional bouts of symptoms when I am not taking care of myself, and I rarely get sick!!

What is Celiac Disease?  Celiac disease is a chronic inherited intestinal disorder in which the body cannot tolerate gluten.  Gluten is a protein in wheat and other grains. When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their immune systems respond by damaging the lining of the small intestine.  The small intestine is responsible for absorbing nutrients from food into the bloodstream for the body to use.  When the lining is damaged, so is the ability to absorb these nutrients.

Celiac disease was once thought to be a childhood European disease (it is the most common European genetic disease).  It is most common in women.  It can begin in infancy or childhood with GI symptoms or later in life.  Many diagnosed later in life may have no gastrointestinal symptoms. Many adults, such as myself, spend years being misdiagnosed and are commonly told that they have irritable bowel syndrome.  The typical gap between symptoms and diagnosis is 12 years.

Celiac disease affects people differently.  Some of the most common symptoms are diarrhea, constipation, bloating, cramps, gas, weight loss, weakness, fatigue, bone pain, tingling and numbness in hands and feet, even skin rash. There are many other symptoms ranging from thyroid disease to ADD & behavioral disorders, to depression, and even social withdrawal. Irritability is the most common symptom among children.   

Some doctors suggest that those with autoimmune disease or even if someone in their family has it, they should get tested for this.  The incidence of celiac disease in various autoimmune disorders is ten to thirty times more common compared to the general population.  H.R. Green, M.D. of the Columbia  University Celiac Disease Center says it, “should be shouted from the rooftops” that early diagnosis is protective because the duration of exposure to gluten determines the rate of autoimmune disease…He said that Europeans know to look for celiac disease, but that Americans doctors drastically under-diagnose the disease. 

People with celiac disease must stay on a gluten free diet for life or risk damaging their small intestine and further losing the ability to absorb nutrients. Gluten is like poison to those with Celiac Disease.

Many of my celiac friends were first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, ADD, Lupus, Addison’s, Thyroid dysfunction, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, liver disease, diabetes, and Crohn’s Disease. It is just not well known that this reaction to gluten can cause such varied health problems.

My son was recently diagnosed as being gluten sensitive this Christmas.  Since he is off gluten, he is doing better in school, has less moodiness and fatigue, and is starting to be a happier child!

Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are extremely undiagnosed in the United States.  The more informed our society is on this issue, the more people will be spared years of illness and pain.  It is so important that we increase awareness!

Please contact me if there is anything I can do to help you on your journey to wellness!

Kerry McKenzie

Wellness Coach

Atlanta Celiac Meetup Organizer

www.shaklee.net/optimalwellness

www.projectmahmaonline.com

kerryb_mc@yahoo.com