More autoimmune issues

[Melanie]

Hey everyone, I've had a rough couple of days. On a positive note, I think I finally found a doctor who knows something. He's a functional medicine doctor but he only deals with gut issues such as MC. He has successfully treated many cases and is intimately familiar with mast cells. His mother had a serious case of colitis and after seeing all she went through he thought, there has to be a better way---which led him down the functional medicine approach.

But I was having chest pains that I have been having off and on. I've thought they were related to my digestion issues---perhaps silent reflux as it seemed to behave that way---getting worse with gas, etc. I ended up in Urgent Care Wednesday night because the pain was getting so bad. The doctors there sent me to the ER. Long story short after many tests, they found some fluid around my heart. The ER doc said this is autoimmune in nature. I seem to be collecting autoimmune issues like stamps :(

I saw a thread where Marliss asked about CRP test---if the inflammation relates to MC or not. I was hoping the answer would be yes, but it sounds like it's my heart that's causing my elevated levels, huh? The MC won't cause that?

The fluid isn't enough where I am needing to get into the cardiologist right away, but I do have to meet with one in the next couple of weeks.

Does anyone else have other autoimmune issues along with their MC? My new doctor thinks he can fix everything. I pray to God he is right! He is starting me with many different tests---stool, urine, blood, etc. He definitely understands that food can be the culprit and wants to check food allergies first.

I know with MC, food allergies are behind it, but what about other auto-immune diseases? From what I understand, inflammation is the root of all auto-immune diseases. Could whatever food allergy I have also be causing this fluid around my heart? Or am I dealing with something completely different?

Melanie

[tex]

Could whatever food allergy I have also be causing this fluid around my heart?

Yes it could be associated with food sensitivities, but there are also other possibilities. It sounds as though you have selected the best doc for the job.

What is your CRP level? The fluid around the heart almost surely is related to inflammation in that area, so yes, in this particular situation, your CRP level is likely to be connected with whatever is going on there.

That's not to say that MC cannot affect CRP levels. I'm not aware of any research that has even investigated this issue, and until such research is published, doctors are not likely to use it as a gauge of MC activity. We really don't have any data to go by, because doctors rarely seem to check CRP levels when diagnosing MC.

Good luck with sorting out all of these issues.

Tex

P. S. If you look at some of our polls (there's special forum for that) you will see that most of us have multiple autoimmune diseases.

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3715

[Joefnh]

Hi Melanie it does sound like something else is going one with you. I am dealing with the other autoimmune issues of Crohns and most likely Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), I have a appt with a rheumatologist on the 21st. AS causes pain in the lower back and in he chest / rib cage area and can also affect the neck and eyes as well, it is often associated with IBDs.

First CRP or C Reactive Protein is a sensitive marker for inflammation and yes MC or Crohns or other conditions can cause it to be elevated. CRP is not specific to any one type of inflammation but it's elevation along with other blood markers can be helpful in diagnosis.

The last time I met with my rheumatologist he did mention that most patients with one autoimmune condition often end up dealing wth 2 or 3. I can certainly understand the 'stamp collection' comment.

I hope your doctor can help you with these symptoms and I'm glad he is aware of MC and the proper treatments for it.

Take care

[Melanie]

Tex, I am feeling like I may have written it down wrong. I thought she said my levels went from .71 to 6.1. That seems a bit dramatic, doesn't it?

My doc ran a whole bunch of blood tests along with this one. I think a Lupus screening as well as others. I did get her to do the Vitamin D. She said they only do the 25 hydroxy D3 test anymore.

In the mean time, my new doctor (Dr. Mayfield) has me on some natural anti-inflammatories and they seem to be helping with the pain. I'm relieved because if they didn't work, then I may have to go on Prednisone, and I'd rather not if I don't have to....

[brandy]

Hi Melanie,

I picked up Gluten Free Living at my grocery store and there is a story about dilated (congested) cardiomyopathy which is an inflammatory disorder of the heart muscle tied to celiac disease. There appears to be an autoimmune reaction against the heart that is directed against tissue transgluaminase (tTG) present in the heart. Treatment appears to be gluten free diet. I wasn't sure if this tied out to what you are experiencing but I thought I would mention it. Info comes from Celiac Disease A Hidden Epidemic by Peter Green MD and Rory Jones. Best wishes, Brandy

[tex]

Tex, I am feeling like I may have written it down wrong. I thought she said my levels went from .71 to 6.1. That seems a bit dramatic, doesn't it?

I haven't had much experience with CRP results, but I would think that might be possible.

Tex

[MBombardier]

Gluten and cardio stuff:

http://download.journals.elsevierhealth ... 631017.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... ool=pubmed

[Deanna in CO]

Melanie,

No insight on the heart issues - I'm so sorry you are dealing with that on top of everything else! - but yes, I have several autoimmune issues: asthma, allergies to practically everything environmental, the beginnings of thyroid problems (I have a very strong family history of thyroid issues on both sides of my family including both grandmothers having had thyroid cancer), and endometriosis, along with the MC.

So yes, it's common for autoimmune issues to run in groups - not just one at a time!

Deanna