Hey, MAP! Haven't been back in a while; been busy with school, work and life in general. I had a bit of an epiphany yesterday... family came home with an allergy magazine, "Living Without". In it was an article about gluten and it's aggravation of Ataxia. What is Ataxia? Wiki all about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ataxia But before I further discuss that, let's get into gluten. Anyway, y'all know about my weird health problems, with joints and the weight gain and facial weakness, balance, etc.... I may have finally found my answer. 1. I have an allergy-- or intolerance-- of gluten. "Adults experiencing unexplained joint pain, anemia, infertility or osteoporosis should discuss the possibility of gluten intolerance with their primary care physician." http://gluten-intolerance-symptoms.com/ Unexplained joint pain? Check. Check. Check. Anemia? Check. (I once attempted to donate blood and was asked if I was anemic because my iron was alarmingly low). Infertility? Well, I'm not married or trying to have kids, so that's out of the question... Osteoperosis? It runs in the family and if gluten aggravates it, I don't want it. Another website was a bit more specific with the symptoms: http://www.easy-immune-health.com/Symptoms-of-Gluten-Intolerance.html Weight gain? Check. Fatigue? Check. Bloating? Check. Alternating Constipation and Diarrhea? Check. Also, that website further lists that, "Frequent Infections are symptoms of gluten intolerance"... which I do get. Sinuses, respiratory tract (which is why when my asthma flares up it's ALWAYS BAD), mouth, eyes... it's all there. So how does Ataxia tie into this? This was the article I read: http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_12/ataxia-2366-1.html After doing a bit of research, all of my various symptoms that I notice and/or complain about lie perfectly in sync with Ataxia: Headaches Nausea Dizziness/vertigo Brain fog/fuzziness/spacing out Short-term memory lapses-(sister asks me to get an ingredient for cooking, I go to the kitchen, knowing I need to get something, but completely blank on it and have to re-ask what is needed) Difficulty concentrating Mood swings/Anxiety Wide gait (to compensate for inbalance) Facial weakness on right side of face Issues with depth perception-- grabbing for items and being short by a few inches, consistently for several tries until depth perception was restored and the object was grabbed successfully--Dysmetria? Eyes drift-inability to stare at an object for a long time without left eye wandering Hearing loss Body jerks/ involuntary muscle spasms/"restarts" Weight gain Frequent loss of balance/stumbling Slurred speech Loss of being able to read clearly aloud Handwriting progressively worse over the years Swallowing difficulty Knees not bearing weight-giving out under weight of walking Pain and muscle stiffness in left thigh while walking Peripheral Neuropathy-- cannot kneel or crouch without quickly losing circulation to my legs It all goes back to Ataxia in one way or another. And furthermore, I have a pineal cyst in my brain that's about "a pea in size and diameter". Gluten apparently aggravates the Ataxia symptoms; I had a grilled cheese sandwich yesterday morning before rushing off to school and I felt fuzzy in the head, couldn't concentrate, off-balance, etc. The day before was my mom's homemade chicken pot pie-- the flour killed me! I have yet to see a doctor or specialist... but if this all rings true, then this would explain EVERYTHING. In the meantime, I'm going on a gluten-free diet and cutting back processed sugars to see if my symptoms improve in a month. I made and ate a homemade gluten-free pizza last night and my intestines feel GREAT! Thoughts? Comments?
Before you go ahead and adjust your diet I would talk to a Doctor. I don't know much about ataxia but my daugher is a coelliac which is another form of intolerance to gluten. The problem i see is that colliac (and from myquick research also ataxia) are diagnosed by performing a gastroscopy or similar and assessing damage to the intestines. If you modify your diet the damage will be less apparent. Maintaining a gluten free diet is quite easy once you get used to it.
