Generational Changes in Symptoms
My daughter and I attended a gluten free baking class at a local health food store recently where the subject of genetic celiac disease came up. We both raised our hands as celiacs and discussed how in each member of our family, the disease presented differently.
7 months ago
In my case, I am one of those so-called atypical presenters. My symptoms were all neurological/emotional/behavioral with very little digestive issues. I also have dermatitis herpetiformis.
My daughter, having grown in my womb, with not enough free folate to develop her own neurological web, is now going deaf. She is only 28 years old. She is also lactose intolerant in addition to gluten intolerant as are all newly diagnosed celiacs.
Her son was diagnosed Asberger's Syndrome at a very early age (a high-functioning autism.) (With dietary changes, it may eventually become very difficult to even notice!) He follows the autism diet, GFCF, and is also soy-free, and peanut-free.
As for myself, I am as 100% certain as one can be without definitive proof that my mother and her parents were also celiacs. In my case, I developed scolosis, a neural tube defect, as a teen. My doctor says this indicated that as I grew in my mother's womb, her folate was also bound and unavailable to me for neurological development. If her folate is bound in her gi tract, she's celiac!
My mother also exhibits the same neurological/emotional/behavioral symptoms that I have. If you don't have enough free folate, you can't build neurotransmitters (chiefly serotonin, dopamine, and nor-epinephrine.) She has potassium/kidney issues common to celiacs as well.
Both of my mother's parents died of cancers that run SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER in celiacs than non-celiacs. One died of bladder cancer and the other of stomach cancer. My doc says this indicates an extremely high degree of probability that they, too, were lifelong undiagnosed celiacs.
I would love to see it become standard procedure for newly diagnosed celiacs to receive lifelong methylfolate supplementation. I take it in Rx form as Deplin. Think of the woes we could save generational celiac families!
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