Jim's Place

Music video of my bike ride yesterday...

Hadn't ridden my bike much in the last few months due to illness. But I'm on my way back after being on a gluten-free diet since May 13. Yesterday, I rode out to Mission Trails Park and took along my pocket-size camcorder. The ride was 15.2 miles and was an emotional and symbolic victory over illness...

Another doctor says it's Celiac...

Here's a short video update I made right after my doctor appointment today at Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine...

Day 2 of my latest Body-for-LIFE challenge...

I continue to get better after a week on a gluten-free diet. My primary doc said that indicated that means it was Celiac disease that was causing me to be so sick but I couldn't get a hold of my G.I. doc for results from the endoscopy/colonoscopy from a week ago. Finally, talked to his nurse this afternoon and she said the results did not show any abnormalities but that perhaps it could still be celiac or gluten-intolerance. The nurse said she would talk with the doctor tomorrow and see if he felt there was a need for any follow-up. What?!

Anyway... I hopped on my bike and did some hill intervals today - BFL-style! The ride was 7.73 miles and I hit some good highpoints although it was obvious my body is going to need some time to recover from illness and deconditioning. Here's my heart rate chart from my Garmin HRM. With all the downtime the last several months, this is darn near a trophy to me!!!

Diagnosis: Celiac!

Saw my primary doctor yesterday. Although we're still waiting for the biopsies to come back she feels quite certain I have Celiac disease (where the immune system attacks the small intestine in response to gluten). She said the colonoscopy ruled out any other possible explanation and said that my dramatic improvement after 3 days on a gluten-free diet is conclusive enough to make the diagnosis.

This would explain the rollercoaster ride of the last 13 years and why even when my thyroid and pituitary issues appeared to be under control I would still have problems.

I've got more follow-up testing to do and frankly, with all the surprises I've had over the years, it's gonna take a while for this to sink in enough for me to truly believe that it is Celiac.

Nonetheless, I'm staying on the gluten-free diet and starting a new challenge on Monday. This will be challenge number 13. It might just be that 13 is my lucky number after all...

Day 2 of going gluten-free...

Perhaps, it is just a placebo effect of wanting so much to get well but there is no doubt I feel better today than I have in at least a month. The skin rashes that were burning and itching constantly have stopped. The profound malaise is greatly diminished. My stomach feels a bit raw but not sick like it was before. And best of all, I was able to hop on my bike and ride... I know I should wait for the test results to come in but I'm just so sure I do have Celiac disease. If so, that would explain the countless and frequent episodes of the last 15yrs that I was told were nothing more than stomach flu...

When I hopped on the bike I was pretty emotional but then chuckled "Come on Jim! There's no crying in bicycling!"

Tough love...

Through years of chronic illness I have encountered countless times where well-intentioned people have tried to help by implying that my issues with chronic fatigue were more a matter of character than an actual medical condition. I've come to accept that when you have an "invisible illness" people are often inclined to suspect it's all in your head and that all you need is more motivation and a better attitude - especially if you haven't received a diagnosis that 'justifies' your apparent lack of ambition. They think you're obsessed with illness but the truth is you are simply 'obsessed' with getting well...

Today, I came up with a simple response that I thought you might like...

"Tough love is not an effective treatment for chronic illness."

Had an endoscopy/colonoscopy today

I had the "luxury" of having an endoscopy/colonoscopy done today. I was hoping the doctor would have an immediate assessment of what has been causing me to be so sick for the last few months but he said we would have to wait for the biopsies to come back in a couple of weeks. He said the good news was there were no tumors, polyps or ulcers found.

My doc doesn't talk much so it was hard to get him to explain the plan of action but he is screening for celiac disease. Anyway, I'm jazzed to have got the procedure done and I think I'm going to go ahead and start a gluten-free diet immediately...

Man! I am so anxious to get well and get back in the gym and back on the bike! Thanks for listening and your support. Ideally, they'll get things figured out soon...

A ray of hope...

I haven't been very active on the site for the last few months due to illness. Just hanging on right now...

It looks like I have an autoimmune disorder - very likely Celiac. That's where the immune system attacks the small intestine in response to gluten (wheat). I'm actually optimistic because I believe that the testing will show the underlying condition behind my current illness as well as the thyroid and pituitary disorders and countless episodes over the years that I had thought were stomach flu. I have 30+ episodes of the same kind of stuff documented in my bike training logs going back to 1994. I'm convinced that what I have now is what I had then... I'd been told all these years that it was adrenal fatigue due to the pituitary disorder but the pituitary has been normal since last August.

Celiac or something similar would certainly explain the medical issues of the last 15yrs and effective treatment would mean my next comeback will be the one that finally turns my life around... I get an endoscopy/colonoscopy Tuesday and will post an update as soon as my doc makes a diagnosis...