QUOTE(everhopefull @ Feb 17 2007, 10:21 AM)

I have been very careful as to what I am eating. I always read the ingredients and have been well informed as to what to stay away from. My doctor is younger but most here in the mansfield area are clueless. When all this started a year and a half ago it seemed like me whole body is paying the price. It started with stomach cramps and continues. It then manifested to muscle and back pain. I have had an upper GI, colonoscopy, CT scans, ultrasounds, bloodwork. All comes back ok with the exception of a test they just did on my iron level specific which shows it at 37 which they said was low but I dont know what the normal range should be. All I know is the muscle pain and back pain is severe, worse in the mornings and I don't know if malabsorbtion can play a part in that. I have been eating at Wendy's whenever I go out. I always only get a baked potato and chili which is supposed to be gluten free. I am a 41 yr old male just an FYI
Thanks for any help
Chances are you are still getting occult gluten. If you have a house pet, the food contains gluten. A low iron is one of the most common labs to be abnormal with ongoing gluten exposure. It is absorbed in the duodenum and jejunum. Ongoing malabsorption, would explain your low iron. The muscle cramps you are having could be due to your low iron. Iron is required for oxygen delivery to the tissue. When muscle does not get enough oxygen, pain develops. Fatigue and shortness of breath are common symptoms of iron deficiency. You could be having other micronutrient malabsorption which is causing your pain.
The iron level of 37 - was that the ferritin level? Ferritin is the storage form of iron. Ferritin drops before serum iron drops.
Normal ferritin for a male is 20-300ng/ml. A normal iron for a male is 50-160 mcg/dl. If 37 is your iron level, then I suspect you have a very low ferritin. I would definitely be on a multivitamin with iron, ferrous sulfate 325 mg three times daily, and calcium 1000mg daily. You are probably calcium deficient ( could cause bone pain) if you are malabsorbing iron.
As far as the carlaB comment goes:
I strongly disagree with the gluten free community about vinegar. If the label does not say gluten free, or if the label does not state vinegar made from rice, wine, apple cider, avoid it. Balsamic vinegar is made from grape, but I think the cheap balsamic vinegar has occult gluten. Expensive ($25 for 4-6 ounces) balsalmic vinegar is ok. I may be new to this forum, but I am not new to the disease, and my expertise goes well beyond my being a gluten sensitive patient.
Make your home gluten free. Don't eat at any restaurants.
You could very well be eating something you are simply allergic to. When gluten damages the intestines, the processing of other foods is compromised. Subsequently, food allergies develop. Pea, bean, tree nut, fish and shellfish are common allergies in adult. Milk is a big problem in gluten sensitive patients. See an allergist who believes in a adult food allergy.