DS and Celiac Disease

PrettyDove,
As far as I know, all of them are fairly comprehensive; the ones that I was familiar with aside from Dr. Green's center were the ones at U of Chicago and U of Maryland (that's where Dr. Fasano practices).  However, there is lots of research coming out of all of them.  Unfortunately, there aren't any CD research centers in "the heartland" - they are mostly on the coasts!

I have visited the various Center websites in the past, but it has been a while since I have referred to them; their websites give a lot of the same information that can be found on most national CD organizations' sites.  The Center sites are more geared to patients who are actually coming to visit the individual center, and each one can give the reader a more detailed view of what services they provide.  They also are better at reporting on research that is being done at their particular center - most of them have a link to that, as well.

I do know that one of the Centers actually mentioned that they have a GF cafeteria located in their center - boy, I would love to have something like that close to my house........

I have not heard about Phytic Acid before - thanks for the information!  I am going to save it in case I need to refer back to it later on, and I will definitely read up on it.  Happily, our daughter got the results of her latest Celiac antibody test in April, and her numbers had gone from "off-the-chart" (>100) to one point above "normal" (her number was a 6, 5 is considered negative for intestinal damage) after a year of being on a gluten-free diet. 

She didn't gain ANY weight between the ages of 6 and 7; when we put her on the doctor's scale this year, she had gained 10 pounds!  That tells us and her doctor that her intestines are healed enough that she is finally absorbing food again.  Needless to say, we are thrilled beyond words - while she will ALWAYS have Celiac Disease, we now have it under control.

Again, thank you for all of your information; I really appreciate it!
Teresa K.
Fort Worth, Texas

I was told I have Celiac but this was back in the dark ages of the 1950s so who knows for sure. I apparently outgrew the bowel issues in my late teens, and back in the day, my parents were told I might outgrow it and might be able to eat grains again someday...and I did.  I've never been tested using modern methods so I don't know if what I had/have is celiac or it was a grain sensitivity. I got my DS in 2007 and I've noticed that my sensitivity to whole wheat is back but not to corn or rice. The DS gives me nothing like the issues I had as a kid. I do have a 100cm common channel and I have to use probiotics or antibiotics to control gas and poo issues, but they are controlled and my labs have been excellent using aggressive vitamins and minerals. I don't know if my situation matches yours in any way, but I thought it might. Glad you posted and asked.
Gina
  

I also wanted to comment on the paragraph that was quoted earlier:

The treatment for Celiac Disease is to eliminate gluten from the diet.  

      Very true - the ONLY treatment currently known for CD is a diet completely free of gluten - no ifs, ands, or buts.  Period.  End of discussion. 

The part of the intestine where most celiac disease is found is in that part of the intestine that is bypassed in DS.

       The only reason that most CD is "found" in a certain part of the intestine is that the instruments which are currently used to diagnose CD during an intestinal biopsy can only access the 1st 4-5 feet of the 25-30 foot length of the small intestine.  
      There are many people who are now having camera endoscopies ("Pillcams") done, and there is mounting evidence - which confirms what most Celiac researchers have suspected for a long time - that damage due to gluten occurs along the ENTIRE length of the intestinal tract.

Since no food passes through this portion of intestine after DS, therefore, no gluten will pass by there either, regardless of how much gluten the patient actually eats.

      No food may pass through that part of the intestine, but it does enter the intestinal tract farther down the line, and if gluten is eaten, it will come in contact with those parts of the intestinal tract.
 
Therefore, if patients have celiac disease limited to their duodenum and upstream intestine, BPD-DS, by diverting the flow of food/gluten away from the affected aea of intestine, is the surgical equivalent of being on a gluten-free diet, effectively treating celiac disease. 

      There is no such thing as Celiac Disease being "limited to the duodenum and upstream intestine".  If you have Celiac Disease, your entire intestinal tract is affected, whether there is damage evident or not.  If ANY part of your intestinal tract comes in contact with gluten and you have CD, you WILL have a gluten reaction.  


There is currently no cure for Celiac Disease.  What most people don't understand is that the gluten-free diet is not a cure, it is a TREATMENT - the only one which is known to work at the present time.

I hope this helps in some small way -
Teresa K.

I have been diagonosed with CD for 8 years.  My GI dr. who is one of the best........and my Psychiatrist who is also the best both suggested the surgery.  They feel it will help my CD and my severly low self esteem issues I have because of my weight.  I am to the point where I don't want to go anywhere b/c I don't want people to see me and I don't want to embarress my DH and DS.  I know this is extreme.  But it is just the way I feel.  I know what it is like to be thin.....as I was until my CD.  So I know the difference in the way people treat my as a thin person and a heavier person.  I have tried to loose the weight on my own but it just doesn't happen.  So right now I feel as this is my only option.

Thanks again for all the responses!