Re: Coeliac Disease....

Hi Polagra,

It's been a long time since I was regularly on this site, I am over two years post-removal, but your post definitely sounds familiar.

Please look over my previous posts for more detail, but here is the quick story: I got my Mirena Jan 2008, by Sept 2008 I was having horrible side effects (That I didn't realize were side effects until much later, like many of us).

The two inital and WORST of these were dry eyes and horrible GI distubances. Basically, I had stomach pain 24/7, was running to the bathroom all the time, and losing a uncomfortable amount of weight. My body wasn't digesting anything. After a lot of trips to my Primary Doctor with no change, and really no explanation, I finally went to a food allergist, and had a blood test run.

The test showed that I was intolerant of SO MANY FOODS. As a result I cut out gluten, sugar, eggs, and lots of other fruits, vegetables, and nuts. It seemed to help a little, and I stayed on this very strict diet for almost 3 years.

Finally I decided to have the Mirena removed in June of 2009. More than anything, the removal of the Mirena seemed to help my stomach problems get better. I still stuck to the diet, and for awhile had horrible post-Mirena heartburn and reflux that made me question the wisdom of getting the Mirena removed at all, but over time slowly started adding items back to my diet.

Now I am over 2 years post, and my diet is back to what it was pre-Mirena. I don't think I am going to get myself re-tested for allergies, and I DO think that the Mirena was the cause of all my stomach problems. Whether it caused the allergies (which then went away?) or acted as an irritant in addition to these allergies, I don't know. I only know that I feel SO MUCH BETTER, am gaining weight again, look healthy, and am able to eat what I like without stomach problems.

My advice would be to VERY slowly start adding back items to your diet. For example, a small helping of gluten once every week -- so that you are able to track any reactions to it throughout the week (my allergy doctor told me that a reaction can sometimes take a few days to show), and if you still feel good, increase how often you eat the food. It felt so WRONG to eat a slice a bread only 6 months ago, and made me sure that I was going to be sick, but I felt fine -- and continue to improve.

Good luck to you!

Molly