First things first, I wanted to update you all on my cough. I’ve had an intense, non-productive cough for three weeks. Diagnosed with bronchitis two weeks ago. But the cough has not gone away. In fact, is has intensified. It is a dry, non-productive cough that gets worse at night. It has gotten so bad it wakes me up at night. I cough so hard I vomit. Not great. So, I finally went to the doctor.

I don’t have pneumonia. She didn’t hear wheezing. We are unsure of the root cause of the cough. We are investigating to find the root cause or just hope it goes away and doesn’t return. She prescribed a cough suppressant that allowed me to sleep through the night for the first time in three weeks!

But the most interesting part, is we are doing a second round of steroids. Now, there are two things.

First, I was taking prescription level digestive enzymes.. My prescription ran out and less than a week later, I get this never-ending cough. Related? Unknown. Why is this important? With celiac disease the part of the small intestine that triggers the pancreas to release digestive enzymes is exactly where celiac causes damage. So, if I’m not digesting food properly am I more prone to illness? Who knows? Am I just guessing the two are related? Yes, but that is where my craziness takes me.

Second, I love a good round of steroids because it calms my gastrointestinal tract. On the Bristol Stool Chart, I’m normally a #6 or a #7 when not on the digestive enzymes or steroids. When on the digestive enzymes plus fiber or ‘roids, I’m at a #4. So, I either need to be on steroids, which has its own set of issues or on the digestive enzymes.

Why am I tell you all of this? Well, because I’m sure we all go through this with celiac disease. Is my headache, sore toe, diarrhea, or three week long dry intensive cough related to celiac or not? Is the intensity I feel these symptoms related to celiac or something else? You are not alone spinning and thinking about all of these things. I do it, we all do it.

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