Celiac Disease

Some of you may wonder why I listed gluten free menus as something I'm grateful for. After YEARS of being sick and no one being able to figure out why, I finally had a doctor that knew exactly what was wrong with me. In July of 2008, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. While I was relieved to know that these symptoms were not in my head and that there was relief ahead, in no way did I realize what a long and difficult journey was ahead for me. CD is a digestive disease that damages your small intestines. By the time I was diagnosed, I had severe damage over more than 50% of my intestines. In people who have Celiac, your body thinks that gluten - wheat, rye, barley, and oats, is toxic. Your body blocks the absorption of nutrients from food by damaging and destroying the lining of the small intestine. Because of the inability to absorb nutrients, deficiencies such as iron and calcium occur. By the time I was diagnosed, I had already lost so much calcium that I had the beginning stages of osteoporosis and I have to take medication for it among other things. Because the symptoms of CD are so different, it can mimmick many things. People often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Some of my symptoms were numbness and tingling in my legs, SEVERE FATIGUE, horrible stomache pains, lot's of dental problems (didn't realize this was a symptom at the time) anemia, weight loss (this was my favorite symptom) just to name a few. CD will not show up on regular blood work as I had done many times. You have to have a Celiac Panel done which tests for about 8 different things. I also had an EGD done with a biopsy to confirm my results. There is no cure for Celiac, except to completely eliminate EVERYTHING from your diet that has wheat, rye, barley, and oats in it. I have a life of constant label checking but I know that if I follow this diet, my intestines will heal and I can start to feel better again. The doc said it will probably take about 2 years but I am hopeful. Some days are easier than others and I for sure have my "I hate Celiac days" but I am learning and working through it and grateful to know what is wrong. You can google more about CD or if you have questions, please ask!