I barely knew what Celiac Disease was before a few months ago. I did not have a complete understanding of gluten either. I thought that gluten was something in bread and anything delicious and that Celiac Disease was this mystery that went along with not being able to enjoy that delicious, gluten-containing food. I have worked at a grocery store for over two years and I saw the lack of gluten-free foods. When I saw the shortage of available food, it made me thankful to not have to eat it. The bread was small and did not seem normal. The pizza cost seven dollars more than regular pizza. The pancake mix was five dollars for a bag half the size of a normal bag. I knew that it was definitely something that nobody, or their wallet, would ever want.
For as long as I can remember, I have had stomach problems. I would get stomachaches after eating, I would feel nauseous when I was nervous, and as a child, I missed a lot of school and activities due to these issues. I would also have a lot of brain fog and find myself feeling faint or being unable to think straight for no apparent reason.
As I entered my teen years, the symptoms continued. Every day after lunch, I felt sick. It became so familiar to me that I did not think twice about it. I nearly fell asleep in my classes after lunch and I would sometimes go home due to how nauseated I would become. I always saw these symptoms as being something normal and part of who I am. I never thought much of them, until they got worse during April of my Senior year.
My symptoms became increasingly worse over the course of my Senior year, but in April, I really started to investigate what these bizarre symptoms were caused by. It was then that I noticed that the symptoms were induced immediately after every time I ate. I thought that one possibility was Diabetes. I thought that it was spikes in blood sugar that caused my body to feel like it was shutting down when I ate food. However, when that crossed my mind, I did not think it was possible that it would take seventeen years for me to figure that out.
Another problem was with the fact that I was gaining a lot of weight. I never a skinny person, but I was always on the verge of becoming overweight. My Senior year, I crossed into that overweight category. I gained nearly fifteen pounds. I could not figure out what was going on and it was very frustrating. I never had great eating habits and I figured that they must have just been catching up with me as I got older.
I finally discovered what the problem was on July 11, 2013. I had an extreme "gluten attack" or "Celiac attack" as I call such events now. I ate a granola bar at about 10 p.m. (like I said, I did not have the best dietary habits) and at 12:30 am, it hit me. I was the only person in the house that was awake and I was lying in my bed. I was paralyzed with pain and unable to even communicate that I was hurting. I considered calling the house phone from my cell phone because I could barely speak. My dad walked by because he woke up in the middle of the night, and I managed to get his attention.
When he saw me, he asked if I needed to go to the emergency room. I was unsure what was happening, but at this point, I could move. I decided to not go and to try to sleep again, but I was worried. It did not make me feel sick, but the pain was barely tolerable. I was crying and sweating from what can easily be described as the most physical pain I have ever experienced in my entire life.
I decided, once the pain was over, to do some research. I stumbled upon gluten intolerance. I saw the symptoms and my symptoms matched nearly everything on the list. I had the nauseated feeling after eating, the brain fog, the extreme fatigue, and the pain. I gained weight and I felt sick nearly every day. There was a name for what I had experienced my entire life. It was Celiac Disease... or something like it.
That morning, I began my gluten-free diet. I went to the grocery store and bought gluten-free bread, gluten-free pasta, and plenty of naturally gluten-free snacks such as hummus, that were safe for me to eat. Slowly, the symptoms went away. The sick feeling I always had was gone.
After going gluten-free for three weeks, I had a routine doctor's appointment. I outlined for them every symptom that they had not been able to diagnose (even as a child when they did some stomach screenings) and how everything was gone. I had energy, I did not feel sick, I thought clearly, I would not shake after eating, and I lost ten pounds. It was a relief to finally know what it was... sort of.
I was told that I might have Celiac Disease, the more severe version of gluten intolerance. Gluten intolerance occurs in six percent of people and it is a general sensitivity to gluten. A few of my friends with gluten intolerance are able to have small amounts of gluten and remain unharmed. Celiac Disease is more severe, with smaller amounts effecting the victim to an even greater extent, and only one percent of the general population has this. I figured that I must have Celiac Disease, because as little as a few crumbs worth of bread or even salad dressing containing maltodexterin (my nemesis) in it will cause me to have a full reaction. I did not get tested because I did not want to go through the process. It includes taking a sample of digestive villi which requires having a tube down the throat and removing parts of the stomach as well as several points in the small intestine. It requires a lot of time and it is sometimes inconclusive, so I was officially diagnosed with gluten-intolerance, but the possibility of Celiac Disease was acknowledged.
I was told that the best thing I could do was stay on a strict gluten-free diet. I have been on this diet for four months now and I have been feeling better than ever. I have none of the symptoms and only experience them when I accidentally eat gluten. I have clearer skin, I do not feel nauseated, I think clearly, and best of all, I have lost nearly twenty five pounds. I feel better than I ever have in my entire life.
My hope is that everyone in my shoes pays attention to their symptoms and realizes that they do not have to live with the sickness and the pain. I hope that they see that the way they feel is not normal and that something as simple as changing their diet can help. I hope to be able to raise awareness through the story of my discovery in order to hopefully help someone notice that they have something wrong and that there is something they can do about it.
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