I’ve heard stories of people who felt like they were close to death because doctors wouldn’t run tests. Or stories of uneducated dietitians who told their patients to eat more wheat,. Furthermore, stories of doctors who told their client that they just needed to take an anti-depressant enrage me. My Facebook followers have shared similar stories. 

There are many ways that medical personnel can increase their Celiac Disease education and awareness. Some webinars require no cost, while others charge. Please consider sharing these links and information with your health professionals. I am listing them in the order of easiest to most involved.

Online Webinars & Classes

Free Training

This  online webinar from NASPGHAN is created by knowledgeable health professionals that I trust. Dr. Alessio Fasano is one of these health professionals, and his book “Gluten Freedom” is a must read for everyone IMO.  If I could afford it, I would give a copy of this book to every doctor in Genesee County.

“This [webinar] is designed for pediatric and adult gastroenterologists, primary care physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, trainees, dietitians, and other health professionals who are involved in the care of patients with gluten related disorders.” This will take just over an hour and they also get continuing education credits.”

Biggest Investment Level –

The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center offers an extensive online Celiac Disease education online program for medical staff. Previously offered in person in Chicago, their preceptorship program is now completely available online. This center in Chicago is one of my most trusted hospitals doing research in the field today.

The online course costs $250 and can be accessed and completed at any time. As I update this post (5/2022),  the website states they offer this until April 2023.

Specifically for Dietitians

BRAND NEW – The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics just released a new series titled Treating Gluten Related Disorders, for dietitians. Created with the help of dietitians like Tricia Thompson and Amy Keller, this series helps dietitians treat those with Celiac Disease in all life stages. **Get Reimbursed thru Schar and the Celiac Disease Foundation.

A free webinar on Today’s Dietitian discusses non – responsive Celiac Disease and difference between Celiac Disease, Wheat Allergy, and Non Celiac Wheat Sensitivity. It also explains how to advise patients to implement a gluten free diet after diagnosis.

Dietitians in Gastrointestinal Disorders – This group is a subset of the the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Dietitians who join the DIGID listserv have access to webinars and many more online resources.

Looking for a dietitian knowledgeable about Celiac Disease? Gluten Free Watchdog is willing to help you find one! 

Specifically for Dentists

The Dental Academy of Continuing Education offers an online course to dentists and hygienists. The course, “Oral Complications of Celiac Disease, costs $39, and offers 3 CEU’s. As those with undiagnosed Celiac Disease often have dental defects, dentists sometimes help diagnose Celiac Disease as well. This webinar helps them spot the signs and hopefully refer them to a gastroenterologist. NO LONGER AVAILABLE

The Canadian Dental Association also offers a free webinar titled, Managing Patients with Celiac Disease.

Specifically for Pharmacists

Stat Pearls offers an online course, for $58 for pharmacists. Click this link to participate. This course expires on December 31, 2023.

Training for Mental Health Professionals

As many of us know, there are often neurological manifestations of Celiac Disease. In addition, living with Celiac Disease can impact our mood, due to societal pressures. Children’s National Hospital offers a free Continuing Education training entitled, Celiac Disease Psychosocial Health Program.  

Training for Dermatologists

Some patients with Celiac Disease present with a rash, called Dermatitis Herpetiformis. This is diagnosed via skin biopsy. While Dapsone can help treat the rash, patients must still maintain a gluten free diet. The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center offers a training specifically on Skin Manifestations for Celiac Disease. Stat Pearls offers a CE course for Nurse Practitioners, as well as an article about DH. 

Other Resources

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center offers a website called “Celiac Now.” While it answers many questions for those with Celiac Disease, the material is fantastic for educating doctors as well.

Dr. Schar Institute (yes, the same company that makes those delicious HoneyGrams) is a portal exclusively for medical professionals. Doctors can download informational material for themselves and patients, as well as learn about latest research.

Help Me Help Others

How? I’m asking you to share and ENCOURAGE your doctors and health professionals to review this information. We need our health care providers to know the FACTS about Celiac Disease.  Too many are treating patients based on assumptions or shared opinions. Or even worse, outdated information.

Do you visit a highly celiac disease educated doctor, dietitian or gastroenterologist? Please feel free to sing their praises below! 

The post Celiac Disease Education for Medical Professionals appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.

Celiac Symptoms in Teenage Years

My Celiac story and journey of noticeable symptoms started when I was in high school. Every day after lunch, I would struggle to stay awake. It happened every day like clock work, in French class. Madame Ross was gracious enough to let it pass many times and  let me sleep.  It wasn’t until years later, after diagnosis, that I realized that this was a side effect of my anemia. (This was due to the malnutrition caused by my damaged villi.). Mme. Ross, where ever you are, Merci Beaucoup.
During high school, I also had a number of chronic yeast infections. Every time they would test me for diabetes, as my grandmother was diabetic. Each time, it would come back negative. I just chalked it up to being “normal” for me.

Chronic Fatigue In College

My Celiac story involved a larger set of symptoms as I got older. In college, I worked my butt off to get good grades. I often was taking a class load of 20 credits, AND working 20 hours a week. In general I felt okay. Headaches often plagued me and felt I always needed a nap. Halfway through my college career I started to have really bad abdominal problems.

My bowel movements seemed to be abnormally large. It was rather embarrassing, and my roommates didn’t seem to understand what my problem was. (How could they when I didn’t understand myself?!)  I just assumed that I wasn’t eating enough fiber. Therefore, I started eating shredded wheat and oatmeal as much as I could, thinking that would alleviate the symptoms. In retrospect, that was definitely not the solution.

Anxiety and Anemia: Precursor to a Diagnosis

Finally, towards the end of my college career, the anxiety disorder started to kick in. It was during this diagnosis that my physician’s assistant noticed that I looked rather pale.  She had the lab draw some blood and tested my iron and hemoglobin levels. We both stood shocked at the results. My doctor said that my ferritin was so low that I shouldn’t even be able to stand up or walk. My (undiagnosed) Celiac story starts to change from here.

From there she sent me to a hematologist, where I would get daily (painful) iron injections. They did this because it was obvious my body was not absorbing iron from my diet. I went through a series of other tests during this last semester on campus.

Everyday I was nauseous. I would throw up bile in between classes. This phase of my Celiac story became almost more than I could handle. Again, I was blessed with great, understanding professors at Central Michigan University. It wasn’t until the end of my stay there that the hematologist directed me to see a gastroenterologist. Since I would be going home to do my student teaching, I would wait another two months before a diagnosis.

Finally, A Celiac Disease Diagnosis

What happened then was rather surprising. My mother had been a  employee at Ingham Medical for over 20 years, and knew all the best doctors. She went with me to my appointment. At this time she told the gastroenterologist that my dad and my grandmother both had Celiac Disease. Therefore, she figured that this was my ailment.

What? My dad had been “sick” all this time and I never knew about it. How was this possible? For starters, neither my dad nor my grandmother every talked about it or followed the dietary restrictions that it required. I later learned the army discharged my dad because they could not accommodate his dietary needs.  When I learned more about Celiac Disease, I grew concerned for my dad’s health. I pushed him all the more to stick to the diet.

Because of my my own lack of knowledge of my family history, I make sure to let everyone I know about Celiac Disease, and about its genetic component. If you have Celiac Disease, someone else in your family HAS to have the genes for it. Therefore they should ALL be tested.

Passion for Celiac Disease Awareness

Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different had I  received my Celiac Disease diagnosis as a child.  At the very least I would have been spared from some of the disease’s symptoms. For example, the joint pain that my mom just assumed was growing pains may have been alleviated. I would have been spared the many cavities due to the lack of enamel on my teeth. Obviously I would have preferred avoiding the bathroom embarrassment I incurred during my college years. I often think it’s no coincidence that my birthday is September 13th, which is National Celiac Awareness Day.

So if I seem to go on and on about Celiac Disease at times, or I seem to think that everyone should be tested, don’t get frustrated with me. It would be my honor if I could help you understand the causes of some of your ailments. I’d be overjoyed if I could lead you on the path to recovery. I know not everyone has Celiac Disease. However, maybe if you know more about it, maybe YOU can help someone else out.

What’s your Celiac story? Was your diagnosis quick or did it take years? Please feel free to share your symptoms so we can help educate others!

The post My Celiac Story – From Anemia to Recovery appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.