1) Because Your Stomach Problems Might Not Be Related To Gluten

I originally wanted to title this article, “Why you should still be eating gluten.” A friend told me my followers may have thought I’d lost my flippin’ mind. But it would have caught your attention.

I want to catch your attention. Taking care of our health is our own responsibility, but sometimes that involves seeing a doctor. True, you may stop eating gluten and you may feel better.

However there could be other health issues that are lurking beneath the surface. These include –

• Gastroparesis.
• Chron’s Disease.
• Colon Cancer.
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• SIBO.
• FODMAP Intolerances
• Colitis
• Ovarian Cancer

I don’t want to turn you into a hypochondriac. However, I also don’t want you to trust Dr. Google for a diagnosis. Please, see a doctor. Ask to be tested. Demand to be tested. And if they won’t, find another doctor.

2) Because You Can’t Seem to Lose Weight

The world of Celiac Disease has drastically changed over the decades. Doctors used to believe that it was a wasting disease and all Celiac Disease patients were thin. Au contraire, mon frère. Many people diagnosed with Celiac Disease are overweight or even obese.

My friend’s undiagnosed Celiac Disease actually prevented her from losing weight. In addition, a personal comment about weight and eating gluten-free. When I started my gluten-free diet, I gained a lot of weight. Like 60+ pounds. Eating gluten-free is not always healthier and does not always equal weight loss.

3) Because Your Family Will Thank You

Celiac Disease is a genetic condition. That’s right, you can pass it on to your children. This is why Celiac Disease testing is so important. If your tests come back positive,  your family needs to know this for future generations.

If you have the genetic testing done and you do NOT appear to carry the gene, it is nearly impossible to have Celiac Disease. However, if you do have the gene, it doesn’t mean that you do have it. 30% of the population carries the genes for Celiac Disease, but only 1% develop it. However, you’re still able to pass on the gene to future generations and they can develop it

4) Because A Celiac Disease Diagnosis May Help You Stick to the Diet

A little bit won’t hurt, right? Sorry friends, yes it will. Foods that are gluten-free must test less than under 20 ppm. That’s less than a 1 tsp in a 40 lb bag of flour. Pretty strict requirements here. Some people don’t strictly adhere to this diet if not properly diagnosed. This is why Celiac Disease testing is important.

If you have Celiac Disease, you can’t cheat on this diet. The damage gluten does to your body can affect other biological systems as well. Some people with Celiac Disease are asymptomatic. We call them a “Silent Celiac.” Don’t be misled. Gluten continues to damage the lining of the intestinal wall, even if you don’t “feel it.” Don’t play around with this folks.

5) Because Celiac Disease Testing Helps Us All

So you submit your self to Celiac Disease testing. You find out that you don’t have the disease. The testing isn’t for naught. Maybe your body really does hate it when you eat gluten. It’s possible that you have Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity. The cause of this is being highly researched, and your blood work might provide further insight. Also, ruling out a diagnosis may get you closer to a real answer for your malaise.

What if your test results show you do have Celiac Disease? You become part of a larger community that needs your voice. It provides you legal benefits. These legal benefits help the rest of the world to take our disease that much more seriously.

“Is It Worth Eating Gluten Again to Get Tested?”

Maybe you’re already on a gluten-free diet. Maybe you’re wondering if it’s worth it to get really get tested. I can’t make that decision for you, only you can. I can tell you that a proper diagnosis is beneficial.

It helps you know what other health issues you could be facing due to your autoimmune disease diagnosis. Please, if you’re considering changing to a gluten-free diet, don’t do so without first going through Celiac Disease testing. You and those around you will thank you.

**Note- The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center suggests that patients should eat one slice of gluten-containing bread, daily, for 12 weeks prior to blood antibody screening. A shorter gluten challenge is possible for endoscopy.**

There is much research being done on alternative ways to test for Celiac Disease that DON’T require gluten ingestion. One of those methods is IL-2 testing, which is showing a lot of promise. Read more about IL-2 testing in this article from Beyond Celiac.

“My Doctor Says I Can’t Have Celiac Disease Because I’m Black.”

No, I’m not making this up. There are Black people I’ve personally talked to who’ve said their doctors told them this. To put it plainly, those doctors are wrong.

While current research data shows Celiac Disease is less prevalent in Black communities, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I met someone from Ethiopia who had Celiac Disease, so it’s definitely possible.

And to be honest, we know that minorities, especially in the United States, suffer from inequities in health care. In my opinion, more research needs to be done on the prevalence of Celiac Disease in minority populations. Beyond Celiac and the National Minority Quality Forum are partnering on an initiative on this topic right now.

What were your biggest reasons for getting tested for Celiac Disease? Did you get pushback from your doctor, only to have lab tests prove you have Celiac Disease? Please feel free to share your story, below.

Originally Published September 2016

The post 5 Reasons You Need Celiac Disease Testing 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!

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