Celiac Is a Real Disease

After waking up at around 4 am with another round of severe abdominal pain I decided that my next blog would be about how painful and deadly celiac disease really can be.

I'm not a doctor or an authority on it by any means, but I have been battling this pain for more than 7 years, and looking back to my childhood even then I remember being sick to my stomach quite often. So it makes me wonder if I've really had it all these years and just everyday stresses caused it to come to a head.

After four years of doctoring for pain in my abdomen I finally was diagnosed with Celiac disease, and the crazy thing is that my grandfather also had celiac disease so we should have been thinking that way to begin with. I guess though, you never really think it can happen to you. My doctor thought maybe I had thyroid issues and he would test me for that every time I went in to him, but that wasn't the problem. If he would have only asked me if any of my family had intestinal problems that would have turned the lightbulb on for us.

So what is Celiac disease? It's an autoimmune disease, your body's immune system attacks itself, and causes damage to your intestines. My doctor explained to me that your intestines have fibers like the pile of a lush carpet, and when you have celiac those fibers go away, and the food that you get your nutrients from passes right on through with little or no benefit at all to your body.

The longer it goes undiagnosed the more damage it will lead to. That's why it's so important to test early; if someone in your family has been diagnosed with this disease. You could have it too and never even know it, and because it attacks your intestines your body cannot get the vitamins, mineral and nutrients that it needs from food and so you can experience many other problems.

Some Symptoms I experienced:

Hair Loss

Headaches

Weight Loss

Depression

Panic Attacks

Poor Memory

Trouble Concetrating

Irritability

Exhaustion

Severe Abdominal Pain

Stomach Pain

Bloating

Irregular Bowel Movements

Constipation

Vitamin D Deficiency

Yeast Overgrowth (Candida) which led to many other problems

Sore Throats

Canker Sores

Yeast Infections

Severe Diarrhea

Sore Tongue

Left Untreated Celiac Disease Can Also Lead To:

Cancer

Osteoporosis

Malnutrition

Lactose Intolerance

Infertility

Stunted Growth

Type 1 Diabetes

Neurological Problems

Thyroid Disease

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Anemia

Also, I just learned today, that some people don't completely recover even with a gluten free diet. It's called refractory celiac disease.

Please realize that celiac disease is indeed deadly, and it is also hereditary. If you know someone in your family who has celiac disease get yourself and your children checked as soon as possible. You may save them a lifetime of pain and mental issues. Don't let fear of the unknown hold you back, and gluten free living is really not that hard. Especially with all of the great products that are on the market today.

Testing is a simple blood test for sprue, and it really could save your life or the life of someone you know. Tell your doctor today that you and your loved ones want to be tested for celiac disease if it runs in your family or you think you have the symptoms.

#glutenfree #celiac #wheatfree #barleyfree #soyfree #ryefree