Introductions

Hi! I'm Bri, and this is a blog about Celiac Disease. What is Celiac Disease? We'll get into that later, but first I want to give you some background about myself. I want to point out that I am by no means a medical professional . The information that I will talk about in this blog is based on things I have learned through research and personal experience with Celiac Disease through books, websites, doctors visits, and seminars I have listened to or watched on T.V. or the internet. If you have any questions about Celiac Disease feel free to ask me and I'll do my best to answer them, but I also recommend and strongly encourage you to talk to your doctor if you have serious concerns about your health and well-being. I also encourage you to do your own research and ask lots of questions!

All of my life I've struggled with dietary and digestive problems, some of which include malnutrition, belly cramps/pain, chronic fatigue, and depression and anxiety. I never felt well and often had trouble sleeping, and when I would wake up in the morning I would feel extremely nauseous. I would even miss school sometimes because of how awful I felt. On the outside, I appeared just fine but on the inside my body was raging a war against itself because of what I was eating. I just didn't know it yet.

About a year ago I got hired at a local cafe that makes foods for special diets such as vegans, vegetarians, and people with Celiac Disease and others who can't eat Gluten. Until then I had no knowledge of Celiac Disease or gluten Intolerance/Sensitivity. A man with severe Celiac Disease often came in to the cafe to eat, since not many places in my hometown carry Gluten Free foods, and after various conversations with him I started learning more about the disease. Curious, I did more research. After reading about Celiac Disease on webmd.com (http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/celiac-disease/celiac-disease-topic-overview) I realized that I needed to make an appointment with my doctor.

So many of the symptoms listed were what I had been struggling with for the last twenty years of my life. If Celiac Disease wasn't the answer to my health problems, I wasn't sure if I'd ever find the answer. When I went to the doctor, I explained my situation to her and told her that I thought I might have Celiac Disease. Now, Celiac Disease is difficult to diagnose, mostly because there are over 250 symptoms attributed to it. For this reason it is often mistaken for other health problems like IBS, Lactose Intolerance, or Acid Reflux. Celiac Disease can also occur as a result of some other illnesses such as Diabetes. For this reason, my doctor was pretty impressed that I had taken this step toward diagnosis.

My doctor readily admitted that she didn't know much about Celiac Disease. I wasn't surprised, seeing as it isn't one of the most widely known illnesses in the medical community, but was grateful that she was willing to do the research to get me diagnosed and on the road to better health. After doing some research, she decided that the first step was for me to take a blood test. The test came back positive. With that result and the fact that I had so many of the symptoms, it was clear: I had Celiac Disease. My life would never be the same again. Little did I know, adjusting to this new lifestyle would be one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do in my life.

This blog is intended to educate people on Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance/Sensitivity, and hopefully raise awareness about this disease that affects approximately 1% of the U.S. population. (That's 2-3 million people, or 1 in every 133 people.) Like I said before, I am NOT a medical professional. I can neither diagnose nor treat you, but what I can do and intend to do is give you information about the disease and diagnosis, and give you resources and support to help you get diagnosed and cope with this life-changing disease.