Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune disorder, not an allergy. It causes damage to the villi of our small intestine, not allowing nutrients to be absorbed from the food we eat. This happens when we eat gluten, https://celiac.org/gluten-free-living/what-is-gluten/ the proteins found in wheat, barley, rye and other grains. It is estimated that celiac affects 1 percent of the population, though with the misdiagnosis rate being near 80 percent, I would expect that to actually be much higher. According to https://celiac.org/ it takes an average of 6-10 years to be properly diagnosed. The lack of awareness and education in the medical community is frustrating, to say the least, for those of us suffering from this.

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Symptoms of Celiac

There are over 200 known symptoms of celiac, not just digestive. Celiac can affect your entire body. Here I have listed the most common symptoms.

• abdominal pain
• gas and bloating
• constipation
• diarrhea
• depression/anxiety
• fatigue
• headaches/migraines
• iron deficiency anemia
• GERD
• itchy blistery skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis)
• joint pain
• nausea/vomiting
• peripheral neuropathy
• weight loss

My personal symptoms were stomach pain, gas and bloating after every meal. I felt like I would explode. GERD, leading to asthma. Chronic migraines, peripheral neuropathy and borderline anemia. Itchy skin, which I still have if I use any shampoos, lotions, etc. that are not gluten free.

There are 3 types of celiac. Classical, non-classical, and silent. Classical is where patients have all the signs and symptoms of malabsorption. Non-classical, this was me, is where the patient has intestinal symptoms without signs of malabsorption, along with unrelated symptoms. Silent celiac is where the patient has no symptoms but still have damaged villi.

Long Term Damage

If left untreated celiac disease can lead to other serious issues. Ingesting even small amounts, such as bread crumbs can cause damage. It is important to be aware of cross contamination, especially when eating out.

• heart disease
• small bowel/intestinal cancer
• liver failure
• malnutrition
• other autoimmune disorders (MS, type 1 diabetes, anemia)
• infertility

Testing

A simple blood test is available to see if you have celiac disease. You will get tested for the tTG-IgA antibody. This will be positive for most with celiac. For example, the normal range is 0-15 U/ML, anything over would be high. Mine was 70! Remember you MUST BE EATING GLUTEN for the tests to be accurate.

The next step for proper diagnosis is an endoscopy of your small intestine. The doctor will take small samples of your intestine. This will confirm your diagnosis and see exactly what damage has been done to the villi. I read through a lot of peer groups that people avoid this. For me it was a no brainer, I wanted to know everything. I was in and out in less than an hour. He was able to tell me before I left, without even sending my biopsies to the lab (later confirmed) that I had celiac. The damage was obvious.

Treatment

There is no cure or treatments other than a 100 percent gluten free diet. We need to be vigilant not only in what we eat but also in medications and products we use. Lipstick/chapsticks, sunscreens, anything we can possibly ingest needs to be free of gluten.

If you have any of the symptoms or think you might have celiac disease take the symptoms assessment https://celiac.org/about-celiac-disease/symptoms-assessment-tool/ and make sure to check with your doctor.

Looking for celiac friendly snacks? Gluten Free and Vegetarian Snacks for Celiacs

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