Feb 15, 2012 10:44
Late last year I was eating a bowl of cereal with non-fat milk and it gave me heartburn. Since my sister had already been diagnosed with Celiac, I figured I'd go gluten-free for awhile and see what happened.
I did get a test right after my sister was diagnosed a number of years ago, but it came back negative.
Lo and behold, I did much better without gluten. In reading up on Celiac, the darn disease can crop up at any point in life, and relatives have something like a 12% chance of also developing it.
In the interests of accurate diagnoses, I made an appointment with a gastroenterologist for March, but for the test to work, I have to be eating gluten. I've noticed all the little things that have been annoying me for the last several years coming back to irritate me again. None of the things are bad enough to send me to the doctor, but they are noticeable.
The only reason I want the diagnosis is that since Celiac damages the intestines, it can eventually lead to host of health problems and I want my doctor to be on the lookout for them. I also want my friends to know I'm not just indulging a dislike for all things gluten, that a little really does cause damage. I know all my friends are awesome and won't care what I eat, but I'll feel better if I can explain the medical impact and why I can't even have a little soy sauce.
In the meantime, I have a couple of weeks (maybe more) of minor irritations.
irritation,
celiac,
eating,
doctors