Describe your life prior to diagnosis:
Completely normal. Well from a celiac standpoint. I do have Type 1 diabetes and have had it for 32 years. Never had any idea I had celiac disease.
How did you come to suspect that you have celiac disease?
I didn’t. It was found purely by accident when my doctors were doing tests looking for a cause behind my kidney stones. My endocrinologist suspected celiac disease based on a blood test, but my GI confirmed with a scope and second blood test.
That’s the crazy part, I never had symptoms. At least not any of the ones everyone talks about. I could down a giant bowl of pasta with a couple of slices of garlic bread and never notice a thing.
Describe your experience with living with celiac disease:
It’s only been a month so far. I actually meet with the dietician tomorrow, but on my own, I already got rid of all the gluten in the house and have been eating gluten-free for about a month. It’s been an abrupt change, especially since I love to bake and love to eat out. Due to the whole pandemic thing, the impact has been less but when we really begin to hang out in public again, it’s going to be another big adjustment. I think one of the hardest aspects is the loss of spontaneity and convenience.
