Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

The Whole Church Turned Around

eers03

By eers03
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

eers03 Explorer
eers03
Posted

and looked at me!  I attend a really great small church.  About 200 people so its pretty small.  We are like a big family, really.  Most of us are there on Sunday morning and evening as well as Wednesdays.  

 

Anyhow, before service people stand up and voice their desire for prayer for various people or things in their life.  Well, someone requested prayer for their brother who has recently been diagnosed with Celiac Disease.  "Something to do with gluten or something."

 

The whole church turned around and looked/smiled at me!  It was actually really sweet.  Everyone in my rural church in the sticks are gluten savvy.  I don't know, for all the times that we run into people that make things awkward, this was a moment where things were made completely awkward in the best way possible :-)

 

My friends were joking with me afterwards, "Hey, did you like how the whole church immediately turned around and looked at you?"  

 

It was pretty funny.  I love them.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


NoGlutenCooties Contributor
NoGlutenCooties
Posted

:)  Thanks for sharing!  That is really sweet!

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

I think it's incredibly sweet of your church members to offer up prayers on your behalf. You are blessed to be supported in that way!

 

And for the record, I am always touched  and deeply grateful for those people in my life who have offered prayers in my name.

I know my devout Mormon friend was praying for me night and day when I was very ill before diagnosis. For 3 years, she got on her knees for me, I know..... and I know she had all her people on it too.

And I am pretty sure my mom,sister and my best friends wore out several strings of rosary beads on me 

My aunt and cousins, too.They were all pretty worried about me.

I am blessed that so many were asking for help in my name.

 

Do I think prayers work? Does God answer our prayers? It's hard to say, IMHO

I say this: "yes, but sometimes  the answer is no. "

 

But they seem to think prayer is powerful and that is all that matters, isn't it?.

Faith can move mountains sometimes.

 

oh, gee.,...I did not mean to get too religious and philosophical on you, :D I am just talking with you about how generous in spirit I think most people are...of all denominations and faiths. 

 

Thanks for sharing your story. It's a day-brightener, for sure!

IH

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

How nice to have such loving support!

love2travel Mentor
love2travel
Posted

Awesome to have your church's support. I do as well at mine. Made me giggle when you said a small church of 200. Our church is the same and it is huge compared to all other churches I have attended. The last one before we moved here was about 40 - very rural indeed. We do not have mega churches like the U.S. but our population is far smaller.

Cool story!

notme Experienced
notme
Posted

my church is like that, too :)  i absolutely love them - they are like family.  all the kids are all of our kids, so funny to watch them grow into adults and then have kids of their own.  my grandkids go to choir practice, just like mine did.  i still make meals for the youth and kids groups even though none of them are mine.  yesterday i sewed a robe for a shepherd for the Christmas program.  our family is lighting the advent candle on sunday.

 

funny story - when i first moved to tennessee from nj, i was basically 'unchurched' - hadn't been for years and it didn't really bother me to sleep in on sundays.  but, when my kids started going to the kids choir there, we started going back again.  so, they asked us to do the reading and light the advent candle.  my part was from the book of malachi and i was so nervous, i pronounced it the charlie bronson way, ma la chee.  o my gosh, 17 years later, they STILL rib me for that!  in my bible study group, i told that story, and they decided that the next study should be the book of malachi.  (it was a good study!)  lololz i know when i get up there on sunday, there will be a bunch of people smiling at me and remembering my huge fail so many years ago ;)   God speaks to all of us in the language we can understand - mine is laughter, i guess...  :)

 

yes, eers, you are blessed with a *small* church of 200 lolz - our pastor would love 200 people in the sanctuary! - we probably have that many members on the books, but only about 65 regular attendees. 

1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

The Lord doesn't forsake, for sure, is kind  when others are carrying one in prayer too.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

   God speaks to all of us in the language we can understand - mine is laughter, i guess...  :)

 

 

 

amen.  me too, Arlene. me too. And I think God must have the biggest sense of humor of all.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,899
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    dcarter1682
    Newest Member
    dcarter1682
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      New (possible) celiac diagnosis

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @Judy M! Yes, he definitely needs to continue eating gluten until the day of the endoscopy. Not sure why the GI doc advised otherwise but it was a bum steer.  Celiac disease has a genetic component but also an "epigenetic" component. Let me explain. There are two main genes that have been identified as providing the "potential" to develop "active" celiac disease. We know them as HLA-DQ 2.5 (aka, HLA-DQ 2) and HLA-DQ8. Without one or both of these genes it is highly unlikely that a person will develop celiac disease at some point in their life. About 40% of the general population carry one or both of these two genes but only about 1% of the population develops active celiac disease. Thus, possessing the genetic potential for celiac disease is far less than deterministic. Most who have the potential never develop the disease. In order for the potential to develop celiac disease to turn into active celiac disease, some triggering stress event or events must "turn on" the latent genes. This triggering stress event can be a viral infection, some other medical event, or even prolonged psychological/emotional trauma. This part of the equation is difficult to quantify but this is the epigenetic dimension of the disease. Epigenetics has to do with the influence that environmental factors and things not coded into the DNA itself have to do in "turning on" susceptible genes. And this is why celiac disease can develop at any stage of life. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition (not a food allergy) that causes inflammation in the lining of the small bowel. The ingestion of gluten causes the body to attack the cells of this lining which, over time, damages and destroys them, impairing the body's ability to absorb nutrients since this is the part of the intestinal track responsible for nutrient absorption and also causing numerous other food sensitivities such as dairy/lactose intolerance. There is another gluten-related disorder known as NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or just, "gluten sensitivity") that is not autoimmune in nature and which does not damage the small bowel lining. However, NCGS shares many of the same symptoms with celiac disease such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea. It is also much more common than celiac disease. There is no test for NCGS so, because they share common symptoms, celiac disease must first be ruled out through formal testing for celiac disease. This is where your husband is right now. It should also be said that some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease. I hope this helps.
    • Judy M
      New (possible) celiac diagnosis

      By Judy M · Posted

      My husband has had lactose intolerance for his entire life (he's 68 yo).  So, he's used to gastro issues. But for the past year he's been experiencing bouts of diarrhea that last for hours.  He finally went to his gastroenterologist ... several blood tests ruled out other maladies, but his celiac results are suspect.  He is scheduled for an endoscopy and colonoscopy in 2 weeks.  He was told to eat "gluten free" until the tests!!!  I, and he know nothing about this "diet" much less how to navigate his in daily life!! The more I read, the more my head is spinning.  So I guess I have 2 questions.  First, I read on this website that prior to testing, eat gluten so as not to compromise the testing!  Is that true? His primary care doctor told him to eat gluten free prior to testing!  I'm so confused.  Second, I read that celiac disease is genetic or caused by other ways such as surgery.  No family history but Gall bladder removal 7 years ago, maybe?  But how in God's name does something like this crop up and now is so awful he can't go a day without worrying.  He still works in Manhattan and considers himself lucky if he gets there without incident!  Advice from those who know would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Scott Adams
      Patiently Waiting to See Results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      You've done an excellent job of meticulously tracking the rash's unpredictable behavior, from its symmetrical spread and stubborn scabbing to the potential triggers you've identified, like the asthma medication and dietary changes. It's particularly telling that the rash seems to flare with wheat consumption, even though your initial blood test was negative—as you've noted, being off wheat before a test can sometimes lead to a false negative, and your description of the other symptoms—joint pain, brain fog, stomach issues—is very compelling. The symmetry of the rash is a crucial detail that often points toward an internal cause, such as an autoimmune response or a systemic reaction, rather than just an external irritant like a plant or mites. I hope your doctor tomorrow takes the time to listen carefully to all of this evidence you've gathered and works with you to find some real answers and effective relief. Don't be discouraged if the rash fluctuates; your detailed history is the most valuable tool you have for getting an accurate diagnosis.
    • Scott Adams
      Gluten free beer ?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      In this case the beer is excellent, but for those who are super sensitive it is likely better to go the full gluten-free beer route. Lakefront Brewery (another sponsor!) has good gluten-free beer made without any gluten ingredients.
    • trents
      Patiently Waiting to See Results

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @catsrlife! Celiac disease can be diagnosed without committing to a full-blown "gluten challenge" if you get a skin biopsy done during an active outbreak of dermatitis herpetiformis, assuming that is what is causing the rash. There is no other known cause for dermatitis herpetiformis so it is definitive for celiac disease. You would need to find a dermatologist who is familiar with doing the biopsy correctly, however. The samples need to be taken next to the pustules, not on them . . . a mistake many dermatologists make when biopsying for dermatitis herpetiformis. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.