Just got diagnosed and am now considering career paths, what do you guys do?

[Zachm]

I got the hint of having celiac disease back in 2015, but today the results came in from my colonoscopy and endoscopy. These past few years, it's hard for me to even leave the house (though most is probably anxiety.) I honestly feel like I got hit by a truck because these past two years I've been in denial. I'm 22 and about to graduate with my BS in Psychology and while I was debating getting an MBA, I now wonder how I could work that kind of schedule. It sucks because I feel like a mooch because I just have a fear that if I get a job I'll get fired for having to call out a lot. Tried to be positive and say "medical science is advancing, so maybe it wont be something I'll have to deal with for a while" but he kind of shot that notion down. Lymphoma, chemo, and the other things are terrifying to me.

[Ennis-TX]

Well once your go gluten-free and stay on that diet a a lot of the anxiety will go away and your energy will go back up as you heal. As for working, non food industry type stuff is pretty safe, just bring your own meals to lunch and lay out some paper towels or napkins when you eat. And always wash your hands before touching your food or your mouth.  You have it pretty easy just being being gluten free and working outside the house. >.< look on the bright side I have a very bad corn allergy that makes me get a ivy like rash, and blistering/peeling skin with exposure to corn. Like, soda, corn syrup, corn chips, puffed snacks....yeah someone eats those touches a door I touch it.....BAM.  Bloody nightmare leaving my house and I go through gloves like crazy lol,

I might suggest magnesium and b-vitamins to help with the stress.  Look up Natural Vitality Calm, try it at 1/4 tsp dose and work up to full dose over a week or two. If it is too harsh on your gut try Doctors Best Magnesium.

Liquid Health makes a B-vitamin supplement in liquid form called Stress & Energy and another called Neurological support. I take 1 tbsp each 3 times a day, Emergency panic attacks I use CBD oil in a vape pen.

 

[Victoria1234]

22 minutes ago, Zachm said:

I got the hint of having celiac disease back in 2015, but today the results came in from my colonoscopy and endoscopy. These past few years, it's hard for me to even leave the house (though most is probably anxiety.) I honestly feel like I got hit by a truck because these past two years I've been in denial. I'm 22 and about to graduate with my BS in Psychology and while I was debating getting an MBA, I now wonder how I could work that kind of schedule. It sucks because I feel like a mooch because I just have a fear that if I get a job I'll get fired for having to call out a lot. Tried to be positive and say "medical science is advancing, so maybe it wont be something I'll have to deal with for a while" but he kind of shot that notion down. Lymphoma, chemo, and the other things are terrifying to me.

After all the time and expense you have put into your degree, now is not a time to make a snap decision. You will be amazed how much better you will feel in 3 months, in 6 months, and in a year you will be unrecognizable. 

[Zachm]

21 minutes ago, Ennis_TX said:

Well once your go gluten-free and stay on that diet a a lot of the anxiety will go away and your energy will go back up as you heal. As for working, non food industry type stuff is pretty safe, just bring your own meals to lunch and lay out some paper towels or napkins when you eat. And always wash your hands before touching your food or your mouth.  You have it pretty easy just being being gluten free and working outside the house. >.< look on the bright side I have a very bad corn allergy that makes me get a ivy like rash, and blistering/peeling skin with exposure to corn. Like, soda, corn syrup, corn chips, puffed snacks....yeah someone eats those touches a door I touch it.....BAM.  Bloody nightmare leaving my house and I go through gloves like crazy lol,

I might suggest magnesium and b-vitamins to help with the stress.  Look up Natural Vitality Calm, try it at 1/4 tsp dose and work up to full dose over a week or two. If it is too harsh on your gut try Doctors Best Magnesium.

Liquid Health makes a B-vitamin supplement in liquid form called Stress & Energy and another called Neurological support. I take 1 tbsp each 3 times a day, Emergency panic attacks I use CBD oil in a vape pen.

 

Yikes, I am sorry to hear about that! Thanks for the recommendations!

[Zachm]

14 minutes ago, Victoria1234 said:

After all the time and expense you have put into your degree, now is not a time to make a snap decision. You will be amazed how much better you will feel in 3 months, in 6 months, and in a year you will be unrecognizable. 

No way I am stopping now haha! I've dealt with professors treating it as a Hollywood fad and done a ton of work, so I am completing it, just debating where to go from here. I've been totally gluten free (everything from food to shaving cream gets checked) for two years and I am mehhhh. I have my days where I get the cramps and diarrhea, but most days are okay, though my psyche makes it more of a challenge (ironic when you see my major lol.) 

[Victoria1234]

1 minute ago, Zachm said:

No way I am stopping now haha! I've dealt with professors treating it as a Hollywood fad and done a ton of work, so I am completing it, just debating where to go from here. I've been totally gluten free (everything from food to shaving cream gets checked) for two years and I am mehhhh. I have my days where I get the cramps and diarrhea, but most days are okay, though my psyche makes it more of a challenge (ironic when you see my major lol.) 

How about a food diary.? To look for other food intolerances? Many of us have foods we just can't eat above and beyond gluten.

[Victoria1234]

In fact, go back and read your own thread. Lots of good suggestions!

 

[Chrismark]

Try your best to stay on a career path that you want to do.  If you are Celiac, you will probably have changes to you life, but you can probably maintain the same career path, but in a different way.  I liked working with people, and helping people, but because of the Celiac, I didn't have the strength to leave home to continue what I wanted to do.  After significant research, I found that I was able to continue with my work, but only over the Internet and the telephone.  This wasn't the same as before, but even with my health as it was, I would be able to continue the same kind of work.

Don't give up what you want to do without researching all the possibilities.

[Zachm]

1 hour ago, Chrismark said:

Try your best to stay on a career path that you want to do.  If you are Celiac, you will probably have changes to you life, but you can probably maintain the same career path, but in a different way.  I liked working with people, and helping people, but because of the Celiac, I didn't have the strength to leave home to continue what I wanted to do.  After significant research, I found that I was able to continue with my work, but only over the Internet and the telephone.  This wasn't the same as before, but even with my health as it was, I would be able to continue the same kind of work.

Don't give up what you want to do without researching all the possibilities.

Telecommuting seems like what I may have to do as well. I have actually been researching like crazy about perhaps going into a masters in IT or something similar because I've been told that those careers are great for this kind of problem. Then again, I don't want to be doing something I am not interested in especially since, no matter how unlikely, a "cure" or medication for this may be discovered before I am even 30 and then I'd feel stuck in something I do not like. I appreciate the response and am glad you have had luck staying with your path!

[Victoria1234]

Well here's the thing. You need a masters or doctorate to be able to be a psychiatrist, right? If you love it, keep doing it.

But (you should) see a psych now to see if they can help you with your anxiety disorder. It's helped me. Maybe not as much as I'd like, but some.

I've seen lots of places where you can Skype to your psych so you don't have to leave your home, in cases like agoraphobia that's great. I know they are really popular at least around here in my area. So there's your work from home job, if you actually do become disabled.

And lots of people around the board here take various supplements to help with their anxiety. I think if you got a handle on it, then you wouldn't be trying to gear your life around future bouts with cancer, etc. Because you are very very young and you have figured out this celiac thing before many decades of damage to your body. It's those decades of damage that cause you to get those horrible things you are reading about. But only a very small percentage of them are getting those disorders in the first place. Heck, you could get run over by a bus tomorrow. I could slip and fall and break my neck next week. We just don't know what will happen to our future. We can live life and enjoy it now, or get all worked up about it every day and live in fear the rest of our lives. What would you, the future psychiatrist, say to your patient?

[kareng]

On 7/6/2017 at 4:59 PM, Zachm said:

I got the hint of having celiac disease back in 2015, but today the results came in from my colonoscopy and endoscopy. These past few years, it's hard for me to even leave the house (though most is probably anxiety.) I honestly feel like I got hit by a truck because these past two years I've been in denial. I'm 22 and about to graduate with my BS in Psychology and while I was debating getting an MBA, I now wonder how I could work that kind of schedule. It sucks because I feel like a mooch because I just have a fear that if I get a job I'll get fired for having to call out a lot. Tried to be positive and say "medical science is advancing, so maybe it wont be something I'll have to deal with for a while" but he kind of shot that notion down. Lymphoma, chemo, and the other things are terrifying to me.

Don't use Celiac as an excuse not to go to school or pursue a career.  There are very few careers that a person with Celiac cannot do. Off the top of my head - gluten baker, beer taster at a regular brewery, some aspects of the military, restaurant critic for main stream media might not work well with Celiac.

 

[Ennis-TX]

25 minutes ago, kareng said:

Don't use Celiac as an excuse not to go to school or pursue a career.  There are very few careers that a person with Celiac cannot do. Off the top of my head - gluten baker, beer taster at a regular brewery, some aspects of the military, restaurant critic for main stream media might not work well with Celiac.

 

I personally took mine as a sign and started doing gluten free cooking and baking to help others. In a way this disease showed me my path.

[sddave]

I'm an engineer that was diagnosed a couple months.    Instead of going out for lunches I bring in most lunches and have to bring in a snack (gluten-free muffin) to eat around 3-4pm.   I spend 1/2 of my time when I get home cooking dinner, preparing tomorrows lunch or also getting groceries.    Won't be attending company Christmas dinners, summer barbecues, or going to micro brewery across the street Fri after work.    Oh well,  I've accepted it.   I'm somewhat lucky as a tech worker that I only have to put in about 8 hours a day.   Otherwise in other companies I'd have to bring in lunch and dinner....that would suck.

 

 

[kareng]

40 minutes ago, sddave said:

I'm an engineer that was diagnosed a couple months.    Instead of going out for lunches I bring in most lunches and have to bring in a snack (gluten-free muffin) to eat around 3-4pm.   I spend 1/2 of my time when I get home cooking dinner, preparing tomorrows lunch or also getting groceries.    Won't be attending company Christmas dinners, summer barbecues, or going to micro brewery across the street Fri after work.    Oh well,  I've accepted it.   I'm somewhat lucky as a tech worker that I only have to put in about 8 hours a day.   Otherwise in other companies I'd have to bring in lunch and dinner....that would suck.

 

 

Why not?  These functions are not just about the food or the beer.  You might be surprised to find they will be able to get you gluten-free food at a company party.  Go to the BBQ and bring your own food or a dish to share that you can make into a meal or eat first.  Microbreweries usually have wine or at least a coke.  If you live in a bigger city or on one of the coasts or Colorado - there seems to be a good understanding of gluten free.  I am finding that here in the midwest, more and more places and people understand gluten-free and Celiac

[Carmen Johnson]

No, no, no!  Don't cut yourself off from your friends and social life because you feel you can't eat what everyone else is eating!  I can't think of a single bar or restaurant I've been to where I haven't found something to eat.  It may not always be what I would like to order/eat, but I'm not sitting without food while everyone else is eating!  If I'm going to a private party or someone's home where I'm concerned about food selection, I bring my own, tell the hostess and without making a big deal of it, eat what I brought.  Other times I eat a bit before I go, snack on the veggies or other obviously safe food,  and eat when I get home. If I go shopping for the day or somewhere that it's difficult to pick up a quick gluten-free snack, I put a piece of fruit or a gluten-free granola bar in my purse in case I get hungry.   It's only a big deal if you make it one.  I have been gluten-free for 7 years.  My attitude about food is now this:  eating out is strictly a social event. I always find something to order though at times it seems the gluten-free selections are kind of bland, but I won't go hungry.  If I want a good, tasty meal, I make it for myself at home.  There is nothing that I can't duplicate in my kitchen in a gluten-free version.   It's only been a couple of months for you so I'm hoping you will gradually see that this becomes such a way of life that you won't even give it a second thought.  Your meal prep will take less time as you grow accustomed to this--any new diet takes time to learn.  Good luck and hang in there!

[kareng]

14 minutes ago, Carmen Johnson said:

No, no, no!  Don't cut yourself off from your friends and social life because you feel you can't eat what everyone else is eating!  I can't think of a single bar or restaurant I've been to where I haven't found something to eat.  It may not always be what I would like to order/eat, but I'm not sitting without food while everyone else is eating!  If I'm going to a private party or someone's home where I'm concerned about food selection, I bring my own, tell the hostess and without making a big deal of it, eat what I brought.  Other times I eat a bit before I go, snack on the veggies or other obviously safe food,  and eat when I get home. If I go shopping for the day or somewhere that it's difficult to pick up a quick gluten-free snack, I put a piece of fruit or a gluten-free granola bar in my purse in case I get hungry.   It's only a big deal if you make it one.  I have been gluten-free for 7 years.  My attitude about food is now this:  eating out is strictly a social event. I always find something to order though at times it seems the gluten-free selections are kind of bland, but I won't go hungry.  If I want a good, tasty meal, I make it for myself at home.  There is nothing that I can't duplicate in my kitchen in a gluten-free version.   It's only been a couple of months for you so I'm hoping you will gradually see that this becomes such a way of life that you won't even give it a second thought.  Your meal prep will take less time as you grow accustomed to this--any new diet takes time to learn.  Good luck and hang in there!

Thank you!  Exactly!  

[Whitepaw]

Is your concern the social aspects of eating on the job, or not always feeling well enough to get out the door?

I'm in health care, and just happened to be in home care when I was diagnosed.  It actually works well, as I make my own hours, and can reschedule visits as need be.

I would think you could complete your MBA easily, maybe part time if necessary.  It's not clear what your career path might be ....counseling?   Industrial psych? Research? Once you are established (and you can do that part time if need be, to start), you will have more options for flexed or reduced hours. 

If the social aspects of eating are an issue, you can always excuse yourself at meals, drive to a pleasant location, and eat in your car. Or go for a walk and find a place to eat. For work luncheons,  I just have a beverage or pick up a piece of fruit, so I give the appearance of participating. 

[Zachm]

There's a lot of great responses on here. I am sorry about the delay in actually replying, but I sincerely appreciate all responses. I've honestly been debating TRYING to go vegan because of what I have been seeing. Back when I interned with an occupational therapist, she was vegan and extremely fit and healthy to be in her early 60's and same goes for just about every other vegan I have seen. The biggest problem I have is I am a junk food eater, which has to stop because I am tired of feeling sick just about every night. Grew up where my mom never cooked so we'd eat fast food twice a day, which has led to bad habits, but I am an adult now and need to make better choices (I don't eat out, I just eat tons of gluten free processed foods.) Thanks again, everyone