Help! Thought I Go Over It

[jambo massive]

Hello people

i just came out of hospital due to my celiac, since i was to 10 i have eaten anything i wanted to now im 25 and just coming out of hospital due to being really ill and wondering why?? the reason was my celiac has came back BIG time. Its going to change the way eat so much how does everybody cope?? i love going out to eat and eat what i want! well i use to. How hard it it really??

[blueeyedmanda]

I am little confused, did you just find out you had celiac or have you had it since you were a child?

[jambo massive]

i've had it since i was a chid but when i was about 8 i gave up the diet and eat everything i could'nt and since then i have not been i'll untill now.

[Guest j_mommy]

I'm sorry to hear you were in the hospital!!!!!

Celiac never goes away...once you're diagnosed, you have it for life!!!! The diet isn't that hard.....in my case you ;earn to eat better. No more processed and bad for you foods. You eat healthier and can still have some bread and pastas...just not that same as before. In some cases these substitue pastas are even better than the gluten ones!!!!! It's overwhelming at first but it does get better! Best of luck to you!

[loraleena]

I am sorry that no one (doctors) ever told you that you should never eat gluten again even if you feel well. It is very typical for celiac symptoms to fade or disapear in late childhood/adolescence only to reappear later. You were damaging your body all that time and never new it till now. You absolutely must live gluten free from now on to stop the damage to your body!

[blueeyedmanda]

It is overwhelming at first and I admit I wanted to run away from the diet but it does get easier. You have found one of the best resources ever too, the people on this board are so helpful and caring. It is like having a huge family, and they know exactly what you are going through.

[Nantzie]

You'll probably feel a lot better in so many other ways once you're on the gluten-free diet for a while. Celiac tends to have far-reaching symptoms that you'd never think would be connected to something you're eating.

Doctors used to think that celiac was a childhood illness that completely went away by adolescence. Now it's known that some kids go through a period of remission during adolescence, mostly likely with some damage still occurring. So it's not surprising that you were allowed to go off the diet as a child. They just used to think no symptoms = no celiac.

Now that I've been doing this for a long time, I don't think it's hard at all, other than eating out, which can be tricky. It does take some time in the beginning and you'll have ups and downs. Gluten can hide in the stupidest of places, so it can sneak up on you.

When I joined, most of us arrived here because we researched symptoms and found out about celiac on our own. Then we had to still go through getting doctor's appts, convincing the doctor to run a blood test that sometimes they had never heard of, waiting for a specialist appt, educating the specialist that yes, celiac can show up in adults, waiting for an endoscopy and then waiting for the results. My waiting time for this process was five months. Frustrating at the time, but by the time I actually went gluten-free I was pretty much an expert at it and was able to just jump right in.

I really feel for people who come here with a diagnosis already in hand, knowing that they need to start the diet immediately. The learning curve can be a little bumpier when you're still learning while you're doing it.

Things have really improved since you were a kid, so you'll probably be shocked to see how many good replacement products there are nowadays.

This board is the best place on the planet to learn everything you need to know. Just read the old messages and ask questions. You'll be an expert in no time.

Nancy

[Susanna]

Wow, sorry you were so sick! Hope you're feeling better now. The other folks who are posting here are correct: celiac doesn't go away--it might take a while for the symptoms to catch up with you if you don't follow the gluten-free diet, but they most likely will catch up with you and inconvenience your life, but more importantly, if you keep assaulting your gut with gluten, it causes a constant inflammation reaction that taxes your immune system, which SETS YOU UP FOR CANCER LATER IN LIFE, so yes, it's hard to adjust, but you need to do it for YOU.

Here are my gluten-free newbie tips--now you can eat to treat, and soon feel better. Here are some key coping strategies to get you started.

1. Know that you will grieve your old favorite gluten-filled foods. I actually tear up when I see a brioche sometimes. Grieving is normal, BUT IT IS NOT EASY OR COMFORTABLE. People around you will eat treats you can't have and you will feel sad and isolated. Strategy: stock your car, office, purse, backpack, secret drawer at home with gluten-free treats you can reach for any time you are feeling deprived. This really helped me. I recommend Baby Ruth Bars, Snicker Bars, Lara Bars, Dove Dark Chocolate, meringue cookies, macaroon cookies (read labels), Butterfinger, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. You get the idea.

2. Know that it will take time (months, probably) to figure out what to eat (it took me 6 mos.) and during this time, it'll be kind of a daily challenge to plan meals. Every time you go to the store it'll be a challenge to choose groceries. Strategy: plan on an hour--don't bring kids or friends. Go the bathroom before you start grocery shopping. Bring your reading glasses--read every label. The good news is, THIS GETS MUCH BETTER OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS AS YOU GET USED TO THE DIET.

3. It may take a while for your gut to heal, depending on how damaged it was at the time you went gluten free. So, you are going to have to be patient with your body--some people feel better immediately after going gluten-free, but most of us take longer than that. Don't give up if you don't see instant results. Strategy: Maximize your general health by getting enough rest, water, exercise, and limiting stress. Maximize your digestive health by limiting foods that are hard on the gastrointestinal tract until you're feeling better: limit irritants like dairy, caffeine, alcohol, and fried foods--these are all hard to digest--go back to them when you feel your gut is recovering.

4. Accept right now that it will be YOUR job to teach those around you about your diet