Scientific Poster Help

[SarahBrock]

Hello Everyone.

I am writing a medical poster about Coeliac Disease to be put up in Manchester medical school. The aim is to increase awareness of Coeliac Disease amoung medical students.

I was looking for your help in that I can do all the scientific bit but could do with some more imput on the psychosocial aspect, how the condition affects your life. Not just having to change your diet, though I understand this is probably the major impact but anything you think is relevant to you living with Coeliac Disease that medical students should be aware of.

I'd really appreciate any help. Thank you

Sarah

[heathen]

As a medical student with Celiac disease, I think the best thing you can do is get them to think about what they would do for lunch when they go to grand rounds or conferences--sandwiches, tortilla wraps, gourmet cookies--and none of them gluten-free! I've found that once they understand the life impact, they become much more interested in the pathology of it. And they can put a face with a disease, which helps the details to stick. That's been my experience, anyway.

[mushroom]

I agree. Imagine going into a room full of every kind of goodie you could imagine, all made with: phyllo pastry like spanikopita, regular pastry like pies both sweet and savoury, or just plain flour like , biscuits , cream-filled cakes, chocolate goodies, muffins, croissants, watercress sandwiches, whatever floats your boat, and not being able to eat a single thing there. Breakfast meetings, conferences, weddings, practically any function you can imagine where food is served, and you will stand out as the person not eating anything, or diving hungrily into the rare platter of crudites (hold the dip--probably contains gluten) and hoping that no one has yet contaminated it

Don't know how you would portray that in a poster, but that's really the biggest problem for me. So much of social interaction revolves around food where we can't control what goes into it. We need big purses to carry around our stashes of safe goodies. Just a thought what do men without purses do? Carry briefcases I suppose.

[GFinDC]

Seems to me a good thing to put on the poster would be a list of some associated conditions. I think the list below should also include schizophrenia, depression, neuropathy, lactose intolerance, sleep disorders, lupus, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, thyroiditis, and dermatitis herpetiformis.

From the NDDIC site

Open Original Shared Link

People with celiac disease tend to have other diseases in which the immune system attacks the body’s healthy cells and tissues. The connection between celiac disease and these diseases may be genetic. They include

* type 1 diabetes

* autoimmune thyroid disease

* autoimmune liver disease

* rheumatoid arthritis

* Addison’s disease, a condition in which the glands that produce critical hormones are damaged

* Sj

[Welda Johnson]

Hi,

I'm so glad to hear that you are doing this! I've read that diagnosis of Celiac often takes an average of 10 years. In many cases it has taken MUCH longer (I've had symptoms since age 8 and now at 64 have been on a strict diet for just a few years). Being aware of the "family connection" is another huge piece of the puzzle. With Celiac being a genetic disease, I'm hoping that one day all babies will be tested at birth, as happens in Italy.

When you scroll through this site and read random selections, you'll find that after years of being "misdiagnosed," we are sensitive to many issues. We may have made the rounds of doctors and specialists for years, experiencing severe illness, and may have even spent our life savings, while never getting an official diagnosis. Celiac symptoms cover a wide spectrum. We may have suffered physically, mentally and emotionally, especially when others commented how "weird" and "strange" we were because of our food choices, because of our cautious approach to any food eventually, and, finally, because of our hesitancy to eat any foods which we haven't prepared ourselves.

However, I must mention that we are survivors, not victims, that we have grown strong, resilient, and compassionate because of the illnesses we have experienced, and that we wait in the wings or even on center stage to help others who are just now learning of their food intolerances. If we can offer any further information, please ask. Also, feel free to email me at welda@att.net if you'd like. Thank you for what you're doing! Welda