Really Annoyed

[Chrisco]

My sister came over tonight and told me that her coworker said she has Celiac disease, so when I asked her if her coworker was gluten free, she said no. Her coworker says she knows how much gluten she can eat before she will get sick. I got really annoyed by that and told her that I don't think she has Celiac because the slightest amount of gluten can make someone sick. I don't know why it upset me that her friend is claiming that she has Celiac but yet can eat minimal amounts of gluten and not get sick. I think I'm upset because I am having a hard time getting my family to take my illness seriously. The only person who has been supportive is my husband. For years I was told my symptoms were in my head and that I was making myself sick and now I finally have a diagnosis and I'm working on my diet and feeling better and everyone thinks it is not a "real" disease. I'm so irritated. Oh yeah and her friend calls it "Silly A.."(didn't want to write the curse word but you get the idea) disease. I don't know what she meant by that but it upset me even more. Sorry for the venting but it just really bothered me.

[virginiagl]

You have touched on something that I am finding rather difficult to deal with myself and that is the fact that many people think I am making this stuff up. Maybe her friend will get a dose of reality someday and open her eyes. From what I am reading, not all people with celiac disease feel sick after eating gluten. Who knows...maybe she is having other kinds of symptoms and simply isn't putting two and two together.

As for why it irritates you so much, it is what it is. You have a right to feel irritated even if you don't understand why. I am learning more and more how this hits us all in so many different emotional ways. Food is such an integral part of our culture and to have to be so careful of what we eat is a big strain in more ways than one.

[mushroom]

If your friend's coworker truly has celiac disease, she is damaging her body in other ways than getting sick by eating gluten. Since it is an autoimmune response she is creating antibodies that may cause many other different kinds of negative effects on her body. Unfortunately, the folks who don't get immediate gastro symptoms from gluten can do enormous harm to the cause of those who do, leading non-celiacs to believe that it is possibly a choice whether or not we eat gluten. I have a sister whose symptoms are entirely muscular and who used to "cheat" on the diet, because she had so many aches and pains anyway she thought a couple more would be "worth it". I once went to enormous effort (before I was gluten free myself) to make her a gluten free birthday party to which I invited all her friends, right down to the gluten free birthday cake. I provided regular bread rolls for the other guests, and my sister "cheated" by eating one of them. I could have killed her! My sister has finally seen the light, thank goodness. There's not much you can do about these people except to say, if she chooses to harm herself, that is her business.

[freeatlast]

I agree with mushroom. It took me YEARS to understand that the only person I can control is myself and I have a heck of a time doing that

[taproot]

My one aunt and both of her daughters have undiagnosed Celiac or gluten intolerance. I admit that it does drive me up the wall that they eat whatever they want and either don't care about the outcome or they then complain about what happens. I think some people believe that if they see you doing the diet, it is good enough and then doesn't apply to them. It's about the only reason I have for my relatives being to willfully destructive to themselves. As the posters above me out it- You can't control what they do and you have to give others a pass over it because only they can make the change. I know it's extremely frustrating to deal with, however :/

[Gemini]

  On 2/22/2010 at 4:33 PM, freeatlast said:

I agree with mushroom. It took me YEARS to understand that the only person I can control is myself and I have a heck of a time doing that

This is a totally brilliant and oh so true statement!

The biggest reason most people do not take Celiac seriously is because there is no medical treatment for it....no chemo, radiation

or surgery. Food is not considered a treatment for anything in this country and that's why the vast majority of Americans are walking around overweight and sick. They will never allow themselves to see that you REALLY, REALLY are what you eat.

I haven't been sick once all winter and never take a flu shot, ever, and you know what people say? I'm lucky. Try telling them it's because I eat so well!

[jackay]

  On 2/22/2010 at 4:55 PM, Gemini said:

I haven't been sick once all winter and never take a flu shot, ever, and you know what people say? I'm lucky. Try telling them it's because I eat so well!

I didn't have a flu shot and haven't been sick all winter. I am wondering since gluten intolerance is an autoimmune response, am I building up a lot of antibodies that are fighting upper respiratory illnesses? By eliminating gluten, will my antibody level go down causing me to start catching things like the common cold and flu?

[ItsaDollThang]

I can understand people who cheat with gluten foods. I've been there with my addictions to chocolate and caffeine. I know I shouldn't eat chocolate or drink coke sometimes, waste my cals on that, but I still do it. There's this switch in my head when it comes to "forbidden" foods. Most of the time I am able to just forget about it, but now and again I get a craving that won't be denied, diet and good intentions notwithstanding.

We all want what we can't have. The more we deny ourselves something the more we usually want it. That's only human nature. Most of us will succumb to things we aren't supposed to have food-wise every now and again, no matter how strong the will power.

I do have to draw the line though when it comes to eating something that can hurt. I simply don't think 4 painful hours on the toilet is worth that Napoleon I'm eying in the fridge case at the local grocery store anymore. If the real bread bugs my stomach and I have to give up my Frosted Flakes, then so be it. I'll find something I can eat and be happy with that. I'm done with courting all that pain via my food choices.

It took me all of a week on a no-gluten diet to realize that it was the right diet for me. I get tempted to eat regular stuff, sure, but not so much anymore. I figure maybe it just takes some people longer. For me all that pain and discomfort going away after years of suffering was a real wake up call.

Anytime I think about cheating all I have to do is remember it means being sick and usually that's all it takes for it to become less appealing that thing I want so bad.

[kareng]

Is it possible she really isn't Celiac. Some people like to have whatever the "in" disease is. I had a relative that had to have whatever disease is in the news. I have another one who is only related by marriage but will have to one up me with more food allergies or maybe she'll have Celiacs, too. We have to do our thing & ignore them.

[Gemini]

  On 2/22/2010 at 8:07 PM, jackay said:

I didn't have a flu shot and haven't been sick all winter. I am wondering since gluten intolerance is an autoimmune response, am I building up a lot of antibodies that are fighting upper respiratory illnesses? By eliminating gluten, will my antibody level go down causing me to start catching things like the common cold and flu?

By staying on and maintaining a solid gluten-free diet, your autoimmune system calms down and antibody levels go down. I think the reason why so many experience better health without colds and flu is because, now, your autoimmune system is attacking the invaders it should be attacking, and not our body parts. It's been re-directed back in the right direction. Your antibody levels have nothing to do with catching a cold or flu,unless they are elevated from eating gluten and the immune system attacks the things it shouldn't....like your small intestine. That leaves your body with no defenses to fight germs.

[sandsurfgirl]

  On 2/22/2010 at 8:07 PM, jackay said:

I didn't have a flu shot and haven't been sick all winter. I am wondering since gluten intolerance is an autoimmune response, am I building up a lot of antibodies that are fighting upper respiratory illnesses? By eliminating gluten, will my antibody level go down causing me to start catching things like the common cold and flu?

The only antibodies you are building up, from my understanding, are the ones against gluten which are harming you, so no I would not think that gluten would be helpful to your immune system at all.

I have suffered horribly from respiratory infections, severe allergy symptoms even though my allergies are considered mild when tested, asthma, chronic sinus infections and the like for years and years due to celiac disease. Now that I'm gluten free my GI tract is still a mess but all of that stuff has improved dramatically, nearly 100% at this point.

Eliminating gluten will strengthen your immune system and allow it to work properly, not go haywire and attack things it really shouldn't be attacking.

[sandsurfgirl]

  On 2/22/2010 at 5:22 AM, Chrisco said:

My sister came over tonight and told me that her coworker said she has Celiac disease, so when I asked her if her coworker was gluten free, she said no. Her coworker says she knows how much gluten she can eat before she will get sick. I got really annoyed by that and told her that I don't think she has Celiac because the slightest amount of gluten can make someone sick. I don't know why it upset me that her friend is claiming that she has Celiac but yet can eat minimal amounts of gluten and not get sick. I think I'm upset because I am having a hard time getting my family to take my illness seriously. The only person who has been supportive is my husband. For years I was told my symptoms were in my head and that I was making myself sick and now I finally have a diagnosis and I'm working on my diet and feeling better and everyone thinks it is not a "real" disease. I'm so irritated. Oh yeah and her friend calls it "Silly A.."(didn't want to write the curse word but you get the idea) disease. I don't know what she meant by that but it upset me even more. Sorry for the venting but it just really bothered me.

I'm kind of in a mood today, so pardon me for being overly blunt. She's a moron.

Either she doesn't have celiac disease, or she does have it and hasn't gotten that sensitive at this point. If she has celiac disease and knows that her gut is being damaged by the autoimmune response then she is a complete idiot for pretending like she can eat gluten. Symptoms or not, she might as well be eating little bits of glass everyday like others on here have said.

Only one person has taken my disease lightly and I set her straight immediately because it really pissed me off. I sent her a lengthy email explaining that this is a SERIOUS autoimmune disorder that if untreated can cause terrible other diseases and most likely is connected to my thyroid problem, etc. etc. etc. She didn't do it again.

Not to mention the fact that many of us, me included, are so ill by the time we get diagnosed that it takes months to feel better. I feel like crap everyday and everything I eat bothers me, so if anybody were to make a comment like that to me, they would really regret it because they would get a long dissertation about everything they never wanted to know about celiac. That would shut them up.

Facts are your weapons in this fight, and it is a fight because this is serious and you don't need a friend or family member poisoning you with gluten accidentally because they don't take it seriously enough.

I'm so sorry your family is being ridiculous. I can't believe anybody would be that ignorant to not take anyone's disease no matter what it is, seriously.

[jackay]

  On 2/22/2010 at 10:54 PM, sandsurfgirl said:

The only antibodies you are building up, from my understanding, are the ones against gluten which are harming you, so no I would not think that gluten would be helpful to your immune system at all.

I have suffered horribly from respiratory infections, severe allergy symptoms even though my allergies are considered mild when tested, asthma, chronic sinus infections and the like for years and years due to celiac disease. Now that I'm gluten free my GI tract is still a mess but all of that stuff has improved dramatically, nearly 100% at this point.

Eliminating gluten will strengthen your immune system and allow it to work properly, not go haywire and attack things it really shouldn't be attacking.

Good to know. I feel fortunate that I don't suffer from upper respiratory problems. Suffered enough from GI problems and anxiety to make up for it.

[Squirrelflight]

This would really bother me too. It's unfortunate that some people just dont take care of themselves and even more unfortunate that others see that as an example WE should be following instead of the other way around.

Just keep doing right by yourself. That is really all you can do.

Michelle

[OptimisticMom42]

Forrest Gump: Stupid is as stupid does.

Just smile and walk away!