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

Never Thought I Would Be Able To Do This


ravenwoodglass

Recommended Posts

txplowgirl Enthusiast

CONGRATS Raven! Gives me hope that my problems will be gone in time too. :D


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



psawyer Proficient

Well done, and congratulations. It is possible to overcome many obstacles it you try hard enough. :)

Roda Rising Star

Cheers and congrats!!

kareng Grand Master

Congrats, Raven! I feel I should say something deep and meaningful here......but then you would ask who wrote it for me!

Really, this is a great accomplishment! You have overcome a lot of obstacles. :D

kayo Explorer

I have chills! Congratulations doesn't seem like a big enough word for all that you have accomplished. You're amazing, simply amazing. :)

gifree Apprentice

In 2002 I had given up all hope of ever being able to do anything but live in pain and continue slowing dieing. Even after diagnosis I still had little hope of ever being able to accomplish much as my brain and body were so very damaged. Everything was so hard from thinking to walking to even talking to my children. I felt trapped in my own body.

I had to quit college one semester short of my degree in 1996 due to being so very sick from undiagnosed celiac. In 2008 I tried to go back to school and finish my last semester but my brain was still not back enough and my memory was still so poor and movement was still so difficult at times that I went back for a little over a month and gave up. It was just too hard physically and mentally. To say that was demoralizing is an understatement. But I continued with physical therapy for my motion issues and never gave up on the idea that I could heal fully.

Last summer I decided to give it one last shot. I sit here now with tears in my eyes still not quite believing that I took my last exam today. I did it. I finished my duel degrees. Even if I don't ever find a job with them at least my children can say now that their Mom at least finished college. Something no one else in my family (other than my children) ever did. It was hard and I spent many many hours studying to get my brain to be able retain what I was reading but I did it. I even had a 100% average in 2 of my classes going into the exams.

For those of you who are still struggling with neuro damage keep the faith. We can recover even from severe brain damage. I wish it hadn't taken so long but I am so glad I never gave up. You shouldn't either.

Big, big congrats Ravenwood!! I know from personal experience how difficult it is to persevere academically when Celiac affect's one's cognition...so, a big hats off to you!

Hang that diploma prominently and proudly!

Googles Community Regular

Awesome! That is so cool!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Ox on the Roof Apprentice

Congratulations! You are a kind person and even though I've been here a short time, you've already been an encouragement. I celebrate with you! Someone should bake you a good ol' gluten-free CAKE! :D

plantime Contributor

Way to go!!

sandsurfgirl Collaborator

Congratulations!!!! I am SO proud of you! What an inspiration you are. Thank you for sharing and for all you do to help others on this board. Way to go!!!!!

Woot woot! Woop Woop! Yippee!!! Yay! Awesome! You're number one! Go Ravenwoodglass! (that's my cheerleader impression)

finally diagnosed Apprentice

In 2002 I had given up all hope of ever being able to do anything but live in pain and continue slowing dieing. Even after diagnosis I still had little hope of ever being able to accomplish much as my brain and body were so very damaged. Everything was so hard from thinking to walking to even talking to my children. I felt trapped in my own body.

I had to quit college one semester short of my degree in 1996 due to being so very sick from undiagnosed celiac. In 2008 I tried to go back to school and finish my last semester but my brain was still not back enough and my memory was still so poor and movement was still so difficult at times that I went back for a little over a month and gave up. It was just too hard physically and mentally. To say that was demoralizing is an understatement. But I continued with physical therapy for my motion issues and never gave up on the idea that I could heal fully.

Last summer I decided to give it one last shot. I sit here now with tears in my eyes still not quite believing that I took my last exam today. I did it. I finished my duel degrees. Even if I don't ever find a job with them at least my children can say now that their Mom at least finished college. Something no one else in my family (other than my children) ever did. It was hard and I spent many many hours studying to get my brain to be able retain what I was reading but I did it. I even had a 100% average in 2 of my classes going into the exams.

For those of you who are still struggling with neuro damage keep the faith. We can recover even from severe brain damage. I wish it hadn't taken so long but I am so glad I never gave up. You shouldn't either.

Congrad's.... you earned every bit of that degree, its never to late to finish what we started many years ago....

be proud...

Mama Melissa Enthusiast

Congrats Raven!!!!!That is awesome all that hard work did pay off:)

Marz Enthusiast

Wow, congrats Raven!! Taking up studying after several years of not studying is hard enough, having to deal with celiac disease and disability on top of that must have been almost impossible.

Well done for tackling the impossible, you are an inspiration! :)

Archived

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

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - Jmartes71 replied to Jmartes71's topic in Doctors
      6

      Second chance

    2. - trents replied to EssexMum's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Concerning GP advice

    3. - knitty kitty replied to HectorConvector's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      327

      Terrible Neurological Symptoms

    4. - cristiana replied to EssexMum's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Concerning GP advice

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,638
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    CIARAN CONROY
    Newest Member
    CIARAN CONROY
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Jmartes71
      Thats the thing, diagnosed in 1994 before foods eliminated celiac by biopsy colonoscopy at Kaiser in Santa Clara  now condo's but it has to be somewhere in medical land.1999 got married, moved, changed doctor's was with former for 25 years told him I waz celiac and that.Fast forward to last year.i googled celiac specialist and what popped up was a former well known heard of hospital. I thought I would get answers to be put through unnecessary colonoscopy KNOWING im glutenfree and she wasn't listening to me for help rather than screening me for celiac! Im already diagnosed seeking medical help.I did all the appointments ask from her and when I wanted my records se t to my pcp, thats when the with holding my records when I repeatedly messaged, it was down played the seriousness and I was labeled unruly when I asked why am I going through all this when its the celiac name that IS what my issue and All my ailments surrounding it related. I am dea6eoth the autoimmune part though my blood work is supposedly fabulous. Im sibo positive,HLA-DQ2 positive, dealing with skin, eye and now ms.I was employed as a bus driver making good money, I loved it for the few years my body let me do until I was yet again fired.i went to seek medical help because my body isn't well just to be made a disability chaser. Im exhausted,glutenfree, no lawyer will help and disability is in limbo thanks to the lax on my health from the fabulous none celiac Google bay area dr snd team. Its not right.
    • trents
      Welcome to the celiac.com community @EssexMum! First, let me correct some misinformation you have been given. Except in the case of what is known as "refractory" celiac disease, which is very rare, it is not true that the "fingers" will not grow back once a consistently gluten free diet is adopted. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition whereby the ingestion of gluten triggers an inflammatory process that damages the millions of tiny finger-like projections that make up the lining of the small bowel. We call this the "villous lining". Over time, continued ingestion of gluten on a regular basis results in the wearing down of these fingers which greatly reduces the surface area of this very important membrane. It is where essentially all the nutrition from what we eat is absorbed. So, losing this surface area results in inefficiency in nutrient absorption and often to medical problems related to nutrient deficiencies. Again, if a gluten-free diet is consistently observed, the villous lining of the small bowel should rebound. "We was informed that her body absorbs the gluten rather then rejecting it and that is why she doesn't react to the gluten straight away, it will be a build up and then the pains start. " That sounds like unscientific BS to me. But it does sound like your stepdaughter may have a type of celiac disease we know as "silent" celiac disease, meaning, she is asymptomatic or at least the symptoms are not intense enough to usually notice. She is not completely asymptomatic, however, because you stated was experiencing tummy aches off and on. Cristiana gives some good suggestions about ordering "safe" food for your stepdaughter from restaurant menus in Europe. You must realize that as the step parent who only has her part of the time you have no real control over how cooperative her other set of parents are with regard to your stepdaughter's needs to eat gluten free. It sounds like they don't really understand the seriousness of the matter. This is very common in family settings where other members are ignorant about celiac disease and the damage it can do to body systems. So, they don't take it seriously. The best you can do is make suggestions. Perhaps print out some info about celiac disease from the Internet to send them. Being inconsistent with the gluten free diet keeps the inflammation smoldering and delays or inhibits healing of the villous lining. 
    • Scott Adams
      Here are some articles on cross-reactivity and celiac disease:      
    • knitty kitty
      @HectorConvector, Here are some articles about "dry Beriberi" and neuropathy.  I hope you've been able to acquire thiamine hydrochloride or Benfotiamine.  I'm concerned.   Dry Beriberi Due to Thiamine Deficiency Associated with Peripheral Neuropathy and Wernicke's Encephalopathy Mimicking Guillain-Barré syndrome: A Case Report and Review of the Literature https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30862772/ Dry Beriberi Manifesting as Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy in a Patient With Decompensated Alcohol-Induced Cirrhosis https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7707918/ A Rare Case of Thiamine Deficiency Leading to Dry Beriberi, Peripheral Neuropathy, and Torsades De Pointes https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10723625/
    • cristiana
      Good evening @EssexMum You are quite right to be concerned about this situation.  Once diagnosed as coeliac, always a coeliac, and the way to heal  is through adopting and sticking to a strict gluten diet. That said... I have travelled twice to France since my diagnosis, firstly in May 2013 and again in August 2019.   My spoken French isn't bad, and whilst there I tried my best to explain my needs to chefs and catering staff, and I read labels very carefully when shopping in supermarkets, but both times I came away with worsening gastric symptoms and pain. Interestingly,  after the second holiday, my annual coeliac review took place the following month and although I'd been very careful to avoid gluten all year, thanks to that August holiday my coeliac antibodies were elevated,  Clearly I hadn't been imagining these symptoms and they must have been caused by gluten sneaking in somehow. When I spoke to my gastroenterologist on my return, who is an excellent doctor, he told me with a smile that this was a very common experience in France among his patients, and not to worry too much about it! In fact, before we went away in May 2013, which was just after I had been formally diagnosed, he told me not to even bother trying to adopt a gluten free diet until I returned, knowing what France was like, but I was feeling so awful at that time I ignored his advice and at least tried to make a start with it. (I ought to say - both these visits were some time ago, so perhaps things are a lot better there now.) So what to do?  I would say at least try to explain to catering staff the situation - they should be able to rustle up a plate of cheese, boiled eggs, tuna, salad and fruit, and if things like crackers and gluten-free pot noodle or oats can be packed in the UK, those can be produced at mealtimes.    Of course, most larger supermarkets in France do now cater for coeliacs, but when I was last there the the choice wasn't as wide a range as we have in the UK but I think that is partly because the French like to cook from scratch, whereas our gluten-free aisles have quite a lot of dried or pre-baked goods in them/convenience foods, because I think we as a nation tend to use them more. I would be worth doing a bit of research on the internet before the trip, - the words you want are 'sans gluten'.  I've just googled 'sans gluten Disney Paris" and this came up.  I do hope at least some of this is of help. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g2079053-zfz10992-Disneyland_Paris_Ile_de_France.html  Whatever befalls in France, at least your stepdaughter can resume her usual diet on her return. On a related tack, would you be happy to post any positive findings/tips upon her return - it might be of use to others travelling to Disneyland Paris with children in future? Cristiana
×
×
  • 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.