College Student Just Diagnosed

[DaVille06]

Hello everyone,

My name is Nick. I was diagnosed with celiac disease about 2 months ago. I'm a 23 year old college student and can say that the transition has been anything but easy. Living life always on the run has made removing gluten from my diet a very difficult process. However, after a year of testing me for liver damage to peptic ulcers, I'm just glad to finally have a conclusive answer. I think my doctor was starting to believe I was crazy. Just wanted to say hey to everyone, I'm sure I'll be on here quite a bit as I have loads of questions. My doctor wasn't very helpful in the discovery process and said that most the info I could just get off the Internet. So to everyone, thanks in advance.

[GFinDC]

Welcome Nick! Glad you found us. One thing we find helpful is to get our test results from the doctor. They are good for keeping records and also comparing notes with other people. Some colleges have programs to assist people with medical conditions like celiac disease. Others don't. They might allow you to live off campus or get a room with a kitchen to cook your own meals.

Anyway, do stick around and read lots. We have thousands of threads here on living gluten-free sucessfully!

[DaVille06]

Thank you for the welcome. My doctor did give me my test results however I have never really looked at them. Maybe it's time to take a glance. And I will most certainly be here for a while. Nice to meet some people who can answer some questions and understand what I'm going thru.

[navigator]

Welcome to the forum. When I was first diagnosed this forum provided me with so much information - and that's still ongoing! The gluten-free lifestyle is difficult at first but I'm eight months down the road and I rarely have difficulty now. If you're rushing about at college, being organised in advance will be a great help. The days of feeling hungry and then quickly grabbing something from anywhere are no longer feasible, so either prepare food, snacks etc and always have them with you or track down somewhere where the staff are knowledgeable about gluten-free and the dangers of cross-contamination.

I can relate to your relief at finally having an answer. I actually felt it quite liberating when I finally had a diagnosis after so long!

[acmcclelland]

Hey,

I feel ya, I just went gluten free too, more because I have tons of family members who have celiac disease. I felt like it was a time bomb waiting to happen, so i just changed the way I ate. I am about four weeks free of it. I agree, it is hard, but totally worth it. I can be your struggle buddy if you want , I am also in college and usually I walk across campus with food because I don't have enough time to sit and eat a proper meal.

[deltron80]

Doctors are @ssholes..

Good luck in the dining hall!