Who's In Their 20's?

[GlutenFreeStudent]

Hello!

I just signed up for this forum. I'm 24, and I'm from California. I've had Celiac disease I'd estimate for at least 10 years, maybe longer. I just got my correct diagnosis a few months ago and I've been sick all those years. I would like to meet other Celiac people online for support and friendship.

The list of things I can't eat is pretty long: No gluten, dairy, white potatoes, tomatoes, rice, apples, vinegar, peppers, coffee, and all vegetables have to be pureed into tiny liquified bits. That pretty much leaves meat, fish, sweet potatoes, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, honey, and corn... and my lovely gruel from the blender, made with mixed green veggies and a half of banana. All my food has to be made fresh, which takes a lot of time, and I have to carry it around with me when I go out, which makes me look like a geek!

I am curious to find out how other people my age live with this disease. My friends constantly eat junk food and eat out and go to coffee shops and bars and drink. All alcohol makes me sick, and there's not a single carbohydrate restaurants serve that I can eat. I don't like to draw attention to myself in a group. Once people find out about Celiac disease, they make a really big deal about it and say things like "I could never live on a diet like that, hahaha" or "You poor thing, how tragic" and stuff like that. It just makes me angry/sad and I feel like I should try to keep it a secret when possible. People can be mean when they insist that I choose to be picky about my food and that I just have a picky personality.

I have been extremely weak since about January. I have been mostly gluten and dairy free since March, but I continued to eat oats up until last week. Big mistake, I found out! I've spent most of this year on bed rest. I'm not getting stronger fast enough for my taste, and I'm really frustrated about that. I just got some gluten free vitamins, so I'm praying that will help. I'm sure that this forum is full of good advice, and I look forward to meeting some new people...

[shimma]

Hi, welcome to the board. I think you'll find that it's a great support network for celiacs and others with gluten intolerance.

I'm 27 and I was diagnosed with celiac disease just over two years ago. I've had symptoms on and off since high school, and actually I'm still struggling a bit to determine what I can and can't eat. Like you, I'm cutting out rice, potatoes, and a whole host of other stuff. Eating out is nearly impossible - my friends and coworkers are getting used to seeing me just NOT eat when I'm out with them - I try to eat before or after so I don't risk anything bad. If I do eat out, it's a salad (yay....plain lettuce, no dressing, minimal toppings). Of course, this still singles me out, but there's not much I can do about that.

All those things you mentioned that you can't eat - did you determine that by allergy testing? From what I know about food allergies, it is common for newly diagnosed celiacs to test postive for a lot of things, and be able to eventually reintroduce those foods when their guts heal. How long have you been on the diet?

[happygirl]

Welcome to the board! If you are looking for info and support, this board is definitely great.

[celiac3270]

I don't like to draw attention to myself in a group. Once people find out about Celiac disease, they make a really big deal about it and say things like "I could never live on a diet like that, hahaha" or "You poor thing, how tragic" and stuff like that. It just makes me angry/sad and I feel like I should try to keep it a secret when possible. People can be mean when they insist that I choose to be picky about my food and that I just have a picky personality.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not in my 20s, so I'll keep this short, but I just wanted to say two things: the first is that, even if you look like a geek or people laugh about it, the silver lining to this is that you're going to be much healthier than the boozers and junk food eaters in the long run.

My main point is that I completely identify with what you said above. I'm only 14, but I feel the same way about all of that...I try to lowkey it around non-yaks because people react in such stupid ways like that: "I'd rather die than go on that diet," "What happens if you eat it?," "So can you eat pizza? Bread? Pasta? Anything?," "So you're allergic to life," "I'll pay you $20 to eat this crumb."

As a result, I keep it a secret from some people who don't need to know and I low key it around peers who will eventually ask why I'm eating diff stuff, anyway.

-celiac3270

[Carriefaith]

Welcome! I'm also 24 and found out that I had celiac when I was 22.

Once people find out about Celiac disease, they make a really big deal about it and say things like "I could never live on a diet like that, hahaha" or "You poor thing, how tragic" and stuff like that. It just makes me angry/sad and I feel like I should try to keep it a secret when possible. People can be mean when they insist that I choose to be picky about my food and that I just have a picky personality.

I know what you mean, some people do make a big deal about it and others don't understand why I am being so picky and paranoid.

[Canadian Karen]

I wish........ lol!

Karen

[jenvan]

the first is that, even if you look like a geek or people laugh about it, the silver lining to this is that you're going to be much healthier than the boozers and junk food eaters in the long run.

Nice celiac3270--we are going to be better off than the boozers! Ha ha...

GFStudent- Welcome to the boards! I am 27, and believe I have had the disease for years and years as well. Individuals such as us who have had the disease for years and those of us who've not been diagnosed as kids, have to be more patient with our recovery. I have been gluten-free since February and although I do have improvement in some areas, I am still as tired and achey as before. For some it takes a year to really feel great again. There are other options too for those who don't feel they've gained complete recovery on the gluten-free diet--such as the SCD diet (Specific Carbohydrate Diet). It is a more restrictive diet, but in some ways similar to what you are choosing right now. There is a thread here for those on the diet--called SCD Support Group.

There are a lot of us this age with Celiac. Unfortunately some of those individuals don't know they have it yet !! Good luck and see you around the board!

[Jen H]

Hi GFstudent,

I'm 28 and just found out I have celiac disease about 3 weeks ago. I have been sick for the past year and am happy to finally know what is going on with my body. I am just starting to deal with the "stigmatism" of having celiac disease. My friends and husband have been very supportive and have even talked to other people who have celiac disease, just to educate themselves. Some of my friends have asked restaurants about gluten free options, just so I can go out to eat with them.

However, other people don't seem to get it at all. I had one restaurant server tell me "I can't believe you're putting yourself through this diet. I don't see why you would want to do that." Like I have an option...and that's after I sent my meal back to the kitchen 3 times. Some people just don't get it.

I was looking through some of the topics last night and there was something about a support meeting in California. I think it's in the LA area. I'm not sure where you live, but it might be something to check out.

celiac3270, you are funny. "I'll give you 20 bucks to eat this crumb". I can't stop laughing about that one.

Jen

[Carriefaith]

"I'll pay you $20 to eat this crumb."

People actually say that to you?

[elonwy]

I'm 27, in SoCal and found out last month that I have celiac disease. We're meeting up on the 3rd ( like 5 of us) if you're down in the area. There are also a few people on here from NoCal too.

If my friends can't deal with my needs they can bite me. The cool thing about being in Cali is that there are so many weirdo's here ( including myself ) that not that many people seem to notice. I think LA and SanFran specifically are easier cities to deal with this stuff in public.

I would collect snappy comebacks and whip em out at people.

Of course I grew up in Hawaii, where I was one of 4 white kids in my grade and spoke with an irish accent and was tiny and a brain, so I've been dealing with being wierd my whole life, so I find it pretty easy, lol.

Shrug em off, don't make a big deal ot of it, after a while they won't either, and know that you're special and precious and appreciate life so much more that they ever could, having had to fight for it.

K, I'm done.

Elonwy

[celiac3270]

People actually say that to you? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I got that from one person...repeatedly.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I am 20 and live in Georgia. You'll find lots of support here.

[Guest imsohungry]

Hi. Welcome! I'm in my late 20's and also a student. Best of luck to you! You will find a lot of support and wonderful people here.

[laurelfla]

Hi! Welcome!

i'm 24 and i just found out that i have celiac disease about 3 weeks ago. right now i am feeling like i stick out among friends... i am not drinking alchol right now for a while until i can get all the gluten sources in my life figured out, and i'm also not going to eat out for at least a month, having had a couple of bad experiences here lately...

so, as soon as i get my first paycheck of the semester (next Fri!) i am going to focus on getting my friends together to do non food-focused activities, like bowling, going to the movies, checking out the museums on campus i've never been to, etc. i find that when the focus of the hanging out is not food, i feel better and i don't have to do as much explaining.

and now... i have to get back to cleansing my kitchen!

take care!

Laurel

[Carriefaith]

Yeah, I got that from one person...repeatedly.

That's awful, people can be so mean sometimes

[CaliGirl]

I'm in my twenties, too. I think people our age are more open to the idea of food causing illness, compared to my grandparents' generation. I think it's because there's more awareness now that not everything can be solved with a "suck it up, get over it, and move on" --type attitude. You know, the mentality that says, "if I don't see gushing blood, you're just fine." Has anyone else noticed this? In my experience, when I tell someone 30 years older than me what celiac disease is, I'm much more likely to get a skeptical reaction than if I tell someone my own age.

Just conjecture here.

Rachel

[elonwy]

The two rudest reactions I had were from people over 40. I'm from a family that was very much about suck it up and deal, and I'm that way more so than my friends because of it, but I do think that as medicine has progressed and gotten less like voodoo, its much more acceptable to be sick and to have special needs of any kind. Some people progress, and some don't.

Elonwy

[Merika]

Hi!

I'm twenty-.....oh, wait, no I'm 32 I forgot But I did have undiagnosed celiac all through my twenties (from 19-31), and had restrictive diets during that time, and also was on near bed-rest for a while at first. It was really really hard.

Welcome, and ask lots of questions here Are you in LA? We're having a meet soon.

Merika

[LqrMan]

Hey fellow 20+ yr olds! I am 23 and trying to stay young for a while.

I don't know about the other celiacs out there, but when I hear that others are not only gluten limited, but rice, potato, etc, it really puts my gluten intolerance in perspective. It is so easy to get caught up in this disease and feel bad for yourself (I felt this way after being diagnosed 6 yrs ago), but now I just think about it and say it could be worse! Many others have it worse than we do unfortunately.

To the newly diagnosed celiacs, you are going to get a lot of clueless people asking you dumb questions and others making you feel bad about your illness. However, you really can't let them get to you! Eventually your friends will get used to you carrying food around with you (I never leave home without my cooler-haha) and you will just phase out the negative comments. Do not forget, this is what you need to do for your health! I found that controlling my celiac has been empowering because it made me a stronger person in the process.

[GlutenFreeStudent]

Thanks to everyone who replied! I feel better just knowing I'm not alone in this. I will probably check out the board at night for the most part, when I'm done with homework and need to be entertained. I hate TV, I would much rather be learning something or chatting with someone.

I get bad reactions to potatoes and rice. My stomach hurts for 5 days after eating them. I've gone through a trial and error process, figuring out which foods in addition to gluten make me sick. I am thankful that I have a couple safe complex carbs, like yams and corn. My doctor has advised that I stick to the diet I'm on for about a year (until next March) and maybe then I can re-consider adding potatoes or rice. My body is badly damaged and I'm best suited to soft, easy to digest foods, like steamed fish and baby food.

I'm hoping to graduate from baby food to pureed "real" vegetables with the cellulose coverings. Fresh corn and peas have a lot more nutrients than jars that have been on the shelf for 3 months, not to mention they taste a lot better! I have to increase my fiber gradually because things just sit in my stomach and ferment when they aren't being digested.

I would love to meet up with you guys, but I live near San Diego and I'm having a pretty hard time with going out (for the time being). I've been hospitalized this year and been on bed rest. My first step back into the real world is my college courses 3 days a week. Doing that one activity 3 days a week is just about all I can handle for now. *sigh* Hopefully I will get stronger again.

The .gif in my avatar picture is supposed to be transparent and have "moving" sparklies. I don't know what happened there, but at least I got the file uploaded.

[misskris]

I'm 23 and from GA - I don't check this board a lot, so I'm a little late replying. I just wanted you to know that it does get easier. I found out about Celiac when I was about halfway thru college. It was hard at first b/c of all the fatigue and brain fog. I had to totally destress my life - which meant giving up my editor position with our college newspaper and cutting back on classes.

I could hardly eat anything at first that wouldn't make me sick - not even brown rice, which is what I was told to eat since *nearly* everyone can tolerate that. Not me. So I stayed sick for awhile even after going gluten-free. I did find out that I also had a candida problem that was making me feel even worse. So I got that under control, started taking vitamins and started doing VERY MINIMAL exercise. It's gradually gotten better. I can eat anything now - except gluten of course!

Hopefully the same will happen for you. Adding fiber is an excellent thing to do. When I started taking a multi-vitamin everyday, I also started taking psyllium husk 3 times a day. The fiber has majorly helped with the bloating and constipation I used to have.

Another thing I did was to avoid all the packaged gluten-free foods out there. They are great once your body starts healing, but at first it was too much for me to handle. I stayed on a diet of meats and veggies for over a year. I've just gotten into all the baking and the pastas.

So good luck - and you're not alone. Ask lotsa questions. The people around here are great.

[tarnalberry]

Hello!

I just signed up for this forum. I'm 24, and I'm from California. I've had Celiac disease I'd estimate for at least 10 years, maybe longer. I just got my correct diagnosis a few months ago and I've been sick all those years. I would like to meet other Celiac people online for support and friendship. 

The list of things I can't eat is pretty long: No gluten, dairy, white potatoes, tomatoes, rice, apples, vinegar, peppers, coffee, and all vegetables have to be pureed into tiny liquified bits. That pretty much leaves meat, fish, sweet potatoes, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, honey, and corn... and my lovely gruel from the blender, made with mixed green veggies and a half of banana.  All my food has to be made fresh, which takes a lot of time, and I have to carry it around with me when I go out, which makes me look like a geek! 

I am curious to find out how other people my age live with this disease. My friends constantly eat junk food and eat out and go to coffee shops and bars and drink. All alcohol makes me sick, and there's not a single carbohydrate restaurants serve that I can eat. I don't like to draw attention to myself in a group. Once people find out about Celiac disease, they make a really big deal about it and say things like "I could never live on a diet like that, hahaha" or "You poor thing, how tragic" and stuff like that. It just makes me angry/sad and I feel like I should try to keep it a secret when possible. People can be mean when they insist that I choose to be picky about my food and that I just have a picky personality.

I have been extremely weak since about January. I have been mostly gluten and dairy free since March, but I continued to eat oats up until last week. Big mistake, I found out!  I've spent most of this year on bed rest. I'm not getting stronger fast enough for my taste, and I'm really frustrated about that. I just got some gluten free vitamins, so I'm praying that will help. I'm sure that this forum is full of good advice, and I look forward to meeting some new people... 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Welcome!

I'm 26, and have been gluten-free for two years and CF for one, also from California. It hasn't been too hard, but my friends are all pretty understanding of it and even sorta protective of me. :-) It just takes time... I still have bits I struggle with, depending on how stressful stuff's been in my life.

[Lauren M]

Me, me! I'm 23 and pretty new to the forum as well. I was diagnosed almost 2 years ago with celiac disease but I've learned a lot from the people here

I am a student also (grad student) and it is extremely difficult when friends want to go out for pizza and I'm stuck snacking on a protein bar that I brought along. I hate drawing attention to it as well, and most of my friends know this and try to steer the conversation away from it if that's where things are heading.

Welcome and feel free to e-mail me anytime, even if you just want to vent! I've found the Celiacs I've met through support groups and other functions to be the nicest people and so genuinely willing to help out in any way with advice and even just a shoulder to lean on. I don't think I could have gotten through my first few months after my diagnosis if it wasn't for my local support group. Now it's my turn to pay it forward!

- Lauren

[GFManiac]

"I'll pay you $20 to eat this crumb."

That is hilarious!

I was diagnosed shortly after my 30th birthday this year. It was really a blessing in disguise. I was expecting my 30s to be sort of the beginning of the end, so to speak. But now I feel healthier and happier than I ever have in my live as a result of this diet. I have fewer wrinkles, healthier hair, better posture, flatter stomach (no more bloated stomach, yay!!), more energy, sleep better, less 'emotional' etc, etc, etc... Once you start feeling better, you realize that the diet is a small price to pay for your health, happiness, and even vanity. Yes, eating out, traveling, get-togethers, etc suck if you aren't prepared food-wise, but there are far worse diagnoses to get. Can you say cancer? At least with Celiac, things should get better, not worse in time....

[uclangel422]

I am also in my 20's. I am 24 and from CA.

Every social situation I am in revolves around food it seems. From potlucks at friends houses to restaurants. A lot of movies too, but that doesnt have to be around food. I have learned to use the word "plain" a lot.

I am lucky i guess that i have a friend who is low carb, so she usually trys to go to places who will accomodate that, and usually that means i can eat too. Although sometimes she complains about being low carb and how hard it is, which always makes me want to scream.

I would rather be gluten-free than the other situation when i used to cancel going places with my friends because i was afraid that i would get really sick in front of them.