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Who's In Their 20's?


GlutenFreeStudent

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LRgirl Explorer

Hi,

I'm 26 and from Maryland. It has been hard adjusting to my gluten intolerance as well as other allergies. You'll find this to be a very helpful and supportive board.

Traci


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Guest zipy

Hi there! I'm 25 and was dxed about 1 month ago. I'm a grad. student at ASU and it's hard to be gluten-free. All the parties, socials, gatherings...free pizza by the Greek rush ....it's not much fun to be on the outside of all the "fun" and normal stuff. I was thinking about seeing if there is gluten-free student support group on campus, or maybe looking in to starting one? I mean, what do students stuck in the dorms eat when they buy a meal plan? Hang in there...I'm making all my own foods from scratch and it is a pain and does take a lot of time...but they taste good! I chewed my husband out the other day for eating my home-made gluten-free granola bars when we have a pantry full of the store bought ones...he said he liked mine better! Lol!

happygirl Collaborator

It's nice to know that there are others out there that are young and living gluten free (or trying the best we can!). I've never met anyone with celiac disease so it makes me feel better to know that there are others like me :)

VegasCeliacBuckeye Collaborator

I just turned 30 a few months ago (ok, 7 seven months ago).

I have been diagnosed since 1997.

The first couple of years were difficult, but they got easier.

You should always be reading about celiac disease and always be reading about food. I have plenty of cookbooks and food-educational sources at home. The more knowledge the better.

This site is great, better than any Doctor I have ever seen. Welcome!

Ken Guzzardo Newbie

Hey everyone, my name is Ken and I'm 24 years old. I was diagnosed in October, and had been getting sick for about 5 years previously. I'm new to all this posting stuff, but I wanted to hear from more people my age that have this disease. GFSTUDENT, if you allow your body some time to heal; there's a good chance that you will be able to tolerate more foods in the future. Eating a very restrictive diet for a limited time is a small price to pay if it buys you years of health in the future. As someone else posted (I forget who), dealing with eating out with friends is a difficult situation for me. My friends will laugh when I bring my cooler of food on the golf course, as they're all toating their coolers of beer, but oh well. A quick note to everyone.. I recently returned from Disney World, which was the first vacation I have taken since being on the diet, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. As long as you make all the reservations with advance notice and alert them to your restrictions, they were more than accomodating. Each head chef came over to talk to me, which made the trip a lot less stressful for me (and therefore my girlfriend). I'm living outside of Philly, so anyone in the area email me or post back... i haven't met anyone aside from 50 year olds with this, so it will be nice to talk to someone more my age.

emeraldskies Rookie

I'm 27 and was diagnosed with celiac disease slightly over a year ago, but I've had signs of it since infancy.

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.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, I've had a similar reaction even though I had most of the same health issues (and more) as the middle aged people I'd encounter. I was also told, "You're young; you'll bounce back from anything" repeatedly pre-diagnosis. I still haven't bounced back.

Lauren M Explorer
I'm living outside of Philly, so anyone in the area email me or post back

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey Ken - I'm in grad school at Drexel!

Do you ever visit Mr. Ritts in Philly?

- Lauren


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Ken Guzzardo Newbie
Hey Ken - I'm in grad school at Drexel!

Do you ever visit Mr. Ritts in Philly?

- Lauren

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey Lauren - I've been to Mr. Ritts a couple of times. Their jewish apple cake is ridiculously good. what are you going to school for? i graduated from jefferson last year.

ken

Lauren M Explorer

Ken,

I'm getting my masters in Publication Management. I have my bachelors in Rhetoric & Communications. For one of my grad classes last year, I "created" a magazine entirely about Celiac disease and the gluten-free diet :P

I think EVERYTHING at Mr. Ritts is ridiculously good! I'll have to try the apple cake next time. I got my birthday cake from them last year (my only request was that it had to have chocolate and it had to have peanut butter) and they came up with something that was to die for :D

It's cool to find out about others my age with celiac disease! And you're all so nice!

- Lauren

frenchiemama Collaborator

I'm in my (late) 20's as well, but I have to say that I haven't had too much trouble with people regarding celiac disease overall. My husband's family have really been the only ones to have a strange reaction ("can't she just take some benadryl?").

jkmunchkin Rising Star

Welcome! I'm 27 (will be 28 in just over a week). I just found out a couple months ago that I have celiacs, but have most likely had it for nearly 10 years. Atleast now I know why I was always sick.

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    • trents
      Welcome to the forum, @Judy M! Yes, he definitely needs to continue eating gluten until the day of the endoscopy. Not sure why the GI doc advised otherwise but it was a bum steer.  Celiac disease has a genetic component but also an "epigenetic" component. Let me explain. There are two main genes that have been identified as providing the "potential" to develop "active" celiac disease. We know them as HLA-DQ 2.5 (aka, HLA-DQ 2) and HLA-DQ8. Without one or both of these genes it is highly unlikely that a person will develop celiac disease at some point in their life. About 40% of the general population carry one or both of these two genes but only about 1% of the population develops active celiac disease. Thus, possessing the genetic potential for celiac disease is far less than deterministic. Most who have the potential never develop the disease. In order for the potential to develop celiac disease to turn into active celiac disease, some triggering stress event or events must "turn on" the latent genes. This triggering stress event can be a viral infection, some other medical event, or even prolonged psychological/emotional trauma. This part of the equation is difficult to quantify but this is the epigenetic dimension of the disease. Epigenetics has to do with the influence that environmental factors and things not coded into the DNA itself have to do in "turning on" susceptible genes. And this is why celiac disease can develop at any stage of life. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition (not a food allergy) that causes inflammation in the lining of the small bowel. The ingestion of gluten causes the body to attack the cells of this lining which, over time, damages and destroys them, impairing the body's ability to absorb nutrients since this is the part of the intestinal track responsible for nutrient absorption and also causing numerous other food sensitivities such as dairy/lactose intolerance. There is another gluten-related disorder known as NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or just, "gluten sensitivity") that is not autoimmune in nature and which does not damage the small bowel lining. However, NCGS shares many of the same symptoms with celiac disease such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea. It is also much more common than celiac disease. There is no test for NCGS so, because they share common symptoms, celiac disease must first be ruled out through formal testing for celiac disease. This is where your husband is right now. It should also be said that some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease. I hope this helps.
    • Judy M
      My husband has had lactose intolerance for his entire life (he's 68 yo).  So, he's used to gastro issues. But for the past year he's been experiencing bouts of diarrhea that last for hours.  He finally went to his gastroenterologist ... several blood tests ruled out other maladies, but his celiac results are suspect.  He is scheduled for an endoscopy and colonoscopy in 2 weeks.  He was told to eat "gluten free" until the tests!!!  I, and he know nothing about this "diet" much less how to navigate his in daily life!! The more I read, the more my head is spinning.  So I guess I have 2 questions.  First, I read on this website that prior to testing, eat gluten so as not to compromise the testing!  Is that true? His primary care doctor told him to eat gluten free prior to testing!  I'm so confused.  Second, I read that celiac disease is genetic or caused by other ways such as surgery.  No family history but Gall bladder removal 7 years ago, maybe?  But how in God's name does something like this crop up and now is so awful he can't go a day without worrying.  He still works in Manhattan and considers himself lucky if he gets there without incident!  Advice from those who know would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Scott Adams
      You've done an excellent job of meticulously tracking the rash's unpredictable behavior, from its symmetrical spread and stubborn scabbing to the potential triggers you've identified, like the asthma medication and dietary changes. It's particularly telling that the rash seems to flare with wheat consumption, even though your initial blood test was negative—as you've noted, being off wheat before a test can sometimes lead to a false negative, and your description of the other symptoms—joint pain, brain fog, stomach issues—is very compelling. The symmetry of the rash is a crucial detail that often points toward an internal cause, such as an autoimmune response or a systemic reaction, rather than just an external irritant like a plant or mites. I hope your doctor tomorrow takes the time to listen carefully to all of this evidence you've gathered and works with you to find some real answers and effective relief. Don't be discouraged if the rash fluctuates; your detailed history is the most valuable tool you have for getting an accurate diagnosis.
    • Scott Adams
      In this case the beer is excellent, but for those who are super sensitive it is likely better to go the full gluten-free beer route. Lakefront Brewery (another sponsor!) has good gluten-free beer made without any gluten ingredients.
    • trents
      Welcome to the forum, @catsrlife! Celiac disease can be diagnosed without committing to a full-blown "gluten challenge" if you get a skin biopsy done during an active outbreak of dermatitis herpetiformis, assuming that is what is causing the rash. There is no other known cause for dermatitis herpetiformis so it is definitive for celiac disease. You would need to find a dermatologist who is familiar with doing the biopsy correctly, however. The samples need to be taken next to the pustules, not on them . . . a mistake many dermatologists make when biopsying for dermatitis herpetiformis. 
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