I Have Two Questions...

[fisharefriendsnotfood]

My first question...

I've had SOOOOOOOOO many people tell me they know someone who had celiac disease but they grew out of it. I tell them no, it's impossible to grow out of, and they're insistant and say they did. ??????????????

Second...

What do you say to someone when they ask, "Well, what will happen if you eat wheat/gluten?" I am completely stuck and people ask me all the time.

Thanks for your help!

Jackie

[Rachel--24]

NO....you can't "grow out" of Celiac. Those people are obviously misinformed.

I haven't really had to explain to many people yet since I'm newly diagnosed.

Knowing how I am though...I'm sure I will go into full detail about Celiac, gluten and what it does to the body. Thats just me though....I'm sure I won't shut up about it for awhile. I will want everyone to KNOW about gluten.

[ianm]

celiac disease does not go away but it can go into remission. For me it would come and go during my teens. In my mid 20's it started going away less and in my 30's it was raging out of control non-stop. When I eat gluten I get fatigue and crippling brain fog. I just tell people it makes me very sick and that I just cannot function normally when I eat it. Usually that works. If they can't or won't get it I just write them off and exclude them from my life. I have reached a point where losers are not allowed in my life. That's why I come here, to be around the winners in life.

[aikiducky]

I usually explain that my body mistakes a gluten molecule for a bacteria or virus, and starts to defend itself, but because there isn't actually anything to defend against, the antibodies start to eat up my intestines instead. Some people understand the explanation and are fine, others don't but it sounds impressive enough that they are fine anyway. Or maybe I'm just so convincing. With the really tough cases I go really scientific.

The reason why sometimes people appear to outgrow celiac disease is that it can present with different symptoms over the years, someone could have diarrhea as a child and then just headaches as a teenager for example, and get sicker again as an adult.

Pauliina

[Lisa]

Well....

Ask them if they really want to know? Then ask them if they are sure that they really want to know.............then give it up.

Seriously, I have had so many people come up to me and ask what diet I was on, because I have lost so much weight. I have said, "you don't want my diet, I have digestive issues that you don't want". That usually ends the conversation. Many people just don't know what to say after that. And then, you can go about your business.

Lisa B.

[tarnalberry]

My first question...

I've had SOOOOOOOOO many people tell me they know someone who had celiac disease but they grew out of it. I tell them no, it's impossible to grow out of, and they're insistant and say they did. ??????????????

Second...

What do you say to someone when they ask, "Well, what will happen if you eat wheat/gluten?" I am completely stuck and people ask me all the time.

Thanks for your help!

Jackie

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nope, you don't grow out of it.

As for the second question, I say one of the following, usually in decending order:

"Well, first I feel dizzy and disoriented, then... then it's about a week of 'intestinal trouble', if you know what I mean."

then

"It damages the intestines. I feel pain in the abdomen, it makes a lot of noise, and I'll be hanging out in the bathroom a fair bit, thank you."

then

"You can hear the food rumble through my intestines, it hurts like a jerk, the bathroom gets a lot more visits (and you don't want to head in after I do), and I feel like crap for a week. Enough to keep me away from it."

[KaitiUSA]

Once celiac, always celiac....can not outgrow it. You can have it with symptoms or no symptoms.

I tell people that it will damage my intestines and then that will cause interfering with absorption of food.

I like to use analogies sometimes to explain it as well.

[nettiebeads]

Nope, once you have celiac disease, you got it. Period. As for "what happens..." I usually tell them "really bad diarrhea and painful gas for starters.." because it usually gets asked when people are eating it really shuts them up. They don't want their appetite to be affected

[luvs2eat]

I've had people ask me, "Can't you just eat a LITTLE??" I tell them that I can... if I want molten acid shooting out my butt. Ha ha... it's graphic, but it makes my point.

[sb4480]

I've had people ask me, "Can't you just eat a LITTLE??" I tell them that I can... if I want molten acid shooting out my butt. Ha ha... it's graphic, but it makes my point.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Lol- that reminds me of the time I had indian food during a flare up. I ate it because I knew it was safe and gluten-free, but I didn't take into account the chili as it was leaving. Now I know to eat PLAIN rice when my stomach hurts.

[fisharefriendsnotfood]

Thanks so much everyone!

[skoki-mom]

Well, my reply to "what happens if you eat it" is "nothing" (true, in my case), which is followed by "then why be on the diet", which is followed by me saying that I'm just not interested in being a crippled old lady from osteoporosis having the nurses in the nursing home change my colostomy bag because I would up with bowel cancer......................

In my case it's about preservation of my future health and not symptom control! If people don't get it, I just say it's the same reason I don't smoke and do other things that are bad for my health. If they don't get it, <shrug> oh well, what can you do??

[ravenwoodglass]

No you don't outgrow a genetic difference, and I just tell people I will get sick,if they have health problems also I go into greater detail but the rest just need to know it makes me sick.

[spetti]

Well, Jackie, I'm new to this myself, but certainly one cannot 'grow out of' a genetic disease.

As for the answer to the second question. I say " I will get very sick, very quickly and for a long time if I eat even a trace of gluten." If they persist, I refer to "extreme digestive problems" and leave it at that. Hopefully, someone that dense is not responsible for my food.

Steve