I will remember Monday, February 13, 2012. After months of digestive distress, weeks of experimenting with cutting out gluten and dairy from my diet, a round of bloodwork, and finally a biopsy of my intestines, that is the day the results were in and the diagnosis became official. I have celiac disease.
Since many have been walking alongside me, praying me through this journey thus far, I thought it would be prudent to share a little about celiac disease and the implications it has on my life. It's really too much information for one blog post, so this will be the first part in a two-part series. In this post I will deal more with the physical aspects of celiac disease, and in a following post I will address more of my emotional and spiritual reactions and thoughts to the experience and the diagnosis.
Celiac is an autoimmune disorder. Basically, when I eat foods containing gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, my immune system reacts by attacking cells of my own body as though they were foreign invaders. In the case of celiac, the damage is done to the intestines, greatly hindering the body's ability to absorb nutrients and causing a myriad of painful or otherwise uncomfortable symptoms.
There is no cure for celiac and the only treatment is a strictly gluten-free diet for life. While such a diet will enable me to lead a normal, healthy lifestyle, failing to cut out gluten greatly increases the risk of developing further complications, including intestinal cancer, osteoporosis, malnutrition, and other autoimmune disorders. One medical article I read said patients with untreated celiac disease are 4 times more likely to die from complications than their non-celiac peers.
On the bright side, a gluten-free diet is very doable. There are plenty of foods that are gluten-free in their natural state: fruits, vegetables, rice, beans, nuts, unprocessed meats, as well as alternative grains such as oats and quinoa. As more and more people are developing celiac and gluten-intolerance issues, more and more alternatives and gluten-free products are made available.
But celiac disease is not as simple as gluten-intolerance. Someone who is gluten-intolerant can usually eat small amounts of gluten without reacting or experiencing any distress. Neither are their symptoms the result of an immune reaction. Typically, their bodies just have difficulty digesting the proteins. Wheat or gluten allergy, however, is also an immune response, but it varies from celiac in that it does not specifically target the intestines. With celiac disease and allergy, the tiniest traces of gluten can cause a reaction. Even using a pan, utensil, or surface that was used to prepare foods containing gluten without thoroughly washing it first can contaminate gluten-free food.
Another challenge is that gluten, and particularly wheat, shows up in a lot of foods. Breads, pastas, cookies, cakes, chips, crackers and things of that nature are the most obvious sources, however, gluten or wheat is often used as a filler, thickener, or a bonding agent and shows up in many processed foods, meats, and sauces where you might not otherwise expect it. And, while a person with gluten-intolerance may be able to get by with those products labeled "May contain wheat", I am learning that I must look only for the glorious "Gluten free" label and avoid anything ambiguous or processed in a facility that also processes wheat.
In addition to avoiding gluten, I must also avoid dairy products as I am also currently lactose intolerant. Many people who are diagnosed with celiac disease are also initially unable to properly digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and dairy products, until they adopt the gluten-free diet and their intestines have time to heal. Depending on the damage sustained, healing may take anywhere from a few months to a few years. Some celiacs never recover the ability to digest lactose and must remain both gluten and lactose free for life. Only time will tell.
Needless to say, avoiding gluten and dairy has its limitations. Honestly, I miss milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter more than I miss wheat, so I am praying earnestly that the lactose intolerance is only temporary. Meanwhile, I thank the Lord for the availability of alternatives like almond milk.
But perhaps the most difficult adjustment is the social one. Going out to eat, or eating over at someone's house just became way more complicated. Even though more and more restaurants are training their staff to properly handle foods for gluten-free standards and adding gluten-free menus, there is a huge trust factor involved in letting someone else prepare your food. You can never be sure whether or not they really handled it properly, what really is or isn't in there, and whether or not they really understand the seriousness of the disorder or how easy it is to contaminate the food with trace amounts of gluten.
Many of my gluten-free friends have adjusted by simply bringing their own food to social functions or simply eating on their own before or after going out to eat with a group of friends. While it is honestly a little uncomfortable to be the odd one out at a social gathering, the physical consequences of throwing caution to the wind for the sake of social normalcy are also quite uncomfortable. For sure, these adjustments will take a while to get used to, but I am confident that in time they will be normal and not seem quite so awkward.
All-in-all, being diagnosed with celiac disease is life-changing on some levels, and initially very overwhelming, but as I am adjusting I find that I have so much for which to give thanks to the Lord. I can only imagine what God will accomplish as a result of my celiac disease, and what opportunities might come my way that would not have otherwise. I look expectantly to see the good that He will accomplish through it, and desire especially to grow in Christlikeness and humility as a result of this development. May I be faithful with this gift that He has given!Labels: every day life, reflections