Test Results

Celiac Disease (can't you tell?)

You are about to see A LOT of catch up posts... May was a crazy month. I had some career issues and then after the endoscopy on May 31, I was diagnosed with celiac sprue disease with almost fully atrophed villi. Don't worry if you have no idea what that means. The above image is an diagram by Anthony on what that means.

Still don't understand? Check here.

From what I have learned, I have had symptomatic celiac disease for likely a number of years (between 3-5 years or more) but I count myself lucky because a number of the random symptoms I have had can now be traced to something real and legitimately treatable. After 3 months of living my new lifestyle, I have more energy (I was malnourished) and my hair has stopped falling out (weirdest symptom).

How do you treat celiac disease? Simple. Don't ever eat gluten ever again. Gluten is the binding protein in wheat, rye, and barley.

No List
Chocolate Malt Milkshakes
Sacrament Bread
Krispy Kremes - all doughnuts
Bread, Pasta, Pastries
Anything with flour in it
Soy Sauce
Ramen Noodles
Beer, Gin, Whiskey, etc. (I knew those were bad) :)
Some lunch meats
Bleu cheese

Yes List
Fruits, Veggies, Meats (unprocessed), seafood
Rice, Quinoa, Potatoes
Corn Pasta
Plain Ice Cream (with exceptions)
Yogurt, Cheese, Milk (not chocolate milk)

As you can probably tell, I have been VERY busy learning as much as I can. Reading books. Meeting with a dietitian. Joining a support group. Learning how to cook again. Clearing out the pantry (don't worry, everything was given away). Refilling the pantry.

The hardest part is traveling, attending weddings or birthdays (no cake), and going to parties or church events. When you can't participate with what everyone else is doing, you automatically feel left out of somewhat excluded but it isn't that bad. If you have a question, just ask! It will probably be a learning experience for the rest of my life.