Sunday, October 26, 2008

Celiac Disease

So just a few days ago I went to the doctor for some blood tests, for the past 3 months or so, I've lost all energy, I'm sick to my stomach all the time, I have headaches and migraines on a regular basis and it doesn't matter how much sleep I get during the night I still constantly feel like I'm going to fall asleep standing up. The tests came back positive for celiac disease, which means my lifestyle has to change a lot. I have a little info on Celiac's for those of you who aren't quite sure what it is.
It's a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villi—the tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine. Villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food one eats.


So all this pretty much means I can no longer eat anything with gluten in it, which pretty much is in a huge variety of food, but I've started to figure things out already to eat. It's going to be a challenge but hey, bring it on!

6 comments:

Jeff and Rebecca said...

Jesica! What's going on?? It must be so hard to have a gluten-free diet. You poor thing! I hope you get things figured out and you feel better because of it.

blainebassett said...

Does this mean you get to have a gummi bear and
V-8 diet? LUCKY! So is this a fairly common thing to have? I vision you finding ways to a healthy lifestyle and make this into a fast food experience. Would you like "Gluten-Free fries? Biggie sized?" Anyway, hope all is well and keep me posted on yummy dishes you come across. You could start a food revolution....

Stefanie D. said...

Oh my gosh! That is so crazy! I hope that everything turns out ok! That would be so hard...no gluten!!! Good luck!

Lindsay Carrick said...

Wow, Jes. I'm glad they pinned it down so you can start fixing it. Good luck with everything and I'm praying for you!

Kristin said...

Jes, I know all about celiac's. MY sis-in-law and 4 of my husbands aunts and uncles also have it. Here is a website of a lady that makes GF food. http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/02/gluten-free-bloggers.html Send me an e-mail, kristin.fifield@gmail.com and i'll send you a whole list of gf sites and links to my fam's gf blogs. I know it looks daunting at first but there are actually a lot of things out there you can make gf that taste like the regular gluten stuff!

Powell said...

That must not be very fun, but at least you found out what was wrong and know how to make it better.... even if it's not the funnest way. It's good your feeling better.