Celiac Disease

So, first of all, 151 followers?!? Thanks, guys!! I just want to mention that if you'd like me to follow you and start reading your blog, leave me a little note, and I would be more than happy to. I love finding new blog friends :)

I go back to school today. It's ten in the morning right now, and I still need to shower and pack. I was planning to leave by noon, but now it's looking like I won't get out until at least 2 this afternoon. I always drag my feet when I am leaving home for school, though. Classes start Monday. Not too excited about that one. This block of classes is going to be very stressful, and it's during this set that we will be doing our first cat spays. I already spayed a few cats this summer at my clinic here at home, but doing it under the watchful eye of the vet school surgeons is going to be pressure!

VictoriaCrimson left me a comment on my last post asking about the benefits of eating gluten-free. Basically, she was right in that it is just easier on the digestive system. However, if you have Celiac disease (gluten allergy/intolerance), which is what I have, it is absolutely imperative that you not eat anything with gluten in it. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, and barley. The verdict is still out on oats, so while I am still in the 'detox' period from gluten, my doctor has told me oatmeal is a no-go. Once six months of no gluten has passed, I can try adding oats back into my diet and see if I get a reaction from it. Anyway, side-tracking. The gluten causes my immune system to react to the lining of my small intestine, and destroys the villi on that lining that absorbs nutrients. The effects of gluten on a person like me are not your regulare allergic reaction, like hives or sneezing or something like that, which is why it took so long for me to be diagnosed. It is basically a bunch of non-descriptive symptoms, which range from annoying to embarrassing. Lots of them have to do with the GI system, so I would have diarrhea, cramping, bloating, and gas a lot, and other problems concerning my stools that is really a TMI and you guys probably don't want to hear about! Because my body couldn't absorb nutrients very easily, I also had problems like muscle cramps and bleeding easily because my blood potassium levels were off. I have also been iron-deficient for most of my life, even with taking iron supplements, which makes perfect sense now, because my body just wasn't able to absorb enough. Even eating a bite of bread will set my immune system off, which they call being 'glutenized'. LOL It sounds like something from a comic book. Anyway, I can tell when I have inadvertently eaten something with gluten in it, because I get the most horrible stomach ache, which sometimes lasts for a few days, and all the other GI problems to go along with it. It really sucks. But, I am glad we found a reason for all these problems that I have been dealing with for my whole life, and I am feeling a lot better lately! I have also noticed that my stomach has been much flatter; I think I must have been perpetually bloated from the reaction going on inside my intestines!

So anyway, to the normal person who is not allergic to gluten, there really are no health benefits to going gluten-free. I definitely would say that if you don't need to do it, then don't! It's crazy how much stuff has gluten in it. However, it does allow me to be really picky with my food, especially when out to eat, since gluten hides in a lot of stuff. It does make me sad to have to give up most of my cereals, though. Cereal was one of my favorite Ana foods, because it was not a binge food for me, and I felt like I was getting a sugary treat with my Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Honey Smacks that had hardly any fat and were less than 100 calories for a half cup.

Now I have the perfect excuse to refrain from eating cookies and brownies when offered to me, though! "Oh, no thanks, I am actually allergic to gluten. They look so delicious! I would have one if I could!" Hehe ;)

I hope I answered your question, Victoria! And if anyone else has questions about it, I conveniently did a research paper in senior year of college on Celiac disease, so I know more about it than most. Apparently I could see the future LOL!

Love you, Skinnies!

~Sottile