August 22, 2008

Realization

So, All my life I just thought I was a person allergic to the outside. What I mean is that I am allergic to dust, pollen, mold, etc... Well I am allergic to those things but not on the scale I knew. Before going gluten-free I thought the reason I had thickness in the back of my throat was because I was a nasally person with tons of allergies. So, I have now been gluten-free for 5 months and 9 days and Spring this year didn't effect me. Interesting! How do I know this? Well, yesterday I went to lunch with some co-workers and a vendor. I asked about what foods were gluten-free and they weren't sure but told me to eat the salad with chicken. So at this restaurant in the middle of eating this thickness that I once thought was due to allergies is back due to a different type of allergy. I swear I ate gluten. I started coughing and tried to clear my throat with water and that noise you make when you try to clear your throat. Nothing worked! Then that night I payed for it. Still don't know what had gluten in it, but that when the realization hit... All the thickness in my throat all my life was due to wheat. Today a co-worker of mine who is gluten-free was talking to me about how she was always tired. I told her that I haven't felt tired like I used to in a long time. another realization hit me. About 5 years ago I went to the doctor because I would have missing moments. I would sit at my computer at 1:00 and than time was lost and it would suddenly be 3:00. I never felt rested. The doctor took blood and found that my white blood cell count was high and thought that I had an infection somewhere. He would then put me on antibiotics but the symptoms never went away. I cant believe this disease has been with me all along and now I am finally diagnosed. Every website talks about malnutrition as a symptom. I never had that issue luckily. My symptoms after looking back were the following (and remember the endoscopy biopsy came back positive with celiac)...
  • Stomach Distension
  • Thickness in my throat
  • Constant high white blood cell count
  • Fatigue
  • Moments of time loss
  • Tiredness
  • Unable to focus on work or other things (maybe this is the reason I clean the house so weird)
  • Irritability
  • Stomach Pain

The one thing that made them finally run tests was the acute pain in my upper abdomen on the right side. That pain woke me up in the middle of the night starting November 2007, but went away by taking an acid reducer that the doctor prescribed.

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What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is a disease of the small intestine. The small intestine is a 22 foot long tube that begins at the stomach and ends at the large intestine (colon). The first 1-1/2 feet of the small intestine (the part that is attached to the stomach) is called the duodenum, the middle part is called the jejunum, and the last part (the part that is attached to the colon) is called the ileum. Food empties from the stomach into the small intestine where it is digested and absorbed into the body. While food is being digested and absorbed, it is transported by the small intestine to the colon. What enters the colon is primarily undigested food. In celiac disease, there is an immunological (allergic) reaction within the inner lining of the small intestine to (gluten) that are present in wheat, rye, barley and, to a lesser extent, in oats. The immunological reaction causes inflammation that destroys the lining of the small intestine. This reduces the absorption of dietary nutrients and can lead to symptoms and signs of nutritional, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies.

I found this information at the link below.
http://www.medicinenet.com/celiac_disease/article.htm

BTW I dont claim to be an expert or doctor. This is information I have found or what has worked for me.