Celiac Disease Support Group

Hi there!

Celiac is a genetic disease and we were born with it. As we go on living our lifes it can be "sleepy" and not bother us at all and then something (like stress or a surgery or a virus) can trigger it and then the whole thing gets started. Of course there are people who are asymptomatic even when the disese starts destroying their villy, but that is a different story. I was totally healthy until my 18 years and then started the disaster...Also keep in mind that when you go gluten free and then by accident get glutened, the symptoms are much worse.

Meline

My celiac symptoms began at age 19 but I was continually misdiagnosed until age 47. Nothing changed for me over the years until I finally happened upon a gastro that KNEW about it and told me how to avoid gluten. I am a refractory case at this point and sometimes think I might be dying because of my painful gut. But then I get a bit better for a while. Odd how our ages of onset are similar - 18, 19, 20.

My husband was diagnosed this year at age 45. He had no symptoms until becoming anemic last year.

I'm sure I've had Celiac disease my whole life but was only diagnosed at the age of 54. I had all of the classic symptoms at a young age but got better. Then at the age of 53 I started having terrible symptoms and blamed it on stress. Of course stress can be the trigger for adult onset Celiac disease... meaning I've always had it but the symptoms didn't reappear until stress triggered it at a later age. As soon as I was diagnosed, I went totally gluten-free. It hasn't been easy but it's the only way to go. Why poison onself?? However, as Meline said, when you accidentally ingest gluten, you get really sick. However, I look at it as healing myself for the future. I've accepted my disease (don't like it!) and am moving on. There are very many good alternatives to the regular gluten products in today's market.
Good luck!

I've had it all my life. As a young child I remember thinking that I had to be the world's worst wimp because when I was in agony doing farm work my grandfather could still outwork me. Every adult thought I was lazy. It took every ounce of strength I had to get through each day.

As I heald I started to realize what it feels like to not be sick to my stomach all the time or have to run to the bathroom for those urgent bowel problems.

I know for sure that I was always sick with this disease. THe doctor's just didn't learn to diagnose it until I was old.