For many that do not know, my sister suffers from Celiacs Disease. This means that her body cannot absorb gluten. Not only does it not absorb it, but her body attacks itself when it is ingested. Even if it's a small amount from cross contamination, it will impact her, greatly. She’s not practicing the fad diet, and it’s not an allergy, it is an autoimmune disease that is literally killing her when people are careless.
What do you mean people are careless? When she goes to a restaurant and orders something gluten free, many times she finds herself getting seriously sick. Her Celiacs is a little more sensitive than others, but it doesn’t take that much effort to use new knifes or clean the surface you were cooking on. Or just do any precautionary things that will prevent her from feeling like she is dying. Yes. She feels like she is dying. I have here a quote from her on what it feels like if she eats some gluten:
“Fifteen minutes after a contamination I can feel my mind start to cloud over. My energy is drained and I can barely stand. Listening and talking to others causes me a headache. My abdomen is in pain. I'm either constipated or going to the toilet constantly. There's no warning with a celiac poop. You go when it calls. And this is just a cross contamination. If a restaurant isn't careful and prepare my food with with same tools as others. A full out glutening involves at least one week of laying down feeling like I'm dying. I might be able to manage a five minute walk. “
This isn’t like lactose intolerance where you feel a stomach ache. This lasts for days. This can permanently damage her intestines. She’s not just complaining to get out of work or to not do the dishes.
If we can take precautions at home, it can be done at work. If someone is a cook and trained to do gluten free food, they better do it right. Because if people keep not caring if they use the same pan for a regular pizza and a gluten free one, you are poisoning her. They are the reason why people with celiacs disease get intestinal cancer and die. So please, care. I don’t care that it’s an annoying fad diet. It is heartbreaking to see my ambitious sister bed bound because she feels like she’s dying.
“I have so much anxiety going into restaurants. Everyone is going to assume I eat gluten free because of a fad. Especially because I'm also vegetarian. Also, when I do specify they ask "allergy or preference". Actually it's an autoimmune disease.... there's so much judgement. Not even my friends take me seriously. It's because I'm so used to always feeling sick. I'm so able to power through life that people don't take me seriously when I complain. Even doctors are incompetent. Mine constantly badgered me asking if I had an eating disorder because I was losing scary amounts of weight.”
