What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that occurs genetically in people where the consumption of gluten causes damage to the small intestine. Gluten is anything containing wheat, barley, or rye. There is no cure or medication for celiac disease so the only way to not suffer from symptoms is to not eat gluten. I am not a doctor but based on my personal research, some people are born with the gene that allows for the possibility of celiac disease to develop. Some people are affected by celiac disease from a young age or it can be activated for the first time later in life by stress or other triggers.

My celiac disease journey

At the beginning of my first semester of college, I found myself under a tremendous amount of stress. I started having symptoms of celiac disease soon after I started school but I did not know that celiac disease was the cause of my pain until a year later! I experienced excruciating stomach cramps, nausea, sleepiness, and unexplained weight loss. I lost a lot of weight and this was a source of frustration because whenever I went back to my hometown. People that had not seen me in a while were fast to comment on my weight and this was upsetting because I had no control over what was going on in my body that was causing me to lose weight. While these people were quick to comment on my loss of weight they didn't understand the underlying reasons behind this weight loss and the pain it was causing me. Sometimes I was in so much pain that it hurt to walk. I was eating pasta almost every day and had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch! GLUTEN! I did not know that the food I was putting in my body was hurting me. I even went to a specialist who dismissed my symptoms and said I was "just another college girl with anxiety" and not to worry about it.