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Will Celiac Ever Be A Trait And Not A Disease?

foodiegurl

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foodiegurl Collaborator
foodiegurl
Posted

I just hate that Celiac is a disease, it is so depressing. If so many people have it, 1 in 133, and many people are being diagnosed as kids, it seems it would be more of a genetic trait than a disease.

I just hate saying "I have celiac disease", and always drop off the disease part. I don't want to be thought of as sick, especially if I am someone who sticks to being gluten-free 100%.

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foodiegurl Collaborator
foodiegurl
Posted
  • Author

no one else feels the same way?? :unsure:

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Weekends are quiet here, and Sundays more so.

I have heard of one person who refers to it as "the celiac difference."

I also know somebody who says that if you follow the gluten-free diet carefully, then you no longer have celiac disease--you are cured.

I guess that it is a matter of semantics and is open to discussion.

For those of us who know, it is a "choice" that enables us to lead a normal life.

hannahp57 Contributor
hannahp57
Posted

i totally agree.. i almost never say celiac disease if i dont have to. i leave it at "im gluten intolerant" usually

i think if it was ever a trait it would be like having a risk for heart disease..that's still a disease but noone is going to look at that like a trait either... either you're at risk (your family has a history of it) or you HAVE it... or you dont at all. i hope what i am saying makes sense...

lizard00 Enthusiast
lizard00
Posted

I hate it, too, to say I'm 'diseased'.

On the other hand, the word disease catches people's attention. People took me seriously to begin with, but you throw the word disease at them... it's not just some diet that you're doing to lose weight or for attention.

I'm not sure it would ever change. It's an autoimmune reaction to a normal food substance. So, in that respect, I don't know if the medical community would change it's terminology. But, maybe as awareness continues to grow, another term will be coined. It's like having 'the sugar(s)', instead of diabetes. (At least in the south anyway. NO ONE has diabetes here. They all have 'the sugar(s)' :lol: )

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

You could try saying "I have non-tropical sprue" instead. That is kind of exotic sounding terminolgy by comparison.

OptimisticMom42 Apprentice
OptimisticMom42
Posted

NO ONE has diabetes here. They all have 'the sugars' :lol: )

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pele Rookie
pele
Posted

I absolutely agree with you. And I don't feel that celiac is a disease. I think of it as a natural reaction to poison. There are those who say that the whole disease thing is a precursor to medical "treatment' in the form of pills.

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Well, I never refer to it as a disease; I just say I am a celiac (don't know that for sure, but prove I'me not!!!haha) and that's that. If someone questions, it is gluten intolerance that makes me sick.

lizard00 Enthusiast
lizard00
Posted
So we have "The Flours" :)

LOVE IT!!! :lol::lol:

ang1e0251 Contributor
ang1e0251
Posted

In a restaurant or potluck dinner, I say I have some very serious food allergies. That gets peoples' attention and they can understand it. With my family or someone who may have the same condition, I do say celiac disease because they already don't understand it. They need to hear the seriousness of the word "disease" to take my limitations seriously. My sister just blows me off. I think she's secretly afraid she has it. She doesn't take her diabetis very seriously, IMO, so why should she follow what I'm trying to tell her? My Mom kind of understands but just now in discussing a restsurant she said that I'm kind of picky about my food. I said "picky?" you say that like I have a choice. I know she wants to understand but it's so complex it's just kind of too much for her.

Sorry, this got off to a rant. That phone call bugged me.

cmom Contributor
cmom
Posted

Yeah, I have a MIL that continually says that I "won't" eat certain things, but never I "can't" like she thinks I'm trying to get attention. She gets aggravated when we take her somewhere and don't stop to eat. My DH has said several times that I can't just anywhere and she always says, "Well, she can eat green beans and corn....blah blah blah". And sometimes I do take chances, just to keep down the peace. She just doesn't get the whole cross-contamination thing. She also usually watches every bite of food I put in my mouth... :angry:

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      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

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    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

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    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
    • trents
      Accuracy of testing concerns

      By trents · Posted

      The biopsy looks for damage to the mucosal lining of the small bowel from the inflammation caused by celiac disease when gluten is ingested. Once you remove gluten from the diet, inflammation subsides and the mucosal lining begins to heal. 
    • Theresa2407
      Doctors and Celiac.com

      By Theresa2407 · Posted

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