My Life

Coeliac Disease

For many years I suffered with anaemia, a deficiency of iron in my blood, and had various other symptoms that in the end I had to have a couple of biopsies.This resulted in my being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 2005

Coeliac disease is not an allergy. It’s an auto-immune disease, which means that the body produces antibodies that attack its own tissues. For people with coeliac disease this attack is triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Some people with coeliac disease also react to oats.Symptoms of coeliac disease may range from mild to severe, and can include:

Bloating, diarrhoea, nausea, wind, tiredness, constipation, anaemia, mouth ulcers, headaches, weight loss, hair loss, skin problems, short stature, depression, infertility, recurrent miscarriages and joint/bone pain.

Some symptoms may be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or wheat intolerance, while others may be put down to stress, or getting older. As a consequence, it can take some time before an accurate diagnosis is sought, or made. Following diagnosis and commencement of the gluten-free diet these symptoms cease.

Needless to say, I was rather taken aback as now I had something I had to learn to live with and foods I loved to live without! This obviously has caused me some depression.

Getting my head round all of this along with so many other issues has been hard, but by God’s grace I am more than able!

For further info, or help see,

Coeliac UK