What is Celiac and why do you have to be gluten free?

I am often asked what is Celiac and what happens when you eat gluten? I'll give you a crash course. Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease. It was once thought that it was extremely rare and that it was a childhood illness. Well that can't be further from the truth. It turns out that 1 out of every 133 people in the U.S. has Celiac. Unfortunately about only 1% of those people are diagnosed. It can develop at any age as well.

Why do I have to stay gluten free? Gluten is in wheat, rye, barley and some oats. It is the protein that causes the auto-immune reaction in a person that has Celiac disease. This only happens if I eat it. Some people get a skin problem, even if it just touches them. I guess I'm lucky I don't have that problem.

Any who, many people ask what happens if I eat gluten. Well it's pretty ugly really. For me a few different things happen. There is as many as 120 different symptoms that can happen. Personally I end up in the bathroom. I feel as if I will turn inside out, with horrible stomach cramps. I often wish I could take my intestines out and give them a good scrubbing and put them back inside. LOL.

That is the main reaction I have. But if I get a real good reaction, then I will toss my cookies as well. It is always such a great time when you sit on the john with a bucket on your lap, because you have both ends going. If I'm real lucky, I end up super dehydrated. Then it's a trip to the emergency room. This is the only way the reaction will stop. I get an I.V. with all the good lactated ringers to juice me back up. The most I have ever had to get was 3 full I.V. bags before I had to pee. That was the time my blood pressure dropped so bad, they thought I was going to die. Good Times, let me tell you.

So needless to say I avoid gluten like the bubonic plague. The wacky thing about Celiac disease is no 2 people have the exact same symptoms. So it makes it very hard to diagnose. It's sad when your food is what is making you sick.

Post surgery

I had my surgery, the gallbladder is gone. I thought this would be the end to this whole adventure. Boy, was I wrong. I should have known. With me, if something can go awry -it will. I was still having "gallbladder attacks, after it was taken out. What the hell? Apparently, they weren't able to get the stone out, that was wedged in my bile duct. The stone was the size of a 2 KT diamond, which according to them is pretty big. The Dr. tried everything he could think of, at least that is what he said. He said he even tried to flush it out with water. Hhhmm interesting.

So I had to go see a G.I. Dr., so they could perform a procedure on me called a E.R.C.P. I went into the office and saw a Physician's Assistant. She poked and prodded my sore little tummy. Which caused me to have another attack, the most painful by far, since my gallbladder had been taken out. I ended up being violently ill. I felt like I was going to turn inside out, into a bucket. I ended up having the procedure 6 days after the surgery. They had to schedule it at night, due to having to use an x-ray machine and whatever. I met the Dr. that would actually do the procedure about 5 minutes before. YIKES! The Dr. did the procedure, he went in cut a hole in my bile duct, and looked around. Surprise no stone! Apparently when the P.A. was poking around it caused me to pass the stone. Which would explain why I was so sick.

So I am back to a normal diet, for me that is. Good Ol' gluten free.