My History

Posted by Mike in Mike's JourneyDec 31st, 2008 | 3 responses

Celiac runs strong in my family, starting with my grandmother and down to her grandchildren (my generation).  Nine people on my dad’s side of the family have celiac.  

I always was very active in sports and generally pretty healthy.  My favorite foods are pizza, Chinese food, cheeseburgers, and macaroni and cheese… I showed no signs of an intolerance to gluten.  My sister was diagnosed with Celiac after she went through a long period of pain and feeling poor.  My mom insisted that I have a blood test, and I failed miserably.  I was officially diagnosed with celiac via an endoscope when I was 22 years old and in college.  My eating and beer drinking habits at that time were gluten ONLY. 

Fast-forward a year or two, I’m 24 now… I’ve put on some pounds due to my favorite foods, am not aerobically in shape, and overall not feeling very well on a daily basis.  I still do not have the typical stomach symptoms that are shared by most people with Celiac.  

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3 Responses to “My History”

  1. Andie says:
    February 12, 2009 at 11:20 pm

    hey mike,
    your gf stephanie directed me to your new blog. we lived across the hall from eachother in kappa junior year. i was diagnosed with celiac my 2nd semester of frosh year but i didn’t start strictly following the diet until june 1,2008. may 31st, 2008 was the last day i had pizza, taco bell chalupas, a few cookies, etc. you get the idea, lol. i pigged out! but now that i’ve been gluten / wheat free for awhile i feel so much better. my main symptom was tiredness. i’d have some abdominal issues too and also my mom and bf would comment that i looked “puffy”. my mom said she could always tell when i cheated by how my face looked.

    anywho, i know it’s a huge struggle to finally decide to switch over to gluten free and stick to it. i just wanted to say congrats on making the decision to better your health!

    i’ll keep reading your blog for sure :)

    ~andie gaddis

  2. Emily says:
    April 4, 2009 at 1:58 pm

    Hi Mike,

    Celiac is pretty rampant in my family too, but overall, few have had traditional stomach/GI symptoms.

    And most of us have been overweight. (Even though we ate right and exercised–no fair!).

    Those of us who have gone GF have lost weight (I lost 25 lbs in about 6 months).

    I think a lot of attention is given to the GI symptoms, but what about the rest of us who suffer from things like (my symptoms): fatigue, depression, inability to concentrate, frequent recurring sinus infections, allergic rhinitis, anemia, dermatitis herpetiformus, overweight and general malaise?

    For the 10-15 years I went undiagnosed, doctors told me to “just go to the gym more. Here, take these iron pills.” Like they thought I was just lazy and that’s why I was tired and overweight.

    Pretty much all these symptoms disappeared on the GF diet, and I’ve never felt better.

    Everyone in my life has noticed the difference. The Chinese Buffet is where celiacs go to die. Please don’t go. Instead, get a bunch of friends together and why not have a “chinese buffet night” party with GF Tamari at home? I’d come.

    Thanks for bloggin’. Take care.
    Emily

  3. gfnosx says:
    November 14, 2009 at 4:01 pm

    Not having symptoms makes it more difficult to stay away from contamination.
    favorite gf places: PFChangs ( Lombard added gf menu to main menu! hostess said 1 in 3 are GF) Aurelio’s Pizza in chicago area and Florida, Marcello’s Father and Son Pizza Chicago. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s very helpful…Also, Lettuce Entertain restaurant group, Wildfire, Maggiano’s have great GF food! Located in Chicago area and elsewhere.
    there is gf beer..

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