Have you or anyone you know been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease recently? Do you know what Coeliac Disease even is? According to Coeliac UK, 1 in 100 people in the UK and across Europe have the disease, but only around 30% have been clinically diagnosed.
Before June 2018, I was unfamiliar with Coeliac Disease, and what the condition meant for people living with it. In the spring and summer of 2018, I was revising for my A-Level exams and started to become really ill with gastrointestinal symptoms. The day I knew something wasn't right was when a tub of Ben and Jerry's ice-cream set off my symptoms and I was in agony. Obviously looking back now I can see how the lactose in the ice-cream had triggered my symptoms. Over the next few weeks, I had some blood tests and, whilst waiting for the results, my Mum prepared me plain, carbohydrate filled foods thinking they would help soothe my poorly tummy. How wrong we were!!
I remember getting a call from my doctor's surgery after completing one of my Biology A-Level exams telling me my levels of the tTG antibodies were really high and I should try a gluten-free diet to see if I felt better. That afternoon, my Mum and I spent over an hour in the local Tesco looking through the Free-From aisle and realising lots of things I was eating contained gluten. One of the first snacks I bought were breadsticks and I was not a fan!!
I was referred to a gastroenterologist and in the middle of August I had an endoscopy, after returning to a gluten-filled diet for the previous 4 weeks. I was a bit hesitant about having an endoscopy, as I'm not great with needles, but the consultant explained that I may be putting myself through the difficulty of following a gluten-free diet my entire life, without the clinical need to be gluten-free. So for everyone I would definitely suggest getting confirmation through an endoscopy, although I think due to COVID delays, the number of endoscopies for Coeliac Disease confirmation have been greatly decreased. I got a call about a week later from the hospital explaining that they could confirm I did have Coeliac Disease. And a few days later, I ate my last "normal" millionaire's shortbread, before committing to my fully gluten-free lifestyle. I think the disease was likely triggered due to the stress I was experiencing during my exams.
The transition was initially hard, especially as the rest of my family can eat a normal diet. Coeliac Disease is an autoimmune disease which is genetic and passed down through generations. My Auntie has been diagnosed too! Gluten-free products are often expensive, not as nice and the bread is considerably more holey than before! The greatest difficulty was then moving to University in the subsequent few weeks and trying to make sure my food wasn't contaminated by anyone else, and trying to persuade new friends to eat out at places which also served gluten-free foods.
But after nearly 3 years on the diet, I want to reassure everyone that it does get better! The selection of gluten-free foods in supermarkets has drastically increased, and now lots of restaurants do offer gluten-free dishes! Just remember to check their cross-contamination measures beforehand. Over this period, I have been baking and cooking like never before, spending time in my kitchen developing recipes which are reminiscent of my favourite childhood foods. If you have recently been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease or if you are generally struggling to adapt to a gluten-free diet due to an intolerance or allergy, please reach out! I am more than happy to give you advice and point you in the right directions! You can message me on Instagram @anna_theglutenfreeguide or send me an email on theglutenfreeguides@outlook.com!
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