(Age: 63 years, female)
I am a 63-year-old female and I was diagnosed twenty-two years ago in 1978. At that time very little was known about celiac disease. It was good to finally have a diagnosis. I had never heard of gluten or celiac disease, so it was kind of a shock as well.
My health problems began in 1977. I began to loose weight. I was very tired all the time, had a mouth full of ulcers that never seemed to clear up. I was sick to my stomach a lot of the time. I had bruising of the skin, which took a long time to fade and some diarrhea.
My GP ordered barium x-rays (stomach and bowel) and suggested a bland diet. But when my hemoglobin dropped from 11.5 to 6.0 within three months, she referred me to a hematologist. He immediately did a bone marrow test in his office and had me admitted to hospital that day.
I spent six weeks in the hospital for tests. I had daily stool collection, another bone marrow test, barium swallow, barium anemia and lots of blood work.
When I was discharged, the only diagnosis was that I was deficient in folic acid and was given medication. I remember, it was either the day before or the day I was being discharged, a gastroenterologist came to see me and was very surprised that I was being discharged. If I’d known then what I know now, I would have gotten referred to him after I got home.
My health did improved a bit, but twelve months later in 1978 I was back in the hospital for another five weeks for many of the same tests. This time, finally the gastroenterologist was involved.
I had the biopsy and the diagnosis of celiac disease.
So, in fact, it had taken twelve months to be diagnosed. This does not include the months under my G.P.’s care.
However, twenty-two years later, the diet is routine and I am well.
Before I was released from the hospital in 1978, the hematologist decided to give my hemoglobin a boost by giving me I.V. iron. Well, after only a few minutes into the treatment, I had an anaphylactic reaction to the drug. Thankfully, the intern was still with me and took care of me. I’ll never forget that day as long as I live.
PS: I don’t think of this condition as a disease, and prefer to call it Celiac Disorder.
