Resources

Resources 

• Celiac Disease Foundation
• https://celiac.org
• Dad and daughter photo
• http://cdn2.mommyish.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/father-and-daughter-on-the-beach-at-sunrise.jpg
• 
  

Celiac Disease Part 5

Kayla and her dad living with Celiac today

Today, we catch up with Kayla and her father who have adapted their diet successfully to live with Celiac Disease. Kayla says life without gluten isn't bad at all and now that her abdominal pain and gastrointestinal discomfort is manageable she is happy to get back to being a normal teenager. She and her parents are very careful about her food preparation. Over time they have realized that her disease is very sensitive to the point that even if the food she eats comes into contact with another food that has gluten in it even through a utensil, she will experience discomfort. Despite this challenge, Kayla takes her health and her nutrition into her own hands. 

As for her father, since he has adapted his diet he has more energy and does not fatigue as easily as he once did. He also does not experience the tingling sensation in his extremities or migraines anymore. Together they have come up with some delicious recipes that they found online. Their favorite is the link to this gluten free lasagna!

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/gluten-free-beef-lasagne/

They have done a lot of research on their condition and want to share these helpful tips and tricks. 

• Consulting with a nutritionist has helped tremendously to remove any doubt
• They shop at a local health food store and read all labels very carefully
• Kayla's family always keeps fresh fruit on and healthy snacks on hand
• Her favorite sweet treat is ice cream and ice cream is always gluten free :-) 

The road may have seemed long to identify the problem, test, and diagnose but it definitely came as a great benefit to Kayla and to her father who may not ever have known he had Celiac! For those of you out there who think you may have gluten insensitivity, gluten intolerance or even Celiac Disease, get into contact with your physician to get screened and tested if necessary. 

Celiac Disease Part 4

Kayla and her father's post op appointment

After a very smooth surgery, both Kayla and her father recovered very nicely with only mild nausea from anesthesia. They went back to Kayla's doctor for their results. 

At this appointment Kayla's father was asked if he could think back the past few months at any pains or aches that he had been living with that he had talked to his doctor about that they hadn't quite pinned down the cause of. Thinking back, he stated that he had unexplainable fatigue and occasionally experienced tingling numbness in his extremities. 

Kayla's doctor told him that although children like Kayla experience a lot of gastrointestinal discomfort as a result of Celiac Disease, adults present with different symptoms such as what he described as well as anxiety, depression, osteoporosis, or migraines. (Celiac Disease Foundation). 

After they had this conversation, Kayla and her parents were in shock. Both Kayla and her father were diagnosed with Celiac Disease. This makes sense because the disease is genetic and therefore can be passed on through the family. Kayla's dad had no idea he had been living with it for so long and had it not been for catching it early with Kayla, he may never have known. 

The biggest question the family had for Kayla's pediatrician is, where do we go from here? How do we change our lifestyle to suit Kayla and her father's new dietary restrictions?

Their doctor sat down and explained to them in depth about wheat, barley, and rye which means no pasta, breads, and no beer for dad unless its gluten free. The good news is that there is an entire new market for gluten free products because Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivities are being brought to public attention and there is a wide menu of options. 

Kayla and her dad no longer feel as if they are too restricted with the knowledge of their diagnoses. They were provided handouts on foods to focus on and how to prepare them. They leave feeling empowered and with a good grasp on their disease and how to live with it. 

Celiac Disease Part 3

Kayla's Screening

Kayla and her parents went back to her pediatrician to follow up on the results of all three of their blood tests. Although the needle prick did hurt, watching her mom and dad do it first put her at ease. 

Kayla's doctor cut right to the chase and after the results came in there was reason to believe that Kayla may have Celiac Disease. It was necessary to confirm this, however, with a biopsy of her small intestine because although blood tests are good for screening, the best test for diagnosis is an endoscopic biopsy. Kayla was immediately frightened at the thought of those words and she didn't quite know what they meant. 

An endoscopic biopsy in the small intestine, explained Kayla's doctor, is a very short outpatient procedure. This means you won't have to stay in the hospital overnight or even go to a hospital. You can simply go to a clinic. A gastroenterologist will be performing the procedure, and he or she is a doctor specifically for stomachs, digestion, intestines, and all that good stuff. 

So what the gastroenterologist will do is give you medicine so that you won't feel a thing. They'll give you anesthesia and use an endoscope through your mouth to your small intestine. They're going to take pictures of your small intestine to see if the villi are damaged from the gluten in your diet. It is important that you fast before the test. 

Kayla's pediatrician also had some interesting information. She turned to Kayla's dad and told him that his screening also came back with cause of concern. She recommended that he also receive a biopsy. 

Although Kayla and her parents are overwhelmed with the information. They calmly take the pamphlet also provided with information on the outpatient procedure even after the physician walked them through it step by step and make an appointments for Kayla and her father with the outpatient clinic. 

Celiac Disease: Part 2

Kayla's Story Continued

Kayla's parents brought her to her pediatrician after a rough first week of school. She presented with the following signs and symptoms: abdominal pain, diarrhea, occasional vomiting, trouble sleeping, fatigue, and irritability. 

Honestly, who wouldn't be irritable after all that? 

Kayla's pediatrician assessed her current diet. She brought to Kayla's attention the potential of gluten sensitivity to her. She explained that gluten is a protein found in a multitude of foods like bread, pasta, sauces, certain cereals, and grains. She also outlined to her that for some people, gluten cannot be properly digested. If people eat gluten and they are allergic to it, the body produces antibodies to fight what they think is a bad substance coming in. The natural reaction of the body causes inflammation in the villi, which are tiny structures that line our small intestine that aid in transporting special amino acids and nutrients into the bloodstream. When the villi is inflamed, food cannot be properly digested causing signs and symptoms like Kayla was experiencing. Kayla's doctor explained to her that being allergic to gluten is very common and is something called Celiac Disease. 

Her parents were very concerned. They wanted to know how the diagnosis of Celiac is conducted and how soon they could get to work on reworking her diet to make sure that she would not experience this pain and discomfort anymore. Her pediatrician ordered a serum screening (blood test), to be done at her local clinic. She explained to Kayla and her parents that a Celiac screening requires a blood test that will look at a lot of aspects of her blood but mostly will aim to detect Celiac Disease antibodies. 

Upon hearing this, Kayla who has a fear of needles did not want to have the screening performed. She was adamant that she can deal with the stomach pain as long as she didn't have to get a shot. Her pediatrician and her parents assured her that the blood test would be quick and it would not hurt her. Her parents even volunteered to be screened with her to put her at ease. With this, Kayla complied with the blood test and the physician completed the orders so that they could do it at their earliest convenience. 

Celiac Disease: Part 1

What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is a hereditary autoimmune disease that damages the villi of the small intestine via the consumption and digestion of gluten. 

(Celiac Disease Foundation) 

Key  Terms

• Hereditary- it is passed in genes through families
• Autoimmune disease- the body produces antibodies that destroy its own cells
• Villi- small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine.
• Gluten- protein found in wheat, rye, barley, etc. It helps food maintain shape. Often found in breads, pastas, sauces, cereals, beer and baking goods. 

This video gives a good summary of the external and internal factors that go into the condition:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJgjxTrFSRs

Picture this:    

 Kayla is 13 years old. A few months ago her parents sent her off to her first day of eighth grade with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a banana, and some juice. After lunch, Kayla ran to the bathroom complaining of a stomach ache. It is was so bad that she had to call her parents. They picked her up and chalked it up to first day of school nerves. The rest of that first week of school her parents packed her the same lunch and intermittently for dinner throughout the week she and her family ate pasta, bread, and even cookies as dessert. Kayla's stomach pains escalated to chronic diarrhea and abdominal swelling. She couldn't seem to focus in school and her parents turned to analyzing her diet. They were very confused because they hadn't made any drastic changes to her diet and think it may be a part of puberty. 

Stay tuned to see how her parents address this issue with Kayla's pediatrician.