My “Coeliac” Story.

First let me introduce myself: my name is Rosamund, known to most as Ros. I am 62 years old, white British, and a wife and mother of two grown-up children. I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2002 but the beginnings go back much further – probably up to 20 years before diagnosis and within 5 years of  the birth of my second child. I was in hospital for a small routine procedure and the junior doctor suggested that maybe I was anaemic so I promised to follow this up with my GP.

    This I did with not much urgency, but with the niggling feeling that I was getting old as riding my bicycle up-hill was making me short of breath! A few days after my blood test I had an urgent summons to the surgery to be told that my haemoglobin was 6.8 – normal levels are between 12-14. It was a wonder I had been able to ride my bike at all!

     I was immediately put on a high dose of iron tablets and routine tests were done to try to discover the cause of my anaemia – I had had no obvious bleeding and none of the tests showed anything abnormal. My haemoglobin rose over the course of time and I felt more energetic than I had done for many months. I had regular haemoglobin checks and short courses of iron therapy as necessary and this situation continued for about 15 years.

     My GP. then decided in 2001 to seek further advice – why after all those years I am not sure but maybe coeliac disease was becoming better understood and more high-profile. Anyway I was referred to a haematologist who referred me on to gastro-enterologist and with one simple blood test the diagnosis was confirmed! I had to request an appointment with a dietician who opened up an unknown world of gluten-free food to me and told me that I would put on weight! Having been 8.4st. and a size 12 all my adult life, this was not good news to hear! It seemed that all the nutrients that I had not absorbed over the years had kept my weight artificially low so my weight quickly increased to about 9.6st. once I was established on a GF diet and I have to take care now not to let it increase further.

     I was 55 years old when I was diagnosed and after over half a century of enjoying an occasional doughnut with my coffee or a delicious dessert as part of a meal with no apparent ill effects, I felt extremely cheated at being deprived of these things – GF substitutes are not the same nor is the social experience when you are unable to eat “normal” food. On the plus side I look and feel better, my haemoglobin is normal without the need for iron and the range, quality and availability of GF foods is improving all the time. I do occasionally allow myself a “treat” but always with a slight feeling of guilt as to what the consequences might be. I just hope for a long and healthy retirement even if it has to be “gluten-free”.