My Celiac Journey
My journey on celiac disease !
I was born in 2008, underweight with bulging eyes and a weak physique. Initially, when I was a newborn, my diet consisted of milk; however, after six months, when I was introduced to gluten foods, I drastically started losing weight and got my first fracture in my arm when I was eight months old. 3 months later, I got another fracture which the doctor blamed on negligence on my mom’s end. I grew up grumbling that I didn’t want to eat at all and suffered from excruciating abdominal pain and diarrhea. I started developing rashes, eczema, and seborrheic dermatitis on my skin and had almost no hair on my scalp. A few years passed by, and my situation got worse with constant abdominal pain, runny nose, severe seborrheic dermatitis, and no growth at all. After many consultations with doctors, at the age of 4 years old, I suggested a TTG-IGA test to detect celiac disease, which came out positive(with a high range), and the result was later confirmed by endoscopy in Delhi, India.
The search for my problem ended after I was diagnosed with celiac disease. However, the solution was only a gluten-free diet. At that time, there was not much awareness of the celiac disease. Moreover, I come from North India, where gluten/wheat is a staple food which only made the situation more difficult. It was a challenge, but with the guidance of doctors, I started on a gluten-free diet which brought significant changes( my height and foot size started growing normally, my immune system was stronger than before, and seborrheic dermatitis was better and controlled. 2 years after my diagnosis I moved to South East Asia where on a gluten-free diet was easier as rice was the main ingredient in food there. Celiac disease still impacts me today. In 15 years, I have had nine fractures, and problems related to the bladder, constipation, seborrheic dermatitis, and short stature are still present.
I am extremely dedicated to celiac disease awareness as I believe that celiac disease is a significant disease that can impact one’s life immensely and create serious problems, which led me to start the Celiac Global Network. I am passionate about raising awareness about celiac disease and solving problems related to it.