Daniel was diagnosed on May 8 this year with diabetes, and in July the celiac diagnosis was confirmed by endoscopy. The gastroenterologist said that celiac runs in families, so we should all be tested. Not that we have to run out and do it RIGHT NOW, but at the next physical, just ask for the test.
I had my physical in August. No celiac. And I'm the one with all the gut issues. I guess I continue to be Ms. IBS with a dose of exhaustion on the side. DH has not been tested, but he can, and always has been able to eat ANYTHING. Spicy food. Eels. All kinds of gluten-filled substances. No gut issues.
Nora had her physical in September. Yesterday morning I hear the phone ringing as I walk in the door after taking Dominic to the bus stop. When I heard that it was the pediatrician, I just, well, constricted a little. A whole body constriction. It was about the celiac blood test. Her endomysial IgA is positive, and her t-TG is a weak positive, at 9. Normal is below 4. Weak positive is between 4 and 10, and above 10 is positive. When Daniel was tested, he was at 70.
I was so sad all day for her. Worried about telling her. She is my "selective eater" (pickypicky)
and she sure loves her bagels pizza french toast sandwiches etc. etc. When I called her up to my room and hugged her and told her what our next steps were, I didn't know that I caught her on a mega homework day, and she was overwhelmed & teary the rest of the night.
I've called for an appointment for Nora with the gastroenterologist. Soon we'll know our next steps. Cooking gluten free for two is easier than cooking gluten free for just one. And we still don't know about Dominic yet. It could be three...
But what runs through my head is, what, if anything, does this mean about diabetes? At this point, she doesn't show the antibodies for diabetes (we had her tested in summer). Does one autoimmune disease automatically lead to another?
Celiac has been all over the news lately. Some people believe that as many as 1 in 100 people have it, and that it is the most underdiagnosed disease. More and more restaurants have gluten-free menus, and there are now a glut of GF cookbooks available. In January I'll have Dominic tested (it will take a skilled phlebotomist to coax blood from that whirlwind), and we'll go on from there. As I tell my kids, there's much more to life than the stuff you put in your stomach.
3 comments:
Just by general reading I've done and what Brendon's endo says, Type 1 diabetics are more likely to have Celiac because of their tendency for autoimmune disease. But it doesn't make it more likely for someone with Celiac to develop Type 1 (don't hold me to that second statement and I know you'll do research on your own).
I'm sorry to hear about Nora. I hope she adjusts and copes well over time.
As a rule of thumb, all Type 1 diabetics should be tested for Celiac. Brendon was tested and came up negative.
Yes, if you have one autoimmune disease, you are more likely to have more than one. :-( Celiac also tends to run in families.
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