by Angels Web

Created on: April 16, 2009   Last Updated: February 20, 2010

Living with Celiac Sprue Disease!

Celiac Sprue is an autoimmune disease which affects the small intestine destroying the vili, which destroys the ability to absorb nutrition. I was happy when they told me I had Celiac Sprue Disease because it was something this was manageable, and I could live with just by changing my diet. It is much easier than treating Cancer and no drugs or horrible therapies to go through. 

I went through eight years of “Hell” before I was diagnosed. I spent most of my life very tall and as skinny as an Asian string bean. I would eat four squares of waffles for breakfast before leaving for school. On the way to school I would stop and buy a buttered cinnamon bun to go with my cup of coffee for a snack. I always brought two huge sandwiches to school and would buy a side order of spaghetti to keep my sandwiches company. My afternoon snack consisted of a hamburger before I went home for dinner. After dinner, I had a snack which was usually a medium pizza with everything on it and a coke. I was athletic, always hungry and always on the go. My parents were convinced that I had a tapeworm.

At the age of thirty it felt as if there were little Pac-man inside of me, and they were busily eating me alive. The pain was intense and I could see no relief in sight.  I went to several doctors and none of them knew what it could be. There was no doubt in my mind at that point that I was dying!  I returned to my general doctor, and she sent me to a specialist in San Francisco. I was diagnosed with Celiac Sprue and recovery was possible. All I had to do is to live through the first year and everything would be alright. The doctors called it the Karen Carpenter syndrome. After Karen Carpenter started eating properly her body was so strained by the nutrition that she died of a heart attack. I went to an endocrinologist, and he started me on an amazing regiment of vitamins. They had me taking doses that were so high; I had to be monitored with a blood test every month. This doctor also took care of my Osteomalacia, which is a side effect caused by not absorbing the proper nutrition or calcium.

Celiac Sprue is a disease that we are born with and is not curable. It is treatable and the symptoms can be manifest at anytime in our life. It is possible to live very normal life and manage Celiac Sprues' side effects. All we need to do is avoid eating glutens. Glutens are in wheat, oats, rye and barley. Unfortunately, things are not as simple

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