Describe your life prior to diagnosis:
My life used to be quite easy and simple. I love food and I used to try cuisines from all different places. Before I was diagnosed I had just gotten in to a nice college.
How did you come to know (or suspect) that you have celiac disease?
One day I went in to the doctor for a regular check up and they found that my hemoglobin was pretty low. I was told I was anemic, so we contacted a different doctor to run a few tests. When she got the results back, she was sure I had celiac disease. But just to be sure, she went ahead and scheduled an endoscopy for me too.
How long did it take for you to get diagnosed since your first symptoms and what (if any) challenges did you face along the way?
I didn’t deal with any obvious symptoms. I was just anemic and everyone thought that was because there wasn’t much iron in my diet. Other than that my body was functioning properly.
But now we know that wasn’t the truth.
Do you believe anything could have sped up your diagnosis? If so, please explain:
Yes! The outcome would’ve been better if I had contacted a hematologist earlier, once I knew I was anemic.
Describe your experience with living with celiac disease:
Dealing with celiac disease was a bit tricky at first, but with time I got the hang of it and I know now that it’s a part of my life.
My friends and family have always stood by me. Many times I felt alone with others in a crowd, but with support and more awareness I’ve become more confident and comfortable with having celiac disease. In fact, I even started a page with a little help from my friends to help me spread awareness. It’s called @gluten_free_india on Instagram.
