Describe your life prior to diagnosis:
I was diagnosed as a toddler, at three years old, but prior to that, I wasn’t growing well. My growth charts were trending down, enough that I was marked “failure to thrive,” which was obviously very concerning for my parents.
How did you come to know (or suspect) that you have celiac disease?
Due to my poor growth chart results, my parents knew there had to be something going on. Prior to eating solid “table” foods, I was growing great. Once I started table foods and started walking, I began to quickly lose weight and stopped growing.
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’m not positive, but I believe it took between six months and a year.
Do you believe anything could have sped up your diagnosis? If so, please explain:
This was back in 1996, so celiac disease was not well understood.
Describe your experience with living with celiac disease:
Because I was diagnosed at such a young age, it wasn’t too difficult to stick to the gluten-free diet. When I was little it was more difficult to find gluten-free foods because celiac disease wasn’t a commonly diagnosed disease. As it became a fad, food companies made more gluten-free foods—and made them more delicious!
It’s always been a bummer to go to events where they don’t serve things I can eat and I’d say that’s been the worst part. Otherwise, having celiac disease is a part of who I am!
