It isn’t contagious!
August 20, 2007
I discovered today that I have got Coeliac disease. This is the more extreme version of Gluten intolerance and means that for the rest of my life I should avoid wheat products and be careful with what I eat. The disorder effects how well I can absorb nutrients from food and among its classic symptoms are weight-loss and fatigue. In my case I had lost about a stone for no apparent reason and had gone from always needing to go to bed to fall asleep to nodding off whenever I close my eyes in the evening. I thought this was just getting on a bit and it may still be. Anyway from now on it is no more wheat for me – just as well we had managed to get in our holiday in Brittany with baguettes, croissants and crepes!
So to those people who said I was looking a bit tired then they had got a point. Now I am hoping for a rapid recovery on no more gluten and will probably avoid the work refectory for a while.
August 22, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Sorry to hear that, Patrick.
August 22, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Thanks for the thoughts – so far not too bad though. There are many things that can be eaten and I have been surprised to hear of many others with the condition. Nice to have an explanation as well. Still falling asleep but maybe that has something to do with answering blog comments at after 10pm!
August 23, 2007 at 11:47 pm
Sorry to hear that too. But as you say, it’s good to find out for sure. As you’ve obviously found, many people have this problem, including a very close friend of mine. She found that once she had cut out all wheat products, she could then tolerate small amounts occasionally, so all is not lost on the croissant front
I, on the other hand, am awaiting the results of a chloresterol test advised by my optician (do they have no idea of boundaries!). So, I’ve spent every evening in Ediburgh stuffing myself with fabulous cheeses just in case the optician is right.
I’ve heard that they eyes are the window to the soul. I didn’t realise that they could also be a tell-tale sign of cheese addiction!
September 20, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Thanks for good wishes. An update after 1 month is that there has been no major changes but that actually sticking to gluten free has been only a minor inconvenience. The trip to Northumberland even included the Saddle Hotel in Alnmouth having a gluten free menu and the Victoria Fish bar in Alnwick having gluten free batter for its fish and chips a couple of days each week.
September 28, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Gosh Patrick reading blogs you sure find things out!! Sorry to hear this – must have been a hell of a shock. Something like that really puts things in perspective…