It’s May 1st and the beginning of Celiac Awareness Month.
Oh, how aware I’ve become.
Last May, I was still sorting through the newness of having celiac disease. I was overwhelmed with the complexities of eating out, reading food labels, and how to handle social situations. Those things are still challenging, but getting easier as I adjust to this new kind of life.
This May I’ll be focusing more on what it’s really like to live with celiac disease.
(Hint, sometimes you feel like that guy.)
I’ll be sharing some of your stories too (to submit your story, click here). I especially want to shine a light on the mental and emotional toll celiac disease can have, and why it’s so important to have a support system.
Because as much as the media (and many healthcare professionals) tries to identify this as an “upset stomach” disease, we know better. Below is an infographic showing the most common symptoms as submitted by real people with celiac disease. And I can tell you from experience, this is accurate.
Celiac Disease Symptoms – Courtesy of Gluten Dude
Like I said, mental and emotional toll (see “Behavioral” symptoms on the upper right).
I won’t be blogging about it every day because blah, you don’t want to hear about it every day and I certainly don’t want to talk about it every day. But I hope you’ll join me as I do my best to shine a little light on the truth about celiac disease. (To browse my celiac archives, click here.)
If you would like to share any part of your celiac story, we would love to hear it.
If there is one shining light on having this disease, it’s allowed me to connect with wonderful people such as yourself Alysa. I’m a better person for knowing you.
It is crazy reading that infographic. SO MANY of those symptoms are my Mom, who was only diagnosed a few years back. But it is clear she suffered long before that. Wow.