Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Celiac Drama
In April/May, my dad's sister sent me an e-mail asking if I know of anyone in the family who has Celiac Disease. She was sure that she had it and remembered a cousin who might have it. She was also sure that her mom had it, but she had never been tested. I had never heard of it before, so she sent me a link (the one I'm providing - not the best site but it's ok) and I read about the disease. After reading it and seeing a lot of my dad's problems listed, I sent him an e-mail telling him to get checked out. He gave me a bizarre response and a few days later ended up in the hospital with brain cancer. I also mentioned it to one of my brothers and sent him the website. I thought about it, but not much after that.
Last week, I called my brother & was totally shocked by the research he had done on Celiac Disease. My brother is the father of 3 (& 1 one the way), has his own busy company, does most of the housework & cooking at home, is totally involved in church, and does just about any adventurous activity you can imagine. Besides being crazy busy, he doesn't worry about much, so I didn't expect that from him. Apparently, people with Celiac Disease have a 50 - 60% increased chance of getting cancer. My brother had many of the symptoms (which usually start showing up between ages 30 - 50), so he changed his diet. He said he suddenly felt better than he ever had. Changing your diet for Celiac is NOT an easy thing to do. Celiac sufferers are allergic to gluten which is in practically everything, but most notably wheat, rye, and barley. Somehow this disease blocks nutrients and minerals from being absorbed by the body. You can imagine what that leads to... No wonder my father & his family are so skinny.
My brother is 100% sure that my father has it. He contacted my step-mother and she is taking him in to be tested next week. For once in my life, I am happy not to have inherited the skinny genes from my father's side. I realize that it could manifest itself soon and that I should get the simple blood test to find out. However, I LOVE everything that I would have to give up especially bread & cereal. That would be tragic... Now that motherhood is on the way, I owe it to the next generation to find out. ...maybe after pregnancy, let me at least enjoy eating the only things that have been appealing.
my name
Husband:
Steve
Baby: Lexi (born Jan 26th)
This blog is like a journal for me. It is also a way for my friends to keep tabs on me.
For people who don't know me, I come from a big family (3 brothers & 1 sister). We moved around a LOT, so I am not really from one particular place. I like to call Katy, Texas my home though.
Recent news, my Dad & Mother-in-Law were diagnosed with Terminal Cancer in April/May of 2005. My dad passed away 5-Dec-05 .
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