I suffered from being misdiagnosed by doctors who were not on top of the condition. It hurt me greatly but now that I know more about Celiac disease I understand what causes doctors to get it wrong.  The bottom line is Celiac disease is not well known and often overlooked. I had a number of diagnoses, all which were wrong and extended my suffering and pain. Celiac disease is often misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome or another chronic digestive disease. In cases where the main symptoms are non-digestive symptoms such as anemia and fatigue, the condition might be misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, or other fatigue-causing disorders.  I was even told I had Multiple Sclerosis.  That was an extremely scary experience. 

Doctors Get it Wrong & People Suffer  What many doctors don't know is celiac disease also can manifest itself in ways that have nothing to do with the digestive system. Doctors usually misdiagnose it, mistreat it or miss it altogether.  According to Reader's Digest, Celiac Disease is one of the top 10 misdiagnosed diseases.  That raises the awareness but is little comfort to those of us who have been misdiagnosed.

Good news – Celiac disease is being diagnosed more today, but test are still imperfect

Doctors often misunderstand how best to diagnose this disease, and because of that patients are often misled. Nowadays doctors screen for celiac disease with a blood test called "tissue trans-glutaminase" (TTG) to determine whether or not this enzyme is present in an abnormal form (which is the case in patients with celiac disease). However the test has an 80% sensitivity, which means that 80% of the people who have celiac disease test positive with the TTG test, but 20% of the people who test positive do NOT have celiac disease.

Good information is available

I am offering information on my website about Celiac Disease and other websites such as the Celiac Sprue Association and NFCA are excellent sources of trustworthy information.

Published 30 March 2009 - 0 comments (View/Post Comments)   

I am excited to launch my first official blog for Sweet Christine’s Gluten Free Confections.  My hope is that this blog will give you a more in-depth look at the inner workings of my bakery and my thoughts on Celiac Disease and living a glutenfree lifestyle. I will cover topics ranging from latest news and medical advances, to unique Sweet Christine’s business practices and products, plus information for people suffering from Celiac Disease and food allergies.

Understanding Celiac Disease

I built my website not just for the purpose of promoting my business but also to provide resources to help people understand more about Celiac Disease. I hope you’ll find this space interesting and possibly useful.  I am a baker but I am looking to connect with people who offer different perspectives but share the same passion for spreading the word about Celiac Disease and gluten-free diets.

Over time it is my hope this blog provides you with a deeper insight into my business, who we are, what we do and what we care about.  I am very excited to be out here talking to you!

Thanks so much for visiting Sweet Christine’s website and my blog. Please stop back and read future blog entries and let me know what you think!

Published 21 March 2009 - 1 comment (View/Post Comments)