Remember the 90s? I went to college in the 90s when the low fat, high carbohydrate craze was wild. My college cafeteria was full of bagels, pizza, bread, and muffins. This is when the first clues that something was wrong in my digestive system entered my mind.

Fast forward a few years later, I couldn’t eat a meal without feeling terrible intestinal distress. I had all the routes to various restrooms mapped out in my head. This began my whirlwind of visits to doctors and specialists. I had numerous endoscopies and colonoscopies none of which revealed anything sinister. I was advised to eat low fat, take antacids, and reduce my stress level. By 2000, I was exhausted and felt like I was aging quickly.

I was always interested in health and loved reading about nutrition. I picked up the popular book, The Zone, by Barry Spears. After following the eating plan for just a few days, I couldn’t believe how much better I was feeling. I was able to eat and not feel pain or visit the restroom numerous times. I connected the dots and realized that the foods I was no longer eating were all grain based, primarily wheat. Not wanting to wait any longer to feel better, I booked an appointment with a registered dietitian (I wasn’t yet one at the time), to find out how to follow a gluten free diet. She directed me to a gastroenterologist that she said had good experience with testing for celiac disease. At this point, I had already had numerous endoscopies; however, I learned later none had tested me for celiac disease. Also, at the time I was sick, the blood tests were not as accurate or specific as they are in present day. Many doctors had also been trained that celiac disease was a rare condition. Now we know that it is one of the most common autoimmune conditions affecting 1 out of every 133 people.

I remember being in the new gastroenterologist’s office. I’ll call him “Dr. A.”. He told me he didn’t think I had celiac disease and that my symptoms were consistent with IBS. I thought to myself, “Could IBS really be this bad?” Tears welled up in my eyes in his office out of frustration. I asked him if he would just proceed with doing the endoscopy anyway. Later that week after my procedure, I got a message on my answering machine (remember it was still the 90s) from Dr. A telling me that my instincts were correct and that I did in fact have celiac disease. The total time to diagnose my celiac disease was about 9 years. As coincidence would have it, I had just been accepted to a graduate program in nutrition to become a dietitian. It was as if the universe was telling me that nutrition was my calling! I had a disease that could only be treated with diet alone. The next couple of years were still rocky as I recovered from the damage and nutrient deficiencies caused by celiac. I still think back that if I had not advocated for myself at Dr. A’s office, I might still be struggling now. I am now happy to call myself a dietitian who specializes in gastrointestinal nutrition. One of my favorite things to do is give hope to others who are struggling too.