Margaret can’t help but sometimes wonder how an earlier diagnosis might have impacted her life. As someone who lived with undetected celiac for decades, I understand this all too well. Could her childhood cavities have been prevented? Would she have had to endure the joint pain that had been blamed on “growing pains?” And, as she shared, she would have “preferred avoiding the bathroom embarrassment” during her college years.
As Margaret shared in another personal (and emotional) post, she and her husband were unable to have children. Infertility can sometimes be connected to undiagnosed celiac. She does not know if celiac was behind their struggles, but please do check out her post and the information she provides. Infertility, Celiac Disease, and My Mother’s Day Perspective.
It is Margaret’s personal experience, however, and the surprise information she received about her dad and grandmother, that drives her need to be a voice for others.