Twelve years. Several dermatologists. No answers. Brooke finally requested a biopsy. “The pathologist,” she said, “suggested Dermatitis Herpetiformis.” Her dermatologist and primary care physician, however, thought it unlikely that she had celiac since she had no symptoms. hmmmm…. According to an article at Beyond Celiac:
Only about 20 percent of people with DH have intestinal symptoms of celiac disease, however, biopsies show that 80 percent have some degree of damage to the small intestine, especially if a high gluten diet is maintained.
Continued self advocacy. Brooke then requested further celiac testing. The blood test came back with elevated antibodies. The numbers were “incredibly high,” she said. The biopsy that followed confirmed celiac disease. What if she never requested the tests? How much longer would she have had to live with undiagnosed celiac? How much damage would have been done to her body before she would be diagnosed if she waited for doctors to find an answer?
And now, because Brooke advocated for herself, not only was she diagnosed with celiac, but her mom was as well. The rest of her family, now knowing celiac is a genetic disease, got tested.
A test. A relatively simple test. How many people are living with symptoms of undiagnosed celiac, yet continue going to doctor after doctor without answers?
#CeliacTestingNOW!