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a little comic about celiac disease for #DisabilityPrideMonth <3 my diagnosis has changed my life a lot. it makes me feel nuts sometimes but it's worth it for my health. anyway, wear a mask out there
Celiac disease can make neurological disorders worse, like epilepsy and schizophrenia [source] it is WAY more than "my tummy hurted :(" it's bananas
π€ youre so right that the worst part of celiac is the social impact. So much revolves around going places and eating (or even in work situations how often are there lunches/dinners where the informal atmosphere and convos can help career advancement) and when you take that away its sooooo fuckin isolating π₯²π₯²π₯²
Great comic!
omfg work stuff is THE WORST, having to explain to your coworkers & superiors that you're really not trying to make a statement, you just can't have the birthday cake.... hate hate hate it. i'm glad someone else can relate!!
Also learned marrying some with Celiac: that there's a protein in dairy that's very, very similar in structure to Gluten! And it triggers symptoms as well!!! And a lot of Gluten-Free products will still have Dairy in them!!!!
yes!! casein, right? i've heard that some ppl with celiac also react to even certified gluten free oats - they must have a similar protein as well
I try my best to accommodate most of my friends' food needs, but with celiac ... my entire kitchen is so contaminated that no amount of cleaning could possibly make food prepared there safe ...
that's perfectly okay! i'm very touched when my friends try to cook for me, but it also makes me nervous, because i have to tell them no. idk your friend group, but i'm actually very grateful for my friends who take "no thank you" as an answer without any fuss LOL
Absolutely. I mean, I have recipes for this kind of thing, but it's not safe to prepare them. And I don't want someone to have to feel socially awkward because I made a thoughtless offer.
I have a number of family members with celiac and other similar gastro issues. Commercially available gluten free food has gotten a lot better than even ten or twenty years ago, but it's still tough!
[Image Description: black and white comic featuring the cartoon fursona of the artist.
βhi, happy disability pride month! i want to talk about celiac disease.β The artist gestures excitedly. / βin 2019, my doc found celiac in my blood-work. an endoscopy in 2020 confirmed it:β A doctor in a lab coat says: βyou have celiac disease.β The artist, wearing a mask, is confused: β???β βhe said, "don't eat bread, you'll be fine!" sounds easy enough...β / βbut i was confused! i had no dietary issues, or classic symptoms of celiac disease. bread doesn't even make me sick. so i started to research.β The artist sighs wearily: βturns out,"don't eat bread" is just the start.β
βceliac is not an allergy. it's an autoimmune disorder. when my guts are exposed to gluten, they activate an immune response...β A row of cilia, pictured as long bumps with faces, are approached by a gluten molecule. The cilia closest to it looks unhappy and says: βhey uhhhh mods???β / β...which, in turn, destroys my intestines.β The immune system, pictured as a hand with a canned spray, is spraying the cilia as it screams. / βthis reaction occurs when exposed to ANY AMOUNT of gluten. a crumb of a crumb can cause weeks or months of the following:β A cartoon person is folded on itself in pain. βο»Ώ- vomiting, nausea, diarrhea - severe pain - alopecia/hair loss - brain fog - rash - depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts (yes, really!) - flare-ups of other conditionsβ
βbut it's not that hard to avoid, right? just don't eat bread!β The artist chuckles. A dramatic close up of the artistβs face: βWRONG.β / βgluten is in everything. it's used to ferment food and drink, as a binder in makeup and medication, in flavor and color...β Doodles of various bottles and jars of whiskey, soy sauce, oats, nuts, lipstick and pills. β...even non-glutenous foods, like nuts, oats, spices, and quinoa, are often cross-contaminated in manufacturing.β / βgluten-free substitutes for bread products are hard to find. they're usually smaller, drier, and less tasty. they're always more expensive.β The weary artist hands someone offscreen a dollar bill. βwhen the store actually stocks them, that is. and don't get me started on labeling!β
A boxed text: βwait, but i thought you had no symptoms?β The artist gestures with alarm. βi don't! but gluten exposure still puts me at risk of bowel cancer and other autoimmune disorders later in life. also, i could develop symptoms at any time, with no warning!β / βfor me, the most disabling aspect of celiac is social. food is no longer a spontaneous joy. i cook virtually everything i eat myself.β The artist is standing far away from a group of people. βi can't grab a premade sandwich, or fast food. i can only eat at about 2% of restaurants. i can never enjoy a friend's home cooking. traveling is always a hungry nightmare.β / βluckily, i'm used to it now! i hope you learned something about celiac from this comic. it's suspected that as many as 1/100 people have celiac and are never diagnosed. i'm lucky that i was, and that i found education outside of my doctor. so remember!β The artist hovers closer to the reader. βIF YOU MAKE JOKES ABOUT GLUTEN FREE SNOWFLAKES I CAN LEGALLY KILL YOUβ
End ID.]
I've recently watched a video by someone with celiac that started affecting him a bit later in life, so not from birth. And in addition to some heavy stuff that also happened to him at the same time it sounded like a very difficult experience. Interesting insight to what a sudden appearance of a disability, including cognitive issues, feels like.
