<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
On Fri, 26 Jan 1996, Olympia Hadjimichael wrote:
 
> p.s. are there any celiacs out there who do not experience any symptoms
> when they eat gluten but who, never the less, undergo the intestinal celia
> destruction?
 
I missed this question the first time, but saw another's response today.  I'm
a 33 y.o. male Celiac with no obvious reaction to gluten.  Last spring, I was
surprised to find I was anemic after a routine blood test.  I was having no
GI symptoms, nor was I feeling any effects of anemia.  4 months later my
doctors had traced the cause to CD.  I'd never had what I thought were
unusual stomach problems, and certainly nothing chronic.  I have, however,
been susceptible to stomach viruses, four times requiring hospitalization for
diarreha and dehydration.  Two of these incidents occurred in third world
countries, so I figured it was just bad luck.  Several years ago, I had a
month of rather bizzarre stomach symptoms, and my doctors first thought I had
hepatitis.  When the problems disappeared, they figured it must have been
some parasite I picked up overseas that they had missed.  I don't recall any
change in my diet then.  I've been GF for 6 months now.  I feel the same now
as I always have, which is just fine.  I recently had another endoscopy,
which showed only enough improvement of the villi to be noticeable.  However,
I am no longer on vitamin and iron supplements and am maintaining normal
blood counts naturally.  I'm awaiting the results of a follow up EMA test.
 
I consider myself extremely lucky because I never had any serious problems or
long periods of doubt and worry about what was wrong with me.  However, I
sometimes wonder if I would be better off if I at least felt something when I
accidentally get some gluten.  I never cheat knowingly, but my doctor thinks
some is getting through due to the slow recovery in my duodenum.
 
I can't tell this story without publically thanking the staff of Walter Reed
Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, and especially Major Thomas Loughney.
I now know how truly fortunate I was to land in their clinic and to receive
this diagnosis so quickly.  They were also terrifically helpful in getting
me started on eating GF.
 
If you'd like to know more, please send me your E-mail address so I don't
further bore the entire list.
 
John Cameron
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Washington, DC