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The vast majority of the over 70 replies I received have made a conscious decision to adhere strictly to a GF diet.  There is some doubt as to comprehending a disease that does not manifest any symptoms and for this reason people do find it frustrating.   In general the motivation tends to be an intelligent committeemen to health due to the risk of anemia, diarrhoea and fatigue but the one that was repeated by everyone (and seems to keep everyone in line) is the awareness that untreated celiac disease is related to a higher risk of small bowel cancer.  The adjustment to the diet, which we could all agree to is more of an inconvenience (and yes a craving for real bread!!!) than anything else.

There were about 10 replies from individuals that will sometimes eat gluten products without ill effects that are not quite sure "how much damage is being done" or people that just don't adhere to the diet  ("Bud beer he swears is gluten free"  --that's not scientific enough for me)  And some other comments:

  a.. "an insidious disease that effects different people in different ways"
  b.. "because symptoms can be quite vague and because many doctors don't often think of celiac disease, celiac often have the condition for  (gulp!) 12-14 years before it's diagnosed"  ( written by an M.D who is celiac)
  c.. " 2.1 million people in the U.S. are undiagnosed with Celicas, so are we seeing a higher incidence of GI lymphoma?".  
  d.. "when first diagnosed I used to wish that I did have a reaction so that I would know what foods have gluten in them!  Be careful what you wish for."
  e.. "When in doubt do with out" philosophy
  f.. "I find it very easy to cheat on the diet, especially on holidays.  Am I hurting myself?  Well, I don't know."
Thanks for all the responses and I do hope that I summarized this topic adequately for everyone.  I found that everyone really wanted to take the time and share in detail their lifestyle decisions.   The majority of the responses were very interested in what other "silent celiacs" had to say.....so if there are more responses, I will happy to summarize.

Happy holidays to all.

Alex

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