To think she doesn't *really* have coeliac disease?

I had never even heard of this. Really interesting to read up on thank you x

It is in families and the effects vary.

My cousin was thought to have cancer as he was so ill and lost so much weight before being diagnosed as coeliac.

(His mother has another autoimmune condition. )

These days he looks well again and avoids gluten but occasionally allows himself some. The results are bearable.

My friend -also coeliac- is extremely ill after even the smallest trace of gluten. He developed this disease suddenly in middle age. His family are not affected autoimmune disorders.

Coeliac is an autoimmune condition not an allergy, you can’t pick and chose what you eat without extremely unpleasant conditions. She may have an intolerance to gluten.

Hi eating gluten for you can lead to bowel cancer and neurological problems.
I know it's expensive to buy/ eat GF but it's your life that could be cut short by a horrendous disease... you must be concerned about that.
Don't you get ill eating non GF? My physical and mental health was awful before I was diagnosed with coeliacs.I've stuck to GF 25 years and have had massively better health since...A good diet is everything.

I have CD. I hate it and wished I was never diagnosed as the cutting out of gluten has in some sense made me poorlier as I now “don’t eat enough” so get every illness going. It has given me extreme food anxiety to eat in public as I feel when I go anywhere, people are watching what I am putting in my mouth and thinking ohh she can’t be coeliac because she isn’t making a big ‘cross contamination’ stink. I prefer to keep quiet and manage it in my own way. As it is, I now rarely eat at other people home- I will sit and read a book whilst they all eat dinner, rarely eat out anywhere and have got really good at going a whole day fasting if I’m out with the kids for the day. Like others say, once I went gf I became more sensitive and even a bit of cholcolate off a mini roll (my weakness) will give me GI issues, fatigue and brain fog for 3 days… but every so often I weaken (or am starving) and snaffle something. I pay the price but I can feel all the eyes judging me- even my husband and 10 year old daughter.

I really wished I had not been pulled down the rabbit hole of this thread as it has reinforced that people are judgy. I wish people would just let people be and stop caring so much about what others do or don’t eat. I mean, does it really matter if she is coeliac or not? She is making her own choices and leave her be.

I think it’s quite black and white as in you have coeliacs and can’t eat gluten or you’re intolerant and it causes gastro disturbances (amongst other effects). My husband is a diagnosed coeliac and he will not at all eat gluten, we are really careful with meal preps to avoid contamination (kids have a gluten diet) and make sure there’s not gluten containing food mixing with gluten free. I think if MIL can eat biscuits then she’s not a coeliac but may be gluten intolerant. If he does inadvertently eat gluten, it’s not long before he begins to suffer the effects of it and they’re not pleasant (gastric cramps and inflammation, bloating and wind, diarrhoea etc). It’s not something he is willing to risk over a biscuit!

You can't grow out of coeliac disease. It's a lifelong condition.

Ur MIL sounds like a friend of mine.

She says that she is celiac, dairy intolerant & other dietary requirements. She is very vocal about her issues. We meet up about once a month and every time we do she is having a ‘F. It’ day, eating normal bread, cakes etc.
When we stay overnight somewhere we take items she can eat but yes she’s having a ‘f it’ day, eats all of our things and then takes her things home (none of which she paid for).
After waking up and realising her behaviour cannot be rewarded, we are no longer catering to her diet.

My sister had CD in the 60s before it was well known and looked terrible -
swollen belly, and looked like a victim of famine. Mum was great and we all had proper dinners until she grew out of it because of the care. So avoid at all costs if you are really coeliac. So is she really coeliac?

Yes, you are right. My DH has gluten intolerance. The discomfort for him has been really bad at times but it doesn’t make him actually ill. He was diagnosed with it by a private doctor that we ended up paying for when he just couldn’t figure out why his stomach always hurt and the doctor just kept telling him he had IB related to stress. When he went to a new GP recently he told him he was allergic to gluten and the doc said you shouldn’t be telling people that there is a big difference between what you have and coeliac. He was really careful about it at first and in my opinion milked it a bit, which is what it sounds like the MIL is doing, but now he knows he can have a bit here and there or will just suffer if he really wants something with gluten.

That’s exactly what I thought. I’d be taking everything she said with a shovel of salt! That and the fact that she keeps eating gluten tells me she’s gluten intolerant but has not been diagnosed with CD. Digestive problems like gluten intolerance are pretty common in older women as it’s one of the many fun side dishes that come with the menopause.

I have coeliacs disease. I suffered terribly for years until finally after blood test & endoscopy it was confirmed I had CD. Anyone who seriously has it and cares would not risk it. It’s not only about having tummy trouble for a few days after and feeling unwell, but also the long term health implications.. bowel cancer being one of them. I highly doubt she has it

Well she is obviously bullshitting and as for the wedding list thing - just wow! That tells us everything we need to know about her and I wouldn’t be standing for her nonsense any longer. I’d be really tempted, next time I saw her about to eat a biscuit, to snatch it out of her hand in horror while exclaiming “Oh my god Barbara (don’t know why but I’m imagining her as a Barbara) you can’t eat that it’s going to make you really sick”. But then I am a grumpy old woman who is increasingly intolerant of other people’s bullshit! Also, her not coming to your wedding sounds like an ideal outcome but I do realise it’s not that simple with family. Sorry, did I even answer your question? No she bloody well doesn’t have CD she’s just a self-obsessed attention seeker.

My MIL is a coeliac. Likes to tell everyone she's 100 percent coeliac and demands gluten free foods when she visits anywhere. Truth be told, when she's at home she devours chocolate bars and crisps that aren't gluten free and then puts on the pity me act. She doesn't work so can spend her days in bed after eating gluten.

She’s probably intolerant to gluten and probably dairy and other things. I’ve had problems over the years, stop eating things for a year or so for example milk, bread, pasta all at different times in my life and then my body would be ok again with small quantities.

she’s probably just avoiding any foods that make her feel really ill.

My understanding of coeliac disease is that you cannot eat anything with gluten at all or it will make you very ill indeed. I don’t think you can be “a little bit coeliac”. My friend, certainly, can’t have anything containing gluten or it will make him very unwell.

This reminds me of something my MIL did a few years ago:

she’s claimed to have coeliac disease for longer than I’ve known her, however, when pushed on the subject it transpires that this was not diagnosed during a colonoscopy that investigated for this, or in a blood test. She makes a big song and dance about everything having to be gluten free everywhere she goes but occasionally you’ll catch her eating something very gluteny and she’ll pretend she hasn’t.

So, she was hosting a family party and got the fish and chip shop down the road to deliver fish and chips for everyone. Her SIL is diagnosed with coeliac disease and brought her own food with her because MIL said that they couldn’t cook the fish and chips on separate oil so it wouldn’t be gluten free. MIL was raging about this and said “I just pick the batter off my fish - I don’t understand why she can’t do the same, she’s making a fuss about nothing.”

FFS. No. The poor woman is genuinely coeliac and would likely be extremely ill for days if she did that!

@macandcheeseforthewine my GP told dh he didn’t need to be tested for coeliac disease after I sent him to ask for a test (after what looked,like a possible coeliac rash, and Dd has coeliacs). The gp declined the blood test as she said if dh didn’t have any stomach issues he couldn’t possibly have it. 🙈. I had to send him back!

Forgetting about the op and her mil for a minute (apologies!), I'm shocked at the number of Coeliacs on here who don't seem to have heard of the term 'silent coeliac' before.

Yes, the majority of Coeliacs exhibit some horrible side effects when eating gluten, such as sickness, diarrhoea, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain etc. But there are others who don't get any of the symptoms, hence the term silent coeliac.

It doesn't mean that they're not causing damage to their insides, of course they are. But just because you as a coeliac throw up when eating gluten (accidentally or on purpose), it doesn't mean that everyone does. And I can only imagine how much more difficult it is for someone who doesn't display any of those symptoms and is struggling with their diagnosis to actually stick to a gluten-free diet.

Just thought I'd throw that in there, as I've been genuinely shocked at some of these replies.

I've never been able to be tested for celiac disease as it makes me so ill eating gluten so it's on my records as a gluten intolerance my friend however is a diagnosed celiac she still eats wheat then sobs all over Facebook when she gets ill she has recently been up and down medically and posted all her recovery dishes on her page they contain gluten so she is nearly hospitalised again "for tests" and "let's see if they can get to the bottom of it this time" she has even threatened to change Dr's what she hasn't done is cut gluten out of her life completely

my point is If she was a genuine celiac she would know about it

I'm a coeliac and i react really harshly to tiniest amounts of gluten. However my uncle can consume gluten with no reaction at all. It still does damage to the body though. He's now battling bowel cancer so eating gluten "cause he doesn't react" has caught up with him. It's an autoimmune disease, it eats the body from the inside :(

Has she had a stomach biopsie, if she hasnt then it has not been comfirmed. There is a blood test that hints at Coeliac disease but has to be confirmed with the biopsie. My ex wife IS a coeliac and even the smallest amount if Gluten (even on things like soy sauce) would make her unwell for six weeks.

As someone who's gluten intolerant I can risk the odd item as long as I don't overdo it. Gluten intolerance is far more common now yet still misunderstood by many including some of the medical profession.

@wilteddandelion

Is anything available to you on prescription via your GP?

It will depend on the Trust in your area, but you may be able to get at least bread or flour.

https://www.coeliac.org.uk/information-and-support/coeliac-disease/once-diagnosed/prescriptions/

To be fair, all those with gluten intolerance or just being faddy about gluten have done wonders for my coeliac friend, as gluten free food is so much easier to come by now.