Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Just been diagnosed with celiac disease today, mid forties in shock- AIBU

78 replies

boredwfh · 09/02/2026 22:54

I went to the doctors as felt I was menopausal, nearly 44, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety I didn’t have before, bit of brain fog, crawling sensation up my thigh.
Had a full panel of bloods work, tested for everything it seemed. Anyway today I got a call to tell me my bloods were all came fine, except for Celiac disease, my markers were so high there no doubt I have it but a formal diagnosis is done via a biopsy. Until the biopsy I must eat gluten otherwise I could get a false negative. I’m looking up what I need to do to go GF when I get the biopsy results back & it’s a massive lifestyle change. 44yrs of eating whatever I wanted, now I’m facing a future of complete GF diet. no breads, pasta, cakes, pizza. Even my porridge oats might not be gluten free.
I know there alternatives but the thought of this is depressing me!
AIBU to feel this way?

How did other celiacs feel after finding out and how did you implement the changes required? I cook from scratch but we are a family of 5, how do I teach them about cross contamination?! I’m the cook in the family so have control over our evening meals going forward but just tonight we had pasta, the sauce was thicken up with flour. (Gousto box just delivered this morning) I use flour in a lot of dishes. I have eggs on toast every morning, I’m reading I may need my own toaster & airfyer to avoid cross contamination

please give me good tips and alternatives of how I navigate gluten free life?
for anyone not in the know, it’s not just a gluten intolerance, it’s a life long chronic autoimmune disease which can only be treated with a complete GF free diet which if not followed gives increased risks of cancer, other autoimmune diseases developing, osteoporosis and neurological problems etc!

OP posts:
Agrumpyknitter · 09/02/2026 23:07

I was diagnosed in my 40’s too and one of my children has it. I felt so much better off gluten that it was easy to stick to. I did make some mistakes early on, forgot to check labels. You also can’t have barley or malt vinegar anymore as well as gluten. It is expensive but there are loads of gf bloggers and recipes out there. Loopy whisk on Instagram has books on how to make decent gf bread and pizza. Becky Excell is also good and there’s others too.

Barilla and rummo gf pasta is pretty good. Schar do have some gf options. They have some frozen bread rolls you bake and they’re really good.

Be kind to yourself you might make some mistakes it all takes time, but I felt so much better. Everything will take research like eating out and informing friends/colleagues to include your requirements. But there’s lots more options now. I think gf cakes taste as good as the gluten cake options and I make my own. The only difference is bread and pasta is different but there’s caputo flour which is very good but expensive. I make all our cakes gf and my daughters friends love them. My husband and other children have normal bread and are careful about cross contamination. We can use multiple cutlery but no double dipping. Do follow other gf people on social media, it makes you feel less alone. There’s also a some gf or free from food festivals this year that would be good for you to attend and see what’s out there. Good luck!

LittleNote55 · 09/02/2026 23:05

My husband got diagnosed at 33. He is so so so much better now, symptoms have completely gone away. This is the bright side for you. You’ll feel so much better. It is a huge shock though. Be really kind and patient with yourself. There are a lot of good alternatives around now but like you say it’s a huge shift

cadburyegg · 09/02/2026 23:03

Of course yanbu.

I have coeliac. It is overwhelming at first. You have to get into the habit of checking labels. To start with I’d recommend going into some local supermarkets and seeing what their gf selection is like. The Sainsbury’s near me has an excellent free from section. To begin with you may depend on the free from alternatives. Find some alternatives you like or at least are edible. What are your favourite dishes, stick with what you know and like as far as possible and use the gluten free alternatives. I make tuna pasta etc for my kids and they don’t know the difference supposedly. I made a gf cake for my son’s birthday party yesterday which got the approval of several tween boys. Otherwise I eat a lot of chicken, potatoes, rice, yogurt, gluten free oats, gluten free crackers, salads, soup. I probably could branch out a lot more.

It gets easier I promise. I’ve been diagnosed for 17 years now. It is second nature to me.