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

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Coeliac disease - I understand from other friends who have been diagnosed with this that it's tricky but OK to deal with being gluten-free forever. My MIL has been diagnosed with this a year or so ago. Out of the blue she just announced she cannot have gluten any longer, and has Coeliac disease.
Just a bit of history - my opinion is that she seeks attention in all situations. My husband and my wedding - she demanded my private list of 'to-do' items including such things as 'wax bikini line', and when I did not give it to her she threatened not to come to the wedding until I apologised. Now, she may have CD and we always get in lots of gluten-free foods when they visit. She always asks in restaurants for the GF options. (and bemoans how poor they are). But most times we see her she will eat something containing gluten, like a regular biscuit or a bit of batter off fish and chips my FIL is eating. Can you just have a minor allergy to gluten? But she does insist it's Coeliac disease.

You can have coeliac disease and not be violently ill after consuming gluten. It's still doing damage internally but there can be no apparent external symptoms.

Absolutely. It's not an allergy. Nephew was biopsy diagnosed 25 years ago. Usually he is very stringent. Occasionally he will have a beer. And get somewhat ill.

This is not true for all coeliacs!

I have diagnosed coeliac and don't eat gf at all because I can't afford it.
What people do/do not choose to put into their own bodies is their concern and nobody else's.

I have been completely gluten free for 7 years after being diagnosed with coeliac disease. (DNA and biopsy) if I eat even a tiny bit I vomit. Horrible. My DS also has it and can eat gluten without any symptoms. My dad who also has it is the same as me, if he eats gluten he is very ill. But dad can eat oats and I absolutely can’t. Everyone is different I think.

I will say - it doesnt make me violently ill as in diarrhead/vomiting but I am very bloated all the time and have nerve damage in my lower legs and hands, chronic anaemia, dizziness fatigue and chronic pain.

CD is an autoimmune condition - the body's immune system attacks the intestinal lining causing inflammation, malnutrition, and 300-odd other symptoms including neurological/skin issues and bowel cancer. You can't be 'a bit' coeliac - even a molecule of gluten can set off a reaction, snd sometimes even proteins that the body mistakes for gluten, like avenin.
Going by her behaviour, she is more likely to be gluten intolerant, which causes IBS-like symptoms.
Having said all that, some people have silent CD, where symptoms aren't obvious but damage is being stored up for later, so if she does really have CD, she needs to be more careful!

She can watch the same foods but it will cause her to have a sore tummy and need to go to the loo. I know someone with it who pretty much ears what he wants and it's not pretty.

@Luminousalumnus for your nephew 😀www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/shop/drinks/beer-and-cider/gluten-free-beer

I know someone like this. It's exhausting especially cos others in our group have legitimate food needs including anaphylactic allergies so it really severely limits our already limited options (absolutely no issue with legit food issues but I hated that mine were always trumped by the clearly fake one!)

Plenty of people with CD still eat some. They shouldn’t but they struggle. I have really bad symptoms so it’s easier for ne not to, but you can have CD and have no symptômes (it’s still damaging them internally though). I think it’d harder for those people to always say no.
And then there’s intolerant to gluten people. Who do better avoiding but can have occasional bits without any internal or lasting damage.

She does sound a bit mad, but also gluten intolerances and cd is on the rise, and still quite under diagnosed.

She absolutely can have coeliac disease but still eat gluten. Lots of people don't follow the GF diet well, because it's really hard, it's very bad to do so as it can cause intestinal cancers. Some people aren't very symptomatic (abdominal pain, diarrhoea,etc) and appear to tolerate some gluten
A GF diet is hard, GF foods as rarely as nice as the gluten versions

It is possible she has coeliac disease. It's unlikely but she might. I have coeliac disease and before diagnosis just ate normally. Every few months I'd be unwell but didn't realise it was a food thing as it wasn't like a lot of people. After my diagnosis I obviously gave up eating anything with gluten, now if I have something by accident I am sick a lot until it's gone and feel knackered. I never reacted like this before because my gut was damaged and since healing is more sensitive to it.

Put together with her other behaviour though it would point towards her not having it. It's the sort of thing that's hard to prove and obviously it annoyingly means having to 'make a fuss' at restaurants. Most coeliacs hate this aspect but for someone who is an attention seeker they may revel in it.

@MrsBuntyS Curious about your father - I know some people with coeliac disease can eat oats; others, like you, cannot. Does he have to eat gluten free oats; I know oats are naturally gluten free, but can easily be cross contaminated with other grains? So coeliacs generally have to eat oats which state gluten free on the packet.

My cousin has coeliac disease and a small amount of gluten makes him very ill. His mum, my aunt, has had ongoing health issues over many years and was recently diagnosed as also having the same condition, although it affects her in different ways and far less severely.

Actually not everyone feels violently ill if they have CD and eat something with gluten!

DM has full diagnosis of CD. biopsy, the lot. It was diagnosed probably around 20 years ago or so. She didn't have the typical symptoms in that she became constipated (rather than had runny poo) and just comes out in a rash. However, she was fatigued as her body couldn't take up the nutrients due to the disease having damage her intestinal wall.

Nowadays she can get away with having the odd battered fish, maybe a sauce with flour in it but she's otherwise mostly very careful. This doesn't make her ill as such but she may suffer with constipation and get a rash.

She’s bullshitting. I have a friend with coeliac disease and she’s extremely ill if she eats any grain with gluten in. I on the other hand feel slightly unwell the day after eating a lot of wheat so I assume I have a slight intolerance.

I've got two coeliac grandchildren who are incredibly unwell with even the slightest particle of gluten and no sign of them growing out of it. They're both incredibly sensible in asking what's OK to have from adults though, I'm so proud of them. They're old enough to know now how unwell it makes them for 48 hours.

There's a gaping chasm between gluten intolerance and coeliac disease.

Yea it'll be an intolerance prob. For genuine coeliacs it's dangerous to regularly eat gluten

My mum is intolerant of eggs but loves them so much she puts up with stomach cramps and diarrhoea to eat them (mad imho

Another diagnose coeliac here. I spent many a years in my childhood very ill before being diagnosed. As others have said, it’s an autoimmune disease with no cure - the only treatment is a life-long glutenfree diet. If I’ve been “glutened” I will know within 20-30 mins. If I ate a biscuit I’d be terribly ill and feel the effects for days.

Could she be just saying it’s Coeliac but it’s really just an intolerance?

I live with someone with a significant gluten intolerance; trace amounts give them bad tummy/lethargy for days. Not CD diagnosed.

I understood coeliac disease is very serious as whatever the symptoms it affects gut villi, making it smoother (not good) over time and therefore an inability to absorb nutrients.

I would be concerned about damage DM is doing irrespective of obvious symptoms?

I find it just so weird!

Ah OK - so she might just be thinking it's fine but it really isn't. She maybe should double check with her doc then. She said she gets awful stomach cramps if she 'has too much' gluten.

Lots of people are gluten intolerant, but that's not the same thing as Coeliac disease.

A friend of mine can't have any gluten or she gets really unwell - her whole kitchen is set up to accommodate it - she has her own toaster, for example, so she can't accidentally get "glutened" by her partner using it for regular bread.

But I know lots of other people who can eat gluten but just get an upset stomach for a bit afterwards if they eat too much. They'd never claim to have Coeliac disease but would always go GF in restaurants etc. just to be on the safe side.

Thank you for this, she's likely a person that has less severe obvious symptoms then.