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

[CookiePookie]

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.

She says she has had 'all the tests' but it's too upsetting to discuss so she won't.

Posters still doing the "...and what did she/he/they say when you said what I think you should have said? Eh? EH?" is annoying.

You're right, it's not worth it. She does this - orders a GF option then a regular dessert. When FIL says 'what about the CD' she says it's fine once in a while.

I was like, that's not exactly how I reacted but OK... not everyone can deal with the stress of confrontation etc so I just ignored so as not to feed the flames, rather than actually have an argument about it.

Shes a dick .she's either lying or eating gluten to suit her which could lead to awful symptoms in future due to hidden internal damage.
My husband was silent coeliac when diagnosed now if he's glutened his symptoms vary from fatigue to fainting, vomiting and shitting himself. It's no joke

It sounds awful, so sorry for your poor husband. It sounds very tricky to deal with actual CD!

I know a few people who are gluten-intolerant but are really shit at sticking to it. They just eat the gluten (it is usually pudding, isn’t it) and accept the reaction afterwards.

Celiac here- she may have an intolerance because if I ate a biscuit I would very unwell and would be in agony with my joints .
it’s not just a bit of diarrhoea with CD as others have already mentioned

Taking the CD aside, what the fuck reason did she give for demanding to see your to do list????

OK now I’m in the ‘she’s a dick’ camp. This is terrible behaviour and just teaches restaurants that gf doesn’t really matter. I am team (gluten-free) CookiePookie and your MiL sounds a complete mare.

I quite like gf custard creams though.

I ate the GF custard creams after they left and quite liked them so was offended on the biscuits' behalf. Glad I posted here as even it was just a vent about it, I've gained lots of knowledge. I agree she is a mare and probably 'it's not about the GF' as someone else noted!

No actual good reason. She left the room as I was being difficult by not showing her the list. I refused to discuss it further - I had a lot on my plate with it being days before the wedding and bikini wax imminent... of course she came to the wedding.

There is a difference between a gluten allergy and a gluten intolerance. Maybe she is getting confused between the two.

@CookiePookie

Has she had an endoscopy/biopsy at her local hospital?

I have Coeliac Disease; the diagnosis was about 10 years ago.

The initial diagnosis came from a blood test organised by my GP.

I was referred to the gastroenterologists at the local hospital some time later. The specialist there told me that he considered the gold standard for diagnosis to be a blood test PLUS an endoscopy/biopsy, so I agreed to have the endoscopy/biopsy.

The specialist was able to see everything, as there was a little camera in the apparatus they used and a screen in front of him. The villi in the gut are flattened in people with Coeliac Disease who are still eating gluten and he could see the flatness on the camera.

The apparatus can also take a sample for biopsy, so he did that too and the analysis confirmed that I had Coeliac Disease.

https://www.coeliac.org.uk/information-and-support/coeliac-disease/getting-diagnosed/blood-tests-and-biospy/

I knew someone who said the had chrones.
She didn't, it was an excuse to do fuck all in the bathroom for ages.
Before anyone jumps on me, she also didn't want me to mention it in front of her parents, and lied about having cancer, even shaved her head ffs.

You can have Coeliac Disease and still choose to eat gluten.
Bit stupid IMO, but if you're ok with the horrendous side effects, nobody else's business I suppose.
What the fuck that has to do with your bikini line though, I cannot imagine.

Why do you care? She sounds difficult but really what is it to you if she is or isn’t? My child has a proper allergy (epi pen - scary reaction etc) but can tolerate her allergy when it’s highly processed. This is amazing and allows us some food freedom and in fact we try hard to keep it in diet under medical advice. very scary if she was to have it unprocessed though. I’m sure some people question it which is so annoying and potentially unsafe.

Dd has diagnosed coeliac disease and has to be ever strict. A tiny bit of cross contamination causes projectile vomiting and she’s in bed for two days in a weird sort of semi conscious stupor.

a colleague of mine also has properly diagnosed coeliac disease and eats cakes and biscuits still as she says gluten free stuff is shit and then moans about stomach ache all the time.

some people with coeliac disease will have no noticeable symptoms at all. So it is possible.

but if she is hazy on details/not wanting to discuss tests it’s also possibly bullshit.

We are in a social group with an adult who's got gluten intolerance and two children with Coeliac Disease. All eat GF, but the adult will be fine if her food is cut with the same knife as the other bread. If there is a tiny bit of gluten in something her tummy might feel a little sore. For Coeliac kids the same amount would mean a few hours curled up with a hot water bottle for awful tummy ache and a bucket & toilet for horrible D+V. I suspect though some people who are GF but not Coeliac might be as ill as the kids with gluten? I don't know if any Coeliacs who have a milder reaction.

I have diagnosed ceoliac disease (by endoscopy process and blood test) and I can actually in theory eat a normal bread sandwich and have zero symptoms. But I don’t have any because I am out of those ceoliacs where earring gluten more causes us autoimmune issues with it so if I was eating gluten on a regular basis I would eventually get sick.

Yes you can have a silent / asymptomatic version of the disease where you may not display typical symptoms from eating gluten but the damage is still being done to your gut. This still affects absorption of vitamins and minerals and leads to long term problems associated with difficiency. Two of my family members will be immediately unwell from eating gluten. The other would suffer no short term affects but within a few weeks of eating gluten would have reoccurring tonsillitis, fatigue, poor skin condition etc. She's much more likely to be less careful with what she eats and so would be more likely to eat the odd biscuit

DH is a 'silent coeliac' so he doesn't get the digestive issues in terms of cramps, immediate illness etc, however it affects his skin, his energy levels, his sleep etc. He sticks to a gluten free diet 95% of the time but will occasionally have a sandwich, or a beer, or fish and chips, if the situation leads to it. He shouldn't. It still causes damage to his gut and intestines. But as he doesn't feel horrific after it, he doesn't see the issue.

It is possible.

CD runs in my family and while we have plenty of relatives who religiously avoid any chance of cross contamination we also have two fully diagnosed older relatives who more or less refuse to follow the diet. One of whom tucks in to normal biscuits quite happily then complains later about stomach ache and neck pain. This one insists the doctor told her it was fine to eat gluten containing foods as and when 'especially at her age'.

Neck pain? Is that a recognised symptom? Would be really interested to know more about this if you could come back to me. Could answer a few worries!

Some coeliacs even have trouble with GF oats, as there's a protein in oats that's very similar to gluten and the body can get confused and react to it in the same way.