Comments on: The Long Journey http://blog.paultomlinson.net/2009/05/the-long-journey/ Forest, trees, and balance within. I guess. Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:05:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Shawn Robinson http://blog.paultomlinson.net/2009/05/the-long-journey/comment-page-1/#comment-1193 Shawn Robinson Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:05:22 +0000 http://blog.paultomlinson.net/?p=123#comment-1193 Very humbling to learn of your struggles as we go through our own. Thank you for the shared experience. Very humbling to learn of your struggles as we go through our own.

Thank you for the shared experience.

]]> By: Jake http://blog.paultomlinson.net/2009/05/the-long-journey/comment-page-1/#comment-46 Jake Tue, 19 May 2009 02:35:00 +0000 http://blog.paultomlinson.net/?p=123#comment-46 There is actually gluten free pasta that doesn't really taste any different than wheat pasta, so it's not that bad. You can even order gluten free pasta in some restaurants now.<br /><br />The big problem with Celiac disease is not knowing what's wrong. I met one woman who wasn't diagnosed until she was in the hospital in a coma. There is actually gluten free pasta that doesn’t really taste any different than wheat pasta, so it’s not that bad. You can even order gluten free pasta in some restaurants now.

The big problem with Celiac disease is not knowing what’s wrong. I met one woman who wasn’t diagnosed until she was in the hospital in a coma.

]]> By: Paul T http://blog.paultomlinson.net/2009/05/the-long-journey/comment-page-1/#comment-45 Paul T Mon, 18 May 2009 12:21:00 +0000 http://blog.paultomlinson.net/?p=123#comment-45 Yessir, I do recall - at least the diagnosis, I don't think I was every privy to just how much it did to you.<br /><br />Dunno if I could live without pasta though man, that's a tough one. Yessir, I do recall – at least the diagnosis, I don’t think I was every privy to just how much it did to you.

Dunno if I could live without pasta though man, that’s a tough one.

]]> By: Jake http://blog.paultomlinson.net/2009/05/the-long-journey/comment-page-1/#comment-44 Jake Mon, 18 May 2009 06:52:00 +0000 http://blog.paultomlinson.net/?p=123#comment-44 I'm so glad to hear that you figured out what was wrong and that there is something you can do about it. My own disease and accompanying ordeal doesn't sound nearly as bad as what you had to go through, but I can empathize with you. I don't know if you ever knew this, but around the end of my freshman year in high school and all through my sophomore year I started getting weak and had to sleep all the time. I had enough energy to make it through school, but when I came home I would fall asleep and sleep until school the next day. My muscles were so weak that it was taxing just to move around and my hands would shake like an old man's.<br /><br />I went to many doctors and had all sorts of tests run. I remember the frustration of searching through lists of symptoms and possible problems and having each test come up negative and never really feeling any closer to knowing what was wrong. Fortunately for me, it only took me about a year of going to different doctors to find a doctor who thought of testing for Celiac disease and that was what it was. The problem was that back then not nearly as much was known about the disease and most of my symptoms didn't match a lot of what where thought to be typical symptoms for the disease, which made it so hard to diagnose. <br /><br />Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease that when I eat gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains, it causes my intestines to become inflamed, preventing them from absorbing nutrients and causes my immune system to attack my intestines. So basically I was slowly dying of malnutrition because I couldn't use the food I was eating. As long as I don't eat gluten I'm fine. <br /><br />I think I got off pretty easy. I don't have to drink tons of water or do anything else. But I can understand the frustration of trying to live with something like that and not knowing what to do to fix it, as well as the relief of finally knowing and being able to live again. -Jake Jacobsen I’m so glad to hear that you figured out what was wrong and that there is something you can do about it. My own disease and accompanying ordeal doesn’t sound nearly as bad as what you had to go through, but I can empathize with you. I don’t know if you ever knew this, but around the end of my freshman year in high school and all through my sophomore year I started getting weak and had to sleep all the time. I had enough energy to make it through school, but when I came home I would fall asleep and sleep until school the next day. My muscles were so weak that it was taxing just to move around and my hands would shake like an old man’s.

I went to many doctors and had all sorts of tests run. I remember the frustration of searching through lists of symptoms and possible problems and having each test come up negative and never really feeling any closer to knowing what was wrong. Fortunately for me, it only took me about a year of going to different doctors to find a doctor who thought of testing for Celiac disease and that was what it was. The problem was that back then not nearly as much was known about the disease and most of my symptoms didn’t match a lot of what where thought to be typical symptoms for the disease, which made it so hard to diagnose.

Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease that when I eat gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains, it causes my intestines to become inflamed, preventing them from absorbing nutrients and causes my immune system to attack my intestines. So basically I was slowly dying of malnutrition because I couldn’t use the food I was eating. As long as I don’t eat gluten I’m fine.

I think I got off pretty easy. I don’t have to drink tons of water or do anything else. But I can understand the frustration of trying to live with something like that and not knowing what to do to fix it, as well as the relief of finally knowing and being able to live again. -Jake Jacobsen

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