Diagnosis

He wasted no time and no breath, "You have Celiacs," the doctor said as I found the small back of the chair. After calling in the resident medical student to show her the results of my blood work—for posterity, bless it—and after receiving some prescriptions, I asked, "Do you want to advise me on anything?" To which he replied, "Study on your own, it's the best way. Abstain from Gluten, take the medication, and see me in three weeks." That was it. My entire diet was immediately rerouted via a toll bridge, and along with it where my groceries sit in my kitchen, and the places where I can eat. As I walked through Chelsea down through the West Village to the train, I thought, well first, "I wish I had my sunglasses," and then, I thought about my working environment, how I am surrounded by bread there, how I can no longer eat there. I can no longer stop by for quick Chinese food, toss a cheeseburger, dollar pizzas days are over, and my dessert options have gone from pecan pie and pastries to ice cream and fruit.

Let's cover the basics of Celiacs. What the hell is a Celiac? Do I look like one? Is it chronic? We'll start with the Wiki basics before cracking a book. It's an autoimmune disorder. The Oxford Dictionary defines autoimmune: "of or relating to disease caused by antibodies or lymphocytes produced against substances naturally present in the body." This isn't like when I took melatonin in college to help me sleep and pass finals—and by extension—move to New York City to suffer.


No, in the case of Celiacs, when gluten is digested, the small intestine realizes that it can't
break down the protein, and in turn the intestine sort of attacks itself, resulting in either stomach pain, possibly, if not caught in time, a manifestation through a type of dermatitis where the skin itches really freakin' bad (this is what was happening to me), and many other symptoms that I might talk about later. Celiacs is chronic, forever, a life sentence. The Celiac Disease Foundation (It's their 25th anniversary!) states,

"When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body."

If those nutrients can't be absorbed, the person gets really skinny and sickly. That hasn't happened to me, thankfully. Yet, I'm not out of the woods. Well, I'm in Brooklyn, so maybe I am. Really though, one autoimmune disease can give way to others, and even predispose the celiac to intestinal cancer. The key to remaining healthy, says experts and us commoners alike, is to maintain a life-long abstinence from gluten. To relieve me of my suffering, my doctor has prescribed me some aid to help me with the transition, but after that, baby it's an all natural cure—and a bougie one.

I'm starting this blog for numerous reasons. Firstly, I'm writing to be a part of the community struggling with this PMA-testing disorder. Secondly, some of my friends tell me I should write a blog if I want to write, because it's post-postmodern/mass mediated 21st Century and I'm not a novelist. Also, Celiacs sucks dude, and I need to write it out after watching my friends slam a New York slice. In the future posts expect me to cover topics like what a Celiac can eat; how to eat out and how to navigate social gatherings around food that are already difficult in the first place; cross-contamination and minor encounters with gluten; hidden gluten; who is affected by Celiacs; brands that cater to Celiacs; recipes; how to afford the disorder—even in NYC—and the state of Celiac culture, along with the stigma of being gluten free, in the city and elsewhere; and reviews and summaries of books and articles written on Celiacs, academic and non-academic texts by those with the disorder.

Also important, I want to reach out to to others with Celiacs, and would be interested in featuring some of those people to show how they have dealt with their new lifestyle (yes it is a lifestyle, and for some a philosophy), how they navigate their days and weeks.

If you would like to contact me, reply to my blog or shoot me an email at treyfrench9@gmail.com

If not, here is a picture of a Celiac, the back of one's head at least, my head and the "Defenders of the Union" at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, NY, taken by the lovely Sharena whose fashion blog you will be blessed to find, here —> at http://fashionofanovice.blogspot.com