In January of 2026, not long after New Year’s Holiday, my world was changed forever. I was teaching second grade, and it was our first day back from Christmas Break. I had missed my students terribly and was so excited to see them and hear about all the activities they had done. I began to experience some burning pain around 11 that morning. I attributed it to not being on my feet a lot for two weeks, and I pushed through the pain. The pain continued getting worse, so I went to the restroom and noticed I was bleeding from my bottom. I am not a doctor, but I knew a burning sensation, added to blood in my stool, was not normal. I consulted with the school nurse; our conclusion was that I needed to go to the Emergency Room. I called my husband, Ryan, and headed that way. He met me there, and they began doing all of the tests. They concluded they could not find anything and could not explain the source of the pain. The doctor diagnosed me with colitis, a gut infection. He prescribed the strongest antibiotics I have ever been on, pain medication, and gave me two days off work. He also scheduled a follow-up with a GI doctor.
I began the medication and continually got worse for the next two days. I do not like taking pain medication, so when the pain got to the point that I wanted that medicine, I knew this was not Colitis. Thankfully, my appointment with the GI doctor was Thursday, and all of this began on a Tuesday. I had been throwing up, still in blinding pain, and not getting better. The Nurse Practitioner scheduled an endoscopy because she believed it was more than likely an ulcer. I was told I was going to have to wait 2 weeks. I began to cry because I just didn’t know how I was supposed to work when I was feeling like this. However, my husband and I went to schedule the procedure, and there was an opening to have the procedure the next day. I was so relieved because I finally felt like answers were on their way.
We got to the surgery center about 8 that morning. I was taken back about 30 minutes later, and we waited for me to be taken back for the procedure. Once I was back there, I was so ready to be put under and get the answers I desperately needed. I woke up, my husband helped me change clothes, and we waited for the doctor to come in and let us know what he found. My heart sank when he said he did not find an ulcer. I started to tear up when he said he had performed biopsies on both my large and small intestines. He did this to check for H. Pylori and Celiac Disease. I was well aware of what H. Pylori was, but had no idea what Celiac Disease was. He sent us on our way with the hope of getting a phone call later that week for results.
I went home and immediately researched Celiac Disease symptoms. I had so many of them, even the rare ones like neuropathy. I woke up many mornings with my fingers being numb, with no explanation why. I had diarrhea every day, multiple times a day. I just knew this had to be it. My husband was not convinced.
The following Wednesday, I received a call with the results. The celiac biopsy was positive. I had to start a gluten-free diet immediately, and they hung up the phone. No help or guidance on where to start, no mention of a nutritionist or dietitian. I was on my own figuring this out. With the help of my husband, a Facebook group, and TikTok, I have been managing symptoms for almost one year. My life has changed forever, and I am still facing some challenges. Now I help others with their diagnosis and how to manage a gluten-free lifestyle.
