Our Coeliac Surprise
The beginning of Love Your Health Australia
We created the idea for Love Your Health Australia in the time after Michelle was diagnosed with Gestational diabetes whilst pregnant with our first child. This was our introduction into the importance of reading the list of ingredients in the everyday foods we consume.
Day by day we have been working towards creating a “one stop shop” for all things health related. We have been and still are constantly looking to add new products to our store, whilst continuing towards ensuring that those who visit our site are able to get the information they are looking for.
Fast forward a year to August 2018 and our family business was presented with a new challenge. However it has enhanced our passion for healthy foods and understanding more about the ingredients we place in our bodies.
Alyssia
Our eldest Daughter Alyssia was born in mid 2015, a healthy weight, no obvious issues to worry about, we couldn’t be happier. She went through very early life as any other normal child does and was joined by Freya her little sister just under 13 months later.
By this time Alyssia was eating solid foods and acting like any other toddler. The two of us were conscious to provide a healthy diet, keeping processed sugar to a minimum, no sugary soft drinks, listened to dieticians and followed various guidelines from the research we were doing.
We noticed that Alyssia’s stomach would be bloated after eating and she would also complain that she didn’t feel very well or “felt sick” aft. Having taken her for checkups with the local GP but never got any clear suggestions as to what the cause could be it, we began thinking it was nothing and that perhaps she was telling us this for attention.
We also began to notice that her hair was thinning and her scalp was visible, so back off to the local GP we went to demand a blood test to which he agreed.
Within 2 days Alyssia’s blood test came back positive for low iron and suggested she had Coeliac disease.
Coeliac disease put simply is your body reacting to Gluten. It causes an inflammatory reaction leading to your white blood cells attacking your Villi. Your Villi is found in your small intestine and is responsible for absorbing all the wonderful nutrients your food contains. Once attacked it flattens and is unable to absorb the nutrients your body needs.
Currently the only cure is a lifetime of avoiding food containing Gluten.
Coeliac Diagnosis
“Yes” we cried (literally) we can now put things right, so we went straight to the cupboards, binned anything with gluten in it and hey presto empty shelves stared back at us.
The GP advised us to continue feeding her Gluten until the endoscopy is performed. Horror crept in, why do we have to poison our daughter? Unfortunately stopping the Gluten can give a false test result.
Alyssia had her blood test in August 2018, this was followed by a bowel biopsy and Endoscopy test a few weeks later which confirmed diagnosis.
Since then our lives have changed, it’s not that we had never experienced Anxiety, stress or worry before, but now we have to ensure that we not only do the right thing for our daughter but we need to ensure that anyone who cares for her does to.
Prior to Alyssia’s diagnosis we were dedicating our lives to follow a healthier path, we felt it was simple to limit certain ingredients and ensuring we practiced the things that would help nurture our bodies. Now those practises have taken a new twist.
What we have learned..
Since September 2018 we have found ourselves in the same place as so many other parents of Coeliac children, at times feeling lost for answers and continuously worried about if we are doing the right thing for our daughter.
Our research over the last 9 months continues to show that there are so many people in the same place as us. Either with an Autoimmune disease such as Coeliac disease or with a loved one close by with the condition that are too looking for answers and guidance.
Over the coming weeks and months we will be working towards creating a place where people who have an autoimmune disease, or a loved one that does can be rest assured that Love Your Health will do the checking so they don’t have to.
Love Your Health Australia already offers many Gluten Free products. We will continue to grow our product range to offer something for all, whilst making sure that those with an intolerance or Autoimmune disease can find what they are looking for with a few simple clicks.
We will make it easy for you to shop with confidence and find exactly what you are looking for. Whether that be help with products, recipes, symptoms, ideas or even if you simply wish to share your experience as we would love to hear your story or advice.
Whilst you are reading this and wondering if you have Coeliac disease, go and rule it out today, take a visit to your GP to organise a blood test, we are so pleased we did.
Coeliac Australia
Finally here are a few facts from the Coeliac Australia website
- Up to 1 in 70 people in Australia have Coeliac Disease yet alarmingly its estimated that 75% continue through life unaware.
- Coeliac disease runs in families. If someone closely related to you then go get yourself checked also.
- Ingesting something as small as a breadcrumb is enough to cause an inflammatory reaction in a person with Coeliac disease.
- On average Australians are not being diagnosed until we hit 13 years of age.
- There are many Symptoms of Coeliac disease click here to learn more
- There is a list of Accredited restaurants who can offer you a eat without fear experience click here to learn more
For those of you with smart phones you can download an App from Coeliac Australia that allows you to check all ingredients. It costs $9.99 but we love it and you can find it here
