| My youngest daughter was born with it and strangely enough, my wife was diagnosed with it a few years after she was born. Neither I nor my oldest daughter have it. Both of those who do have it were confirmed through several tests with the doctors. We are lucky to be alive now rather than, say 20 years ago. Gluten-free and celiac-friendly foods are readily available in the US. We live in New Hampshire and most restaurants and grocery stores have a wide variety of options. I know it is better in larger cities, but most places are pretty good, and we have a few favorite restaurants near by that take it very seriously. The hardest part, honestly, is at home. It is too easy to forget I made my oldest daughter a grilled cheese and therefore have gluten crumbs on my fingers. I then touch something my youngest is going to eat, like getting her some chips or fruit, and I accidentally contaminate her. We've gotten better over the years (she's 12 now) but it still takes a lot of work and discipline. Overall, though, it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. I know some older friends who have Celiac disease and they would talk about how hard it was to find anywhere to eat out and how expensive things used to be (although, they are still expensive now). Still though, it would be great if there was some technology to identify cross contamination or, even better, some medication that would prevent the reactions. It would be awesome to not have to worry about the implications. For reference: my daughter with Celiac is a top-notch gymnast (yeah, dad brag and all, but she legitimately always places in the top 5 at every meet). If she gets cross contaminated though, she can barely walk in a straight line and her focus is way off. It has a real, noticeable impact. |