Finding out and being diagnosed with coeliac disease last month (May 2025) at age 22 was a complete and unexpected shock. I suffered a stress fracture in my upper femur in March this year. It was initially thought to be only caused by running; however, some of my medical team believe coeliac disease likely played a role. I initially saw a physio and sports doctor who thought it was a simple running overload injury, with scans confirming a stress injury. In Apri,l I was between a medical certificate expiring and my next sports doctor appointment, so I saw my GP for a new medical certificate. After explaining the injury, one of her first questions was if I was coeliac.

I laughed and said no, thinking there was no way, surely I would know if I was coeliac. I had the screening blood tests done, and two tests came back positive, and my antibodies were extremely high, almost 5000! I was fortunate to have an endoscopy done within 4 weeks of the blood test to officially diagnose. I know this is a total privilege because I have private health insurance that covered the procedure. I am aware of the extremely long waiting time in the public system.

I seriously wonder when I would have found out I was coeliac without my GP ordering the screening test. Would it have been for something more serious? I have no family history of coeliac disease, and I don’t sufferfrom  the typical gastrointestinal symptoms. I do suffer some of the less common symptoms of fatigue, lethargy, difficulty concentrating and vitamin D deficiency. However, I simply put these down to being a very busy full-time uni student with a part-time job and a significant concussion at the end of 2023.

It has been such a drastic change that I’m finding it taking up a lot of mental energy just thinking about all my food decisions and precautions in a day to make sure no cross-contamination is occurring, to be strictly gluten free. It’s definitely hard living with 5 other uni students sharing a tiny kitchen, even with everyone trying their best. It’s also been an adjustment for me having to explain to family and friends what it now requires.

I’m right at the beginning of my coeliac journey, and it feels very daunting that this is the rest of my life. I’m excited to test lots of gluten-free recipes, especially as a keen baker!

Article provided by Victoria Bee