For the first forty or so years of my life, I prided myself on having a cast-iron stomach.
I hardly worried about what I ate. Did that steak look a little undercooked? No problem. Were there ingredients that made other people squirm? Pile them on my plate. If I’m being honest, I viewed picky eaters as high-maintenance and difficult. I assumed people who constantly asked about ingredients or requested substitutions were simply being overly particular.
I had no idea how wrong I was.
One day, seemingly out of nowhere, I began experiencing severe gastrointestinal symptoms. The pain was relentless. My digestive system was in complete chaos. Some days I felt normal, and other days I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I went through colonoscopies, blood work, dietary changes, elimination diets, and more doctor appointments than I care to remember.
Yet despite all the testing, nobody could tell me what was wrong.
Some doctors suggested Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Others implied stress might be contributing to my symptoms. A few simply shrugged their shoulders and admitted they didn’t know. As the years passed, I began to wonder whether I would ever find an answer.
Eight Years Without Answers
The most frustrating part wasn’t necessarily the pain itself.
It was being told over and over that there was no clear explanation for what I was experiencing.
Anyone who has dealt with a chronic medical condition understands this feeling. You know something is wrong, but every test seems inconclusive. Family members don’t fully understand. Friends can’t see what you’re going through. Even medical professionals sometimes struggle to identify the problem.
Then, roughly eight years into my journey, a friend offered a suggestion.
“Sounds like you have celiac disease.”
At the time, celiac disease wasn’t nearly as well-known as it is today. Gluten-free sections in grocery stores were practically nonexistent. Most restaurants had never heard the term “cross-contamination.” I honestly knew very little about the condition.
Still, I figured it was worth investigating.
The results were eye-opening.
After additional testing and an endoscopy, it became clear that I had celiac disease and that my body was mounting an immune response every time I consumed gluten. Wheat, barley, and rye were no longer foods I could casually enjoy. They became substances I would have to avoid for the rest of my life.
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More Than Just a Food Sensitivity
One of the biggest misconceptions about celiac disease is that it’s simply a dietary preference or a mild food intolerance.
It isn’t.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder. When a person with celiac consumes gluten, their immune system attacks the lining of the small intestine. Over time, this damage can interfere with nutrient absorption and contribute to a host of serious health problems.
Today, researchers estimate that approximately 1% of the population has celiac disease, yet many cases remain undiagnosed. Some individuals experience digestive issues like I did. Others may develop symptoms that seem completely unrelated, including fatigue, headaches, joint pain, skin problems, anemia, anxiety, depression, or neurological issues.
That’s one reason diagnosis can take so long. No two people experience it exactly the same way.
The Hidden Challenge of Living With Celiac Disease
Once I received my diagnosis, I assumed the hardest part was over.
In reality, a new challenge had just begun.
Wheat is everywhere.
Bread is obvious, of course. But gluten can also be found in sauces, soups, seasonings, salad dressings, marinades, and countless processed foods. Some medications even contain gluten-based ingredients.
A simple dinner out requires planning. Reading ingredient labels became second nature. Cross-contamination became a constant concern. One small mistake could leave me dealing with severe symptoms for an entire day or longer.
Thankfully, awareness has improved dramatically over the years. Many grocery stores now have dedicated gluten-free sections. Restaurants often provide gluten-free menus. Food manufacturers are more transparent about ingredients than they were when I was first diagnosed.
Even so, living with celiac disease requires constant vigilance.
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What This Experience Taught Me About People
Looking back, the greatest lesson wasn’t medical.
It was personal.
I gained a new appreciation for the struggles that people carry every day that nobody else can see.
Many illnesses are invisible.
A person can look perfectly healthy while battling chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, neurological conditions, or serious emotional trauma. Just because a condition isn’t visible doesn’t mean it isn’t real.
That realization changed the way I view many aspects of life, including my work as a personal injury attorney.
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The Similarity Between Celiac Disease and Personal Injury Cases
One of the most difficult aspects of many personal injury cases is that the injuries are often invisible.
Insurance companies love objective evidence. They prefer broken bones on an X-ray or obvious physical injuries they can easily point to.
But many accident victims suffer injuries that don’t always appear clearly on diagnostic imaging.
Traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain, nerve damage, soft tissue injuries, PTSD, anxiety, and other conditions can significantly impact a person’s life while remaining difficult to prove through traditional testing.
I’ve spoken with countless clients who felt frustrated because someone questioned the legitimacy of their pain simply because there wasn’t an obvious visual injury.
I understand that frustration better than most.
While my experience with celiac disease is very different from being injured in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, slip and fall, or other personal injury incident, there is one important similarity: both involve real suffering that may not always be immediately visible to others.
Believe What People Are Telling You
If there’s one lesson I learned from my experience, it’s this:
Don’t assume someone is fine simply because they look fine.
People often fight battles that nobody else can see.
For years, doctors couldn’t explain what was happening to me. That didn’t make my symptoms imaginary. It didn’t make the pain any less real. It simply meant the answer hadn’t been found yet.
The same principle often applies in personal injury cases.
Just because an MRI doesn’t immediately reveal the source of someone’s pain doesn’t mean they aren’t hurting. Just because an injury isn’t visible doesn’t mean it isn’t affecting every aspect of a person’s life.
Final Thoughts
Being sick, injured, or otherwise physically limited is frightening. It’s even harder when you don’t know what’s wrong or when others question what you’re experiencing.
There were times during my journey when I questioned myself. Looking back, that was a mistake.
Today, I have a much deeper appreciation for the challenges many people face and a greater sense of empathy for clients navigating their own difficult circumstances.
If you’ve been injured and feel like nobody is listening, know that you’re not alone. Our office is always willing to sit down, hear your story, and help you understand your options.
Just don’t ask me to break bread with you afterward—unless you’re prepared for a trip to the hospital.
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