It all makes sense now... | Athlete with Coeliac

After years of dealing with various health issues and mystery injuries - Lucy's recent health diagnosis finally made sense of it all... Coeliac disease could be the root cause of all her issues.

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Produced by: Holly Charles

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[WILDFOXRUNNING]

All your competitors will be like “great, Lucy is going to be even better now 😂”
Best wishes Lucy, love that you are always so positive 🫶🏻

[kellybaker]

Fellow Celiac here, diagnosed in 2008. The best advice I can give is to watch the ingredients on seasoning blends. The words 'and other natural flavors' can mean hidden gluten containing ingredients. I found that out the hard way after starting a GF diet and using Lowry's Season Salt on my chicken. You're going to feel much better very, very soon so I'm glad you found the source!

[phriendspin]

My wife and daughter both have Celiac disease. Funny enough my daughter, age 7, and I just watched your “Rise of a Champion”. I was excited to share that you have the same disease as her. I am hoping she sees this as something that is not a hinderance in life.

[elissaclark]

Firstly, Holly Charles TAKE A BOW! That transition when she was explaining the tests she had done in 2021 to the clip from 2021 was impeccable! I genuinely didn’t even notice, and had to go back to re watch it!😂😂😂 lastly, glad you have got to the bottom of things and wish you all the best for what’s to come 😊

[normanrahmel]

I have been living with celiac disease my entire life, for 25 years, and have been active in sports, previously playing soccer and now competing in Age Group Triathlon at a very ambitious level. I suffered a stress fracture in my midfoot because I wasn't strictly adhering to my diet for a while. It's crucial to maintain a 100% gluten-free diet, based on my experience. You can bake a lot yourself, but it takes some time to get used to the different flours; it's more challenging than using wheat. I have the "luck" of having had this condition all my life and am so accustomed to it that it doesn't bother me if someone next to me eats pizza, or if we stop at a bakery during a group bike ride and I can't eat anything. Sometimes it's tough, but it is definitely worth it to stick to a 100% gluten-free diet.

[lukehurford]

My daughter is a huge fan and learns a lot from you, I appreciate the honesty for junior female athletes who look up to you and learn so much. Showing the process and your evolution is very interesting

[jkim]

A solid diagnosis must be a relief to you.
It’s amazing how you’ve been performing at such excellence all this time. Your mental fortitude must be so strong, but glad you don’t have to suffer unnecessarily now.

[Lnike]

Wow thank you for sharing. I just became a triathlete a year ago and I suffered with bloating, tiredness, lower back and hip pains, my menstrual cycle is normal. I thought it was due to myself being a single mom full time job and part time graduate student. I slept at accurate hours. Hmm your video really hits me, I need to check on that w my doctor or/and at least trying to get rid of gluten and see if I feel any better.

Thank you for sharing! Best of luck rest of ur season! I’m a fan! Also congratulations on well deserved Kona World Champions!

[AndyR]

My wife was diagnosed coeliac when she was 28 after years of issues, and like you say, when she looks back when she was younger the signs were all there too. Thank you for sharing your story, it all helps get awareness out there.

[katcoffey]

I have celiac disease! I was diagnosed in 2017 (22 years old). It took me over a year to get the diagnosis after losing weight, bloating, lethargy, and terrible headaches. In a weird way I was so grateful for the diagnosis because I always knew that there was something a little "off" about how my body was feeling. I am so glad you figured it out, I truly think you will feel better than you ever have in your life. One tip from me: read every label, dont ever assume! Gluten hides in the weirdest places. Love following your journey!

[maryannkeith]

I have a non-celiac gluten intolerance, it could be worse, but it's certainly not easy. I've been off gluten for 12+ years and I feel so much better. I treated giving up some of the foods as a grieving process. There's so much more available in terms of gluten free alternatives now (pastas, breads, pizzas, etc) that it's not as hard as it used to be. For a while, I viewed it as a fun challenge to come up with new recipes and foods to eat, almost as if I was on a cooking show. Most of the shift to gluten free is mental, and with you having so much mental toughness from being an athlete I have no doubt you'll be fine!

[jessecahauser]

Hi Lucy! I also went for many years with those same issues and was finally diagnosed 7 years ago at age 40. It took a lifetime of joint pain, migraines, eczema and other ailments to get here. I finally found a doctor who listened and got me the tests I need. I was a triathlete for many years and as you age you will need to watch things even more. I have grade 3/4 arthritis in all of my lower limb joints and other orthopedic injuries. It is a hallmark of the disease unfortunately. The best advice I can give you is to ask ask ask. Servers at restaurants don’t get it. People in general still try to tell me I can have a little bit. They really don’t hear you when you say “is it gluten free?” It is incredibly hard to avoid gluten while traveling or with language barriers. I always have “safe” snacks because I could not risk a celiac attack leading into a race. Once you are all healed and totally gluten free a celiac attack can really set you back for training. You have an advantage of a team. Nutritionists. Physios. So that will help. But even my shampoo had gluten in it. My face lotion had gluten in it. All slowly poisoning me and I didn’t even realize it. Check everything. Ask questions. And just know it’s a journey. When you are racing do not trust the nutrition provided and as a pro you likely won’t have to worry but as an age grouper I could not have the broth late in my run. I could not eat the commingled snacks provided. I could not eat the power bars they give you. It’s everywhere. Best of luck on your journey. Cheers to finally healing up. Can’t wait to keep watching you WIN! ❤🎉

[maboechler]

Celiac can present with a lot of different symptoms ranging from mild to severe, glad she saw her doctor and was formally evaluated/diagnosed. She explains the immune response well

[melanieriley]

Great to see you’ve had insight into your health and wellbeing. I was diagnosed 3 years ago and it has taken the past few years to really get balance back with my sensitivities and intolerances. In Australia we have a Coeliac Australia association that has created an app with a detailed list of additives or ingredients you can use as a quick reference when first navigating the shopping aisles. All the best on this next step! I’m excited to see you become resilient and stronger with this new challenge.

[ErinCourtney]

Although Celiac Disease can be seen as a setback, I'm SO happy that you found the actual problem and can move forward with a solution!! I suffered from multiple digestive disorders and finally removed gluten from my diet seven years ago, seeing a HUGE positive shift in my overall health. Can't wait to see how much more you progress and heal now that you know what to do!! Keep doing what you do, I'm a huge fan!!

[AshleyMaggy]

Hi Lucy! I've been living with celiacs disease for 12 years now. Biggest thing to look out for is all of the foods you wouldn't think gluten would be in such as sauces, soy sauce, soups, sweets..anything that might have thickeners. I'd recommend always reading the labels of pre packaged food and always ask at restaurants if a dish could have anything with wheat in it! It can seem very daunting at first but overtime it just becomes a natural process to read labels and ask :)

[Binabobini]

Coeliac hybrid training girly here! You’ll feel so much better in a few short months!

A couple of supplemental things that really helped me in the short to medium term was to get an iron infusion done at my local hospital and b12 shots by my local pharmacist. Obviously it’s much harder to absorb those orally when your intestinal lining has been damaged, so it is worth getting it injected whilst you’re still healing your small intestine

[vivien-sophiedurr]

Hey Lucy, wishing you all the very best for continuing now in this sport as you know what might have limited you a bit in the past :) I don't know about the others but if I can make a content "wish"; I'd love to hear you talking a little bit about training as a women. I think quite a lot of female athletes/ sports persons would love about your tips and tricks here, whether you train with your cycle, whether you prefer to have a natural one or no cycle at all and how you deal with it while racing. Thank you so much for all of your valuable YouTube content and also a massive thank you to Holly, as she is the one taking and editing all your videos. :)

[oliverpaterson]

Came here from Natacha's channel! Welcome to the fold. I'm 32 and was diagnosed when I was 1. The level of knowledge around it was very different back then haha. My symptoms are vomiting, the 💩, mouth ulcers, and more, so it was pretty obvious something was wrong. My brother was also diagnosed in his mid-20s. I'm in the UK too and labelling on food is great here. Gluten is pesky and is in a lot of foods you wouldn't expect, but once you get used to checking labels and asking at restaurants, it will get easier. I've come across stuff like packs of rice and lentils with a "may contain gluten" warning. So you've gotta check everything, even if it feels silly. Best of luck!

[xander]

It’s cool to see how this diagnosis became a sort of “aha” moment as if this was the last piece of the puzzle. Very glad to see you are approaching this with stride. This should also be a reminder for everyone else watching to pay attention to how your body feels and let your doctor know if something doesn’t seem right.