Celiac Disease and its consequences
 

Hello,

I am an EASA PPL holder and Medical Class 1 holder. I am currently undergoing an ATPL frozen course that I started in late 2019. In the last few weeks, I have been feeling not so good, as I experienced mild to moderate bowel pain, associated initially with diarrhea and then turned into constipation. I went to my gastroenterologist to get myself checked and he said I may have celiac disease, so he prescribed me several blood, urine, and feces tests. I had my tests done today, but since they should be delivered in the next two weeks I have a lot of time to think about the possible outcome of this situation. In just over a month I have my last ATPL theory exam sitting, and, to be honest, I feel demotivated since I do not know what to expect next. I know that the pandemic is not helping things out, but I still need to know what to do, since I have already spent some years in aviation. Last but not least, I have already paid in full for my ATPL course. What I would like to know, is if I can still expect to pursue a career in aviation. I know that I don't have a diagnosis yet, but I am pretty sure I have this condition since I perfectly match the related symptoms.

Your problem is almost certainly caused by the stress of exams.

Also; I have noticed that my digestive system is adversely affected by alcohol, so I would suggest giving up alcohol completely until you have passed all your exams, (including SIM checks).

This is worth doing while revising for and undertaking exams anyway - you don't want to introduce poison to your brain cells at this critical time - you need them able to work at maximum efficiency. I would also give up caffeine completely to allow your (deep) sleeping to improve - sleep is very important when learning.

There used to be a medication called Kaolin and Morphine which was very good for settling digestive systems. I don't know if it is still available, but there is now a tablet called Bisodol that I have used, and which might help you too.

Good luck.

Developed it after being overdosed with Cortisone after a foray into the kitty litter at a track day in my 60s but with hindsight had it since the Trident days and various exposures to neurotoxins.
Still paraglide in my 70s. Strictly avoid wheat especially in sauces and chemically extracted cooking oils although if I can get proper virgin olive oil no problems.
Proper diet, avoid liars in restaurants, read the ingredients and drink as much as you want and you won’t have any problems.
Stress doesn’t affect it.
You will be surprised at the number of products that have wheat ingredients...especially frozen chips and soy sauce. I avoid glucose syrup too?
Cook using gram flour and Fufu..from ethnic shops.

The bad news;
dairy products you should be able to tolerate after a few months but in my case only in moderation.(1/3rd of a yoghurt). Also depends on origin milk..Southern Europe ok.
In france and South Africa I’ve been offered chicken as the vegetarian option so gluten free you can forget.
Rather than using corn flour for thickening a lot of cooks use wheat so often no sauce à la poivre.
Frozen foods especially chips are often coated in wheat flour which stops them sticking and browns them.
No sausages from the British Isles, nor queen of puddings, tiramisu, croissants, bread, héros from NYC, Nan breads, fresh pasta except from Lidl if you can find it..forget about gluten free oats and porridge, Pringles..
and as I was told by the Army Air corps base commander « never trust a f#rt »

I've gradually become more allergic to all sorts of things in the latter third of my life. It's a real pain in the butt.

Specifically Celiac disease.

I had a bad back. Years of it. Finally, I was due for surgery and just waiting my turn. A nice lady told me about her brother who was an estate agent. His back pain was such a burden that he would have a rest on beds in unoccupied houses. Quite unrelated, he went for a biopsy for Celiac and it was positive. When he went on the diet his back pain disappeared. Since a lot of my back pain felt like a patch of illness rather than a sharp crick, I mentioned it to my surgeon. He swung my MRI towards me and pointed at the close proximity of the down pipe and my spine. "If this is inflamed, of course this will hurt."

I took the surgery but also stopped cheating on the diet. "Oh, a little of that won't hurt, etc., etc." Stopped dead. My life was transformed, and I'm sure it was a mixture of both remedies.

I wonder if the biopsy is still needed for confirmation. It's not pleasant, but I refused drugs. When my result came back negative, the charming young surgeon said, 'but it doesn't mean you're not allergic to gluten'.

Many of the dietary things are helpful in maintaining weight. All in all, it just stops me being tempted. For a brief period my local (Celiac) baker made wonderful brown bread using Teff grass. To have toast and marmalade in the mornings was such a treat.

I can't drink beer, or Scotch. It makes me ache. One of my sons is the same.

I drown potatos in cooking oil having microwaved them. Nicely sautéed makes a tempting improvement. Darn. Never gave it a thought. However, since I've been doing that I've been holding 14 stone which I thought I'd never go back to. Motivated now to a smidgen of best Olly oil and looking to see what else I'm cheating on.

Since getting old I don't feel too good with a lot of things, but well into my 70's I was very fit and studying late into every night on physics forums etc. I felt confident that should the crew of my aircraft be abducted by aliens, I would manage the flight with ease. Assuming I could get in the flightdeck. Over eighty, not so sure, but I don't suppose you're planning on a career of that length.

I flew with a guy that had allergy to peanuts on his licence - not sure how it was worded, but his reaction was dire. I doubt being Celiac would be remotely comparable.

Hello how did you get on? I have celiac disease.

Interested to know if anyone lost their medical because of this, or what they had to do to get the medical back.