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"I just felt exhausted all the time"

Photo credit: Webphotographeer / Getty
Photo credit: Webphotographeer / Getty

From NetDoctor

Coeliac disease – a digestive condition where a person has an adverse reaction to gluten – affects approximately one in 100 people, with a further 500,000 estimated to suffer from the condition undiagnosed. In order to limit symptoms, those with the condition tend to cut any foods containing gluten – such as bread, pasta and cakes – from their diet.

Yet, despite being a fairly common condition, there is still relatively little public awareness about it, meaning that a lot of people suffering the symptoms don't necessarily realise there is anything wrong with them. This is something that Judo athlete Megan Fletcher, knows all too well.

Megan's story

Before being diagnosed as coeliac in February 2016 Megan, the current British number two Judo champion and Gold Medal winner at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, was training for the Rio Olympic games qualifiers.

Photo credit: Mike Varey
Photo credit: Mike Varey

Pre-diagnosis

"I just felt tired and exhausted all the time, but I tended to put it down to the fact that I was training really hard. It wasn't until one horrendous competition day when I just couldn't do anything on the mat because I was so exhausted that I realised I had to go and check whether there was something wrong with me because it had got to the point where – if I was going to be fighting in that sort of state – I needed to stop. If that was going to be my performance then there was no point in me carrying on. I was pretty scared and the whole situation was scary."

"I went to the doctor who did some tests for iron deficiency, which came back positive. I then had to do some tests to check whether I was allergic to anything. In my head I was like 'there's no way they're going to find anything' and then when the results came back they told me I have coeliac disease."

Megan was also diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. A form of spinal rheumatoid arthritis which Megan's doctors suggested may be linked to her coeliac disease(gluten intolerance hinders the absorption of mainly calcium and iron, hence there being a suggested link between the two).

"I don't think I missed out on the Olympics purely because of coeliac disease, but [my doctors] do think there was a link between the two – that I got the type of arthritis I had because I'm coeliac. I would never want to say that it's the reason I missed out on Rio because it's not, but that link is definitely there."

Post-diagnosis

After finding out what it was that was making her feel so rubbish, Megan was able to take control of her condition with immediate and life-changing effects.

"It's been amazing for me to find out. Before I couldn't do any qualification events, I couldn't even really walk because my back hurt so much – it was just so terrible. I would never have thought that I was allergic to anything. It must have been something that happened in my body over time and I just didn't realise the effect it was having on me because as soon as I stopped eating gluten my performance improved incredibly in the gym. I got 20 kilos heavier on my deadlifts within two weeks. Normally, you just don't see jumps like that. It was crazy – I had more energy and got so much stronger in everything. I literally feel like a new person."

"It's funny because I just got used to feeling rubbish and tired, especially because of how much we train and how much I was travelling to try and qualify – I just put it down to that, thinking 'you're just whining, you need to get on with it'. But now I'm a different person and I realise that what I was feeling and the way I was feeling wasn't normal. I just feel like I have so much more energy that has made a huge difference in every area of my life."

Photo credit: JPM / Getty
Photo credit: JPM / Getty

Gluten shaming

In recent years, the practice of willingly cutting out gluten as part of a weight-loss diet has become more and more prevalent, with celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Miley Cyrus and Gwyneth Paltrow gushing over the supposed transformative effects of the 'wheat-free way'. As a result of this craze gaining popularity, gluten is more often being viewed as purely optional, resulting in those suffering from conditions such as coeliac disease being 'shamed' over something that is, for them, a medical requirement.

"In fact, research from Schär gluten free reveals a startling lack of awareness and understanding around coeliac disease and gluten intolerance. Almost two in three (62%) of those surveyed with coeliac disease and gluten intolerance report they have been told by family and friends that eating 'just a little bit' of gluten won't harm them despite the fact that consumption of gluten could cause them serious discomfort and health problems."

Megan says that, while everyone is sympathetic upon finding out about her condition, initial reactions to her gluten-free diet can be dismissive.

"If you go to certain restaurants and say that you're gluten free some people are absolutely amazing with it and others are just a bit like 'what are you doing?!. I think because a lot of people do do it as a fad diet, people do think you're just being picky. I've got a friend who thought that was why I was doing it and she was just like 'oh come on mate' but when I told her that I actually am allergic to gluten and have been diagnosed she was much more sympathetic."

"There's been people asking me why I'm doing it and judging me – that seems to be the initial reaction. But when I explain that I'm doing it because I genuinely have to then they accept it. I think this happens because there has been a sort of craze where people gave up gluten and I think that's why these perceptions are in place. I can't pass judgment on anyone based on their diet – it's their decision what they want to do."

Photo credit: Megan Fletcher
Photo credit: Megan Fletcher

Living the coeliac life

"There's so much more to think about now, especially when I go away. I've got friends who say things like 'I don't know how you do it' but you just do. If it makes you better and there's nothing else you can do about it then there's no question."

"It's also scary what can happen when you haven't eaten it for a while and then start again. I had to do that when I was getting my gastroscopy done, and literally I felt horrendous. Luckily because I was injured I wasn't allowed to train or do anything, but if they had asked me to do it while I was qualifying I would have said no."

"If I accidentally have a bit of gluten now – say in a restaurant or something – it feels a bit like having a hangover. I'll wake up the next day with a bit of a headache and feel a bit congested. It also really upsets my stomach and there have been a few occasions where I've been physically sick. When I was trying to qualify and before I found out I was coeliac I'd often rush home and quickly have some beans on toast before heading off to training. I'd get to the gym and have awful stomach cramps and be really sick – my body just does not like it at all."

"The exciting thing now is that I've made it this far without being diagnosed, so how far can I go know that I know what was it was that was holding me back? In my head I keep thinking 'imagine if you had never found out – then what would have happened?'. My advice would be always go and ask your doctor. Whenever anyone says that they've been feeling a bit funny and they think it might be linked to diet I'll tell them to go and get tested. Don't ever just make do. It's so much easier just to find out and to know."

If you think you might be gluten intolerant, or have been experiencing any of the described symptoms, go and see your GP.

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