Professionals with Coeliac Disease & Gluten Intolerance...

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2018, right after I returned from Rome on a gut-busting expedition through pizza and pasta, which turned out to be my last (very delicious, but very uncomfortable) hurrah with gluten. Since then, it’s been a steep learning curve. I've adopted the gluten-free lifestyle throughout the last 4 years – cheerfully waving goodbye to wheat, barley, rye, and all of their delectable offspring. Farewell, bread. I'll miss you!

My overall health and quality of life has improved exponentially since my diagnosis, but my ability to tolerate accidentally ‘being glutened’ has certainly decreased. As a coeliac traveller for business and pleasure, getting caught out whilst trying to eat gluten free continues to be a challenge.

At professional events, I've skipped lunches, leading to ludicrous, loud, stomach rumbles during networking sessions – usually because I'm worried about the ill-effects of eating the catered food on offer. Whilst shaking hands and introducing yourself with a gurgling belly is one sure way to be remembered, it’s not a reputation I want uphold within the professional community. Frankly, it's downright embarrassing.

Appearing hungry at work events is never fun. There’s an underlying concern about appearing disorganised or ill-prepared. I’ve certainly been met with harmless comments like “did you sleep through breakfast this morning?”, and “if you're hungry, why aren’t you eating?” (as if I hadn't thought of that!). These can lead to eye rolls when I explain: “Well you see, I follow a gluten-free diet…”

"Didn't you tell the organisers in advance?" I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked to provide my dietary requirements before attending a work event, only to show up at lunchtime to the dreaded buffet. Yes, there might be a small plate of gluten-free sandwiches; however, often they’ve already been cross contaminated by the enthusiastic hands of fellow attendees, who’ve unwittingly selected a gluten/non-gluten sandwich combo.

Do I blame my colleagues and contacts for this? No, I really don’t. How should they know that a solitary crumb can trigger an auto-immune response, leaving me trapped in my hotel room for arduous, painful hours (then utterly drained for days to follow)? I guess what I really think after these instances is: “is it only me that deals with this?” The answer is certainly no...but I haven't found a community for professionals with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance on LinkedIn.

Professionals with Coeliac Disease on LinkedIn, where are you?

In order to find my bread-free brethren, I've created a new LinkedIn group titled Professionals with Coeliac Disease & Gluten Intolerance in the hope that others may join and share their experiences of living and working with these symptoms. It's a place where we're all welcome to share our own experiences and advice for working and living the gluten-free lifestyle.?Let's raise awareness together!

If you suffer with the ill-effects of gluten (or sympathise with someone who does), I'd be grateful if you would please consider joining the group. Please tag me into your own relevant content, so I can share your thoughts and input with what I hope will be a growing and uplifting community. Thanks for sticking with me this far and for your kind consideration. Please feel free to connect!