Nadine spent 17 years working as a nurse in the ER. She holds a membership in the Emergency Nurses Association, as well as a Certified Emergency Nurse certification. During the course of her career, Nadine obtained ACLS, PALS, NALS, ENPC and TNCC certifications, honing her skills in advanced cardiac life support, neonatal advanced life support, pediatric advanced life support, and trauma. Despite this impressive background and experience, she had never been educated about celiac disease, and didn’t know what to look for until she was diagnosed herself.
Nurses are in a unique position to recognize potential celiac patients and act appropriately. Though most nurses don’t have the authority to diagnose, they do have an obligation to act as patient advocates. Because celiac disease is the most underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed autoimmune disease in the world, it is important that nurses get educated about the fundamentals of celiac disease, the wide array of symptoms an undiagnosed patient may present, and how to keep celiac patients safe in and out of the hospital.
Today on the podcast, the Gluten Free RN addresses nurses, explaining how celiac disease damages the GI tract, the consequences of a ravaged immune system, and the neurological nature of the disease. She also reviews the genes that indicate a predisposition to celiac disease, the best available tests for gluten sensitivity, and the need for a worldwide mass screening. This is a must-listen for medical professionals, offering an overview of the most current celiac studies and an explanation of how to approach doing research on your own. Celiac disease is on the rise and it doesn’t discriminate, so it is crucial that the nursing community get educated – STAT.
Why nurses need to employ a high index of suspicion regarding celiac disease
The lack of training around celiac disease in the medical community
The celiac symptoms Nadine thought to be ‘normal’
What nurses need to know about celiac disease
How long it takes to receive celiac diagnosis in US
The restrictions of being a nurse
Nadine’s experience leading up to her celiac diagnosis
Nadine’s celiac diagnosis
Why a negative blood test, skin biopsy doesn’t rule out celiac disease
Nadine’s current health
Why Nadine stopped working as an ER nurse
The increased prevalence of mortality in undiagnosed celiac patients
The grains that contain gluten
The products that may contain gluten
The search terms to use when doing celiac research
Why celiac disease is primarily a neurological disorder
Why celiac disease is not an allergy
The genes that indicate a predisposition to celiac disease
Why Nadine advocates for a world-wide mass celiac screening
The relationship between celiac disease and infertility
The chronic nature of celiac disease
How gluten exposure presents for Nadine
How gluten can cause damage along entire length of GI tract
How damage to GI tract presents
How constipation can be a neurological issue
Disorders that may be caused by undiagnosed celiac disease
Why a biopsy is no longer considered the gold standard of celiac testing
The stages of intestinal damage caused by celiac disease
The consequences of a damaged immune system
The importance of including a total IgA and IgG in the celiac antibody panel
How the US has gone backwards in the last 70 years
The testing for celiac disease
The difficulty with the celiac antibody test
The best available celiac testing
Factors that might interfere with accurate celiac testing
How to carry out a clinical trial for celiac disease or gluten sensitivity
The Paleo diet Nadine suggests for celiac and gluten-sensitive patients
The findings of a celiac study published in the Journal of Insurance Medicine
Why celiac disease should be on every primary care physician’s differential diagnosis
The rise of celiac disease
Why Celiac disease is a worldwide issue
How celiac disease can lead to obesity
How the risk of cancer increases exponentially in undiagnosed celiac patients
Why nurses must be patient advocates
Nadine’s advice around research and celiac disease for nurses
Resources:
Snarky Nurses on Instagram
National Nurses in Business Association
“Increased Prevalence and Mortality in Undiagnosed Celiac Disease” in Gastroenterology
New York Times Article, May 1950
“Economic Benefits of Increased Diagnosis of Celiac Disease in a National Managed Care Population in the United States” in the Journal of Insurance Medicine
“Celiac Disease Could be a Frequent Disease in Mexico: Prevalence of Tissue Transglutaminase Antibody in Healthy Blood Donors” in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology
“Celiac Disease in African-Americans” in Digestive Diseases and Sciences
“Coeliac Disease” in The Lancet
‘Your Skin on Gluten’ on YouTube
Melodies of the Danube Gluten-Free Cruise with Nadine
Dough Nation: A Nurse's Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food and Health Activism