Disgust: What It's Like To See The Doctor As A Celiac

This is what Celiac Disease looks like.

The following interview is shocking.  When I watch it I feel rage.  I want to yell at the screen.  I want to cry in frustration and pain.  It is completely okay to not understand the Celiac journey, but trivializing a long, traumatic illness that can and does lead to death is ignorant and cruel.

The doctor conducting the interview, even though he is a celebrity doctor, is offensive, uninformed, and just plain insensitive.  The actress being interviewed is a Celiac.  She is still working hard to undo the damage that has been done to her body over 19 years of misdiagnosis.  Even though she is a star herself, the doctor treats her with total condescension and disrespect . . . as though she does not understand her own body or state of health.

Jennifer Esposito Interview w/ Dr. Drew

Imagine you are her.  Imagine you are visiting your doctor and trying to explain what has recently happened to you.  Imagine you are afraid and confused and looking to this professional, with his unique training and skills, to help you uncover the source of your frightening symptoms and dwindling health.  The doctor treats you like you are making it all up or at very least that you don't understand your own body.  That is what every appointment was like for me for almost 12 years.

Dr. Drew was irresponsibly uninformed in this interview.  He is helping to spread many misconceptions, including the one I wrote about yesterday . . . "you don't look sick."  His lack of preparation for this interview should be embarrassing for the medical community at large, because it shines a light on the way that many doctors approach this serious disease.  And yes, it is a DISEASE, not a condition as he refers to it.

Please consider signing this petition, asking Dr. Drew to formally apologize to Jennifer and the Celiac Community for his unprofessional behavior and lack of civility.  (I wonder, would he treat a cancer patient the same way?)  If you would like to know more about her story, click here.  She has had a remarkably similar journey to my own.