Lan-Ping’s Story
My name is Lan-Ping Yeh and I was a colleague of Alison’s for years. I watched her cope with severe stomach pains at work, and I was there for her diagnosis of celiac disease and her life-changing recovery. Little did I know all my learning would help my husband, Simon.
For many years Simon had trouble sleeping due to restless leg syndrome. He had this problem for about 15 years but it had gradually been getting worse and got to the point where it was a serious disruption to his everyday life. He tried cutting out things like caffeine and alcohol but these had no effect. I had suggested he seek help with a sleep therapist. After visiting a sleep clinic, he was given the option to go on a drug trial, which would have serious side effects. I was not happy with the advice he was given and started a search for an alternative treatment.
After some research, I found that restless leg syndrome has been associated with the ingestion of gluten. I suggested that he might be gluten-sensitive and we immediately sought out Alison’s help. Simon decided to try the diet. His sleeping problems and other symptoms, such as diarrhea (that he had always attributed to a weak stomach), a minor skin irritation around the eyes (that he had since he was a child), and mouth sores, all disappeared.
Since then he has had a gene test that confirmed the presence of one type of gene related to gluten sensitivity. He had an endoscopy (after he had already been gluten-free for 14 months), which showed no damage to his intestines. Therefore, according to his gastroenterologist, he is not a celiac and does not need to be on a gluten-free diet (the same doctor told him he was “too tall” to be a celiac — Simon is 5’8″!) Nowadays, if he ingests gluten he immediately displays symptoms, including a migraine headache. So, despite the official diagnosis, he has decided to stay on a gluten-free diet for life. We are both happier for it!
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