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Saw Billy Elliot - The Musical today with the Aunts. Was quite fabulous and we had marvelous seats. Rather enjoyed being with the Aunts, even if I stepped on the occasional land-mine. They both had practical educations and neither studied Shakespeare or theater in school. While I've read almost all of the Shakespearean plays in high school and college, they read maybe four and didn't see any of them performed. This boggles my mind. But hey, I told them, English Lit and cultural anthropology major. And Aunt M stated, "which is a useless degree, fun, but useless, at least you got the law degree." Sigh. I beg to differ. But there are some things one does not argue with people about. Religion is another one. People all assume when they say the word God - that we are all thinking the same thing or defining it the same way. Uh no. Politics same deal. Heck the same thing can be said about tv shows and comic books.

I'm often amazed how people think. It's so different than how I think.

Another thing discovered talking to the Aunts, was that my snarky sense of humor? Is well a trait I inherited from my father's side of the family, along with ceilac disease. (Yes, I'm ceilac. Not gluten resistent, not gluten intolerant, but full-fledged ceilac. I can't deny it any longer. But I'll explain that later.) Apparently my grandfather had a very dry wit and snarky sense of humor.
You should see my Dad's side of the family go at it on Facebook - you think I'm bad, whoo-boy.

According to Aunt K, a nurse, who has read up extensively on ceiliac disease - more so than I have, because medical journals put me to sleep after reading railroadese and tech specs all day long. Anyhow according to Aunt K - the definitions are as follows:

1. If the IGA - gluten shows up in your blood? You are definitely ceiliac. (See I got confused, because I was told if they find any cell damage in your esophagus you are ceilac. But that's not the case, it's if they find it in your blood. They did find it in my blood. Two- three blood tests - the IGA levels were so high...that the doctor told me, I think I know what is wrong with you - you are gluten intolerant. See look at how high these levels are? We have to do a test to see if there is any cell damage now and oh, don't eat glutens. According to ceiliacs and specialists in this field - the problem with the scrape test is if you've gone off glutens for a while, they won't find any cell damage, because the cells do heal, but each time you eat glutens they get hurt again and after a bit mutate, and become cancerous. IF you take the blood test and it is in your blood - you are ceiliac and if you feel better off glutens, yep.)
2. If you go off glutens and feel better, not sick, but nothing shows up in your blood and whenever you try glutens again you feel sick automatically- gluten intolerant or pre-ceiliac.
3. If you go off glutens and just feel better, but aren't sick automatically, and nothing shows up in your blood - you are gluten resistent.

The difference medically? If you have ceilac disease and ingest glutens - you are commiting gastro-intestinal suicide. Basically, you could end up with cancer, osteroposis, diabetes, etc. Not everyone experiences severe symptoms or the same symptoms. And ceiliac disease is hard to diagnose. It's also genetic.

Three people in my family have been diagnosed with it now. Aunt K, myself, and my cousin J. If I ingest glutens at all now? I get sick. It tends to take a while to show up in some cases. But I'm sick. My symptoms? Severe IBS, fatigue, physical depression, anxiety, tremor - all exhibited over a period of time and in stages. And it only takes a crumb, the smallest bit to make me sick. Ingesting gluten for me is the equivalent of ingesting arsenic. It is a poison to my system. Which makes work places and church events and normal social events daily obstacle courses. I'm constantly explaining why I can't eat the donuts someone felt the need to bring to work, or the cupcake they put on my desk, or the Christmas cookie they gave me, or the cake they brought to celebrate XYZ occassion, or the muffins...or the pizza they decided to have as a going away lunch or a business lunch or after a movie for a social event or volunteer event. It gets tiring. But I realize, it could be far, far worse. And my diagnosis - sharing that diagnosis with my Aunt, may well have saved two people's lives in my extended family. Because if left undiagnosed - ceiliac disease causes other ailments which do kill you.

I may do an extended review of Billy Elliot at a later point. It's late and I'm tired. Was up far too late last night writing the review of the Buffy comic.