My daughter had a terrible bout of intestinal issues after she started college. It wasn’t an ulcer; we actually had a doc think that removing her (healthy!) gall bladder (at the age of 20!) would ‘help.’ She was given a diagnosis of ‘stress’ and ‘irritable bowel’ (with meds that did nothing but make her sicker).
After reading up on her symptoms, on the web, we discovered Celiacs as the cause. Went back to the family dr. who grudgingly did the genetic test (which costs us about 1200!) to discover that we were right (we already had changed her diet).
I think my Type II Diabetic husband has Celiacs as well (and could be responsible for his diabetes). One of our other sons (who most resembles his sister/dad) also has ‘issues’ but he refuses ‘special’ diet restrictions (like at school).
Anyways, it IS getting easier to be gluten free. Just need a second job to pay for the groceries. Rice pasta is quadruple the price.
That means mommy AND daddy carry copies of the allele responsible for the problem ~ or since there are 11 different allele varieties, they each carry one of them that does not code for digesting wheat gluten!
Folks with only one copy may well be asymptomatic. In fact, provided there were no "crosses" with others with one of the problem alleles, you could go generations with no one showing the slightest sign of gluten intolerance.
Up until recent discoveries of various other alleles, and the use of genetic testing, it was believed that white folks had a 1 in 133 chance of having Celiac. In some places it was given as 1 in 120.
More recently the Finns began testing the heck out of their various populations and determined that it's gotta be 3.4% MINIMUM who have it, with many people asymptomatic until minor abdominal surgery (read: sigmoidoscopy).
The true incidence among the Sa'ami is not known ~ maybe 50% ~ but since about 90% of al the people of Sa'ami ancestry live in the United States/Canada (a figure true of the Scots, Irish, Welsh, Cornish and Manx as well) it's possible no one will ever know. In the original core area in the Sapmi some groups are reported as at the 50% level.
The situation is still under intense study.
In the meantime I avoid wheat, barley and rye products at all costs.
NOTE: I had only incidental attacks over the years until minor abdominal surgery. At that point my T-cells decided they knew better and took away my ability to ingest what gluten ~ affects me just like poison.
I buy a frozen gluten free dinner dish every now and then ~ not a regular thing ~ otherwise I eat more rice, more corn tortilla, more meat, more fat, seal, beluga whale meat, ostrich, reindeer (whatever I can get).
You can get used to not eating wheat and wheat byproducts
Betty Crocker has some $4.00 a box cake mixes that are EXCELLENT. One of those every couple of months won't break the bank.
Best bet is get a Belgian waffle maker. Get some gluten free pancake mix. Make a waffle (1 large egg, 1/2 cup gluten free flour, 1/10 cup milk, Tbsp EVO, MAPLE SYRUP ~ makes a product that tastes like KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUTS. Life is good!