Jennifer Esposito opens up about years-long struggle for proper diagnosis

Jennifer Esposito recalled the time when she struggled to get a proper diagnosis of her ongoing health problem.

On the June 11 episode of Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s podcast MeSsy, The 51-year-old actress discussed how long it took to properly diagnose her disease.

The NCIS actress shared how growing up with mental and physical health issues led her to believe her own health problems, including panic attacks and chronic illness, were normal.

She said, “I saw it as like, that's just what you do. Oh, you're having panic disorder at 12? Take a valium. Stomach issues? Take this and take that,” adding “So by the time I was an adult, I thought this stuff was normal. I thought having panic disorder and having panic attacks all the time was normal.

Despite multiple doctors denying her symptoms and calling her dramatic or hypochondriac, Esposito continued seeking answers as her health was in “really bad shape.”

“I sat there and I was broken because it'd be the nth time,” Esposito called back. “I went to this woman. I told her everything. She said to me, ‘I'm gonna test you for everything. I'm gonna get this, give me a few days.”

Finally, after a recommendation from her ear, nose, and throat specialist, she had a diagnosis, which explained her health issues.

She said, “She called me two days later and she said, ‘You have the worst case of celiac disease’.”

“I had a f***** answer, “ she added.

It is pertinent to mention that, according to the website of Mayo Clinic “Celiac disease is an illness caused by an immune reaction to eating gluten.”