Yesterday I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. This came as a relief, but also a disappointment. I have been searching for a reason why I wasn’t feeling good, had stomach aches and pains, a constant bloated feeling, and fatigue. Every time I would eat it felt as if my stomach lining puffed out and the food exploded in my stomach. I think I lived with this feeling for so long that I just got used to it and didn’t realize that other people didn’t feel this way after eating. It got to the point where I was nauseous almost all day long. It is also odd because whenever I feel nauseous I want to shove more food into my stomach to help quell the swirling and twisting. It doesn’t really make any sense, but that’s what I felt like I needed to do. I was constantly trying to think of what I could eat to help calm my stomach. Usually this consisted of crackers, granola, plain cereal, bread or something similar. Obviously now with having the celiac diagnosis this was just aggravating my stomach and making things worse.
I felt like a hypochondriac searching for an answer to what was wrong with me. Could it be ulcers, thyroid disorder, food allergies, depression? I even went as far as wondering if it could be gastroparesis (paralysis of the stomach where food just sits in your stomach and is slow to digest). I hated telling anyone how I was feeling for fear of them thinking I was crazy.
Now that I have the diagnosis, I feel relief knowing what is wrong and that I can take steps to fix it. But, there is disappointment knowing I have a lifelong disease and I may never get to enjoy the things I once loved. I feel embarrassed telling people and it’s awkward at restaurants because I don’t know what to order.
I started this blog a few days before my diagnosis. I wanted to share tips on nutrition and great recipes I find. After being diagnosed I have a new inspiration for this blog. I want to write about living gluten free so I can share my experiences with others and hopefully help anyone living gluten free. I’ll share gluten free products I find that are yummy and share recipes.
Gluten Free Glow 