Celiac Denial?

Does anyone else experience Celiac Denial? There are probably different forms of Celiac Denial but this is what I am talking about. I have been on the gluten free diet for coming up on 9 years now. As those of you that have Celiac know when you go off of eating gluten you start to feel better or what we suppose is normal or what we suppose everyone else feels like. Anyways, so after time you feel better and healthier. This is when I have experienced what I call the Celiac Denial where I started to question my Celiac Disease. I have caught myself saying... are you sure you have this Celiac Disease? Maybe I just thought I had it but I don’t really? Maybe I should just try that pasta, bread, cookie or cake and see if it was just a mistake that I have this Disease? Then I have to come back to reality and tell myself that the reason I feel so good now is because I am not eating those things and yes a bite or more would be harmful to my body. Unfortunately for now Celiac is a lifetime Disease and those of us that have it will have to live a lifestyle of gluten free our whole life’s. Let’s not deny it. I have learned to embrace my Celiac Disease and I hope that all of you that have this can do so as well. Here’s to no more denial and to an embraced happy, healthy gluten free future.

The Pains of Gluten.

I don’t know about you but my body has some definite signs when I have eaten gluten. I have this burning pain in my stomach that is unlike anything else I have ever had. One of my main symptoms is aching joints. Especially my elbow joints. It is such an annoying pain. And for a lack of better words I also have pooping problems. There have been times that I have gotten seriously sick from getting some kind of nasty gluten. For instance I had some lunch meat one time shortly after finding out that I had gluten intolerances and I was so sick. It put me in bed for 3 days with what was like the worst stomach flu a person could have. Another time was my wedding day. I didn’t get a gluten free cake for my wedding. I was thinking that I just wouldn’t eat it but I forgot about the little tradition of sharing a bite of cake with my now hubby. Anyways, so I thought oh one little bite won’t hurt. So guess what happened people. I was sick as a dog through the first two days of my honeymoon and there was only three days in my honeymoon. It was such a big bummer but a lesson to the dangers of gluten to my body. So as you can tell I know when I get some gluten in my body. There are a range of different symptoms for different people and some symptoms may seem like common things other than possible gluten intolerance. Know your body and take care of it well and I hope all of us gluten free people can have symptom free and long healthy life’s.

How I found out I had Celiac Disease

I found out that I had Celiac Disease on the cusp of my 18th birthday. I had an older brother who had just been diagnosed prier to my diagnoses. I knew as soon as I heard what he had that I probably had the same thing. When I was younger I remember feeling yucky almost every time after eating a meal and also on some days I suffered from extreme fatigue. There where days where I would have energy and then the next I could hardly have the energy to do anything. I assume now that this reaction probably had to do with what I had been eating. I also remember wondering how everyone else seemed to have so much more energy than I did and at 17 and 18 I should have had the most energy of my life. After a while I just assumed that how I felt was normal and that I just needed to buck up and get motivated to have more energy...like I could will it, but I didn’t know what was really happening to my body. So as you can imagine when I heard what my brother had I knew I probably had the same thing and I was quick to research and make an appointment at my doctor’s office. I have now been living a gluten free diet for 8 years. I have had many ups and downs through the process but I am finally coming into my own with this gluten free lifestyle. Life is not easy but I feel blessed and have a very thankful heart for what I do have. I hope that I can be a help in anyway to anyone who needs help or support with their Celiac Disease. Good luck and heres to a happy and healthy future.