After the anger

It's been a month. I've had the tests to conclusively confirm that I have Celiac's disease.  It still sucks.

Before I had the endoscopy, my family and I traveled across the country and stayed one night with my husband's friend and his family.  I didn't want to make a fuss and when pizza was the dinner plan, I just went along with it.  First hard lesson learned.  That's when I believed that I really was allergic to gluten but I still doubted the severity of it.

My mom was diagnosed fourteen years ago and her doctors have been very strict with her.  I imagine her diet is more restrictive than most Celiac's patients simply because of what she has endured.  She has fought off colon cancer, she is severely anemic, and she has had many hernias.  She, and her doctors, don't want to take any risks.  So some food marked certified gluten free, I'm willing to eat and see how it goes.  She isn't. So I figured the taco seasoning I had in the cabinet wouldn't be too big of a deal since I was out of the special gluten free kind I can only find at Whole Foods here.  Again, hard lesson learned.  It isn't just bread or obvious gluten I have a problem with, it's spices too.  Huh, go figure, the doctors weren't lying to me.

Now I'm assessing every bowel movement to decifer if the "certified gluten free" caramel popcorn is not gluten free or if it is the diverticulitis causing problems because I'm not supposed to have popcorn or if it is because I had too much cheese for lunch. Hmm, reading that makes me think I'm really not doing myself any favors.  So, really cut back on popcorn, like close to none.  The Boar's Head cheese is just so good though!

I have noticed some positives from having Celiac's. The effectiveness of food commercials has dropped way down for me.  They no longer make me crave food at all.  They might make me feel a little nostalgic over enjoying a carefree meal out with friends, but they don't make me hungry.  I also no longer pick off of my kids plates.  Eighty percent of the time, even if they only had one gluteness item between them, they manage to contaminate everything within a three foot radius so it just isn't worth the risk for a taste of whatever they might have decided to leave behind.

So, my current assessment is that having Celiac's disease, while a not all bad, still sucks.  However, I am no longer angry about it.  I'm just learning to live with it.

This is it

Mark it down. Friday, June 24th 2016. The day a doctor told me I need to start eating gluten free.
I've been fighting it for a while.
Back in January I saw an old coworker at a wedding. She had celiac disease. I made a joke about how I probably have it but I didn't want to get tested again. She told me how much better you can feel when you actually know what is wrong and you can take steps to fix it. I've been thinking about that conversation ever since.
This last Monday I saw the doctor about a really, really sore throat. He told me I had strep and I asked if he did tests for celiac disease. He called Tuesday and told me the test was positive and that I should meet with a gastroenterologist he knows.   Wednesday I developed a sunburn-like rash on my arms and legs. My limbs were, and still are, swollen. By Thursday all my joints started to hurt and I started wondering what the hell was wrong with me.  It seemed like my body was shutting down on me. I saw my doctor again on Friday. He thinks the swelling and the rash is viral and he did another blood panel to confirm. I got a call this evening from the GI doctor saying that it could all be caused by celiac disease. I asked if I should go gluten free or if I need to keep eating gluten for any upcoming tests. I was hoping I'd have to keep eating gluten so I could enjoy this weekend and the housewarming bbq we have planned. No such luck.
If cutting out gluten makes the swelling go down and makes it as painful to walk, I'll be glad to do it. But I wish I had a guarantee. My mom was diagnosed with celiac disease 14 years ago. It sucked. Eating gluten free sucks. You can still eat yummy food and enjoy eating but it sucks. I'll never have a Papa Johns The Works pizza again. Chick-fil-a, Chinese take out, Taco Bell.  Gone. Eating normal meals with my family? Gone. I hated trying my mom's gluten free food when I was younger. It tasted bad and the texture was off. But now I can completely understand why my mom wanted us all to eat the same. Ignoring the possibility of contamination, I just don't want to have to cook the good yummy stuff I used to love for my family while I make some lesser alternative for myself. Doesn't seem real fair.
It sucks.