Nearly a year and a half ago I began a six-month sickness. Every morning I woke up and felt like I was going to vomit, and no matter how much sleep I would get I would be constantly tired like I hadn't slept in days. I was bloated all the time and experienced hot flashes and dizziness to the point of almost passing out on a consistent basis. I remember crying to my mom and telling her that I just wanted to feel normal again. Because I showed no visible signs of illness many people just assumed I was exaggerating how I felt, but I knew something was wrong.
After three doctors visits, two blood tests, and one trip to the gastroenterologist, I finally got my answer. I have celiac disease. I was so happy to be able to prove that what I was feeling real, and have a solution to feeling better. Over the past year that I've been dealing with my disease, I've encountered a number of people who have been incredibly supportive and understanding. However, I have also come across plenty of people who's responses make my blood boil. To help the general public out a bit, here are six questions people with celiac disease are tired of hearing.
1. Can't you just have a little bit?
Trust me if I could have even a measly crumb of bread without feeling like death for the next three days, I totally would. Unfortunately my body has the bad habit of absolutely destroying my small intestine when I do, so nope, I better not.
2. Do you do it for a diet or something?
You have to understand, I love bread. And pasta. And cake. And pretty much everything else with gluten. I would never in a million years give it up by choice. Plus, to be honest, the gluten-free diet fad is not that great, because if you're just replacing your gluten carbs with gluten-free carbs, it's not going to change all that much.
3. What happens if you eat gluten?
I appreciate that you're trying to get informed, and if you are actually interested I have no problem explaining that when I eat gluten, my body creates an immune response that attacks my small intestine. Which if untreated can lead to a host of things including anemia, gastrointestinal cancers, gallbladder malfunction, early onset osteoporosis, miscarriage, and infertility. However, if you're just trying to confirm your preconceived misconception that it's not that big of a deal, please just keep your mouth shut.
4. Is gluten-free food gross?
Just like with regular food there are some bad things and there are some fantastic things. Sure I've had muffins with the consistency of tasting like sand, but I've also had brownies that could kick any gluten brownies' butt. It's all about finding the things that work. Plus a lot of things you eat like fruits, vegetables, and meats come naturally gluten-free.
5. What even is gluten?
Do you have a computer? Do you know how to do a Google search?
6. So you just can't eat bread?
If only it were that simple. Gluten is in so many more things than just bread. It can be found in sauces, salad dressing, drinks, medicines, lip balm, soup, candy bars, and seasonings among many others. Not to mention that you also have to be careful about cross-contamination, which means you can't eat anything which may have come in contact with gluten or something else containing gluten.
