If you weren't aware, May is Celiac Disease Awareness month and with lupus also looming over me, I've chosen to share my story. A year ago on April 30, 2015, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. This discovery was overwhelming and surprising, to say the least. Since then, I've struggled and I've learned. This is the account of what it feels like to have celiac disease and reasons why you shouldn't make assumptions about others that do not eat gluten.
Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease.
No, it is not an allergy. If it's easier to treat it as an allergy when it comes to preparing foods, then awesome. But what Celiac Disease does is causes your immune system to attack the lining of your intestine when exposed to gluten.
My symptoms aren't "in my head."
When gluten enters the body of a person with celiac disease, bad things happen. Some people have different symptoms and some have none at all. On a good day, if I accidentally consume gluten, I am: nauseous, exhausted, bloated, irritated, suffering through heartburn, and probably spending the day in the bathroom. On a bad day, I: sleep for a minimum of 12 hours, barely have any energy to get out of bed, and throwing up on top of all the other symptoms. Fortunately, now that I have been diagnosed, I no longer experience the extremes.
Your "funny" posts are hurting my feelings when they pop up.
I have actually cried over the ignorance of some when it comes to celiac disease. As someone with no control over the genes I've been dealt, I will openly admit that it really really, really gets to me when I see things like this.
And for that matter, hearing the negative comments as well.
You really think I would rather tediously grill a waitstaff on the way a freakin' salad is prepared over mowing down into a beautiful bacon cheeseburger at a restaurant? Ha! Yeah, right. I live for cheeseburgers. Coming from someone that cried every time they walked into a grocery store for a month straight, just trust that it is so much worse for me not being able to eaten gluten than for you to hear about it.
... And, yes, I do get annoyed with fad dieters, too.
I am all for being health-conscious and everything that comes with that, but eating gluten free for the sake of it gives people like me a bad name.
But please, do not be offended when I'm skeptical about someone cooking gluten-free.
There is so much more behind not being able to eat gluten than most people realize. I have to double check my makeup, sunscreen, shampoo, and even lip balm. I went out and had to buy an entire new kitchenware set to avoid possible remains of gluten in the scratches of pans and pots. I double, triple, and quadruple check what I eat and what I come in contact with so I don't end up sick.
However, I do appreciate the effort immensely.
I don't struggle with not being able to eat gluten anymore so much as the negativity that comes with it. I constantly feel as if I'm burdening others when they have to make special meal plans for me, and embarrassed when I do grill that waitstaff. Parts of my own family were awful at first about me having celiac disease, so it's a relief when someone actually cares enough to keep my health in mind.
For the record, gluten-free food doesn't always taste great.
There are very few foods I have eaten that did not naturally contain gluten that I actually enjoyed. If it naturally has gluten in it and is made to be gluten-free, it's probably terrible. With the exception of brown rice or corn pasta, I trust few things. Those few things typically include bread or cakes or pizza -- just terrible.
What I appreciate about this autoimmune disease...
Is that I care much more for my health than I did before. I still can't drag myself to the gym, but it is rare that someone will see me eating junk food. As much as I might joke about eating too much salad, it makes me feel great. Some days, I am glad for celiac disease because it's made me healthier, more compassionate, and more aware of other autoimmune diseases.
