In honor of Celiac Awareness Month, I decided to tell my gluten-free journey. My journey to giving up gluten was by no means an easy one.
Many people ask me, what do you mean you’re gluten intolerant? How did you just find that out? Isn’t that something you should have figured out a long time ago? It must not be that bad then. These are all common questions and responses I have gotten after telling people I can’t eat gluten.
Then, I start to tell the story of how all this came to be. It turns out I have actually been living with Celiac symptoms since I was in fourth grade. Every day since fourth grade I would break out in hives on my joints if I did not take my allergy medicine. I worked my way through a slew of allergy medicines during my decade plus hive struggle. My body would soon build up a tolerance and I would need to find a new medicine to combat the hives. If I failed to take my medicine, within 24 hours I would break out in hives that would not go away and keep spreading.
I went to an allergist who performed a series of prick tests on my back, yet nothing showed an overwhelming positive response. I had small reactions to pollen and dust, so my doctor said it was just environmental and showing I would outgrow with age.
However, as I neared 20 years old, I had still “outgrown” my allergies. Then in the spring of 2011, I studied abroad in the Czech Republic. When I was there, my stomach went a little crazy. I blamed it on the foreign food preparation and the enormous amount of Czech beer I was drinking. I also noticed my stomach would bloat like no other after eating cheese. The Czechs love their goat and sheep cheese, which was quite different to the American cow dairy I had grown up with in Wisconsin. Therefore, I decided just to cut out the dairy, but things did not get much better. Also, my gums kept bleeding, which I blamed on the foreign Czech toothpaste brand.
Upon my return to America though, things hit the fan. I was so bloated and sick all the time. I cut out all dairy and still my stomach hurt so much. I didn’t understand. I was nauseous constantly and never had an appetite. I started losing weight and I was crabby all the time. My gums were still bleeding every time I brushed and I had terrible acne and canker sores. It was terrible. I also started getting terrible gallbladder attacks.
After several doctor visits and countless hours of online research, gluten was declared the enemy. I gave up all gluten and continued giving up dairy. Within a few weeks, I noticed my symptoms improved. When I would slip up, I would feel terrible pain and knew instantly that I had been glutenized.
Within two months of being gluten free, my gums stopped bleeding. My acne and canker sores went away. My bloating was nonexistent and most importantly the hives that had haunted my body for over a decade went away.
That is my journey and I am so thankful for figuring out that I had Celiac’s disease. I am now so much healthier and happier. I have learned to love to cook and I love experimenting in the kitchen. My life has been transformed, and I couldn’t be happier about it. So while, being gluten-free certainly has its flaws, I couldn’t be more thankful for finally figuring out my “mystery disease”. So here’s to National Celiac Awareness Month. Spread the word.
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