A Gluten-Free Me

Long story short, I learned on July 1, 2010, that I am gluten intolerant.  The doctor I saw on Thursday suggested trying an elimination diet to rule out any other food allergies, but my symptoms have completely resolved since eliminating wheat and gluten products from my diet.  I either have celiac disease (which my doctor stated is the most probable case) or a severe wheat/gluten allergy.

I'll be tested eventually to determine whether or not I have celiac disease (better to know, I guess), but right now my number one priority is learning how to live gluten-free, which is something I will probably have to do for the rest of my life.

I've been on an emotional roller-coaster.  The optimistic side of me is ecstatic, because now I'm forced to stick to a rigid diet.  Unless I want to make myself very sick, I can't go for the junky snacks that have always held me back in the past.

At the same time, I feel... angry.  Cheated.  Alone.  I've been trying to be patient with myself, because I've even been getting angry with myself for feeling the way I do.  I feel selfish, because I'm actually very lucky!  My support system is still there, helping me as I find my feet again.  My husband has done loads of research about what I can and can't eat, and is already better at de-coding food labels than I am.

I've been trying to focus on one very important fact -- I feel better now than I have in months!  It's amazing how quickly my symptoms resolved when I removed gluten from my diet, but apparently this is very normal.

Another "silver lining" -- the weight has been falling off.  The scale read 192.6 pounds this morning!

There's definitely a learning curve here; I made myself sick on Saturday after eating French salad dressing and barbecue sauce (both of which are thickened with gluten-products -- who knew?!).  Most lipsticks contain gluten, as do "lickable envelopes."  I'm overwhelmed with information, but I'm sorting it out as quickly as I can.  One step at a time.  Despite all of this, I'm still convinced that good things are happening!

Photo Credit:  "Celiacs Do It Gluten Free" image is from Healthline.com.