Gluten and Me: My story in 2 pages
I have been diagnosed with Celiac now for about 3 years, but gluten and I go way way back. Constant visits to the nurse’s office asking to go home, trips to the hospital, home in the middle of the night from a slumber party. The usual response: “You are a hypochondriac.” I believed it. In fact I embraced it. I had something to blame...despite the fact that it was essentially saying I was just crazy, I played it up. I used it to my advantage perhaps...but I was sick. My stomach was in constant pain. Constant. I mean I would get violently ill from a bowl of pasta. Somehow none of us made the connection. Another fun side effect that gluten had on me was it’s ability to make me look like a pregnant twelve year old. This may sound silly, but honestly. Because of the reaction I was having to it, I constantly looked bloated. If you know me personally you know that I have big cheeks as it is, but if you’d seen them before my diet change, you’d be in for a laugh. Chipmunk to the extreme. Tiny legs, tiny arms, bloated belly and big cheeks. I had all the boys running...away. I couldn’t understand why my weight wouldn’t go down. I was not obese by any means, not even that chubby always...just a bit “comfy” you could say. However, I tried to lose weight. I did sports at school, I tried healthy eating (of course the gluten was still very much present at that point because gluten is fucking everywhere) but still no luck. People told me it was just baby fat but when you get to sixteen it’s hard to keep believing that. The only time it ever went down was when I took up swimming. It’d be great, but then I’d come home and reward myself with a big plate of pasta the same portion as my 18 year old, running stud of a brother. He too was an unknown member of the celiac club.
I never particularly liked gluten. I always turned my nose up to sandwiches. My weakness though, was mac ‘n cheese. Oh mac ‘n cheese. Still is my weakness in gluten free form but nothing compares to the creamy sensation of a bowl of Macaroni Grill’s macaroni and cheese (which was really shells and cheese). What a treat that restaurant was. Gluten was in everything. My favorite snacks (Doritos at the time were chock full of gluten) as well as my homeland foods of Vegemite and Milo and Eta Barbecue sauce. I found out in August 2010 that I officially had this disease that many, at the time, did not believe in. How someone can not believe in an autoimmune disease will forever baffle me. After my diagnosis the whole family got checked. My oldest brother was in the clear (for now) but the previously mentioned runner boy had higher numbers indicating celiac than I did. He had no symptoms whatsoever. So you’re welcome brother. My mother doesn’t have it, although I hope she does get it somehow because she wants so badly to be a member of the club (note- this is not sarcasm) and my dad was in the clear like my oldest brother. Mum has a wheat allergy and actually has to deal with more food issues than I do (she can’t eat corn. That’s just not fair). So, the whole house went gluten free because my family loves me. My brothers were both off at uni by this point so it was just me mum and dad, the three musketeers struggling through this change. I am very strict about the diet. If a package even says same facility as gluten I steer clear almost throwing it back on the shelf. The whole transition though was pretty smooth because at this point I was just so pleased to have found an answer to my problems. In the first month I dropped twenty pounds. Confidence boosted up immediately. To clarify, I do not think beauty is about being thin, AT ALL, but after many tearful nights and days of confusion as to why my body ached and my tummy jutted out, I was quite relieved to feel better and drop some pounds.
Not eating gluten is tricky. Tricky especially for us Celiacs who have to worry about cross contamination. My insides are quite sensitive so they get angry with me at the tiniest crumb. So, strict I had to become. My biggest issue was embarrassment. I became so quiet about my disease when I was out or at a friend’s. I didn’t want to make a fuss so I would try to just not eat. Or I would get really embarrassed if my mum said, “Annie’s a celiac” to the waiter. Looking back I’m quite grateful for that, so thanks mama. It can be hard at first to stick your ground and stand up for your health. At least, it was for me. Going to college certainly helped that situation. As for gluten breakdowns as I like to call them, they only happen about once a year. I share this with one of my best friends and fellow celiacs. We stick through it, we do well, but once a year it gets to the point where every little issue, every idiotic person, every terrible meal we eat in the dining hall, builds up and the explosion happens. For me it goes like this: I go to a restaurant, the waiter doesn’t understand celiac even though the menu advertises gluten free, I try to explain, they think it is a diet choice, “like the celebrities are doing!” and I try to be patient. Then I get home, and cry for hours because this has happened far too many times in the past year. Then I go to sleep and the next day start anew and wait to see what else will build up. It’s not that I’m bottling in emotions about it, but it honestly takes a long time for me to get really angry about it. Because it would be ignorant of me to expect every person to understand. The whole situation can be exhausting. However, when you find those who really understand and make an effort to learn because they love you, it is the most wonderful reward. My family, my close friends, and the guy I love have exceeded any and all expectations I could have about respecting my disease. They are wonderful and the sole reason I can get through this. So if you have Celiac or any intolerance to gluten, find those people and hold on tight. The secondary reason for me being able to get through this is that the awareness for Celiac has soared within the past few years. I hate being compared to someone choosing to go gluten free to “try it out” or “because it’s the new fad” but these people have made it so that more restaurants have GF options and more labels are getting certified GF. Like Cheetos. CHEETOS PEOPLE. They now say GF. I think I cried when I found out. Then I ate an entire big bag and got a massive headache from all the MSG. Watch out for that MSG...it’s a nuisance. But seriously, awareness has improved drastically and as long as I stand my ground and enforce that I actually need gluten free or I will be writhing in pain for weeks on end, eating out is actually doable. I’m going on three years without any big reactions to actually getting full on “glutened”, and my health is improving...slowly. I have tons of other dietary issues to figure out, but the gluten aspect is now under control. So if you have to make this switch for whatever reason, be confident and stick to it. The reward is incredible. That is my little story. I will be posting on here much more often I hope. Peace and love.
