These are words I was not sure I would ever think, let alone write and admit to other people.
My initial diagnosis, and honestly the 6 months that followed, were met with a lot of anger and frustration. I was 4 months pregnant and fresh off 16 weeks of “all day sick” and starving.
Learning what living gluten free meant was an uphill battle, it was not just buying gluten free bread or pasta. I had to learn to read labels on everything. I was being educated on what items contain gluten but are not wheat based and therefore not identified boldly on packaging. Eating out was downright frustrating. Asking questions about everything I wanted and learning how to communicate what I needed was difficult.
Honestly, I hoped so deeply that this was only a “pregnancy thing” and once I had delivered my child, my body would revert to tolerating all my favorite foods. Fast forward 6 months post baby delivery and nothing had changed, rather it became harder to tolerate accidental gluten exposures. As I was learning, my tolerance for cross-contact was rapidly decreasing.
This was my turning point. I was 10 months gluten free, a new mom of an infant and a 2-year-old and it was time I started to accept what my body was telling me. I dove deep into learning what I could about Celiac, talking to friends who lived gluten free and taking in all the information I could. I had finally accepted that this autoimmune disease may have changed my life, but I would not let Celiac ruin it.
In the 7+ years since diagnosis I have had many ups and downs. Now my focus is on being healthy, knowing what I need to do to protect myself. I believe that my Celiac diagnosis happened to teach me how to be healthier, how to be more accountable to nutrition and movement in my life.
There are so many more details I could (and will) share but for now please know if you are starting this journey or having a hard time with it, you are not alone. I am always available to be a listening ear or offer guidance based on my experience. Celiac is tough but we are tougher! 💪