What I Didn’t Want for Christmas…

Today I found out that I have celiac disease.  It’s an autoimmune disease that also affects one’s digestive system.  Eating gluten (wheat, rye, barley) damages my small intestine.  I’m a bit numb because I figured this out before my doctors did.  I’ve been experimenting with different types of foods thinking that it was something I was eating that was causing me to have unbearably severe allergies all year round.

I found that eating a diet that is almost strictly Paleo worked well.  Paleo diets don’t include wheat or processed foods.  When I eat ground foods (platains, yams, batata, yucca, etc.), meat, veggies, salad, nuts and legumes I’m fine.  When I throw in Dunkin’ Donuts?  Not so much.

My main issue was nasal polyps.  They became swollen and then infected and pretty much quarterly I had to take steroids and antibiotics to ‘heal’ up.  Then, a few months later I’d have to do it all over again.  This went on for over 7 years.  Not fun whatsoever.

Today marks the end of all of that.  I know it’s not in my head.  It’s an actual dis-ease in my body.  I have to learn to enjoy foods that my body can assimilate well.  It took almost this entire year to come to terms with the fact that eating gluten makes me sick — literally!

So, I’ve said good-bye to cookies, cakes, pies, bread, and Twizzlers.  Yeah, Twizzlers have flour in them!  Ugh, right??

The writer in me is itching to write more about this celiac lifestyle and the person in me wants to run in the other direction with a Crumbs Apple Crumb cupcake in hand.

If I said I’m okay with this I’d be lying.  I will be okay.  I have accepted it but I’m not yet at complete peace with it.  I hope the tests are wrong but I know they’re not.  Thank Goodness it’s not life-threatening.

So, to all my fellow celiac sufferers I wish you a festive and joyous gluten-free holiday season!