They say everything happens for a reason. Every person you meet, every moment you experience, every breath you take, it is all for a reason. I'm not quite sure if I truly understood back then. That is until the summer of 2009.
Let me backtrack to December of 2008. The month that I got engaged. It was a time in my life where I was on clouds and only heard the pitter patter of doves, fairies and floating hearts. I kind of wish I were exaggerating, but I am not. I was so happy to be a fiance. And, not just any fiance, but to a boy I waited for five years to get engaged to. I thought nothing could go wrong that month. That is until one day, while we were home for Christmas, I got sick. It came out of left field, and I hate admitting this on the world wide web, but I ignored it. And brushed it off like it was no big deal.
Two months went by and that "sick" feeling came back. Only this time it started happening twice in one month. Twice in one month turned into three and then four times in one month. It got to a point where I came home from work one day so sick that I made it to the front entrance of my apartment and collapsed on the floor. I remember calling Bryan in pain. He asked me ever so kindly to call the doctor's office and make an appointment. So I did.
The visit to the doctor's office did nothing for me. I was misdiagnosed as so many Celiacs are, and was asked to do a standard blood test. The blood test never showed anything wrong with my intestine but put a red flag up about my liver functions. Now, girlfriend likes a glass of wine or a good cocktail but definitely not a heavy drinker to have my liver functions be way off. Two weeks later, I took another blood test to only reveal that my liver functions were still high. So off my doctor sent me to a gastrointestinal doctor.
Now, at this point, I knew something was wrong. I felt thin, food and I couldn't agree on anything to keep within my body and I was just in an awful mood everyday due to the above mentioned. A month later, I walked into the gastrointestinal doctor's office. With a smile. Because I was hoping for some good news. I was wrong.
The first thing they did was weigh me. Now, I am a little person to begin with. I blame my extremely high metabolism. So, when the nurse read off my weight and I did the math real quick to realize I had lost TEN POUNDS in ONE MONTH, I started to panic just a little. But, the real panic came in full blown effect when I met with my doctor. I told him what was going on and why I was visiting his office that day. I talked and talked. And, then he asked a few questions. Questions about what I have been eating, details about my symptoms and my family's medical history.
I have had some pretty crazy health stories in my life. Like the time that I had a cyst aka "the goiter" sticking out of my neck and had to have it removed within two weeks. By surgery. Over Christmas break! Yeah, that was fun (please sense the sarcasm) and came out of nowhere. But, that kind of scary does not come close to when my doctor used the words
celiac,
lactose and
colon cancer in the same sentence. I definitely was not prepared for that mentally. I'm pretty sure that day is when my sweet little world came crashing down like a big tidal wave. Tears were unstoppable as I sobbed on the phone to my dad afterwards.
It will be ok. I promise. All I remember is the optimism in his voice.
Another month passed and more test were taken. July 19th, 2009 rolled around. The day when they did an EKG on me. It took all but five seconds for them to see that I was a Celiac. Five seconds! When I woke up from the procedure, Bryan was holding my hand and listening to the doctor explain to him that I was no longer allowed to eat any form of gluten. Ever again. I went in that day not knowing that I would be saying good-bye to my favorite beers, all the cupcakes and cakes in the world and delicious Italian bread. July 19th, 2009 marks the day that gluten and I broke up.
It was an ugly break-up to say the least. The days and weeks following it were not easy. There was a time when Bryan was grocery shopping with me, and he found me in the cereal isle crying over a box of Rice Krispies. Rice Krispies, people! Because apparently, there is malt in it. Who would have known? Or the time when I realized my most favorite restaurant, The Melting Pot, could only give me strawberries and bananas to dip into the chocolate. As in no cheesecake, marshmallows rolled in oreos or brownies. Throw a gal a bone?! I think you can imagine my reaction to that being a desert lover at heart. Or even the time when I realized there would no longer be any Japanese Hibachi styled eating for this gal. The world at this point ended to me. Because what it comes down to is that I love food. I. LOVE. ALL. FOOD.
But, what I chose to never see at that time was how becoming a Celiac would change my world. For the better. Wayyy better. One morning, I woke up and finally accepted this new found lifestyle I was given. And, I have been blessed to be surrounded by an amazing support system. My parents have done nothing but support me and allow me to see how I can love food that does not contain gluten. I have a mama who LOVES to cook. Seriously, this woman should be on the Food Network Star. And, she would win, too. I am not just saying that because she is my mum, but because she can cook GOOD food. She has spent the past two years creating and perfecting recipes that still allow me to eat my favorite Indian foods. I have a husband who bless his heart gave up gluten in our home to support me and join me on the adventures of gluten-free cooking. I have a mama-in-law who I swear is my gluten-free police. Anytime there is food around me, she is right next to me making sure I can eat it. And, when we make visits home, she makes sure to have delicious gluten-free deserts awaiting me. I have an Aunt Kathy (B man's aunt) who for my first gluten-free Thanksgiving made the ENTIRE family eat gluten-free! Rolls, stuffing, mac n' cheese...everything! Did I mention how much I love his family?! And, I have friends who bake gluten-free cupcakes for gatherings and hate glutes with me when I am in their presence. These are all the same people I make sure to thank the good man upstairs for each morning and night. Because without them, I would be found crying in a grocery isle over some other box of cereal that has darn gluten in it.
(1st time being back at the fair post-Celiac!)
How it came about is still a mystery. Some say it could be a traumatic event or too much stress in your life. Which this I may very well believe. During the months leading up to the horrifying break-up, I was STRESSED. I thought it was perfectly acceptable to have a full-time job, go to school part-time, plan a wedding and go house-hunting. And, then the "sickness" started and grew worse throughout the months following. All in all, I took this as a sign to slooow down. Slow way down. And, to start doing things that made me happy and changing my attitude in life. Enter big, unknown dreams.
That was two years ago. Yet, it feels like yesterday. And, I can now stand tall and proudly say that I am a Celiac. I love eating healthy. I love not fearing what will happen next if I eat a meal at this restaurant or buy this bag of chips. I share this story because I know of others who went through or might be going through the same thing. It's hard. I spent 24 years of my life eating whatever I wanted and never having to read labels. And, now I have to question everything. Servers at restaurants, wineries and employees at grocery stores. And, despite some people's belief that eating gluten-free is a fad, it is not. But, I am so happy to be leading a lifestyle that I know has made me the person I am today. A healthier and happier version of my 2009 self.
I live a little more full, I breathe a little more easy and I eat a LOT more healthier all because I am a Celiac. And, you better believe that if we have little munchkins who might be Celiacs like their mama that they will love veggies, and I will be making all their friends jealous with my awesome and delish gluten-free treats that I plan on baking so they never ever have to miss those darn glutes.
(Boot-scootin'-boogyin' with my better half!)
Cheers to two years of being a Celiac and saying au revoir to gluten!
