I would have never thought I had such an emotional attachment to gluten but the idea that I may have to give it up for life has left me on a roller coaster of emotions. One moment I am ecstatic that I may have the solution to my digestive problems but then I am reminded of something else I may never be able to eat. The more I look into the more I realize how prevalent gluten really is. It seems to be in everything but meat and produce. Some of my favorite foods have gluten. As a runner, how will I eat for long distance and races?
It is a little depressing to think about. It is overwhelming when I start reading and researching. My brain is going from acceptance to denial every other minute. I start to accept that I might have celiac disease and then I see something, like a soft pretzel, and get incredibly sad I may never eat another one again. My emotions are all over the map.
A little background…
Most of my adult life I have had problem with digestive issues. I always chalked it up to IBS and lactose intolerance (and not being able to give up cheese). Towards the end of 2014 I started having more problems and I was in constant pain. I decided I needed to go to the doctor and get everything checked out. I made an appointment for January, the earliest I could get in.
The appointment was on a Wednesday and I swear they took about half my blood in the draw. The doctor said I would get my results at the end of the week, which to me meant Friday. I was surprised to have gotten a call Thursday morning. I was busy at work and unable to answer. I called back as soon as I could and of course the woman was busy. When she called back I made sure to answer. She let me know that my blood results were positive for celiac disease. Of course this doesn’t mean I have it but from my research it is pretty accurate, around 98% accurate. I also was able to look at my test results; >10 is positive. I had >100 which correlates to positive biopsies. It seems all signs point to celiac disease. The odds are not in my favor.
I have an appointment with a GI specialist in February and will most likely have an endoscopy to determine if I really do have it.
I have decided to start the blog up again to write about my possible diagnosis. It can be cathartic to write about all these thoughts and feelings tumbling through my head. If I am diagnosed I plan to write about my attempts to go gluten-free. I will try new foods and recipes. I will stumble and I will fall but I know I need to do what is best for my body.
What are your favorite foods? Do you think you could give them up for life?