It has been two years since my world felt like it got turned upside down. After a holiday in Perth in January 2014, I had to visit my local GP. When I was away, I was bed ridden for the trip with vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches and body sweats like you wouldn’t believe. After a week of tests, I was found to have the Coeliac Disease gene. I was then booked in for a endoscopy in February. After my biopsy, it was confirmed that I had Coeliac Disease and that I would need to start a gluten free diet immediately. “I can totally deal with this” I thought to myself. At least that is what I thought.
The first three months were a complete nightmare. I didn’t get a chance to ease myself into this new lifestyle, it happened rather abruptly and I was scared shitless. It wasn’t just about cutting out bread and pasta. It was having to read every single food label. It was having to buy different cooking utensils as even the smallest of crumbs would make me violently ill. It was understanding that the term Gluten Free didn’t actually apply to me at a restaurant, cross contamination was the major issue. It was the fact that I had a life threatening disease and that led to other auto immune diseases that I had in fact been suffering from since birth. It was those helpful and positive people who annoyed the hell out of me by saying there is so much Gluten Free available now, yet they turn their noses up at your food when that’s all you have to eat.
These are just some of the struggles I have had to deal with in the last two years, but within those first three months, my food pantry completely changed. I went to visit a nutritionist who is also a naturopath to discuss my future. I had to give up all high allergy foods for the first month due to my body being so damaged. No gluten, eggs, dairy, peanuts, corn or soy. It was tough, but I came out the other side much healthier. I was allowed to introduce all the foods again except gluten and dairy. This is what made the first year of being a coeliac so difficult. After 12 months, I introduced dairy back into my diet; however I still drink almond milk instead of cow’s milk and I eat lactose free cheddar cheese. These are just much more easier for me to digest.
One of my goals for this year is to become a confident coeliac. I am absolutely hopeless and checking for cross contamination in restaurants and my body pays for it. This year I have actually started to tell restaurants that I am a coeliac when I am ordering which has been a huge step. But I still have a long way to go as well. What people don’t understand about Coeliac Disease is that gluten is like poison. Even the tiniest bit can poison me. So when someone makes me dinner, I get extremely nervous. Did they use a different knife to chop everything? Did they use separate dishes and oils to cook the food? This can all result in me being poisoned. But no one thinks of that when I ask if it is Gluten Free. They always assume that a little bit won’t hurt me.
Coeliac Disease has also impacted my body physically in a number of ways. I currently suffer chronic fatigue as I still don’t absorb all of my nutrients. Prior to diagnosis, I was iron deficient my entire life. I also suffered from eczema since I was born, but thankfully I have had it only three times in the past two years. Amazing what a diet change can do for you. I still suffer from an upset stomach, sometimes on a daily basis. There is nothing worse than being so incredibly hungry, but knowing you are going to be sick as a dog after you eat your food (even Gluten Free), simply because your body is still so damaged. After diagnosis, my depression and anxiety came back as it was such a huge lifestyle change. It was the worst depression I have ever experienced and my anxiety would creep up on me out of nowhere. It is still something I deal with daily.
I have learnt some incredible things about my body and mind since I was diagnosed and I am still learning each and every day. What I do know is that Coeliac Disease does not own me. If anything it has been my little blessing in disguise. My life needed a clean up and this is the hand I got dealt with. I am still practising how to use my hand of cards and it will take time. I do know that I have some amazing people in my life that have helped me so much already. Tommy, my gorgeous fiancé who is a much better coeliac than I am. My beautiful mumma, who only got diagnosed with Coeliac Disease this year at 49 years old! And my lovely mother-in-law Trishy who goes above and beyond cooking and preparing Gluten Free food for me. If you have a story about Coeliac Disease, please get in contact with me. The more of us that support one another, the better. xx
the endless traveller 