I Have What?

It is nearly two in the morning, and I'm wide awake due to a bad cough mixed with my brain going a mile a minute. Let me explain what has been going on for the past few weeks. I have been having stomach issues and weird flare-ups where it felt like my stomach was being stabbed from the inside. I finally convinced myself to see a doctor, and even then I felt stupid for going. I convinced myself I was crazy and I was wasting the doctor's time. She asked many questions and took some blood work for me to scan it for allergies and other tests.

A week goes by, and she uploads to the portal online that everything came back fine on my initial lab work results, and to stay tuned for allergy panel. At this point I'm thinking I'm such an idiot, and everything was in my head. I cancelled the referral appointment to the gastroentologist. Then yesterday I get three message alerts on the portal. To make a long story much shorter, I was diagnosed with celiacs disease, my immunoglobulins are low (meaning I have been making my immune system weaker from eating my allergy), and I can no longer eat gluten. 

I stared in horror at that word: gluten.

Suddenly, images of all of the food I love popped into my head. 

Pizza

Chick-fil-a

Delicious bread

Flour tortillas
Pasta
Cereal

Pie

Cake

Cookies

Breadsticks from Olive Garden

Crackers! Graham crackers! Teddy grahams!

And many many more. 

Then an even worse thought came to my head--I've been making myself sick my entire life. I always thought my digestion issues were normal. I never thought there was anything wrong with going to the bathroom after every meal. Why did I wait so long to get checked? Why didn't someone diagnose me sooner?! 

I'm still in the stage of shock about all of this. I have started researching A LOT about what should be changing in my diet. I know I need to permanently change, because the risks of my health are too high. 

I look forward to sharing my life with Christopher. He immediately said, "Alright, let's do this. We are eating gluten-free." I. JUST. LOVE. HIM. 

I encourage you all to share stories if you are going through something similar. Share recipes with me, or even offer advice as I begin to navigate this new lifestyle. 

Love you all!