So, it's been an interesting couple of years since my doctor suggested I may have Celiac Disease - I can certainly say that my perspective on loss has changed tremendously - which led to my life getting so much better.
When I first went G-Free, I was focused on what I couldn't have - pasta, beer, bread, Chocodiles - out of necessity, really, because I had to learn what was making me sick and where it hides. But as I reclaimed my health, as I went for days without being sick and then stopped worrying about being sick when I left the house, I began to focus on what IS available to me, where I can eat, what I can achieve when nausea, fatigue and dizziness aren't in the way. Sure, there are challenges to this lifestyle, and I can name them all (I'm sure you can too) and there are days when I'm annoyed that this is the way the chips fell, but the truth is: I'm better. My daughter, family & friends are better because I'm better. And I ain't going back.
After I founded G-Free Foodie to help myself and others, I suffered several losses, each a little larger than the next. Did going Gluten Free and finding the good at the end of the bad help me prepare for the next phases if my life? I'd have to say so - although I'm not sure anything prepares you for leaving a job you love, losing a beloved pet, watching someone you love descend into madness and a big 'ol divorce (that's really more than you can ask from a diet change, isn't it?) However, fairly quickly, I was able to find the gains after the losses, the new life that emgered after each change - and be grateful that I made it out of each situation stronger or healthier than I was before.
I went to the Central Coast for a day trip last week, and a friend looked at me and said, "If this was three years ago, you'd be sick right now. You'd be sucking it up like a trooper, but you'd be sick." I sat in silence for a minute, and we laughed about it before chatting about something else. But I thought about it all the way home - having fun is so much easier when we don't have to plan around me getting sick.
Going Gluten Free hasn't made me look at the world through rose-colored glasses - I don't skip everywhere I go, and I still swear like a sailor - but it has given me the ability to give challenges - even huge ones - the attention they deserve, but no more than they deserve. If life gives me lemons, I call my friends and get out some Ciroc for lemon drops, 'cause we're all doing this again tomorrow. And I want to be happy & healthy.
If you or somebody you love is fighting constent nasuea, GI problems, or other health issues, or you just want to find out more about Celiac Disease, check out the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website. They're great people with big plans for the future of the Gluten Free world.
nancy says
Whenever I talk to someone about going gluten-free I tell them to focus on what they CAN have rather than the can'ts. There are things I still miss but life is SO much better.
Kathy says
Fell out of bed fleeing down. This has brightened my day!
Vanessa says
I've been GF for about a year now, and I still have days where I get into self pity mode. It's hard going out with coworkers for lunch, wondering what I can have and asking 20 questions of the server and chef. And sometimes I get glutened because I wasn't careful enough, and sadly, convince myself that I can still eat some places that I know I shouldn't. I realize that I can't do this to myself, because in the long run I'm the one that loses. Acceptance can be hard, but I am little by little getting there. I do know I have so much more to offer the world in career and relationships when I'm not foggy-brained and fatigued... how is that not worth it to be able to live life to the fullest, happy and healthy?
For all of you that are struggling like me - hang in there! It gets better. focusing on the CANS and not the CANTS really is key.