Long time, no write

Well, it has been months since I started this blog. I have stories to tell about what has gone on in the interim, but before that, here's a quick catch-up:

If you read the first entry, you know that I have Celiac disease and live in the magical world of the gluten-free. For those of you who don't know, this is a genetic, auto-immune disease. If I eat any gluten (wheat, barley, rye, and even oats, due to heavy cross-contamination) my small intestine shuts down in an effort to protect my body. I can't process gluten, and therefore, my body doesn't process anything if gluten is present. I literally start starving. My system leaches the nutrients it needs from my muscles and bones. That right there is all I need to know, but as a reminder of what is happening to me, I get terrific pain, depression, arthritis, skin rashes, headaches, insomnia, etc. It's really fun stuff. If I don't completely eliminate gluten from my diet, I will likely develop another auto-immune disease or cancer of the small intestine. If those don't get me, I eventually will be done in by my brain and/or heart shutting down due to starvation. Needless to say, I am a fanatic about staying gluten-free.

What happened to me right after I wrote the first entry for this blog was that I got really sick again. I was a mess. I couldn't figure out what the hell was happening since I had not one crumb of gluten in my house. I was desperate. After paying $1000 out-of-pocket for some extensive testing, I found out I am allergic to a multitude of other foods such as eggs, almonds, peanuts, sesame, tomatoes, milk, and other tasty treats.

So here I am, five months later. I'm feeling much better. I stayed on a strict diet until a few weeks ago when my doctor told me to start reintroducing the allergens back into my diet. The effects weren't great, so I'm going to stay away from them. I will occasionally indulge in a tomato or some almond butter, but I know now what my body doesn't want, and I honor that.

People ask me how I can do it. "How can you not eat cake? Or bread? Or croissants?" I just look at them and say, "I don't miss any of it." And truly, most of the time, I don't. I just remember how I felt before I went gluten-free, and I never want to be in the same room as a glazed donut. I am fine. Celiac disease doesn't define me. It just makes me a little freaky.