It's difficult for me to believe that it's been three years since I started having health issues.  Those of you who have been around for a while will remember that in November of 2009, I started feeling badly and coughing non-stop.  After many months and tests, the doctors determined I had asthma.  Although the asthma medicines did help the coughing, I stayed sick with a constant sore throat and sinus infections throughout 2010. 

Finally, I discovered that I didn't have asthma at all.  Instead, I had severe reflux and digestive issues.  At first, reflux medicines cleared everything up, but in only a few months, I started needing higher dosages to keep everything in check.  In March of 2011, I put myself on a restricted diet known as the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (also known as the GAPS diet).  Amazingly, this diet cleared up MANY of my health issues, even things I had been dealing with for years. 

For the most part, I eat meat, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.  I can have butter, cheese, and homemade yogurt, but no other dairy. Sugar and grains are big no-no's.  For 18 months, I have followed this diet very strictly, with occasional cheats (like every few months).  When I am on this diet, I feel great, but if I cheat, my symptoms return.

Recently, I had a well-visit to check some blood levels--during my health issues I was deficient in D and B12.  After discussing my progress and the effects of occasional cheating, my doctor and I discussed that many of the problems I have when I am cheating (and problems I lived with for years) are signs of celiac disease.  I was tested for celiac earlier this year, but because I had already been off gluten for a year when I was tested, the negative result is not very reliable.  I asked my doctor if she thought I should eat gluten for a while and be retested, but she said that I shouldn't put myself through that.  Basically, she labeled me as non-celiac gluten sensitive and told me not to eat gluten anymore. 

In some ways, this doesn't change my life too much.  I haven't been eating gluten on a regular basis anyway.  I plan to stay away from gluten all the time now, but the diagnosis actually frees me a little bit.  If I limit my occasional indulgences to gluten-free items, I should be able to stay well.  When you are grain-free, dairy-free and sugar-free, it is almost impossible to eat outside your own home.  Now I am able to eat in restaurants, as long as gluten is not in my meal.  It has been great to eat out with friends or to have a treat like a gluten-free cupcake without the negative effects!  While I plan to stick with being sugar-free most of the time, I also want some fun every now and then, and I am happy that sticking with gluten-free options will spare me the consequences that come with throwing all my restrictions out the window!

Having treats like these once in a while is making me smile, and I can do it without the guilt (well, maybe a little guilt, but without the same digestive consequences)!

Gluten-Free Winter Wonderland Cupcake from Gigi's Cupcakes

It's amazing that this journey is at the three year mark, but I am thankful for the experience and the progress.  Although I can't eat in the carefree way that I used to, I am eating much healthier today than I was then, and I've learned a lot about myself.  The process hasn't always been enjoyable, but I am thankful to God for where I am today!

Labels: Me