For the entirety of my life, I have had heartburn. That’s not normal for an eight-year-old. My stomach has always hurt a little after eating. That’s not normal for anyone. I always felt bloated after eating. That’s not normal unless I’m menstruating. Stomach problems…like, all the time. That seems dangerous. When you have lived your whole life with these issues, though, it all seems fine. You’re just miserable, but you don’t have to be.
My digestive issues came to a head in September. I started throwing up, getting severely bloated, being nauseous daily, having abdominal pain and the worst fatigue in my life. I decided to go to Baylor Health Services and talk to a nurse practitioner. I explained to her that I thought my problems were linked to gluten. She listened. That day, I got full allergy and Celiac disease blood testing panels done, and a week later I found out that I was severely allergic to gluten.
Imagine finding out on a random Tuesday that you have to completely change your diet. For me, that was a huge change. I used to eat a sandwich for lunch every day. I loved cookies and cream ice cream. I always chowed down on some Mexican food, including flour tortillas.
And now, I cannot eat any of that.
I’m learning though, and the food isn’t too bad. I don’t eat any bread now (gluten-free bread is so nasty and hard). I’m a couple of months in and I have found lots of new snacks and recipes that cater to my needs. Even going into restaurants, wait staff are always so kind and wonderful when it comes to my allergy and ensuring I don’t get contaminated.
Basically, what I’m saying is being gluten free is a huge change. It is hard. It is frustrating. It is way better than living life sick to your stomach and glued to the toilet. Additionally, there are countless alternative flours and gluten-free goods on the market now! I personally like rice flour products. Ultimately, you just need to do some trial and error to find what works for you!
If you are experiencing severe bloating, confusion, diarrhea, vomiting, head fog, fatigue, or stomach pain after basically every meal, you should consider getting some testing done. It’s pretty common for people to be allergic or intolerant to gluten, wheat, dairy and soy. You don’t have to live life feeling crappy. Work with your doctor to find the cause and make some changes. Trust me, it’s worth it!