Four years ago today I finally got the testing that confirmed that I have Celiac Disease. Of course, I went through all different, warring kinds of emotions with that diagnosis: relief, confusion, anxiety, apprehension, and I was very, very overwhelmed. After months of doing my own research and learning many things the hard way, several dear friends suggested that I start this blog to help others by sharing my own experiences.
I love writing. Always have. And helping people is something else that has always been exceedingly important to me. I figured that writing a blog would be a piece of cake (gluten free, of course 😉) Let me tell you that it is more work than one would think. I had these lofty dreams of writing a new blog post once per week. Then it became more like once per month. As life became busier and more stressful I haven't had the time that I've wanted to be able to keep up with this blog. I have felt like I've let my readers down by not posting as often as I should. While expressing this to a friend of mine in the Celiac community not long ago, she advised that I be honest with everyone and just write what has been going on recently. So, this is that post.
No excuses. I hate excuses and I've used enough of them through different times in my life. This is not that! This is just to give you an idea of what my life has been like the past few months.
Like many Celiacs, stress is a major trigger for many of my Celiac symptoms. No matter how hard I try to keep the stress away and fight the symptoms, they seem to hit anyway. My blog is something that I write to help others, as already stated. It is not my job. I do not get paid for writing my blog. Monetary gain is not why I write. Having said that, I do have a full-time job that, of late, has become much more than I ever bargained for. Not just for me, though. The company I work for is going through some major changes that we have been working toward for over a year and a half now. Being in a leadership position in my department has put me also in a leadership position in learning, testing and training for the big changes in store for our company. This has stretched me in so many ways that I never realized that I could even stretch! There have been many times, especially in the past few months, when I have felt stretched past the breaking point. I am grateful for the trust my boss has in me to put these added responsibilities on my shoulders, but there have been moments when I most definitely did NOT feel up to the task. As are many others who are working on these changes in the company, I have been working a lot of extra hours. Between the extra hours and stress, I haven't been sleeping well for many months. You know where I'm going with this, right? Yep, I've been sick more often recently and many of my other Celiac symptoms have been plaguing me, as well. My concentration has been off. It's been difficult to focus. I've come close to anxiety attacks many times over the past few months, though only ended up in a full-fledged panic attack twice. Both times at work. Complete meltdown! Seriously! Not proud of it - at all! Here's where I send a HUGE SHOUT OUT to my co-workers who have been there for me and with me through all of this and even helped bring me down from my anxiety attacks! Also to my boss, who has believed in me and been patient and supportive in everything I've been doing. They have all been so understanding and helpful through my health issues, my meltdowns and just all around stepping up and working together to help us all get through this together. As stressful as everything has been recently, I feel so blessed to work among this amazing bunch of strong, beautiful women.
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| My G'ma Viola on the left with her 86 year old sister, Aunt Jean on the right. |
As 2017 drew to an end, sadly we said goodbye to my dear Aunt Jean, my grandma's "baby" sister. While not entirely unexpected, it was still a hard way to end the year. My mom and I were the ones to break the news to my 95 year old grandma, who lives in a nearby nursing home that her beloved little sister and best friend (85 years old) had just passed. Aunt Jean had Alzheimer's and my grandma has dementia. We weren't sure if G'ma would retain the information that Aunt Jean had died, so we waited until the night before Jean's funeral. Mom and I had planned ahead for this. G'ma is very frail and confined to a wheelchair. She is a fall risk, so we haven't taken her out of the nursing home since she became confined to the wheelchair. We've been too afraid of accidentally hurting her in transport. We KNEW that we had to make sure she made it to her sister's funeral to say goodbye. The nursing home staff was wonderful and so helpful. My husband, Dave, took the day off from work, too, and drove us three to and from the funeral and didn't hurry us away when we were visiting with family after the funeral. My brother and sister-in-law met us there and were absolutely fantastic with G'ma! They pretty much took over getting her in and out of the car and caring for her needs while we were there. My sister-in-law has experience with working with the elderly so she knew exactly what to do and how to care for her. While G'ma was saddened by the loss of her sister, she loved getting to see and visit with so many family members. I'm so grateful we were able to take her.
The beginning of 2018 has definitely been a bumpy start, as I've dealt with a couple of illnesses. This weekend I've been dealing with sinus infection and an abscessed tooth. NOT fun!! Here is where I have to admit that I have not been faithful about going to the dentist throughout my adult life. I know better and should have been going regularly, but I haven't. Today I had no choice. That awful tooth was causing too much pain and discomfort. Thankfully, I was able to get in to see a dentist today! And, though there is a lot of infection and I will have to have a tooth extraction, I was amazed that the news at the dentist wasn't worse! In fact, the hygienist said that my gums are in pretty good shape for someone who hasn't been to a dentist for as long as me. She was surprised! I'll have to get some work done, but nothing that wasn't expected. I'm running on amoxicillin and ibuprofen for now. So, while 2018 is off to a bumpy start, I am looking at this as a year of changes for me. Positive changes. It's a chance for me to become a healthier version of myself by taking my health into my own hands and doing what I need to in order to become and stay healthy. That means continuing to heal my gut, get better sleep at night, work at keeping my stress levels manageable. I'm learning that the best way for me to keep my stress levels manageable is to get plenty of sleep, stay hydrated, eat healthy and keep my prayer life active. Faith is a HUGE part of who I am. It is one of the most important things in my life and lately it has taken a back seat to everything else. Spending time in prayer and reading my Bible, listening to uplifting music at work has all helped bring things back in to perspective and has helped me to re-prioritize my life.
What helps you find your center? How are you able to cope with the stresses and pressures that come your way? How do you keep things manageable?
I'm not guaranteeing that I will be better at writing more blog posts, though I do hope to do so. I promise that I will always be upfront with you and share what I am going through in hopes that I can help in some small way make this Celiac journey we are on together a little brighter just knowing that you're not in this alone.
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