It's a new year and many people are making New Year's resolutions - or breaking them. I've never really been one to make a New Year's resolution because they always seem to be something that sets you up to fail. Everyone has BIG dreams of goals they want to set for themselves, yet, these goals seem to be tossed aside at the smallest stumble or if the results don't happen as quickly as we want them to.
This was actually the message topic at my church this morning. My pastor's new message series is a timely one called, "Habits". This morning he spoke about why we fail at our resolutions or to set healthy habits. Often, we dismiss our small good decisions as not mattering much. The same with our small bad decisions. The truth of the matter, as he pointed out, is that our lives are the sum total of ALL of the small decisions we make - good and bad. If we don't see results right away, it can feel like it is never going to happen or that it takes too much work.
What I want to talk to you about today is about moving forward after a Celiac diagnosis or learning you have other health issues that would benefit from a gluten free diet. What on Earth does any of that have to do with resolutions or habits, you may ask? Good question. One I plan to answer as I move forward (see what I did there) into the rest of the post.
1. DIAGNOSIS
The first thing that happens before anything else can is diagnosis. If you think you may have Celiac Disease or someone else in your immediate family (parent, sibling or child) has been diagnosed, you need to get tested. This includes blood test AND a confirming endoscopy. It is possible to have a negative blood test and a positive endoscopy, so follow through is extremely important for correct diagnosis. Note that you MUST still be consuming gluten until after your endoscopy. This is vital for accurate results! For more information about Celiac Disease, you can read a previous post of mine, What Is This Thing Called Celiac?
2. INFORMATION & EDUCATION
Once you've received a definitive diagnosis, you will need to live a 100% gluten free lifestyle. There is so much to learn. What is gluten? How do I go gluten free? What items are gluten found in? If you're like I am, I went straight to a bookstore and then online. I found a great book called, "The Gluten Free Bible", by Jax Peters Lowell. She is a woman who has been living with Celiac Disease for a long time and has a lot of information in her book from the standpoint of someone who's been there and is living it every day! For more great book resources, see my list at the end of this post. On the internet, I found a ton of conflicting information. It took me many months up to a year to really figure out which sources were reliable and which were not. The biggest source I use as my go-to for information has been Beyond Celiac. They have all kinds of information and great resources available and I highly recommend them as a great place to get started learning about Celiac Disease and being gluten free. You can also read more in my post, Gluten Free 101.
3. GRIEF
This is one not many people talk about. That was one of the things that I really appreciated about Jax Peters Lowell's book. She states right out that you need to grieve. Your life has just changed forever. Your relationship with food has changed forever. You have to say goodbye to so many favorites as well as convenience. A couple of mine that still hurt to this day are KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and REAL pizza! I have yet to find a gluten free pizza that is as mouth-watering good as the pizza I've loved for most of my life from Godfather's, Pizza Hut, etc, though there are some delicious gf pizzas and recipes out there. Not only does your relationship with food change, but, sad to say, some of your relationships may change, as well. It's nobody's fault, it is just a lot to deal with. YOU have to deal with it every moment of every day for the rest of your life, but those around you who don't have to be gluten free may get tired of your dietary needs dictating where you dine out or the fact that you may have to cancel at the last minute, plans that you've had for months because you're having a flare up. It happens more than you would like - even if you are doing everything right. Even as you are learning how to live with your new reality, you do need to allow yourself to grieve for everything you've lost, that you have to leave behind, and maybe even, in some cases, relationships that are never the same. The important - critical thing about grieving is that you allow yourself time to grieve, but you don't stay there.
4. ACTION
Here's where the resolution and habits part comes in. All the while after your diagnosis, as you are learning and even through your grieving stage, you need to take action in order to take back your health! This means not only going gluten free, but learning to practice self-care in the forms of getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, taking care of your spiritual health and making healthy choices all around. The ONLY treatment option available (is that really an option, then?!) is to live 100% gluten free! There is no medical treatment available - no pill or shot you can take. You MUST be 100% gluten free. This means you NEVER cheat! If you cheat, even if you are asymptomatic (meaning you have no symptoms), you will still cause damage to the lining of your small intestines, which can, in turn, lead to other health issues, autoimmune disorders and even death. This isn't like a weight-loss diet where if you cheat you just make an adjustment to the rest of your intake that day. Just one small crumb of gluten can cause extensive damage to your intestinal lining. It isn't worth it. Many people have told me that they just couldn't go gluten free because they can't give up all of the foods they love. When your health, your life depends on it, you can adjust to ANYTHING! Don't fall into the pitfall that many newly diagnosed (including myself in the beginning) of seeking out gluten free versions of your favorite junk foods! Like any "normal" food out there, the more processed, the more refined sugar, high sodium, etc. foods are the absolute worst things for you. The same goes for processed gluten free products. Be mindful of the ingredients you are putting into your body. Remember, you are working to heal your gut and you need to create healthy new habits to aid in that healing with the goal of getting to remission (though, even in remission you can NOT go back to consuming gluten. You are now gluten free for the rest of your life, even if you achieve remission, meaning the villi in the lining of your small intestine are healed).
5. ATTITUDE
Like anything else we go through in life, attitude makes a world of difference. If you go into this with the attitude that this is too hard, I'll never make it - that is exactly what will happen. Our attitude determines our success! If you go into this with an attitude that you are going to work at it until it becomes second nature to you, you will succeed! Your determination to stop feeling like crap and start feeling good for a change will spur you to keep with it, even if you don't begin to feel better immediately. Everyone is different. Different people heal differently. Some people end up feeling worse before they eventually start to feel better. Don't give up. It is hard. It can be painful. It can be isolating. BUT, that first day you realize that you actually feel good - completely well without fatigue, headache, body/joint aches or whatever symptoms you may have - you will realize that it has all been worth it. That day won't be every day. Flare ups happen and they can get discouraging. Don't stay discouraged. If you can go into this with a positive attitude and keep going back to that positive attitude even after discouraging setbacks, you'll make it through anything!
This is a new year, a new decade, a new chance for you to take control of your health. It is doable! I am living proof of that. Yes, I still get sick - in fact I've been struggling with illness since Christmas Day and, though I am finally starting to feel better on January 5th, I'm still not fully recovered. Even illness that is not Celiac related, like this current illness, can take longer recovery time because of my compromised immune system. It happens. It sucks! BUT, I carry on, moving forward to become a healthier me.
Additional resources about living with Celiac Disease:
"Dough Nation: A Nurse’s Memoir of Celiac Disease from Missed Diagnosis to Food Health Activism" by Nadine Grzeskowiak, RN and her informative podcasts at https://glutenfreern.com/podcasts/
"Jennifer's Way: My Journey With Celiac Disease--What Doctor's Don't Tell You and How You Can Learn to Live Again" by Jennifer Esposito. She also has a wonderful gluten free cookbook out called, "Jennifer's Way Kitchen: Easy Allergen-Free, Anti-Inflammatory Recipes for a Delicious Life". Check out Jennifer's podcast at https://www.chewthis.life/
