I had an endoscopy this week. I wasn't nervous, the nurses laughed at me as they were prepping me because I was really looking forward to the nap. They were checking to see if I had Celaic Disease (pronounced Silly Yak), an intolerance to gluten, an ingredient most often found in breads, pastries and things made with flour. So I was off to a drug-induced nap!
Let me back up a bit. After I had Trent, I lost a ton of weight, had a lot of stomach cramping and other bad digestive issues all the time. I felt miserable! My GI doctor at the time did an endoscopy on me with the diagnosis of Celiac Disease. I went off gluten for a couple of months and felt tons better. I gradually started eating gluten again and felt fine until I had the twins. After the babies were born, I was miserable again. I went off gluten, felt better, and gradually started eating it again...no problem!
Until...Kyle started having problems. He was cramping up and had some different gastrointestinal problems. We took him to a specialist who performed an endoscopy on him. Fortunately he doesn't have Celiac Disease and the search continues for solving his little belly mystery. As I was talking to his doctor about my diagnosis and how I had been asymptomatic for a while, he said the tests are much better now than they were six years ago and I should get retested. Maybe I wasn't really a Celiac! What really woke me up was that people with Celiac Disease who continue to eat gluten are 20 times more likely to get small bowel cancer!!! That scared me! I needed answers and was ready for another nap...I mean, endoscopy!
I woke up to bad news. My doctor told me she has never seen someone she can tell has the disease without a biopsy. While she sent some biopsies to the lab, she said the damage in my small intestine was so bad she already knows I have Celiac Disease. I was bummed. I honestly thought it was hormonal. This sucks! I went out to lunch with Steve after the procedure and looked at the menu. Damn, damn, damn! I can't eat this, that, or the other! We drove by restaurants and I thought, "What am I going to eat there from now on?" No more ice cream cones, no more birthday cake!
I thought this will put a damper on my healthier eating habits, but I was wrong. I went to Wegman's after the diagnosis and found a huge section with gluten-free food. A bonus is that most of the stuff also is organic and without refined sugar. I'm not a big fan of pasta or pizza to begin with, so I won't miss those much. Sandwiches will be hard, I haven't found a tasty bread out there yet, but I can survive.
I resolve to be good about the diet but not neurotic. I won't worry if my friends don't want to invite me over for dinner because I'm too high maintenance, I gave up worrying about that about the time I had my third child! Going out to eat will be a challenge, but in a pinch I can always get a salad. Maybe I'll save money by not going out so much! Maybe I'll feel that much better as I eat better!
The diagnosis of my Silly Yak is not the end of the world! I need to realize the doctor could have found much worse and I am grateful she didn't. I vow to remember that as I eat my rice cakes and pass on the birthday cake.
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