For the Love of Gluten

Happy Gluten- Free Monday!

Day One of No Gluten:

I was curious so did some research about how long it would take for my body to be completely gluten-free. Apparently this question doesn’t have a definitive answer because even after the gluten has left my body, I will continue to experience the negative effects of exposure for some time. I should mention I have Non-celiac gluten sensitivity but the effects are still serious.

*↓TMI WARNING↓*

I have had continuous symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome since back on the gluten train. In December, I also started having blood in my stool along with serve abdominal cramping. Two visits to my primary care physician resulted in  a X-ray and a CAT scan. The they only thing they could see wrong was I was severely constipated. I was directed to eat more fiber, increase my water intake, prescribed stool softeners (the gentle kind) and was referred to my gynecologist (I did end up having a concurrent uterine infection). Once I finished taking those antibiotics and returned to my GYN to confirm that the infection was gone, I was still had the same symptoms plus now with diarrhea. After my second time in the ER, I finally got a referral to a gastroenterologist who officially confirmed I have IBS. He however was concerned about the intermittent bleeding so he got me set up for my first colonoscopy. From the procedure and biopsy, the only thing visibly wrong was I had proctitis (which is a fancy way of saying there was inflammation in the lower end of my colon aka the rectum).

Let's review: 6 doctors, 2 trips to the ER (more details in a future post), a abdominal x-ray & a CAT Scan, 3 ultrasounds and a colonoscopy... And the official diagnosis is inflammation in my colon.

Pop quiz: What is inflammation again?

Dictionary.com says that inflammation is “redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, heat, and disturbed function of an area of the body, especially as a reaction of tissues to injurious agents”.

Considering all that changed in my diet within the past 8 months has been adding gluten (lots of it), sounds like going back gluten-free is the answer.

But it hasn’t been just digestive issues; I’ve developed dermatitis herpetiformis and had massive weight gain (which in turn affected my pancreas). Not to mention inflammation elsewhere in my body and cognitive changes.

And I know some of you are thinking: “AM, you knew you had a gluten sensitivity years ago. Why didn’t you put 2 and 2 together and just stop eating it sooner?”

Well, I guess part of me was in denial. I couldn’t bring myself to believe my sensitivity was causing all of these serious symptoms. I remembered eating gluten made me a little tired and upset my stomach at times but… I guess I fooled myself into believing what someone told me once, when I was explaining my gluten sensitivity: “Yeah, that happens to anyone who eats too much spaghetti.”

Now, I know better & I have to do better! I literally can’t afford to keep going like this…

So Day One to a healthier, happier ME :)