I have been and will always be a foodie. A lot of my memories have food present. When I was little my grandpa would take me to Boston Market he would say, “You eat with so much love, never stop”. I would beg my mom to make her famous penne vodka or empanadas, my friends would come over specifically for it. My grandma would make brownies for me and I would be next to her licking the spoon. My brother would take me to bars and we’d eat the fat sandwiches and bond. Thanksgiving meals with all my family there, birthday dinners, the list can go on.

In 2016 I became allergic to gluten. It was a drawn-out diagnosis. My mom was chatting with her friend mentioning my stomach issues (fatigue, bloating, constipation, pain- like a burning sensation in my stomach) and her friend actually suggest I tried to be gluten-free and see how that turned out. Turned out that actually did the trick. Who knew after months of doctors that a simple chat with a friend would help. I went to the allergist and when they tested me for gluten I flared up. But when I went to my gastro, and had a few tests done, I did not have celiac. They called it a mild allergy.

I stayed gluten-free from 2016-2022. I went to the allergist because even though I was gluten-free I actually still had a lot of stomach issues- very similar to what I was experiencing before. My test came back negative for gluten allergy, but positive for mushrooms, cherries, and watermelon. Truthfully this was the best news I heard, heck I’d stay away from those things if I could eat gluten again.

I dabbled in eating gluten, and truthfully I only noticed slight discomfort after eating a ton of it. But my stomach issues persisted. After a failed round with one doctor, I visited a new doctor in the Fall of 2022. He took my bloodwork, and even tested me for celiac and all was good. He scheduled an endoscopy and colonoscopy, to understand what the issue was, and under I went.

The colonoscopy results were okay, but the endoscopy had a lot of feedback which I won’t bore you with. The most important part- I had bad gastritis- something I struggled with for years. The villa in my stomach was also short- typically they should be long. He mentioned celiac disease, but I was thinking, I don’t feel sick when eating a bit of gluten, how could it be.

The diagnosis a few days later- Celiac disease.

It was initially overwhelming, especially because I saw the paperwork come into my portal before speaking to my doctor. I didn’t have the major symptoms after eating gluten, only after a ton. Being gluten-free wasn’t new to me, but being as strict as you have to with celiac was.

After my first few meltdown- why- days, and being sad days because – of missing gluten, I finally spoke to my doctor. The stuff he mentioned all sounded familiar from my research, no cross contamination, no wheat, barley, rye, be careful in restaurants, etc. “We’ll do another endoscopy in 12 weeks and see if this helps.”

Terms were thrown around, “silent celiac”, “bone density issues”, “fertility issues”, and”anemia”, all things that I now worry about when there’s a chance of me being glutened. The worst part is I never know when I have consumed gluten because a little piece doesn’t make me physically ill, but can actually do more harm than I know.

Well, fast forward to now, about a month and a half later. Being gluten-free, trying to avoid cross-contamination as much as I can. I have read countless articles about gluten-free living, cross-contamination, and hundreds of labels to see if there is hidden gluten.

My boyfriend has been a huge help, reading labels along with me, looking at restaurant menus before we go out, adjusting his diet, and learning and adjusting his recipes to be gluten-free. Labeling certain kitchen equipment as gluten-free only.

Sure, missing “normal” pizza, adjusting our cooking, and reading labels are difficult. But the most difficult part I struggle with is eating out at events. Sure a lot of places can offer gluten-free options, possibly a salad, or a burger no bun, but my the biggest thing I am learning is how to balance going out to eat, along with ensuring what I am eating is gluten-free, with no chance of cross-contamination. It is making sure a restaurant actually knows what gluten-free is. It is having to miss some special events because there are no gluten-free options because I called before to ask. It’s the risk of, “we can’t ensure there is no cross contamination”.

This is something I am learning to adjust to, which I am sure other people have learned to navigate as well. I am exploring new restaurants, calling before to scope them out and mention my allergy. It’s something that can be intimidating, something that has a learning curve. I am hopeful that from here on out, we can chat about our journeys, learn from each other, and help each other understand celiac disease, and understand gluten free living.