A few months ago I was given the news that I had coeliac disease. As I hadn’t really been experiencing any digestive symptoms this came as a bit of a shock!
I had gone to the doctor partly as I had been feeling completely exhausted since having our baby. As I was new to being a mum I wasn’t sure if that’s just what parenthood felt like. What I hadn’t realised is that pregnancy can be a trigger for coeliac disease.
I had put off going to see the doctor for literally months. There was always a reason to not go and I think on some level I didn’t want to know if there was something wrong because then I’d have to deal with it.
I was sent for blood tests and I fully expected to have some sort of vitamin deficiency as I have suffered with them in the past.What I hadn’t expected was to be diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that I will have to manage for the rest of my life.
Following my diagnosis I got stuck in to eating a strict gluten free (GF) diet which is the only current treatment for coeliac disease.
On the one hand there’s never been a better time to follow a GF diet as there are new products coming out all the time. But on the other hand it takes a lot of thought and effort to check every single item of food for wheat, barley and rye.
As with any new diagnosis, the news can feel very overwhelming and can lead to anxious and depressed thoughts.
This is especially true for me if I am accidentally “glutened” which can happen by accident if I’m eating out or if I’m not careful with checking my food packaging. When I do get glutened I feel instantly unwell and the repercussions can last for days.
But as with everything in life, I try to remind myself “you don’t have to manage all of the things all at once.” So, on days where I find the condition a lot to think about I try to remember that I only have to do things one day and literally one meal, at a time.
If you’re interested to know more there is some further information about coeliac disease below.
If you’re at all worried or anxious that you may have coeliac disease I would suggest making an appointment with your doctor to discuss any concerns.
Thank you for reading 🙂
Love,
Chrissy x
Further information
3 minute online assessment: Could you be suffering with coeliac disease?
Making it Mindful 