Hi Conniecar,
Really sorry to hear you’ve been diagnosed with Coeliac’s disease, it’s a real pain. I also have Coeliac, Type One, Harshimoto’s Underactive thyroid and Dupuytren, so I guess I am an Internationalist not only in heart and mind, but in body too
I think the hardest part about being Coeliac is losing the freedom to go out to eat without worrying what you can/ can’t eat, will it be contaminated, do they actually know what I am taking about when I say gluten free?
Getting other people to understand what it means, mother - in - laws in my experience are especially difficult in this regard ... perhaps they get a kick out of poisoning us
You need to be really careful of cross contamination, as even though you mightn’t feel ill,it will initiate the process of inflammation in your gut... and your Villi will suffer ...
it takes time, as someone else posted, to get back to normal ... although some people get there faster than others...
To be honest, the hardest part of being Coeliac was when my son ( now almost 13) was diagnosed aged 6, I felt so bad I’d passed him this faulty gene. My own diagnosis was a relief as I’d been ill for so long ... My son finds it very hard because of the loss of freedom ... my husband actually cried when we received confirmation of his diagnosis.
Coeliac is easy to manage at home .. it’s harder on holiday and going out in general...
Ignorance is infuriating and exhausting ... as in when people say, oh my friend’s friend/sister/ brother etc. grew out of it
or one little bite won’t hurt you
... I won’t tell anyone if you eat the cake or whatever it is or even, can I catch it ?
Basically the same silly stuff you have to put up with diabetes...
or even, well at least you can still eat fruit and vegetables ... when all my son wants is to eat a pizza with his friends or a piece of someone’s birthday cake...
The old Scouts’ adage is essential to being a healthy an snappier Coeliac, as preparation is key to everything, so for parties and days out etc bring your own... it’s depressing but at least you won’t be ill and you’ll be able to eat!
As for cooking at home, you can find some fab recipes on the internet for GF.
Our whole household is gluten free now, including our cat!
Wishing you luck and sending you a big hug and whenever you want to let off steam feel free ... we’re all here to support each other