Hello, My name is Jodi, I live in Fayetteville, NC. I am 23 and was diagnosed with Celiac disease when I was about 6 years old. When I hit about age 12 I started ignoring the pain and symptoms, because I was tired of not being able to eat anything. I just wanted to be "Normal" In October my symptoms and pain got worse then what they normally were, I started losing chunks of hair, and other things. So I went back on the Gluten free diet. It has been going pretty well.

I wont say I have been Gluten free since October, because I have had some slip ups, (I still crave Chalupas from Taco Bell But since that slip up, I have been really well. The other day, I was really sick, my poor bf, he accidently gave me something, that he made for dinner, that had gluten in it. Whoops He felt so bad. I guess it helps that he tries to remember what all I can and Cannot have.

Anyhow I am just rambling, New to this whole site. Just trying to find people out there that are like me.

hey jodi, welcome to the forum. i'm joe, 30 years old from NJ. i was misdiagnosed and medicated for crohn's disease from the age of 16 with the only signs of improvement being that i proceeded through my adult growth spurt in the beginning of college, and i wasn't paralyzed by daily "D" as i was when i was really sick (at 16). i went through those 14 years on a regular diet and was never really "right", however, i just assumed that was how my life was going to be with crohn's. started seeing a new GI doc in november to have a full range of tests done since i really have been feeling worse of the past year. bloodwork came back positive for celiac and i've been gluten free since december 3rd. this was confirmed by endoscopy on dec 21st, and i just had my follow up on thursday jan 17th. officially as of that day, my doc was confident that i don't have crohn's in addition to celiac, and instructed me to stop the medication. you have no idea how weird that felt.

so now i'm well on my way to being better. three weeks into the diet i took a vacation to key west with a bunch of friends for new year for 5 nights. first time away and dealing with eating out all the time was rough. i think i got gluten at some point (besides drinking like a fish for 5 days) because i broke out in hives on my arms in the middle of the trip, then the day i got home i experienced severe brain fog, dizziness, nausea, and the rest of the other GI symptoms. took a week to get back to normal, but now i'm strictly on the diet with no gluten exposure yet. i started on probiotics last week and can honestly say that i'm starting to feel a bit of relief in my daily symptoms. i've found the gluten free life to be not as challenging as initially thought. i am eating well and actually i've put on a few pounds (which to me means that my body is healing and adjusting). so that means i need to hit the gym a little harder to make sure that those pounds go to the right place!

anyway, just wanted to share my story with ya. i'm a newbie as well, but my recommendation is to stick strictly to the diet. i am single and live alone, so it's a little easier to manage it at home.... but i am hopeful of how much better i will feel in a few months. it's all gonna be worth it.

stay tough and stay well
- joe

Joe
Thank you for the reply, I am trying really hard to stick to the diet, it just seems like some gluten sneaks in somewhere, I figured out that part of it is from the rice cakes, i was eating quaker, and couldnt figure out why i was felling horrible the other day, I think I was CCed. so I am switching to the Lundberg brand. I found them online. I do really good about my urges for cakes and cookies and candie, now its watching for the hidden items. It is getting easier, and since I found this site, thanks to the only other person i met with celiac, I am able to talk to people who understand. which makes a big difference. I mean my boyfriend is there for me, But he doesnt really understand, he does understand more than most people, he is lactose intolerant, so he does have an idea. but all my other friends dont understand the pain, and the long term effects. anyhow Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon!

Jodi

Ain't dat da truth!!!!

Hi Jodi & welcome to the forum!!

Just wanted to say HI back!

Jodi

Hi Jodi!

Welcome to the forum. This is the best place I have also found to get recipes, ask questions, etc. It's great to be able to draw from so many other's experiences.

You are in Fayetteville? I am in Raleigh... is it snowing there yet? It's finally snowing here!!!! The first real snow (and probably the last) of the winter. SNOW DAY!!!!!

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and offer you some moral support. It's hard at first to go gluten-free, and even harder when other people cook for you. I'm glad you have someone supportive though. Makes it a whole lot easier. There are many resources to find safe foods, and many companies have info on their websites. It gets easier!!!

Wish you the best!

Liz

Hi Liz, It snowed here from about 3pm till sometime in the middle of the night, I was excited to get out of work early! And there is still some snow left, I really thought I would make it through the winter without snow, I am not a big fan, its pretty, but it is SOOOO cold. I am always freezing, even if its 80 degrees, if the window is down in the car, i will get cold. Anyhow thank you for the info. I have only been on this site for a few days and already found out so much about places to shop, and certain things to watch for. I am just sooo happy that I have a way to talk to other people who are going through the same thing as me, not to be or sound mean, but it makes it easier knowing there are other people out there. gives me hope!

Jodi