Susannah from Out Went the Light is the winner of the OKU Oxygen DNA jacket!
Thanks to all who participated! Sad that you did not win? Use these offers to try OKU Oxygen:
For Chicago readers: You can check out your first non-equipment class (like my fave Pilates for Runners) at Flow Pilates for only $10! And, while you are there, you can purchase these jackets or capris and save on shipping (and get the 10% off with the discount code above, too!) A WIN-WIN!
Today I have a guest post from Alissa at Breaking Up with Captain Crunch on living with Celiac Disease and being gluten-free in a gluten-full world. Worried this will be boring? Don’t be. Alissa was nominated for the “Hilarious Health Activist” award by WEGO Health. She takes lemons and makes them into lemonade or at the very least jokes about them. And I am in luck – she posted this introduction this week:
Hello, my name is Alissa, and I have celiac disease. What’s celiac disease? WHAT’S CELIAC DISEASE?!? …Okay, I don’t blame you. I had never heard of it either. Here’s the dime store version (aside: are there dime stores any more? There should be): Celiac is an autoimmune disease that basically tears apart your small intestine. It’s sort of a sucker-punch to the gut. For a lot of people, the digestive symptoms can get pretty nasty (yay! Poop talk!), but it can affect pretty much any of your body’s systems, so some celiacs have neurological symptoms, joint issues, so on and so forth. We’re usually pretty depleted on vitamins, too, since the disease messes with the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. It’s class A fun stuff here. There is no cure for celiac, and the only treatment is a life-long gluten-free diet. For someone who once considered a box of Froot Loops and a banana a well-balanced meal, originally this diagnosis was somewhat … off-putting.
But, you either get over it, or you get under it, and I decided to make this lemon into some gluten-free lemonade. [Her] blog has been chronicling [her] journey. Sometimes, there’s cupcakes. Sometimes, there’s crying. A lot of times, there’s both.
So, that’s me in a nutshell. Thanks for stopping by. You can read more about my wacky celiacky here, or here, or even here. And check out some of my favorite GF bloggers here, and some wonderful resources here.
I asked Alissa some questions that were on my mind about Celiac and gluten-free living.
EF: It seems like celiac is hard to diagnose. How long did it take for you to finally get tested and get a diagnosis?
AR-J: The tricky thing about celiac is that it has so, so many symptoms that can mimic other diseases. It’s not all that difficult to test for – usually, just a blood test and/or an endoscopy to get basic confirmation – so I’m surprised more doctors don’t test for it early on. It took me at least 12 years to get diagnosed. I’ve been sick for as long as I can remember.
EF: If you believe in silver linings, what is the best thing about having celiac? or the best thing that has happened to you since you found out?
AR-J: The best thing is knowing what was wrong. When you’re sick for a long time, and you get told that it’s all “in your head,” there is serious relief to find a legitimate cause. Plus, the celiac and gluten-free community is incredibly supportive, and it’s nice to be a part of that. And feeling better is amazing!
EF: Gluten-free is all the rage. Does it bug you that everyone is on the bandwagon? Does gluten-free eating make sense for everyone?
AR-J: There’s sort of two sides to this coin. Yes, it makes it difficult because gluten-free being viewed as trendy tends to take the gravity out of it. I can get really sick from even a crumb, so it’s pretty severe, and as more people try it as a weight-loss tool, or because some celebrity or other tweeted about it, it makes it harder for those of us who NEED the diet. On the other hand, the more popular it becomes, the more companies are coming up with great gluten-free products, and they are becoming more easily available. I wouldn’t say that going gluten-free is for everyone, but if you are feeling sick for no reason, all the time, it might be worth giving it a shot. A caveat to that – if you suspect you might have celiac disease, GO GET TESTED!
EF: What is the strangest gluten-free thing you have tried? Best? Worst?
AR-J: Strange? Hmmm, maybe I live a sheltered life, but I haven’t tried too many things I’d consider strange. But other than the gluten thing, I’m not that picky of an eater – I love food. The worst thing I tried was some gluten-free, dairy-free cheese. I just couldn’t choke it down! Best would have to be any of the products I’ve had from Sweet Ali’s Bakery in Hinsdale . Their salted caramel cupcakes are AMAZEBALLS. My husband was sweet enough to get me a full-sized cake from there for my birthday last year – I hated to share, but I did. 🙂
EF: If you could get three gluten-full, problem free days – where would you go and what would you eat?
AR-J: This is a dangerous question, because it took a long time for me to get past the fact that I’d never order up a Pizza Hut pizza again, or be able to stop at Panera for a sandwich. So, I’m going to skip this one.
EF: What is the one thing you want gluten-full people like me to know about celiac.
AR-J: I would say, be patient with your celiac friends. We all hate it that we have to be high-maintenance, and we’d love to be able to go anywhere and grab pizza and beer with you, we just … can’t. Patience and understanding will go a loooooooong way!
EF: Is there one starting point/best resource you’d refer people to if they think they have celiac or are gluten intolerant?
AR-J: My best recommendation for a starting point is University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Center
Want to know more or get connected with Alissa? Head over to Breaking Up with Captain Crunch! Or follow her on Twitter and like her Facebook page for updates.