Life Changing Experience

Where do I even begin?!

The amount of pain and struggle I suffered as a child has definitely created me into the person I am today.  I can remember complaining of pain when I was younger and never getting answers from doctors.  I learned two things at a young age; how to swallow a big pill and how to adapt to living with pain- something that my peers did not quite understand.  I have an amazing family and parents who are miracle workers so they did the best they could for me.  I knew life could always be worse and that there are sicker children and adults who were worse off in the world.  I accepted the fact that I would have a headache everyday and my body would ache from the moment I woke up until the time I laid restlessly in bed at night.

Days of "normal" pain went on and off for years.  Until I went away to college, then everything seemed to hit hard.  Not only did I have the usual changes every freshman adjusts to, but I also had a constant migraine.  Migraines where I couldn't walk outside without the sun hurting; where I had to take breaks from homework to throw up; where the only food I could keep down was Pepsi and saltine crackers.  I never thought I would get better until one day I finally met the rheumatologist that I had always been looking for.  After being disappointed by several doctors, I finally found one who helped.  I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (long-term, body-wide pain and tenderness in the joints, muscles, tendons and other soft tissues) and was treated right away.  I started feeling great!  But of course, not good enough... when the migraines came back my junior year.

The same symptoms and problems showed up again.  This time, the migraine was not going anywhere. After 2 months straight of having a migraine, I was desperate.  I gave up everything but school.  Everyone just blamed it on my Fibromyalgia but my parents were determined to figure out another cause.  The amount of research and reading the two of them did was incredible- I was too sick to help.  Then one day my dad came across THE GLUTEN FREE DIET.  Everything he was reading was like reading a personal life story about me.  He called me right away and told me to look in my kitchen and read what ingredients I was eating- and sure enough, only two things were gluten free.


That was the start of my new life.  I came home to get help from my parents and we realized the yogurt in the fridge said gluten free and we knew of Chex cereal, so that is exactly what I ate for two days while we did some more research.  I did not know anyone to ask for help but I had the best teammates I could ask for.  Between my parents and I we spent hours in the grocery store reading labels- celebrating when we found things to buy and crying when we realized I could not eat most of everything I was used to.


But it was all worth it- every struggle and tear.  My migraines went away within 48 hours and my body started feeling more normal than ever.  I was so excited about new diet and adapted to it right away.  I even changed my major mid way through my junior year to Dietetics!  I felt like I finally found my calling and wanted to follow it through.  Of course there have been struggles ever since but I know the consequences of eating gluten and know there is no reason to pay for the crime.


Now enough about the past- I am really looking forward to blog about my ways of eating gluten free and hoping to really help someone else out there.  Even if it is a simple recipe or a new place to eat- I hope this brings you something new!


Thanks for reading! :)