Mental Fatigue

[gifree]

I feel your collective pain. I'm now 39 and for years have been unable to pin-point why I always felt tired, anxious, and unable to focus. Sadly, it was only recently, with my Celiac diagnosis, that this has all crystallized. Although I'm well educated, I can hardly recall anything from undergrad and graduate school. Celiac has most definitely affected my career aspirations and horizon. And, until recently, I'd look at my peers with envy. How are they able to focus so well? Why have they achieved great successes in their respective professions and I have not? Why do I feel so lazy at times? After work, I had two speeds, either directly to the gym to blow off all of the day's anxieties or directly to bed; no ability to simply decompress...too tired! Of course, this would make me feel like I wasn't being truly productive...but I couldn't...and now thankfully know why. Anything that required sustained attention and/or required me to sit for extended periods of time gave me great anxiety, particularly for things that I had no interest in. I'd take physical pain over anxiety any day of the week.

However, since my diagnosis last June, the above has slowly changed. I'm hopeful that between the diet, which still has its challenges, medication and supplements, I'll get to where I want to be. Hang in there...I can tell you that life does improve. I now have days that I feel really good...which I never truly experienced. You don't know what you don't know. GI Doc says that I likely had Celiac all of or just about all of my life. We just have to try a bit harder than those without Celiac...but also have a greater appreciation for life's joys as well.