Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

What Makes You Happiest About Being Gluten-free?

Guest BERNESES

By Guest BERNESES
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

Guest BERNESES
Guest BERNESES
Posted

I love jnkmnky's thread about the best advice you have ever gotten from this board, and I was thinking, you know, there really are a lot of positives about being gluten-free (and sometimes newbies don't see them).

Here's mine- I think my favorite things about being gluten free are that my depression may have been related to Celiac's. My whole life I could never figure it out. It just didn't "fit" and my doctor and therapist always said I was the clearest case for a biological depression they had ever seen. Turns out they were right- 18 years ago!

i love that I like Chebe pizza crust better than "real" pizza crust.

I love that's it's brought my relationship to a new level with my hubby.

I love that I eat healthier now than I EVER did before.

I love that I can still have a lot of my favorite foods.

I'm happy that I finally figured out why I got sick so often and can control it through my diet and not mounds of medicines.

I'm happy that I feel like I'm finally starting to heal- that waas scaary.

I'm happy that my energy is coming back!!!!!!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Green12 Enthusiast
Green12
Posted

What makes me happiest about being gluten-free is knowing that it is totally do-able and possible as a lifestyle, and that you don't have to feel deprived of anything, there are fabulous substitutions, and that it gets easier and easier with time.

StrongerToday Enthusiast
StrongerToday
Posted

I'd have to second most of Berneses comments (minus the hubby one!).

I really love that I've lost 50+ pounds without even trying. It just comes from a naturally healthy diet.

I also love that I'm trusting my body a little bit more each day... it's nice not to have to scope out where the bathrooms are the minute I walk into a store :lol:

odcdinah Contributor
odcdinah
Posted

Just curious - how long were you gluten-free before you started feeling better?

quote name='BERNESES' date='Apr 20 2006, 12:58 PM' post='129227']

I love jnkmnky's thread about the best advice you have ever gotten from this board, and I was thinking, you know, there really are a lot of positives about being gluten-free (and sometimes newbies don't see them).

Here's mine- I think my favorite things about being gluten free are that my depression may have been related to Celiac's. My whole life I could never figure it out. It just didn't "fit" and my doctor and therapist always said I was the clearest case for a biological depression they had ever seen. Turns out they were right- 18 years ago!

i love that I like Chebe pizza crust better than "real" pizza crust.

I love that's it's brought my relationship to a new level with my hubby.

I love that I eat healthier now than I EVER did before.

I love that I can still have a lot of my favorite foods.

I'm happy that I finally figured out why I got sick so often and can control it through my diet and not mounds of medicines.

I'm happy that I feel like I'm finally starting to heal- that waas scaary.

I'm happy that my energy is coming back!!!!!!

lonewolf Collaborator
lonewolf
Posted

I love being able to walk, run, coach basketball, play baseball in the yard with my kids, and just feel healthy. Considering that one doctor told me I'd be in and out of a wheelchair for the rest of my life (at age 32), the minor "incovenience" of a changed diet is nothing. There's no substitute for good health.

Moongirl Community Regular
Moongirl
Posted

what makes me the happiest, just feeling better, i dont care that its food restriction, at least im not on meds for the rest of my life....not having those aches and pains all over my belly area is worth being gluten-free. sure its hard, but almost gluten-free 5 months later, i havent felt like myself, this good, in years....so yah being my old self again makes me the happiest!!!!

jmengert Enthusiast
jmengert
Posted

I love knowing exactly (or almost exactly) what is in my food since I read labels *all* the time.

I love that I save money by not eating out, which leaves me more money for shopping for clothes :)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


angel-jd1 Community Regular
angel-jd1
Posted

I am not sick anymore!!! I do not feel/look like death warmed over. YEAH!!

-Jessica :rolleyes:

Becky6 Enthusiast
Becky6
Posted

That I feel good for once!! And that I don't have MS like they origanally thought! I eat healthier.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

I'm no longer pale as a ghost

My toenails look great--this is the first spring I don't have to start putting polish on them right away in order to wear sandals--I may just use clear this year, cuz I can!

My hair has filled back in and it's nice and shiny

I feel better much of the time

I have more confidence when going out of the house--don't feel like I always need to know where all the bathrooms are

My husband is a partner in this whole thing--he's frequently the one asking questions when in a restaurant or coffee shop. He takes me to Whole Foods and wherever else I need to go to get what I need. (he comes from a family where they think chronic illness is all in the head, and mind over matter--so this one is huge!)

My diet is healthier overall--much 'cleaner' and more natural

I have more confidence now to stand up for myself and do what I need to do to stay healthy

Pegster Apprentice
Pegster
Posted

I know what was making me sick! When I got sick after having coffee with a muffin, I blamed the coffee! When I got sick after eating pancakes, I blamed the syrup! I used to have "Food Poisoning" CONSTANTLY. Now the mystery is solved! :D Also I don't have to eat all the weird foods at the church pot luck!

Guhlia Rising Star
Guhlia
Posted

I love that this disease has brought me to understand how much my family really cares about me and to what lengths they'd go to for me. My father (who I'm not close to) made many ER runs with me so that my husband could stay home with our baby. My mother babysat A LOT while my husband was at work while I was too sick to get out of bed. I never really understood the meaning of family until I got sick from Celiac.

I love that I have the perfect, legitimate excuse to not eat my MIL/SIL's cooking!

I love that nobody steals my snack food now because it's so "weird". My husband used to always eat the food that I had bought specifically for me.

I love that I feel better.

I love that I was able to gain weight.

I love that I have enough energy to excercise when I was never able to do that before in my life.

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

no side effects from a pill to worry about!

db8diva Newbie
db8diva
Posted

No more migraines. The weird skin rashes (not DH) that had my dermatologist scratching her head while writing a prescription for ever stronger steroid creams are gone. I'm no longer anemic. The slight stomach ache I had every day of my life (hey, it was normal for me) finally went away. I like feeling that my body and I aren't at war.

ianm Apprentice
ianm
Posted

I am healthier at 38 than I was at 18. I am no longer obese and finally know what it is like to feel alive. A little over 2 years ago I almost lost my job because of the brain fog. Now I have an extremely demanding but very high paying job and have been running circles around everyone. I am no longer the man I used to be in any way, shape or form and that is a good thing. Well I still have the same warped and perverted sense of humor. Celiac is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Guest BERNESES
Guest BERNESES
Posted
I love knowing exactly (or almost exactly) what is in my food since I read labels *all* the time.

I love that I save money by not eating out, which leaves me more money for shopping for clothes :)

Oh my gosh- Yep! Forgot those two. I like both of them.

I would say it took me a little over a year before I REALLY started to feel better. I noticed a huge change at first, then didn't do so hot for awhile, but since probably February 9the one year mark) started to feel much better. But it's different for everyone. My cousin felt completely fine within a month and she had been much sicker than me.

flagbabyds Collaborator
flagbabyds
Posted

MY LIFE,

yeah I would have dien w/ in 3-4 weeks if I had not been diagnosed w/ celiac. The docs told my parents after I was diagnosed that they had thought I had about a month to live.

Guest nini
Guest nini
Posted

what makes me happiest is that I lost over 100 pounds WITHOUT EVEN TRYING!!!! The weight just FELL off!!!!

I am happy that my daughter was dx'ed early in life ahd won't have to experience the same debilitating health issues that I struggled with for years!

I am so glad that the depression/anxiety and brain fog are but a memory!

I am happy that I feel more like "myself" than I have in years! I finally feel like I "fit in" and love that my brain is working again!

tiredofdoctors Enthusiast
tiredofdoctors
Posted

I like that I know that I will no longer have any destruction of my brain. The damage that is done is done, but there will be no more! What makes me happiest is that they found out what was wrong, and that I will be around a LONG time and will be able to see my grandchildren -- whenever they get here! :D

Mongoose Rookie
Mongoose
Posted

I love feeling good. Every time I think about it I absolutely love not being in chronic pain from arthritis anymore. No Advil just to sleep at night anymore. When I started to feel good I took up hiking!

I get the neurological problems. I like being able to talk without stuttering, not worry about having a seizure, and not trip over my own feet. I like being able to participate in conversations. I used to have trouble remembering nouns, especially if I was tired.

I like not having brain fog a lot! I can take classes now and keep up with the subject matter. I can read now, without my vision getting blurry right away, and remember what I read!

No pills is big too, except for the vitamins every day. No migraines anymore. Life is just so awesome! Yippee!

Odysseian Newbie
Odysseian
Posted

The itchyness is gone, except for when I excercise. I'm healthier all around. My high-stress job would trigger the itchyness all the time... now I never get it unless I goof and have wheat. Unfortunately I have to echo the joy expressed earlier at not having to scope out the bathrooms... you'd never think to take it for granted.

Oh yeah, my doctor wanted to do exploratory surgery (In addition to a number of other unpleasant things :blink: )... I don't see him anymore.

WLJOHNSON Newbie
WLJOHNSON
Posted

I love that I can breathe!

At age 8 and thereafter I suffered with Asthma to the point of being hospitalized many times. Now, at 61, I have gone from 13 Asthma pills a day down to 1, and use a breathing machine twice a day.

I love walking an hour a day without wheezing, and the depression I used to have is gone!

I love weighing a little over 100 pounds, and having so much energy.

I love that I can keep up with my 7 grandkids, including my hyperactive 3 year old grandson, who I have helped with the Celiac diet since he was diagnosed at 3 weeks of age.

I like knowing that I can help my grandson, cousin, and sister, all diagnosed with Celiac, and that I can encourage other family members to get tested.

I enjoy knowing that I have come from being overly-sensitive about what I could eat, to realizing that it is a life or death decision each time I put food into my mouth.

I have enjoyed learning that no matter what anyone else says, I am now educated to what is best for my own health, and I can take my own food to restaurants or wherever I want to go, assuring that I will live a longer and healthier life.

Welda Lou

Ursa Major Collaborator
Ursa Major
Posted

I love not aching all over and having to take strong painkillers 24 hours a day any more. I love especially that I am finally losing weight, this far 30 pounds in six months of being gluten free.

I am finally able to start exercising again, I swim once a week, and have gone back to my table tennis club to play serious table tennis (and I do NOT play ping-pong, this is REAL exercise, where you're soaked in sweat after playing for an hour), something I hadn't been able to do for four years.

I also love not having to rush to the bathroom at my grocery store twice while shopping, praying that nobody else is in there, because I can't wait. :o

I am glad that I have hope of not dying early of cancer, like my mom, so I can enjoy my beautiful grandchildren.

I have stopped having terribly frightening nightmares, that made me wake up gasping in terror. I am sure they were mostly due to the gluten affecting my brain.

Kiki Explorer
Kiki
Posted

even though Im new i am so glad that now i have a reason to eat healthier... I always wanted to but never had the self control but when i began to have the symptoms and was finally diagnosed, I have a reason. Im young so i have a healthy bright future ahead of me.!!!!!! :) Also I feel like my mother and myself are closer than before and we have always been close.

Carriefaith Enthusiast
Carriefaith
Posted

I am thankful that I am so healthy now.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Xravith
      - Xravith posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      0

      Challenges eating gluten before biopsy

      Hello, I'm back with a second post. The first time I wrote, I mentioned the possibility that my symptoms were related to gluten. I did a genetic test in which I resulted to have the predisposition, but the results of my blood test were all negative without IgA deficiency. My doctor suggested that it was necessary to do a biopsy to rule out Celiac Disease...
    2. Jmartes71
      - Jmartes71 replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      16

      My only proof

      Doterra is a life saver and yes I feel like im waiting because Im getting yes you are celiac, no your not celiac. Im so FRUSTRATED, exhausted and tired of explaining to medical why I feel this way.Im stressed because my body isn't feeling well.Yes I am and no it's not just a food allergy as downplayed with doctors Ive seen.I even went to the " celiac specialist...
    3. Dakota01
      - Dakota01 commented on Scott Adams's article in Winter 2026 Issue
      1

      Are Gluten-Free Processed Foods Making You Sick? (+Video)

      This video is extremely informative and explains why I still get sick when I eat these so called gluten-free processed foods. I make every effort to stay away from all processed foods.
    4. Scott Adams
      0

      Why Celiac Diagnosis Still Takes Years—and How to Change That

    5. JoJo0611
      - JoJo0611 posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      0

      Awaiting Biopsy results

      I have had my endoscopy this morning with biopsies. My consultant said that it looked like I did have coeliac disease from what he could see. I now have to wait 3 weeks for the biopsy results. Do I continue eating gluten till my follow appointment in three weeks.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,456
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Lecina
    Newest Member
    Lecina
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Xravith
      Challenges eating gluten before biopsy

      By Xravith · Posted

      Hello, I'm back with a second post. The first time I wrote, I mentioned the possibility that my symptoms were related to gluten. I did a genetic test in which I resulted to have the predisposition, but the results of my blood test were all negative without IgA deficiency. My doctor suggested that it was necessary to do a biopsy to rule out Celiac Disease. However, he said, because of my family history and my symptoms were strongly related to gluten, it was very possible that my Celiac Disease is developing and my antibodies may become positive in the future.  I tried to continue the gluten challenge for the biopsy, around 2-3 g of gluten per day, but it was enough to make me feel worse each passing day. I started developing anemia and other mild nutritional deficiencies, and it was really affecting my daily life. I'm a student and exams are coming up, so my doctor suggests me to strictly remove gluten until I feel better so I could study without problems until I could do the gluten challenge when I come back home for holidays. Since going gluten free, I feel like a completely different person. My mind is clearer, I have no stomach pain during the day, and even my nails improved within just two weeks. It could also be Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, but of course I’ll need the biopsy to know for sure. I was wondering, has anyone else had negative blood tests at first and later tested positive? And has anyone struggled with the gluten challenge because of symptoms?
    • Jmartes71
      My only proof

      By Jmartes71 · Posted

      Doterra is a life saver and yes I feel like im waiting because Im getting yes you are celiac, no your not celiac. Im so FRUSTRATED, exhausted and tired of explaining to medical why I feel this way.Im stressed because my body isn't feeling well.Yes I am and no it's not just a food allergy as downplayed with doctors Ive seen.I even went to the " celiac  specialist " Dr Fernandez-Becker who down played my ailments and stated im not and then yes I am I even had one her " care team" ask my why do you want that diagnosis. UNMMMMM. I don't want it, its been my life confirmed in 1994.Menopause intensified extra sensitivity and medical has down played my sibo, ibs, CELIAC, now im having skin and eye issues. I thought help was available but its been a complete medical disaster. 
    • JoJo0611
      Awaiting Biopsy results

      By JoJo0611 · Posted

      I have had my endoscopy this morning with biopsies. My consultant said that it looked like I did have coeliac disease from what he could see. I now have to wait 3 weeks for the biopsy results. Do I continue eating gluten till my follow appointment in three weeks.  
    • cristiana
      Stomach hurts with movement

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hi @emzie and welcome to the forum. Perhaps could be residual inflammation and bloating that is causing sensitivity in that area.  I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2013 and I remember some years ago my sister telling me around that time that she had a lady in her church, also a coeliac, who  had real pain when she turned her torso in a certain direction whilst doing exercises, but otherwise was responding well to the gluten-free diet. As far as I know is still the picture of health. I often end up with pain in various parts of my gut if I eat too much rich food or certain types of fibre (for some reasons walnuts make my gut hurt, and rice cakes!) and and as a rule, the pain usually hangs around for a number of days, maybe up to a week.   When I bend over or turn, I can feel it.  I think this is actually due to my other diagnosis of IBS, for years I thought I had a rumbling appendix but I think it must have just been IBS.  Reading the experiences of other sufferers, it seems quite typical.  Sensitized gut, build up of gas - it stands to reason that the extra pressure of turning can increase the pain. When I am glutened I get a burning, gnawing pain in my stomach on and off for some days - it isn't constant, but it can take up a few hours of the day.  I believe this to be gastritis, but it seems to hurt irrespective of movement.   Anyway, you are doing the right thing to seek a professional opinion, though, so do let us know how you get on.   Meanwhile, might I suggest you drink peppermint tea, or try slices of fresh ginger in hot water? A lot of IBS sufferers say the former is very helpful in relieving cramps, etc, and the latter is very soothing on the stomach. Cristiana
    • emzie
      Stomach hurts with movement

      By emzie · Posted

      Hi! One of the usual symptoms I have with a gluten flare up has deviated a bit and I thought I'd search for advice/opinions here. Also to see if anyone goes through similar stuff. Monday all of a sudden I got really bad pain in my stomach (centre, right under the chest, where the duodenum would be located). I ended up having to throw up for 2 hours, my body was trying to get rid of something from all sides and it was just horrible. Since then I havent been nauseous anymore at all, but the pain has stayed and it always worsens the moment i start moving. The more I move the more it hurts, and when i rest longer it seems to dissapear (no movement). I've had this before, but years ago I think around when I first got diagnosed with coeliac, where each time I moved, my stomach would hurt, to the point where I went to the ER because doctors got freaked out. That only lasted 1 night though, and Now it's already wednesday, so 3 days since then, but the pain persists and remains leveled. it doesn't get crazy intense, but it's still uncomfortable to the point I cant really go out because Im afraid itll turn into a giant flare up again. I couldn't think of where I could possibly have been glutened at this bad of a level and why it hasn't passed yet. I went to the GP, and as long as I have no fever and the pain isnt insane then its fine which I havent had yet. Tomorrow im also seeing a gastroenterologist specialized in IBS and coeliac for the first time finally in years, but I thought I'd ask on here anyway because it still hasnt dissapeared. It also hurts when someone presses on it. Maybe it's just really inflamed/irritated. I'm just frustrated because I'm missing out on my uni lectures and I do a sports bachelor, so I can't get behind on stuff & next to that i'm also going to go to the beach with my boyfriend's family this weekend: ( 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.