When Will My Anxiety Ease?

[myserenityprayer]

Hi everyone...

This is my very first official post. I am a newly diagnosed celiac and im just freaking out. I have been sick since forever. I went to the GI complaining of terrible indigestion and heart burn (which I have never had in my life) and after explaining my long history of "stomach inconsistencies" and frustration he quickly led me to believe that I probably have IBS and that I am too young to be so stressed. I mean, I do have a stressful job, but who doesn't have stress? I was very unhappy with his immediate diagnosis. He then continued to explain that although he is almost 100% sure I have IBS he is sending me to the lab for some blood work. When my results came back I received a phone that freaked me out. He said I was "terribly" anemic and I need to go see my Gyno asap. He then also told me that my protein levels were extremely low. The next day when the complete results were in he told me that to his suprise I didn't have IBS (which I was actually relieved about) and that now he thinks I have Celiac Sprue and would like to schedule an edoscopy. Talk about a complete 360. Well 2 weeks later, I have Celiac (seeing other posts, I guess I am pretty lucky considering i was diagnosed very quickly). Needless to say I was happy (if that's even the right word) that I have Celiac. I thought, ah finally I will be able to lose weight (i have been on a diet my whole life)- going gluten free will be easy.

Well that lasted maybe about 2 days. My first trip to Fairway (a "gourmet" supermarket in the NY area) was way beyond what i had anticipated, especially since I'm used to Trader Joe's, which is small and intimate. I think I may have had a panic attack in the store. I was so overwhelmed and freaked out. I realized this wouldn't be as easy as I thought. Especially since now that I have been gluten free for almost a month I have GAINED weight (what the heck???!!?).

I really enjoy going out to dinner with my boyfriend but I get so anxious and nervous about going to a restraurant that doesn't provide a gluten free menu. Sometimes I feel like avoiding food all together. I went to a family BBQ on Saturday where it was catered with Italian food (clearly I couldn't eat anything) and a grilled veggie platter. After getting into a huge fight with my mom about wanting to call the restaurant where it was ordered from to find out how they had prepared the veggies she told me to stop being so neurotic and to just eat them. i'm going out to dinner tonight with my girl friends and I'm just a nervous wreck. My doctor told me that I can NEVER cheat, as if I have the guts to even do so!!. I just want to feel healthy and be healthy for once in my life.

Maybe this was just a crazy rant. But does anyone have any advice? Am I being too nuts about all of this? Maybe my mom was right?

[KaitiUSA]

It's a big change in life so yes it will be overwhelming and stressful and every time you go out to eat somewhere where they serve gluten you probably will be a bit anxious. I have been gluten free since 2004 and I still get nervous going out to eat at different places. The anxiety does calm down after you adjust to the diet. You are going to have to not only change foods but products like makeup and shampoos as well. There are some lists that would help as a guideline and a list of brands that will list wheat,rye, barley, or oats if they have any. If you would like these lists feel free to message me and I can send them to you.

[kbtoyssni]

The first few weeks will be overwhelming. It takes a long time to figure out what brands of food you can eat. I used to spend hours in the grocery store, now it doesn't take me any longer than anyone else. You can probably find most of what you need at Trader Joe's. I've never been there so I don't know what they offer, but I do most of my shopping in a regular grocery store and only go to a specialty store for things like gluten-free bread and crackers.

It would probably be good to not eat out for a while, at least until you get the hang of the diet. I used to hate eating out because it was such a pain, but now I know what questions to ask and what foods are generally safe and it's not a big deal anymore. Maybe you could meet your girlfriends for a walk or at a coffee shop or go ice skating or something else for a while.

You are not being neurotic when you want to call a restaurant and ask about food preparation. You are simply looking out for your health and being safe. Would your mother rather you eat "questionable" foods all the time and continue to be sick? In cases like this, I would bring my own food