Should I Give Up My Job?

[Northern Celiac]

Thank you for all your replies. I will peruse them carefully in my own time. Yes I am stressed and angry, but I am also suffering badly. I hardly leave my apartment because my stomach is so unreliable. Eating on the fly should not be the headache it is--with respect, making do with chocolate and chips, or finding the one option that MIGHT be available on a buffet, is NOT good enough. I lived on carbohydrates and a few morsels here and there is not enough to keep me going. San Francisco's ferry building is a food mecca--but just try finding something edible that is not gluten free.

Unless you teach, and are evaluated constantly by students who don't really get it when you are feeling weak and exhausted, you cannot fully understand what it is like. I have spoken to my students, but the bottom line is that I know from past experiences their understanding is very limited.

hummus and gluten free crackers, try that

[Northern Celiac]

Thank you for your advice and words of encouragement. I have been gluten-free for six months now, and, yes, it is like a grieving process.

I have many frustrations, but the one of the worst is finding something satisfying and quick and easy to eat during the day. I am stunned by the complete lack of options. I get depressed and angry. The gluten-free bread is totally unsuitable for sandwiches. Are there no reliable alternatives to sandwiches? Nothing I can purchase on the hoof?

My teaching has been a struggle this semester. I am from abroad, and find the US system ruthless; I will be evaluated by my students whose only concern is their grade, and who are angry at me for my lack of energy in the classroom this year. I am worried about the future of my career. I am exhausted with everything.

Your students sound alot like my co-workers. They had absolutely no compassion or understanding of what I was going through. I tried to communicate with them but don't anymore. The only one who knows whats going on is my boss and my foreman.

[GFelectrician]

Dear Streetlegal,

There have been some excellent posts with really good advice on here. The one thing I didn't see was too suggest that it's possible there are additional food intolerance's at work here. I have been gluten free for just over a year, but it took me a good 8 months to realize that I was still getting sick every time I ate dairy or soy. I can't tell you how many months I must have been delaying my intestines from healing because I was too stubborn and scared to admit to myself I might be intolerant of even more food. After all it was hard enough to kick gluten!

I was struck by your comment that you are still running to the bathroom frequently because that was my situation when ever I ate soy or dairy.

It IS a grieving process that can take a long time but while I dearly miss my cheese, beer, bread, and soy sauce, no amount of ice cream is worth my good health.

You may want to try an elimination diet and see if that helps your continuing intestinal issues. I know several members on this forum gave me that advice, and I could have been feeling as awesome as I finally do now months ago if I had listened to them then.

[Streetlegal]

I would like to thank people from the bottom of my heart for all the kind words of support, plus the very practical advice, over the last few weeks.

An update: my health has taken a turn for the better, after six months of going gluten-free. I am still learning (I didn't know that beef jerky contained gluten until yesterday after I had finished eating a pack!), but I realize my good fortune in living in the Bay Area where Gluten-free food is fairly widely available, particularly in the whole food and health shops. I am still taking pepto bismol everyday, mainly for my microscopic colitis, but I am feeling a lot more human and have started to go out a lot more frequently, confident that I won't need to rush to a restroom (some days are better than others, of course). I fractured my spine in December, and because of my osteopenia and deficiencies in vitamins this is taking a long time to heal . . . but I have taken the first steps to getting fit and regaining control of my body.

As for my job, I am on vacation, working on projects but with far less stress. It may be that I will be sacked . . . a colleague of mine was sacked only last week, but I will keep trying my best.

Thank you.

[vbecton]

We plan food forays the way Gen. Eisenhour planned for D- day.

This is necessary so we can have "lives," instead of "illness."

Other people have hobbies like knitting or crossword puzzles. We read food labels in great detail and plan what we eat.

I love these lines! Not only are they humorous, but they are true! Thanks for the good laugh...

[conniebky]

The other people who have replied know a LOT more about this than I do.

I think you're exhausted all the way around.