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

Happy New Me 2012!


CarpeDiem

Recommended Posts

CarpeDiem Newbie

New Year is always a time for reflection. Like some of you, I was diagnosed with Celiac just days ago. I haven't really stopped to think about it much until tonight, New Year's Eve, a quiet night of light snow falling. I handed in a thesis last week so I spent last night celebrating with family and friends and mentioned my diagnosis but only briefly (between the massage spa day and dinner and dancing). It is only in this quiet time that I am really starting to process what it means. I read someone else's post about being newly diagnosed and all your wonderful responses of hope and encouragement. Someone I know was recently married and with a new baby and was just diagnosed with MS so I am well aware that my situation could always be worse. That said, right now I'm feeling just a little bit sorry for myself so thank you to everyone who said that's ok. One person reminded me that my attitude can make a world of difference. I almost died in a van accident in college (my speech team was traveling back from a competition when we rolled our van six times) and since that day I have always lived by the motto "Carpe' Diem" so this is just another challenge in truly living that mission - taking advantage of each day and focusing on the good I have in my life and not the negative (which I'll admit will be hard at times). I lost 75 pounds with Weight Watchers years ago and have maintained most of that so I know I can focus in and be diligent about educating myself but I'm worried about cheating. However, I'm sure no more horrible pain will be a strong motivator to not cheat, right? So, I'm posting this mostly as a boost to myself to not feel like I'm starting the new year deprived but thankful finally to know what's been going on and hopeful to make changes that will help me feel good in all aspects of my life - physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional. I turn 40 in February and who knows... it may be my healthiest birthday ever! I would love to e-mail with anyone else going through this newly diagnosed coping stage so drop me a message anytime! There's a lot to learn!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



mushroom Proficient

Congratulations on your diagnosis, and your attitude toward it. Believe me, the urge to cheat soon leaves when you realize how much better you feel, and how bad when you do. We soon learn to think of gluten as rat poison, not something to desire :D

Here's to a healthier and happier New Year in 2012 - what better way to start a new year? :)

Roda Rising Star

Welcome and happy new year. Read all you can on here. There is a lot of good advice and support.

tammyrichy Newbie

My husband was too very recently diagnosed. It was only discovered through blood work for another condition. He does not have the painful symptoms that some people go through when they eat gluten. This is going to make it extremely hard to not want to cheat. He understands the severity of what cheating will do to his body (without feeling the symptoms). I think if he did hurt when he eats it, that would help, but at the same time, glad he does not hurt. After 24 years of marriage, this will definitely be a new lifestyle change for us. Keeping positive and learning all I can! Thanks to everyone who posts on here with any bit of useful information for us newbies!!

sa1937 Community Regular

Welcome, CarpeDiem and Tammy!

At first it is rather overwhelming to be faced with these dietary challenges but pretty soon you'll get a good handle on the foods we can eat, that it'll become so much easier (almost automatic). I remember well that first trip to the grocery store that took forever. But I found if I stuck to shopping the outer rim of the store and skipped trying to find replacements for gluteny foods, it was so much easier...and much healthier, too, I might add.

Good luck!

BeFree Contributor

Welcome to the board CarpeDiem and while you may struggle at times, you will be enjoying many healthy and pain-free days ahead!

I don't have a diagnosis, but after being on the gluten-free diet for four months now I feel 100% better, and I woke up this morning feeling healthy and balanced. So what a great start to 2012! Glad to be feeling better and glad to know you guys! Happy New Year 2012 to everyone at celiac.com!

MinnesotaCeliac Rookie

The excitement and trepidation of the newly diagnosed, oh we all know it well (I'm six months yesterday). You'll have good days and perhaps some bad ones, but knowing you can be healthy (and without taking meds) is such positive reinforcement that any thought of cheating will be put to the side. On my good days, I personally think living gluten free is mostly a convenience issue. I just need to plan ahead or do my homework and know what I can eat on the fly. Sometimes social situations are challenging, but you learn to overcome those challenges too. The key is to acknowledge your emotions and work through them. Allow the down moments, but find a way to the positive side (even when it appears there is not one). Believe me it has not been all roses, but how you handle it will make all the difference in the world. Please note that this coming from a person that was sometimes called the glass half empty type. The wonderful folks on this forum are not only great for getting information regarding celiac/gluten intolerance, but sometimes commiserating with like people gets you through the tough times(the I'm not alone feeling makes all the difference). Im still learning myself, but feel free to contact me if you have questions. Good luck and congrats on the diagnosis.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Bubba's Mom Enthusiast

Hello and welcome to our new posters!

Attitude makes a big difference in how you adapt to your new lifestyle. Always try to look for a positive.

Be aware that some of us feel relief/happiness when first DXed..but later have some days where we feel very challenged. It's perfectly normal, and we are here to lend support.

Happy 2012..may it be the start of a wonderful, new, healthy life!

PS..As my Engineer hubby says..some people say the glass is 1/2 full, some say the glass is 1/2 empty. Engineers say..the glass is the wrong size! :D

Debbie48 Rookie

[PS..As my Engineer hubby says..some people say the glass is 1/2 full, some say the glass is 1/2 empty. Engineers say..the glass is the wrong size! :D

CarpeDiem Newbie

Thanks, everyone! I'm hoping for a healthy 2012 and am so happy I stumbled onto this community last night!

Dena

clohmean Newbie

Hi CarpeDiem,

I've been recently diagnosed with Celiac's and I found your post inspiring as I'm struggling with the diagnosis and have been

prolonging the inevitable (My GI said I could start gluten-free after the holidays if it helped). I've been reading the posts and

in between my pity party :unsure: , I find glimpses of excitement in the thought of feeling better, so I'm try to hang onto it !

My husband has been so supportive and said he would go gluten free too (until he has a guys night out ;) ) and has

been encouraging me to get started on this diet! I just turned 41 and have been getting iron infusions for iron deficiency anemia, which

at first they thought was attributed to heavy cycles, but after two years of infusions, they ran the celiac blood panel and even though it came

back negative (with the exception of an elevated TTG-IGG antibody test), an endoscopy confirmed blunted villi and Celiac's. But, I wanted to thank everyone who posted such

positive comments ! I need to continue to learn more about Celiac's, not get too overwhelmed and be thankful for

a disease that can be controlled via your diet.

Happy New Year ! Best of luck to you !

clohmean

IrishHeart Veteran

PS..As my Engineer hubby says..some people say the glass is 1/2 full, some say the glass is 1/2 empty. Engineers say..the glass is the wrong size! :D

I say...1/2 empty, 1/2 full?? either way, it's time to go back up to the bar... :lol:

Welcome to the Forum and to your New Life!

Do not fear the gluten free lifestyle. It's not as complicated as it seems at first.

It saved my life. :)

I lost years of my life to this disease, but I am coming back. :)

Anything we can do to help, just ask!!

I have a "Newbie cheat sheet" --a file of articles, menu ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, a shopping list, a list of dedicated facilities, safe snacks, safe foods, foods to avoid, cross contamination info, etc. that I compiled for my friends and family, if you want it.

Happy, healthy New Year!

Cheers,

IH

red island Newbie

I don't usually enjoy New Years Eve - I've always found it depressing to see another year gone by but this year I found myself full of hope and anticipation for what 2012 will bring. I am 4 months into my diagnosis and things are finally clicking for me. So don't get discouraged, I found I had alot of ups and downs early on but now I see glimmers of my old self, the self thats been gone for years and that gives me great joy.

hspichke Apprentice

I also just found out last week that my celiac panel was all positive and now am waiting on a biopsy. I have been sick for years so I totally understand how you feel about ridding yourself of the horrible pain even though you may want to cheat. I have been researching quite a bit, but so far have not started a gluten free diet.

Archived

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

  • 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. - Midwesteaglesfan posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      0

      Going for upper endoscopy today

    2. - marlene333 replied to Grace Good's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      3

      Bee balm lipbalm not gluten free

    3. - Mari replied to Jmartes71's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      4

      Related issues

    4. - Scott Adams replied to catsrlife's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      Patiently Waiting to See Results

    5. - catsrlife replied to catsrlife's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      4

      Patiently Waiting to See Results


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,265
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Midwesteaglesfan
    Newest Member
    Midwesteaglesfan
    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

    • Midwesteaglesfan
      At 41 years old I have been fighting fatigue and joint pain for a couple months.  My family doctor kept saying nothing was wrong but I was insistent that I just didn’t feel right.  Finally after running several blood labs, one came back showing inflammation in my body and I was referred to a rheumatologist.  He was extremely thorough and sat with me and my family for a good hour asking questions and listening. He ordered X-rays of all my joints and more bloodwork.  He suspected some sort of reactive inflammatory arthritis.  My TTG (Tissue Transglutaminase) came back at 34. he told me to try going gluten free and out me on Salfasalzin to help the join inflammation.  Over the next couple days going gluten free and doing a lot of research and talking to people with celiacs,  we found that I should have an upper endoscopy for insurance purposes in the future.  I reached back out to my rheumatologist and expressed this concern and he got back to me stating I was correct and resume regular gluten diet and stop the medication until after that scope.     They were able to schedule me in for 2 days later.  I had been gluten free, or as close to it as I could be for about 5 days.  I know I ate some brats with it but wanted to use them up.  My symptoms had gotten slightly better in those 5 days.  I felt less fatigue and joint pain was slightly better(it had gotten really bad) so for these last 2 days I’ve gone crazy with wheat bread, pasta and such.  I’m hoping those 5 days didn’t screw this endoscopy up.  I can’t imagine after a life of gluten, my intestines healed in 5 days and after eating gluten again for these couple days,  my stomach hurts, joint pain is coming back up so I know the inflammation is there.   Hinesight after this diagnosis, I have had chronic migraines since my late teens.  Has that been a lingering symptom of celiacs all these years?  I’ve never really had the stomach issues, for me it came in heavy these last couple months as the fatigue, just always feeling tired and exhausted.  And the joint pain.     So getting in the car for the 2 hour drive to the hospital for this scope now.     Wish me luck!
    • marlene333
      To play it safe, use Vasoline Lip Therapy. No questions as to it containing gluten.
    • Mari
      jmartes, Thank you for sharing  more information with us. Most of us Celiacs whose problems do not clear up with in a few years have to decide what to do next. We can keep seeing DR.s and hope that we will get some  medication or advice that will improve our health. Or we can go looking for other ways to improve our health. Usually Celiac Disease is not a killer disease, it is a disabling disease as  you have found out. You have time to find some ways to help you recover. Stay on your gluten-free diet and be more careful in avoiding cross contamination . KnittyKitty  and others here can give you advice about avoiding some foods that can give you the gluten auto immune reaction and advice about vitamins and supplement that help celiacs. You may need to take higher doses of Vit. B12  and D3.  About 20 years before a Dr. suggested I might have Celiac disease I had health problems that all other Dr said they could not identify or treat. I was very opposed to alternative providers and treatments. So many people were getting help from a local healer I decided to try that out. It was a little helpful but then, because I had a good education in medical laboraties she gave me a book  to read and what did I think. With great skeptism I started reading and before I was half way through it I began using the methods outlined in the book. Using those herbs and supplements I went from hardly able to work to being able to work almost fulltime. I still use that program. But because I had undiagnosed celiac disease by 10 years later some  of my problems returned and I started to loose weight.    So how does a person find a program that will benefit them? Among the programs you can find online there are many that are snake oil scams and some that will be beneficial. by asking around, as I did. Is there an ND in your area? Do they reccomend that person? If you would like to read about the program I use go to www.drclark.net   
    • Scott Adams
      It's unfortunate that they won't work with you on this, but in the end sometimes we have to take charge of our own health--which is exactly what happened to me. I did finally get the tests done, but only after years of going down various rabbit holes and suffering. Just quitting gluten may be the best path for you at this point.
    • catsrlife
      My doctor didn't take the time to listen to anything. I don't even think she knows what it means. She is more concerned about my blood pressure that is caused by her presence than anything else and just wants to push pills at me. The so-called dermatologist wouldn't do a skin test. she prescribed all of these silly antihistamine skin meds. This lady didn't even know what she was talking about and said "they never turn out as celiac, they usually just say it's dermatitis so here's your meds," just like my regular quack. I'm trying to change insurance companies at the moment and that has been a battle because of red tape, wrong turns, and workers having wrong phone numbers. What a joke! The allergy blood days say I have a wheat allergy of .31. Hopefully it's just that and until I find a decent doctor and dermatologist, I'll just lay off the wheat anyway, since it gives me asthma, high blood sugar, and joint pain. So frustrated at this point. The rash on my back of arms/elbows is mostly gone. Both calves and chest have started up. smh. It comes and goes. It fades faster now, though, although my forearms still produce one or two bumps on each side. The itching has calmed down a lot except for the bump area. I have dry skin to begin with so anything affecting it just makes it crazy. i'm never going to eat wheat again. I don't care if they need it to produce results or if it is just an intolerance, allergy, or celiac. It gives me hell.
×
×
  • 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.