Is It Just Stress?

How are you? It is a simple question with a common answer – “I am stressed.” Whether you admit it to others or silently think it, you likely experience some degree of stress. Feeling stressed seems to be the norm in our hectic lives, where we struggle for balance in a constant race against time. Potential stressors include work, family, school, finances, health, relationships, housing, and parenting.

When doctors can’t find an answer for something, the catch all answer is “it is just stress.” Like many people, I was told this several times. Each time, I felt angry and determined to find the answer. I found new doctors and searched the Internet endlessly.

I did not find another answer. Doctors continued to think it was stress. Eventually, I started to believe them. I could no longer remember what came first: marital problems, daily headaches, migraines, insomnia, or fatigue. Luckily, I developed new symptoms and found another doctor. This time, the answer was not stress!

We blame stress for many symptoms, including digestive problems, anxiety, depression, pain, migraines, fatigue, and insomnia. Ask yourself how long you have been feeling like this?

If you accept stress as the answer, you may still be experiencing the same problems five years from now. As you stress yourself shopping for that perfect holiday gift, take a break to visit a doctor and demand to be tested for celiac disease. It is the best gift you can give yourself and your family!

How to Talk to Strangers to Increase Celiac Disease Awareness

One of the best ways to increase celiac disease awareness is simply by talking to other people. However, for some people, having a conversation with a stranger is not simple. First, we need to let go of what we were taught as children – do not talk to strangers. Furthermore, we need to explain to our children who will see us talking to strangers why it is okay for an adult to do so. I forgot to do this and my daughter said, “Mommy, you shouldn’t talk to strangers!” She also said, “Mommy, mind your own business. You are being rude!” (Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have gotten up to talk to someone at Bonefish when I heard him ordering off the gluten-free menu.)

Next, free yourself from worrying about how others will perceive you. Yes, people might think you are silly to be so excited about a new gluten-free product being carried in a store or they might not be interested in what you have to say, but who cares. Finally, keep the following tips in mind as you engage in conversations with strangers. Whether you are making small talk at a party or in the grocery store, remember you can possibly change a person’s life.

1. Keep it positive. The goal is to motivate someone to learn more about celiac disease, be tested, and for them to share it with others. This is not the time to complain about gluten-free life. Here are some options for what to say.
-“The gluten-free brownie mix from Betty Crocker is great, and people with celiac disease are very happy that soon gluten-free Bisquick will be in stores.”
-“I am excited to try the new gluten-free menu at the Melting Pot.”
-“My health is so much better after finally being diagnosed with celiac disease.”
-When the cashier asks, “Did you find everything you were looking for today?”, you could say the following. “Yes, since I have to eat gluten-free, I am always happy when this bread is in stock.”
2. Hang out in the over-the-counter medicine aisle. Don’t ask people why they are buying medicine, but you could say something like “Since I found out I have celiac disease and have been eating totally gluten-free, my migraines are gone.”
3. Talk to strangers when standing in a line or in a waiting room. Not only will the person who you are talking to learn about celiac disease, but other people will overhear. This is easiest at the grocery store where you can start by talking about an item in your cart.
4. Provide a source for getting more information. If they seem interested, give them your email or refer them to a blog or website, like www.celiaccentral.org.
5. Be appreciative. Thank customer service departments for carrying a certain product or speak to the manager about a great waiter. They interact with many people in a day, but may not understand about celiac disease.
6. Talk to others in the gluten-free section. Don’t assume because someone is debating about buying a gluten-free product that he or she eats gluten-free or is informed about celiac. I always ask, “Do you or a family member eat gluten-free?” If the response is yes, then I proceed to find out if the person is newly diagnosed and needs any assistance. Often, they aren’t gluten-free and are just trying a product.
7. Use a friendly and humorous tone when appropriate. This may be a challenge for some people, and the tone is the key to not sounding rude and making your statement memorable. When the waiter brings me a fortune cookie at P.F. Chang’s, I say, “Fortune cookies aren’t gluten-free (chuckle), and I do tip higher when I’m not given one.”

My Article in Gluten-Free Living

The new issue of Gluten-Free Living magazine is packed with great information, including a very useful food testing guide. The article about testing food at home to see if it is really gluten-free enables readers to make an informed decision before purchasing the home test kits. The article on disaster planning is very interesting.

My last word article is on page 50. I wrote about how when I was first diagnosed with celiac disease, I explained it to my young daughter, addressed her concerns, and helped her to develop a positive attitude about the gluten-free diet. The issue also has information on a new children's book about celiac disease.

I highly encourage you to subscribe to Gluten-Free Living. Whether you are newly diagnosed or have been living with celiac disease for years, you will learn things from every issue. I hear the next issue will be a very special one.

Gluten-Free Living is sold at select Whole Foods, Wegmans, Borders, and health food stores. You can keep up with all the latest information between the quarterly issues by following gfliving on twitter (where I met Amy Ratner, associate editor) and by reading the Gluten-Free Living blog.

The Emotional Cost of Undiagnosed Celiac Disease

The health and financial costs associated with undiagnosed celiac disease are well documented, but what about the emotional cost? Many people who lived for years with undiagnosed celiac disease know this emotional cost all too well. Here is my story.

My celiac disease symptoms seemed to be triggered by pregnancy and became worse over the next five years. My knees hurt so bad that it was difficult to sit on the floor and play with my daughter. Kneeling for bath time was impossible. Daily headaches and facial pain made attending a toddler playgroup or music class a challenge. Chronic insomnia made my body ache and my knee and head pain worse. Medicines to treat the insomnia left me feeling drowsy, dizzy, and foggy. I was so exhausted that there were days where I was unable to drive my daughter to preschool, and other days she was late because of Mommy being stuck in the bathroom yet again.

On a good day, I could read, spend some time on the computer, and do a little shopping, but those days were not frequent. Fortunately, I was able to be a stay at home mom. Simple daily living tasks were hard work for me. Most evenings, the pain was so severe and I was too fatigued to cook dinner.

My health problems definitely affected my marriage. By the time I was finally diagnosed with celiac disease in 2007, we were already in marriage therapy, but it was too late. Our divorce was final earlier this year. I wonder if we would still be married if I had been diagnosed with celiac disease when I first started showing symptoms or even after only a few years. The answer is maybe. Of course, a marriage is complicated and involves many issues. However, I know that we would have both been able to cope more effectively with our problems at the time without the stress of my health.

Yes, there was a negative emotional cost to my celiac disease. However, it led to greater emotional strength as my health improved significantly. Sleeping well and being able to think clearly without pain enables a world of possibilities. I certainly was not an optimist five years ago. Now, my entire outlook has changed. My ex-husband and I are good friends. Today, I am truly living. While undiagnosed with celiac disease, I merely existed.