It struck me this week that I was diagnosed with celiac disease 10 years ago today, when I had a gastrostomy. Due to the much too smooth walls of the small intestine, it was clear that I do indeed have celiac disease. Also, there are other sufferers in my family.
I remember going with my husband to our favorite café. I felt a bit overwhelmed. I ordered my favorite chocolate cake as a goodbye. That was the last time I consciously ate something containing gluten. So much has happened since then!
Positive Aspects
It may sound strange, but I can definitely see positives to celiac disease. I’ve met a lot of great new people who I’ve stayed in touch with virtually for years.
As a contact person of the German Celiac Society, I’ve learned a lot about running groups and a few other things.
Without avoiding “regular” flour, I would never have known the variety of special gluten-free flours available.
Great product selection
Product selection was acceptable 10 years ago, but now it’s much better. However, sometimes it’s still necessary to go to multiple stores or order items online. Sure, I still dream of a really tasty croissant, but after 10 years the memory of it is fading more and more, and I’d rather be happy about what I can eat – or bake it myself!
My bowels have recovered
Since my celiac diagnosis, I’ve been able to tolerate less and less food. I had hoped that I would feel better after switching to gluten-free, but I never really got back on track. I now know it’s ME/CFS (you can read about what that is and how I was diagnosed here). Since I’ve been trying to get better with it, my bowels are also much better, and I’ve been able to tolerate much, much more food recently! I must eat gluten-free food for the rest of my life. But, I can eat corn and oatmeal again without any problems. So, I can enjoy those products.
The vexed issue of eating out
This is one of those issues that hasn’t really improved. Many restaurants in Germany don’t offer gluten-free options, making it difficult to find a safe place to eat on short notice. And there is unfortunately no gluten-free pizza delivery service in my countryside either. But I hope that more restaurants will address the issue – I’m just really chronically optimistic.