Knowledge is Power. And Scariness.

Over the course of the last few weeks, Celiac has replaced anything else that may have been masquerading as the monster under my bed. (Although with my current set-up, I suppose it would actually be the monster in the drawers of my bed platform...) It seems as though every time I pick up a new piece of information, the monster grows. For instance, when I was first sick, we thought I had endometriosis. Anyone who knows me knows that the thing I want more than anything else in life is children. So anything threatening my ability to have them was scary. I was relieved in that sense when I found out I had Celiac. Then, today, I discovered that Celiac can cause miscarriage and infertility (along with yeast infections, diabetes, osteoporosis, anemia, thyroid disease, fibro, etc, of course).

First instinct? Yell at my intestines for being such jerk-wads. I mean, seriously - that's a total dick move. But, given that my ears and brain are in my head and not my abdomen, I didn't figure that would be terribly productive. Nor would my second instinct - curling up in a ball for awhile. So I decided to go with what seems to be counter-intuitive, given that the more information I have, the more of a total creep Celiac turns out to be. I decided to get more information. And more, and more and more. I decided I want to know everything I possibly can.

My first source is one that my friend Judy recommended after having seen a magazine at a friend's home - Living Without.  Living Without has tips, recipes, and information for those who are gluten free (as well as those with a few other dietary restrictions). You can subscribe to the magazine and get books (both physical and electronic), but you can also sign up for recipes and other info for free.

My next stop was my favorite stop for everything - the "shop" button on my Nook. For anyone who doesn't know, I'm mildly addicted to my Nook - a surgery gift from my wonderful husband. I found a book called "The Celiac Diet." I had searched through a few others, but this one seemed to be most on point with what I was looking for. The author has had Celiac her whole life, but wasn't diagnosed until she was 30 and ended up in the hospital. Fed up with the lack of Celiac knowledge among the nutritionists in the hospital, she went and got her ccertification in nutrition and weight management.

I'm only on page 8, but the most important thing I've learned so far is that not eating gluten will only prevent further damage. Extra steps will need to be taken to heal the damage already done. And, depending on how long I've actually had Celiac, I may never fully heal. Not saying that as a "woe is me" thing; just noting that I shouldn't get frustrated so quickly about not feeling better right away. The author said that by following what she's setting out in the book, she's gotten much better - her energy is back, her weight is stable, and she feels (for the most part) great.

All of this put together, along with whatever else I may find in the future, is going to be my flashlight. Because, as everyone knows, monsters hate flashlights.