G-Free

For years I have been trying to figure out why I have always felt tired, exhausted, fatigued. Okay, so having two little boys to run after will make a girl tired, but my fatigue goes back to high school. I remember Mom taking me to the doctor to see if I was anemic or if I had mono because I always complained of being tired. Last year I had a sleep study done to see if I had apnea or some other sleep related issue. Nope, that wasn't it. I reduced my caffeine intake and slept a little better and felt a little better, but was still tired. Feeling tired often times got me down and gave me the blues. I considered getting medicated for it, but couldn't take that leap. Exercise, sleep and a light box helped enough to push me through until I felt "up" again. A few weeks ago I decided I must need more protein and fiber to give me an energy boost and to solve some tummy troubles I'd been experiencing. I stocked up on whole wheat bagels, bread, pasta. You name it, I got the 100% whole wheat version. After several days of eating that I felt worse! More tired, more down, more tummy problems. I decided to let the pendulum swing the other way and completely remove wheat from my diet. I read up on going gluten free or wheat free, gathered up some appropriate recipes and went grocery shopping. I started feeling better after just three days of being on a gluten free (g-free) diet. A rash on my arm that I'd been trying to get rid of for about six months was gone!! About six days into the diet I started sleeping better and was waking up rested. I haven't felt rested and rejuvinated in the morning in years! What a great feeling! Eight days into the diet my tummy troubles were gone and, today, twenty days after starting the diet, I can say I feel incredible! I feel the best I have in years! I haven't been formally tested for a gluten intolerance/sensitivity or for celiac's disease yet. When I called my doctor to inquire about the process for testing for celiac's disease she said I can opt to have the blood test done (which often shows a false negative) or I can try to diet on my own and see what the results are. She said, if I feel better I likely have some sort of gluten intolerance, sensitivity or allergy. If I want to be formally tested for it in the future I can. I haven't decided what I'll do in regards to testing at this point. But, I do know that I'm going to do my best to stick with this way of eating because I feel great! One thing I've learned about Celiac's disease is that it takes the average person ten years to be properly diagnosed because it's such a hard thing to pinpoint. The disease can present itself in so many ways (Ex: any or all of these: fatigue, depression, acid reflux, skin issues, digestion issues, fertility issues, etc, etc) and each of those ways can be treated on it's own. But, if you take a step back and jot down a list of all your ailments, you may see that they all fall under the umbrella of Celiac's Disease. Crazy!!