I believed my doc when she said , "keep far away from gluten and you'll be just fine." I believed when reading other folks blogs, forums in support groups, etc that just eating right, watching for cross-contamination, that I'd be just fine.
Having been diagnosed for almost 4 years, I am not well. In the beginning it was ignorance that kept me in trouble. Family members who didn't read labels, or ignored the risk. I spent the 1st year with one crash'n burn after another. We finally set perimeters, squeezable condiments, my own "personal" butter bowl. I constantly am scrubbing the counter tops, cleaning everything in the kitchen that could have been touched with "gluten hands" in fear.
I've tired of "wow! what can you eat?" The last "girls nite out", my "friends" took me to I Hops. An FYI, their tea is gluten free, but they don't promise that it's not been cross-contaminated.... Cruelty to dumb animals is what I'd akin that experience to. Needless to say, those ladies don't speak to me, although I did not complain and visited with them while they ate.
I have cooked lovely meals for holidays, so the family doesn't have to do "without". They tell me it's tasty, some of it better than the gluten laden breads of my past. Yet, there are family members who refuse to come and dine with us. Perhaps I've a warped sense of holidays, as I always figured they were to be spent with family. Sharin' and carin'. I do not discourage them from bringing whatever they'd like to these gatherings. Maybe I just expect too much from folks....
These are the times of alienation that I feel. Shunned by the ignorant. Giving me a sense of wrong doing. I did not choose to have food allergies. Why should I continue to feel guilt for a body that doesn't seem to work. I do my very best, and continue to strive for the day of wellness. Even it's not the level from the past, I'd like to be self-sufficient, tend my horses, go pic grabbin', do a lil bit of livin' for a change.
I have become a burden to my family..
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