But I'm not Silly!

Ever heard of Celiac Disease? Or as we refer to it around here.. Silly Act. Just 6 short months ago this was one of those things that just wasn't on my radar. Sure, I'd heard the words, I even know a person or 2 who has it, but it just wasn't something I ever thought about. Then my eldest daughter got sick. It seemed like the flu that just never went away! After a few weeks of daily vomiting I started to get concerned. I know what you're thinking... "a few weeks! Dawn, what took you so long". LOL, well when you have as many kids with the issues we have, you just don't jump into panic mode that quick! She had seen the doctor in that time and she was still able to function... sort of. When we hit the one month mark and she was now loosing an average of a pound a week... Then I was in lion-mom mode!

After hearing me talk about her symptoms, a co-worker of mine told me about her son's 2 year ordeal with the same symptoms and his eventual diagnosis of Celiac Disease! Well, I was certainly not going to do this for 2 years! I had to much else to do! So, I got home and Googled like a mad women. Thankfully, we already had a scheduled appointment with her Pediatrician to go over the previously ordered extensive blood, so I didn't have to wait long to talk to her about my new suspicion. Sure enough, at that appointment we were told that all the blood work was fine. A relief and frustration at the same time. More detailed blood work was ordered and the Pediatrician reluctantly agreed to add the Celiac tests to the reacquisition. Two weeks later, right as the doc's were about to admit my daughter to be tube fed (she wasn't keeping anything down by this point) the results came back! Overwhelmingly positive for Celiac!

PHEW! We have an answer, we have a fix! It's not life threatening... and she can live a normal life... without wheat that is. What a relief from a 2 month ordeal. I can't even begin to describe the almost instant transformation! Within a week of being wheat free, she was back to herself! Keeping everything she ate down (yay) and full of life and energy again, a mixed blessing as any parent of an ADHD child knows!

Then reality sets in! Why are Gluten free food so darn expensive! What? I can't feed her convenience food? I have to check everything from medicine to lip balm for gluten? This is more work then my other daughters peanut/nut allergy! Everyone in the family needs to be tested? Yup, it's an inherited autoimmune disease, so chances are high that other family member have the disease as well. The good news is that 2 of the three other kids tests have come back negative. We are still waiting on 1. And then there's mine. Positive! YUK. O.K. so now it's personal, ugh.

Like my daughter, my own results were almost immediate and astonishing! 3 days wheat free and I was down 5lbs!! My midsection is flattening out for the first time in years!! The best part is that I'm not tired anymore. I love that I finally have the energy to chase my kids around and don't need to nap with them anymore. Almost makes it worth a lifetime without smarties. My big question; How much of a role has this celiac played in my ongoing battle with depression and anxiety? All those times when I felt like I just couldn't function and blamed depression... Maybe I just had to much wheat. See! donuts ARE evil!