Hey loves!
Lately I've been feeling ill again and its due to anciently getting gluten in me...again.
Sometimes, it feel as if it is nearly impossible to go out with my boyfriend and eat gluten free.
My symptoms started at the young age of 3, for some reason I wouldn't go to the bathroom. My parents honestly thought I was just holding it in or not wanting to do as they asked. ( I know this is TMI if you are squeamish I don't recommend continuing) So my doctor gave them these things that they would have to inject, yes inject, up my butt to make me go to the bathroom. I only remember them hold me down or after the incident sitting in the corner, glaring at them, because deep down I knew it wasn't my fault.
As I grew older, I could go to the bathroom but it was almost as if I never had to go and if I did, it was right away. On family trips my mom would ask if I had to go to the bathroom and almost always the answer was no. This was a red flag for my mom, she knew something was up but kept it to herself.
In Elementary school and Middle School, I seemed to always have headaches on the way home from school. We went to the doctor about it but he resorted it to the bus fumes were giving me a headache. I always remembered I would have a snack to try and tame the headache but sugar was the only way to calm it down enough. During middle school I lost about 20-25 pounds, which I blamed on being more active.
Two days before my first day of high school I went to bed, feeling very off and dizzy. I never fell asleep and resorted to my parents room where my mom was the only one there because my dad was at work. She put a towel on my head but nothing would help. At the time I didn't know it but this would be my first of many Anxiety/ Panic Attacks. My heart rate was so up and there was so much pain in my stomach that my mom called 911 where medical help came. They took my heart rate which was very high and decided to take me to the hospital.
When I got there, I don't remember much. I remember being wheeled out of the ambulance into the hospital, having many people looking at me. They checked my blood, nothing. They checked my urine, nothing. I was in so much pain that they gave me an x-ray, nothing.
They gave me this weird chalky medicine and a few pills and an hour later the pain was gone and they sent me home.
The next day I felt sick still, I woke up and had some toast then went back upstairs to nap. I came back down later to eat lunch, my dad made sure to make me chicken and rice, I looked at the food took one bite and I had the feeling I was going to throw up, so dad drove me back to the hospital. Again, this was another panic attack.
I need to mention when I was younger, I had gotten very sick from a terrible flu. I was throwing up every where and since then, I had a terrible fear of getting sick.
When I got to the hospital again, the same nurse greeted me and they took me in for a ultra sound. The lady who was going to do this gave me two bags of water and then wheeled me in.
I do not lie when I say I was a ten on the pain scale when she was trying to examine me. She pushed down on my abdomen so forcefully (mind she had to be about 200 pounds) that the pain was worse and worse. They found no sign of any ovarian cysts and wheeled me out.
After that experience, they let me relax for about an hour than came back telling me I had to eat something. They brought me jello and a red Popsicle, this subsided most of the pain, they then sent me home.
The next day, my first day of freshman year, I was completely fine, until around the middle of the year where I had constant panic attacks. The panic attacks went away around that summer, but the headaches did not. I remember one time I was at my (ex) boyfriends house and I had the worst migraine of all time that I stayed there and had my mom come get me, to where I found out she did not believe I was in any pain at all.
It felt as if no one believed me I was in any pain at all and that I was making it all up. I felt so alone that I shut many people out.
After me and my ex boyfriend broke up, I was somewhat okay again. I didn't have migraines but I did get panic attacks. I remember being in the car one time where I was completely freaking out after I had eaten a hamburger. I was telling my mom that I was going to be sick and I was almost in tears to the point that my mom pulled over and had to calm me down.
It was around this time I met someone new to my life where I felt safe. My current boyfriend, Adam was amazing, I felt like I could talk to him about anything. Although I did loose friends because they didn't approve or whatever the reason, I didn't have anymore panic attacks.
That is until the middle of my senior year when I had a horrible migraine and panic attack combination during class, the first of many. there were probably a total of 30 times where I went home succumbed to a migraine that didn't go away until I slept.
I missed out on many happy things such as new years and black Friday because of my symptoms.
It was one Sunday after church with my boyfriend where I figured out what was wrong. I had eaten a lot of carbs because we were at his grandmas house where she had made a huge feast of food. Instantly after I ate, I couldn't be around anyone. I was put into a dark room where I couldn't socialize because of the pain of my headache. As I rested, Adam searched the Internet.
He found gluten was a huge source for constant migraines. At first, I joked oh it can't be that but then I realized, every time I felt sick, gluten was a factor.
From that point on, I became gluten free. Ever since, the only time I have stomach issues is if I experience cross contamination. I haven't had a migraine in about a year.
Gluten was a factor all my life I just didn't take time to my symptoms to figure out was wrong with me till it got really bad.
If you are having symptoms such as:
Migraines
Stomach pains
Weight loss
Weight gain
Skin being red or puffy
etc.
Please seek help. Search Google for your symptoms if you think gluten may be a factor.
Normally I would say seek a doctor but, many doctors don't understand what gluten even is.
I have been gluten free for 2 years now and I can say yes,it has been a challenge but I stay gluten free to keep myself happy.
Please if you have any questions regarding Celiac or Gluten, please comment below.
I am not a doctor, these are just my experiences.
Thanks guys for reading and I hope you enjoyed my story.
Love you!
-Halesannexo
