What this Blog is to Me

I am recently diagnosed (finally) with Coeliac's Disease. I was recently glutined and am still suffering its affects.

I do not look like your typical CD sufferer. I am not stick thin and short, I am morbidly obese (I so hate that label). I do suffer from some of the classical symptoms: joint-pain, lactose intolerant, bloating, diahhrea, gripping stomach pain, fatigue, depression (who wouldn't be?), thin hair, anemia, acid reflux. I, after much research, now find that much more of my symptoms are Coeliac related. I am asthmatic, I have suffered from the parallel illness Dermatitis herpetifomis, horrible dibilitating periods, memory fog, I have had underactive thyroids, swellings around my body, itchy scalp, miscarriage, itches without rashes, tingling hands and feet.

After the birth of my first child, I have 5, I had chronic D. Given the colonoscopy only gave the diagnosis of IBS. An endoscopy which I didn't recieve would have diagnosed my Coeliac status and saved me a decade of pain and suffering.

So this blog is about my recovery - my life without gluten. Unfortunately on the eve of my diagnosis I went out for a meal. I was accidently glutined - even though I informed the chef of my gluten free needs. I suffered several of the symptoms I haven't for a long time.

You see, I've been gluten free for 6 weeks now. I am still on anti-depressants, but right now my IBS symptoms are gone, my periods are basically those of a normal girl, I have only lost 2 kilos, but my muscle tone has improved, my double chin has halved in size. Howver, my stomach hasn't started to flatten out yet, it still bulges like I'm pregnant. I'm told this may take a year or two to settle. Reading up on fellow sufferers who have my symptoms and are morbidly obese, they are all finding they are shrinking, slowly or fast at varying rates, some are actively trying and others are just going gluten free, drinking coke and eating high fats.

So far this is my positive results: I am slowly losing weight. My face looks half the size, my legs are getting a more muscled tone. I no longer have IBS symptoms - except for the recent glutening which was bad, 6 days to recover. This is normal, apparently. People have said I'm looking like I've lost weight. My periods are settled (I no longer bleed mostly to death each time and take 3 weeks to recover just to go through it all again a few weeks later. I no longer have aches and pains. I no longer get acid reflux. I am still fatigued, depressed, have memory fogs, have the look of a pregnant woman but no longer suffer the bloats, still lactose intolerant but improving.

Weight: 131 KG.