I have recently been diagnosed with gluten and dairy sensitivities. I am not going to lie, I cried when I was told. I instantly thought of all my favorite food that I wouldn’t be able to eat anymore; pizza, bagel/cream cheese, cheese in general, ice cream, glazed donuts. I did cry. And this right before football season. So no beer and wings for me there.
I was having a lot of random symptoms. I had outbreaks of my psoriasis all over my scalp, neck and elbows. My migraines came back. I suffered a lot of restless, sleepless nights and my friends will attest, I used to sleep easily and like the proverbial rock. I tried Melatonin and every OTC sleep aid with no relief. Fatigue developed and I had difficulty getting through my work day. When this usually loud, affable me is quiet and not full of sparkle there is a huge problem. I had constant episodes of hives and rash outbreaks all over my arms, legs and torso. They were extremely itchy and sometimes waves of burning sensations overwhelmed me. I would have random episodes of inflammation around my eyes, hands and ankles. Random. Daily headaches and most of all stomach pains, bloating and dare I say, constipation. It has not been fun to be me this year. I chased my symptoms and went to every specialist and I was prescribed varying medications. And nothing cleared my symptoms. My skin had become my biggest insecurity. It was raw, red, scaly, textured, blistered and extremely itchy. My vanity was raging mad.
So when I was advised to get tested for food allergies. I was doubtful. No way could it really be that I was eating. Was I in for a shock. I was so wrong. My results indicated I was intolerant of gluten, dairy and egg among other things. But I was willing to try anything for relief. I went cold turkey and eliminated these from my diet. The itchiness stopped and the redness decreased with two weeks. After a month of skin cleared up including my psoriasis. My headaches stopped. The stomach pains and bloating eased. I have not had swelling for a while. So i have been riding this gluten and dairy free train and have been doing well. I have been doing a lot of research and figuring things out as I go along. I am constantly reading labels to see if gluten is an additive from my ketsup to my soy sauce. I kid you not, I carry Gluten free soy sauce in my purse. Just in case. It has honestly been the best thing I have down for my body. my life and hey, my energy is back. My parents, and boyfriend are very supportive and help me out. My mom is constantly online looking for recipes and products I can use. I have become savvy with my skin care products that are also gluten free now. I have even lost a significant amount of weight, with just the elimination of gluten and dairy in my foods. Who knew?!? So that has been an added bonus.
I plan to share everything I have gleaned from my small steps and yes, even my stumbles. I know what it is like to be scared to eat and worrying about having another flare up. And I want to share my journey with all of you.
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