100% G-Free

Last Thanksgiving, Deo was admitted to the hospital from the Emergency Room from an infection in his liver. Since then, he's been in and out of GI doctor's offices, re-running test after test, trying to figure out what is wrong with him. He still had pain and still couldn't eat anything without getting even worse stomach pains. Finally, after almost 4 months of not knowing we got answers. Deo has celiac disease. Basically, celiac disease is an "allergy" (I use this here but it's not really an allergy, but easier to explain) to gluten which is found is wheat, barley, and oats. There is no way to cure celiac disease; people must commit to living a 100% gluten free life in order to remain healthy. Choosing not to live 100% gluten free can have dire effects for someone with celiac's.

Now is our next challenge; living 100% gluten free. Surprising to me, there are lot of resources for people with this disease. There are also lots of gluten free options of a lot of things we enjoy (a.k.a. gluten free beer!). We are eating a lot of chicken, rice, and veggies...which is great. I know it's really difficult for Deo, though. Especially when we center so much of our lives around food! We both enjoy eating good food, trying new things, eating at restaurants, and all of our family events are centered around food. Take for example, Trey's birthday BBQ. Deo couldn't eat any of the hot dog or hamburger buns, chips, or even the birthday cake. Yes, they do make gluten free bread and cake, but I've tried them and they are....well...different. We've been managing and there could be worse things he could have.

All in all, it will make our household a lot more healthier. Deo already feels so much better after omitting gluten after just one month. I know we will face challenges living this lifestyle since we are mini-foodies, but it just gives us the opportunity to be more creative with our choices. As for me, I'm not committing to the 100% G-Free lifestyle but when I'm around Deo I do my best to follow his restrictions (especially when we cook at home). Moreover, I'm glad that my hunny can finally live a semi-normal life with food finally and that we know what's wrong and our actions can affect the outcome. Here's to a G-Free lifestyle!