It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years since I started the gluten-free diet. So much has happened and changed in that amount of time!
September 11, 2012 was the first day of the start of my (sort of) gluten-free diet. I had just made a few food switches and didn’t even have a thought of worrying about cross-contamination. I was mainly trying it to see if it would clear my acne. Over the course of the next few days, I could tell that I was feeling much better, so I knew I had uncovered something. Since a wheat allergy skin test earlier that year was negative, I assumed it was either celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. I was content with assuming it was non-celiac gluten sensitivity when my celiac blood panel came back negative, but over time, as I became more and more sensitive to smaller and smaller traces, I felt like it had to be something else. I had an endoscopy done that also came back negative, but I worried that I had been gluten-free enough for a long enough time for the damage either to be healed or reduced enough to be missed. It wasn’t until about two or three years later that I began to revisit the idea that it was an allergy. Blood tests were inconclusive, but what seemed to confirm it was my body’s response to antihistamines. I would feel so much better soon after taking them when I knew I had an exposure.
Over time, I found that I was able to reintroduce other food ingredients that I had eliminated due to reactions I was having to them. I tried barley and rye and found that I could eat those with no issues. I’ve even tried things with flaxseed over the last few months and have found that I have no issues with it as well. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that wheat is really the only food ingredient of concern. I’m still cautious when it comes to vinegar and xanthan gum in foods I buy to keep at home and eat on a regular basis, but I will eat food items with those ingredients at a restaurant or at my parents’ house, or when I buy microwaveable meals at the grocery store.
Ten years since trying gluten-free for the first time, I really feel like I have my diet where it needs to be. I’ve eliminated wheat and do not believe at this time I have any other food reactions. I’ve tweaked it to correct deficiencies and imbalances involving zinc, copper, vitamin E, and iron. My health issues now revolve more around issues that I need to learn to live with, mainly the inner ear damage I have on both sides. My hypothyroidism seems to be under control at this time with levothyroxine. I’ve started taking 75 mcg seven days a week rather than just six and plan to have thyroid tests done on my own to make sure things look like they should. Hearing aids have also made a big difference in helping not just with my hearing but also with the effects of the inner ear damage. I’m also looking into getting stronger glasses which I’m hoping will help even more. Enlarging text on electronic displays has already made a pretty big difference. As far as supplementation, I may have to make more changes to my regimen. Right now, I’m trying to see how I do without taking some of them and have added on another to see how I handle it.
Changes to diet and supplementation can be difficult to make but can be well worth the effort if it results in health improvements. Ten years of these kinds of changes have resulted in many positive results in my health. I hope the next ten years and beyond will continue to bring good health and minimal changes.
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