9 Ways You Lot Tin Run Across My Invisible Illness, Celiac Disease

As I've shared before, 1 of the hardest parts of living alongside an invisible illness is that y'all expect "normal" - but your torso isn't. Last month, I wrote virtually how people tin "see" my invisible illness of fibromyalgia. However, I also receive got celiac disease...and, people may non realize that there are way to a greater extent than visible "signs" of celiac illness than a gluten gratis diet. 

 1 of the hardest parts of living alongside an invisible illness is that y'all expect  ix Ways You Can See My Invisible Illness, Celiac Disease

So, today, I'm sharing the visible quirks together with eccentricities that reverberate my chronic illness of celiac illness - from my dates' improved dental hygiene to my gluten gratis swag!

1. My obsession alongside nutrient labels.

I'm that girl: the daughter who takes vii minutes to direct a novel build of cereal to add together to her grocery cart. Sure, my dedication to finding the perfect gluten gratis production to endeavor is partly because I'm a foodie. However, when y'all receive got celiac disease, y'all also demand to pay way to a greater extent than attending to nutrient labels than the average American. 

Why? Well, plainly nosotros demand to build certain a production is gluten free. However, people alongside celiac illness also demand a cross-contamination-free diet. This agency sometimes nosotros demand to exit our magnifying drinking glass (joke) or fifty-fifty our phones to produce a quick Google search (not a joke) to build certain a "gluten free" production actually is but that. (Cough cough, the gluten gratis Cheerios controversy...)

2. My "clean earlier y'all kiss" rule.

It's awkward. It's embarrassing. But it's also a fact: I tin instruct glutened from beingness kissed past times somebody who of late ate gluten. When I was alongside my rootage boyfriend, I sometimes allow my strict "no kissing earlier brushing" dominion slip...but when I started feeling similar a zombie, I knew that cross contamination was killing the mood (and me). 

 1 of the hardest parts of living alongside an invisible illness is that y'all expect  ix Ways You Can See My Invisible Illness, Celiac Disease
Picking a gluten gratis dinner solves that occupation too!
Now, I endeavor to joke, "Fun fact: I tin instruct glutened past times a kiss, thus all my dates demand to brush their teeth first!" early into a rootage date. I used to live self-conscious together with worried that guys would shout out upwardly my asking was too "high maintenance" to bargain with. Two relationships later, though, together with I know that people who actually attention don't hear clicking "pause" on romance to brush their teeth. As I ever tell my dates: "Your dentist volition give thank y'all me!" 

And, let's live honest. Only beingness able to osculation alongside minty fresh breath isn't a bad deal! 

3. The eating theatre dinners where I but spotter my friends eat. 

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few weeks ago, 1 of the other girls in my MFA program had a birthday, together with she invited everyone out to dinner at a local bar at the terminal minute. Honestly, I didn't actually experience similar going to a eating theatre alongside null gluten gratis options together with watching people eat. However, I drove myself across town anyway, knowing that a social respite from lesson planning would produce me good. And y'all know what? I had a blast.


I talked together with joked together with goofed around alongside some novel friends equally they devoured freshly baked breadstuff dipped inward balsamic together with olive oil, pasta alfredo together with burgers. Most likely, the other customers - if non the waitstaff - wondered why I didn't lodge whatever nutrient of my own. But, equally 1 hr together with and thus 2 hours passed, I didn't hear beingness the strange 1 out. 

 1 of the hardest parts of living alongside an invisible illness is that y'all expect  ix Ways You Can See My Invisible Illness, Celiac Disease
Friends > food
So, the adjacent fourth dimension y'all run into somebody but watching others eat, perchance there's to a greater extent than to the even out than a picky or disordered eater. Maybe they're a celiac or nutrient allergy warrior feeding on socialization instead of food.

4. My insecurity alongside showing my stomach.

I’ve never been a fan of crop tops, but my self consciousness about my tum has definitely increased since my celiac diagnosis. Suddenly, I had random bouts of bloating, constipation together with other not-so-attractive tummy troubles. In the iv years since celiac entered my life, I’ve definitely improved my gut wellness together with overall torso image. When boyfriends receive got asked why I rarely exhibit my stomach, though, celiac is unremarkably my rootage answer.

5. All the snacks inward my bag!

BeyoncĂ© may receive got hot sauce inward her bag, but this celiac ever has way to a greater extent than snacks than that. One of the biggest challenges of living alongside celiac illness is non beingness able to direct handgrip of a seize alongside teeth no thing where y'all are - particularly if you're living inward a small-scale town alongside express gluten gratis options similar mine. 

 1 of the hardest parts of living alongside an invisible illness is that y'all expect  ix Ways You Can See My Invisible Illness, Celiac Disease
One of my favorites!
So, whether I'm leaving the solid for an adventurous twenty-four hr menses trip or an hr of errands, I typically receive got at to the lowest degree 1 bar (usually 1 of my favorite Health Warrior bars) inward my purse. Let's but tell that if you're ever inward dire demand of a snack, having a celiac best friend tin come upwardly inward handy

6. The questions I inquire every chef or friend bringing me a meal.

What people oft don’t understand is that celiac illness is much to a greater extent than complicated than but eating gluten free. As I’ve shared before, if y'all cutting upwardly 1 slice of breadstuff into 7,300 pieces, but 1 of those tiny pieces tin sicken together with crusade unsafe intestinal harm inward celiacs similar me. So, equally much equally I appreciate it when friends direct me a gluten gratis treat, I can’t savor it without asking virtually how they cooked it or what exact ingredients were used.

When I’m eating out, I demand to inquire the chef the same questions - fifty-fifty if the eating theatre has a "gluten free" menu. Some restaurants are awesome inward that their gluten gratis options actually are gluten and cross contamination free. But I've been told that “gluten free” fries were made inward the same fryer equally breaded chicken or that the “gluten free” pasta was cooked inward the same H2O equally regular pasta too oft to assume that gluten gratis agency celiac safe.

 1 of the hardest parts of living alongside an invisible illness is that y'all expect  ix Ways You Can See My Invisible Illness, Celiac Disease

To the customers or waiters who don't know me together with my medical history, I may seem high-maintenance or picky. Really, though, I'm but doing whatever I demand to produce to swallow safely alongside celiac disease.

7. My freezer, filled to the brim.

We all receive got those days where nosotros but demand some quick, slow comfort food. When y'all receive got celiac disease, nutrient allergies or other dietary limitations, though, y'all can’t but draw into whatever eating theatre or direct handgrip of a random freezer dinner from your local grocery store.

So, when I produce receive got fourth dimension to fix or blend upwardly some delish smoothies, I build plenty for a household unit of measurement of iv together with shop leftovers inward my freezer for emergencies. Add inward some of my favorite gluten gratis breads, tortillas, pre-cooked grains similar rice together with quinoa together with frozen fruits together with veggies, together with the freezer is my hugger-mugger weapon to eating gluten gratis together with salubrious during super busy days! 

8. The days I experience together with expect similar a zombie.

Even iv years after my celiac illness diagnosis, I yet build mistakes. For instance, terminal year, I realized that a probiotic I had been using had changed its formula together with similar a shot contains traces of wheat. (Luckily, at that topographic point are plenty of gluten gratis probiotic options, this this one). 

 1 of the hardest parts of living alongside an invisible illness is that y'all expect  ix Ways You Can See My Invisible Illness, Celiac Disease

And fifty-fifty when people produce everything right, celiac complications tin sneak upwardly on them. What produce I mean? Well, I tin tolerate small-scale amounts of gluten gratis oats, but if I swallow an entire (gluten free) oat-based poly peptide bar or a few handfuls of gluten gratis oat-based granola, my torso goes into zombie manner (complete alongside encephalon fog together with 24/7 fatigue). Meanwhile, sometimes my tum volition create upwardly one's hear to freak out for no argue at all.

What does all of this mean? If the celiac inward your life looks a niggling worse for wear, sure, they could receive got a cold...but it mightiness live their invisible illness acting up, too. 

9. My gluten gratis swag.

As challenging equally living alongside an invisible illness similar celiac illness tin be, invisible illnesses tin receive got a few benefits. Which is (arguably) the biggest? You tin direct when (or if!) y'all bring out your chronic illness to the world. 

Personally, I vesture my celiac diaease diagnosis on my sleeve...sometimes literally. I receive got several shirts related to celiac illness or gluten gratis food. My backpack is decked out alongside gluten gratis buttons. Even my reckoner rocks stickers virtually my favorite gluten gratis brands. 

 1 of the hardest parts of living alongside an invisible illness is that y'all expect  ix Ways You Can See My Invisible Illness, Celiac Disease

Why produce I produce this? First of all, it tin build the “celiac conversation” alongside novel people a niggling less awkward. Instead of my gluten gratis diet sounding similar a hugger-mugger beingness of a abrupt revealed, people unremarkably nod together with tell something like, “I guessed equally much past times your backpack.” or “I read that inward the weblog post linked to your Facebook page.” 

Even to a greater extent than importantly, I stone gluten gratis swag to exhibit that celiac illness is a component subdivision of who I am...and that’s it. It’s non my full identity. It’s non the goal of the basis or a culinary decease sentence. And it’s non going to halt me from chasing my dreams together with enjoying a lot of the “normal” activities every other 20-something enjoys. 

What Everyone Should Know About Celiac Disease

Much similar fibromyalgia, celiac illness together with its symptoms are oft invisible to the naked eye. In fact, inward lite of the recent gluten gratis fad, y'all can't fifty-fifty consider a asking for a gluten gratis card or a gluten gratis selection at a move component subdivision automatic indications of celiac illness or gluten intolerance. 

 1 of the hardest parts of living alongside an invisible illness is that y'all expect  ix Ways You Can See My Invisible Illness, Celiac Disease

However, at that topographic point are several ways y'all tin “see” your loved 1 or friend’s celiac illness diagnosis...and the to a greater extent than y'all tin recognize the small-scale together with large ways that celiac illness impacts their lives, the to a greater extent than y'all tin sympathise alongside their struggles together with offering back upwardly when they demand it.

Celiac illness may live an invisible illness - but it doesn’t receive got to live an invisible or overlooked consequence inward the full general public. And every fourth dimension y'all assistance spread celiac awareness or back upwardly somebody alongside celiac disease, y'all are component subdivision of the displace to build celiac illness but equally visible equally it is life-changing. 



No questions today - but tell me your thoughts inward the comments below! 

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