I can say with absolute certainty that I was an awkward teenager.
I tried to portray myself as cool and collected, but inside I was tangled mess of nerves and insecurity.
I’m assuming many teenagers feel the same way.
Now on top of that…add celiac to the mix and you’ve got the following scenario from today’s guest blogger Mychaela.
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First I would like to say thank you very much for letting me share my story.
I’m always hearing about other people’s struggles with celiac disease but they’re always older. And me being only fifteen, it’s hard to compare my story with anyone else’s.
We all have the same symptoms because we all have the same disease, but what I don’t have compared to all of the other older people are the same circumstances.
I have to go to school and I carry around a constant worry of someone touching my food at lunch and kids don’t understand any of this. To them, touching my food or throwing cookies at me while I eat are all part of a game: โlets see how upset we can make Mychaelaโ.
There aren’t many foods for me to chose from where I live which is a small town in Illinois. Walmart has a pathetic excuse for a gluten free section that is about five shelves long and seems to only contain five different types of pasta. As a joke, some people like to put a package of Oreos or some other non gluten-free item in that section.
The people here don’t understand celiac disease and probably never will…but the worst part of it are the kids.
Starting out in high school, I was looking forward to the last four years of school going smoothly and enjoying every Friday night at Pizza Hut or Wendy’s with my friends.
Of course that all changed when I found out I had Celiacs disease. I expected it too but of course โkids being kidsโ or however you want to put it, they would say โOh it’s ok you can’t eat there; just drink soda while we eat and you can sit and talk to us.โ
They didn’t understand that even sitting in the restaurant made me so sick I’d miss at least a week of school.
You can try to explain this disease to someone and maybe on the off chance they might understand that any sort of wheat can make me sick. But trying to explain to people the disease in it’s entirety would be like a person with Celiac disease trying to eat an entire loaf of bread without dying.
They just can’t fathom the mere thought of this being more than just an allergy. They don’t understand the exhaustion, the anxiety, the depression, the body pain, or in my case the constant fear of some stupid kid at lunch putting something in my food while I’m not looking and laughing as they watch me get sick.
The allergy part of this disease is not the disease itself but merely a symptom.
Thank you again for letting me share my story. I really appreciate it.
Hi Mychaela- Although I’m probably your parents age, I too was diagnosed when I was in high school. I was sixteen, and this was way back in 1977. I ran into the exact same problems as you, friends who just don’t understand, a special plate at the school cafeteria, and eating a yucky boring salad at the pizza place while everyone else ate pizza. Isn’t awful to smell something like pizza and not be able to eat any? So I know first hand what you are going through. It may have been over thirty years ago, but all of us Celiacs understand and empathize with you.
So here’s some advice for you. Be strong. You have to be a little more mature, well, a lot more mature than your peers. Tell them in graphic language what being glutenated (I made up that word a long time ago) does to your cilia and to your overall health. Your real, true friends will understand and even help you out. Those who don’t, well, you can do without those people. I know it is hard having to explain over and over again, but remember you are educating them about an immune system disease because you are more mature more knowledgeable, and much stronger in spirit than they are. You have to be strong.
You also have lot’s more resources than I ever had when I was diagnosed. There are magazines like Living Without and Gluten Free Living you can subscribe to. And the internet is a wonderful resource to find gluten free stuff at a cheaper cost than the grocery stores. I know it would be wonderful to just walk in to a store and get everything you need, but the reality is we celiacs can’t do that. We have to be more resourceful and clever than others. Make use of technology to manage the issues at hand. And always, always read the ingredients on what you purchase at the grocery store. And when you see the Oreo’s in the GF section, just know that I too see gluten containing stuff mixed in with the GF stuff all the time.
I know it’s tough to deal with this disease, but it is doable. I’ve lost count on how many times there were pizza parties where I’ve worked at. Or cookies, cakes, donuts, and numerous other yummy smelling things that a celiac can’t have. Again, we have to be strong. I know it’s tough, but you can do it. Everyone who posts on this way cool blog has been there before, and we are here for you whenever you need to vent. Best of luck to you-
Hi Mychaela,
I can relate to your story as well. Kids can be SO MEAN! I feel like most of it comes from not understanding so they joke about it. The world needs to be more educated on Celiac’s and how it affects every aspect of the lives of those who live with it.
I was diagnosed in August of 2004, right before my junior year of high school. It sucked. I brought my own lunch to school every day and never ate anything else because I was terrified.
There was one kid who was in my group of friends who would constantly go “Katie, want a bagel? OH WAIT YOU CAN’T!!!” And I would just have to ignore him.
I spent a lot of time with my guidance counselor, the first few times people would bring munchkins or cookies into class and the reality would hit me again, I would leave the room fighting back tears and go talk to her. Just having someone to talk to about what was going on and how I was feeling really really helped me.
So I suggest visiting your guidance counselor or school psychologist if that’s something you’d be interested in. Venting and having someone to listen to you; that’s what they’re there for and I’m so grateful that my school had one.
I also agree with David that you have to be strong and that you can do this. It will get better; once I was out of high school and more on my own, I started doing my own grocery shopping and learning how to cook. There are a lot more gluten free items out there now and I’ve learned to constantly have food in my purse. Just incase.
As for restaurants, I know they suck as well. Perhaps try suggesting things you can do that don’t involve food? Movies, shopping, bowling?
I hope this helped. ๐
I disagree on one point Katie. It will NOT get better. I am 46 years old. My mother in law buys stuff for me and brings it to my house. I have to tell her, “Uh…I can’t eat that!” Oh…that’s right. It REALLY pisses me off, but you have to deal with stupidity EVEN from your family. She will invite us to dinner and there will be NOTHING that I can eat. “Oh…that’s right!” I mean come on. It has been YEARS and you still forget? I don’t think it’s because she forgets. I think it’s because she enjoys it. There WILL be people out there that enjoy your discomfort and your pain Mychaela. This is where you are going to have to buck up and ignore the ignorance. I cannot tell you how many times we are invited to a family members house for a party and these people KNOW that I have Celiac Disease. They KNOW that I cannot have gluten. They just don’t care!!!!!! I guess my advice is to get a tough skin and know that WE are here for you ALWAYS. WE understand what you are going through and will ALWAYS listen (read…lol!) to your thoughts, your fears and your anger!!!!! AND…we will understand and sympathize!!!!!!! Hugs to you Mychaela!!!!!
BTW…I really am not trying to be a negative Nelly, but I am not one to sugar coat, so if I offended Katie or anyone else please forgive me!
I have to somewhat disagree with you, Donna, with regards that it doesn’t get better. It most certainly does get better, even if you do have passive aggressive morons in the family. You still sound very angry over other people’s behavior and that should not be. Yes, I have morons in my family also so when the few who are try and pull something like bringing food over that they know my husband and I cannot eat, I just throw it in the trash and watch their head explode. Turn the table on their behavior to see how they like it. They usually don’t and after throwing away food they bring, they usually don’t do it again. I do not allow gluten food in my house and if you don’t like the house rules, don’t cross my threshold unless you are empty handed or have GF food!
As far as Mychaela is concerned, what I see is an extremely intelligent young lady who is more clear headed than most adults today. Yes, kids are little bastards today and I still think we need to go back to the days where we get physically tough with them because that is what really takes care of bullies. Not this mamby pamby, be gentle approach. I took care of a bully once and I cannot even tell you what I did because it was illegal. It was light years ago but she never bothered me again….ever. I didn’t harm her physically but sent a message she will never forget.
I think Mychaela needs to find new friends, preferably the Celiac kind, and make sure the school knows she is being tormented at lunch. You just have to make sure you do not take this crap from anyone because its the reaction they are looking for that feeds their
bullying. Trust me, adults get bullied also, but as adults, we have more self absurdness to fight back. I can guarantee that Mychaela will be one tough, confident adult when the time comes after going through this painful learning process. But life does get much better with Celiac the longer you live with it and the better friends you find.
FYI…I was bullied over the fact that I was so skinny in high school…from undiagnosed Celiac. It was tough for me too as everyone thought I had a major eating disorder….NOT! I had very few friends my age because I hung around with adults after school…they never treated me badly whereas my peers did. Maybe new friends need to be made with slightly older people, not ignorant teenage gluten eating bullies!
A very touching story indeed. Kids can be so cruel. I hope that your parents are on top of things, but that can be even worse especially for a teenager. I agree with Donna in the sense that people just don’t care. I have the same experience at my job when people have potlucks. I have to bring my own food and it puts up a red flag that says “Mutant”. But I digress, keep fighting for YOU! You will have to get tough—and that’s the big challenge. If your parents allow it, you might consider joining a Celiac support group online or at a hospital if it is offered. Please don’t suffer alone. Vent, get angry, cry, and take charge of who you are—a beautiful young woman who is NOT her disease.
Claudia there are enough GF foods for pot lucks that being “the mutant” is drama you are creating. The saying what we resist persists is very true.. GF cheesecake, stew, bbq pulled pork (personal fave) get others to start seeing what gluten free really is…whole foods. Now I’m not suggesting you dig into mac & cheese hot dish, but giving easy tasty options like enchilada bake shows people we aren’t mutants & gives REAL friends something they can feel comfortable cooking that’s GF. Start small with “hey if you leave the croutons out of the salad they don’t get mushy”(or poison me). GF crackers & hummus or other GF dip again let’s you participate (just be sure to save a portion for yourself).
Mychaela, if your friends are suggesting soda & watch them eat…its a step in the right direction even when it doesn’t feel that way. “We want to spend time with you & have you experience time with the group” is a HUGE deal for teens. Now I’m not suggesting pizza parlor is a good idea, but this is a stepping stone to where you want to be. “Hey what about bowling, movies, this new (gf safe) place I read about on findmeglutenfree.com” there are teen friendly & gf safe(er) places to try.
As for walmart, there is a benefit to a huge corporation in a small town…they can special order for you. Yes it may mean splitting cases of things with other gf people or putting a case of rudis bread in the freezer…BUT you have gf variety available. Brands I know for a fact can be ordered at walmart (because they are on shelves in my big city stores) are glutino, rudis bread, bobs red mill, stephanies, carolines, pure bars, lara bars, enjoy life, hodgeson mill mixes, GF bisquick, gluten free pantry, heartland pasta & annies gf mac & cheese, lundberg risotto (the absolute best), knicknick grahams, old man granola just to name a few things I regularly get from walmart. Chex cereal is also a fave. All of these things can be oirdered through customer service or walmart.com shipped to store. This is also a way to get your store to stock what you like!! My walmart they got a glutino shipment & put everything in the regular cookie asile bottom shelf…explained to the store manager that ignored me, I then found the dry goods manager I had gotten to know discussing GF (because his niece was just diagnosed celiac)…helping him meant I had an alliy when these contaminated cookies & crackers needed to be returned (so they didn’t end up in my stomach).
Friends come in odd places. At 15 you are old enough to do cookie/brownie/baking stuff at your home during a sleep over. Tell friends everything is at your house just bring sleeping bags, then cook all gluten free treats, full gluten free meal…& let them try it!!! Some GF foods taste better without all the flour. Hands on making treats shows them how important flour substitution really is!!
Yes this is hard, high school isn’t a place of love & comfort its a mean place that gets you ready for the real world where knowing who your real friends are & how to tell becomes life or death. College will be learning advocacy for yourself & your needs (some schools are better about gf meals than others). You can do this!! No its not easy, or fun, or popular…its survival! Check your state celiac association for teen support groups, heck start one!! Parents also need to talk to others about how to handle schools, bullying, safe foods or restaurants that “get gf” don’t just have a contaminated gf menu.
As for cookie boy try this, ” look I know you like me, but its pathetic you need to poison me for attention. It doesn’t make you cool, it doesn’t make you funny, it certainly doesn’t make me like you,…it makes you a bully!! It makes you someone that would kill me for his own amusement! & it makes you a pathetic excuse for a human being! Now do need to get a restraining order or can you try acting like a grown up?”. My suggestion is standing up, full volume in front of the whole school. #1 this puts the school & him on notice about the bullying, #2 it shows people you will stand up for yourself…this is a very very important skill to learn. Bullies are everywhere work, school, the mall, the restaurant that won’t listen to “I need a new salad without croutons & I’m keeping this one till you get back”. Getting angry makes you a victim & entertains the bullies, doing something about it finds own your own strength. What he’s doing is illegal under the Americans with disabilities act, most state bullying laws & likely local district laws on harassment in the school. The law is on your side if you let it be. If you end up in the principals office make sure you remind them of this…federal law is on your side & bullying is illegal.
You can do this!! No its not fair you got this disease, its not fair any of us have it. But for all we know you’re the doctor that will find a cure or the lawyer that will make eating safer for all of us. These things can only happen if you can find a way to come from love & strength. Advocate for yourself, push others to obey laws designed to help you & find out who your friends are.
Had another thought…why not contact your state celiac association & offer to do a GF teen blog, facebook, chatroom? Other teens going through what you are within a few hours drive being able to talk via the internet would be something new.
GF moms group in colorado is very popular & allows kids (and moms) to meet others learn products & avoid drama like discovering the hard way m&m’s now contain wheat ๐ ๐ good bye my little round friends ๐
Mychaela, you said, “They didnโt understand that even sitting in the restaurant made me so sick Iโd miss at least a week of school.” I have the same problem with any place that uses flour for anything, because the flour particles get in the air and take a full 48 hours to settle. Now, if they use flour on a daily basis, of course it never gets to the point that it actually settles completely and is in the air for you to inhale, get into your saliva and ingest, cause a gluten reaction. And what does actually settle out of the air, settles on EVERYTHING, which again, you will eventually get to your mouth and into your digestive tract. I once lived with a couple and the wife made bread on a b9-weekly basis. She was a neat freak, too, so her counters were always clean, except for all the flour settling from her bread-baking. I was so sick the month I was living there, I almost was unable to get out of bed.
Thank You Lisa!!!!
โBullying exists because of a lack adult intervention.โ – Stuart Green
Hey there ๐
Thanks for sharing your story, i know you will help alot of people with it. This first step in opening up and helping others is awesome. Keep doing it. Sometimes in life the hard stuff that sucks defines us. It could show you how strong you really are. Take it and run with it. Every day people like us talk to other people who don’t know or understand celiac. One person at a time until it goes viral.
I want you to know that being bullied can change. It is not acceptable for people to taunt you or throw cookies at you. That pisses me off. I would bake or get a bag of gluten free cookies and hurl them back at them. There should be an adult to stop this. You need to talk to someone there and make this stop.
Keep strong.
XO,
Jersey Girl
I just want to make something clear…. We as Mychaela’s parents have stepped in with the issues at school.. ect… The point of this post is that as a teen the embarassment that goes along with being different. I would NEVER allow someone to hurt my daughter and stand by and not do anything about it! NEVER!!!! So please understand the reason we allowed Mychaela to submitt this post is to show it through a teens eyes. Yes, she went through and continues to have to deal with JERKS. Thats why as adults we need to do are job on educating people with this disease. The school has also done what they can but remember teens don’t want to seem to different. Thats part of this battle.
I am 23 years old and was diagnosed with Celiac disease a few months ago. Although I was not diagnosed, it was still a problem when I was in high school. I would go out to eat with my friends all the time and get sick immidiatley after and I had no idea why. My friends and I had this joke. When I got sick we called it a **it attack. I did not know what else to do besides laugh about it because I did not understand what was wrong with me. I laughed it off but really it was embarassing and miserable. I felt like crap all the time both physically and emotionally. It affected my relationships, my school performance and my over all well being. That was 8 years ago. I was so thankful to finally figure out what was wrong with me when I finally gave in and went to the doctor. Of course it is not all better. I avoid gluten like the pleague but somehow I still manage to come in contact with it through cross contamination. My family does not understand why I am so “obsessive” about it. I was living with it before, whats the big deal now? The truth is I wasn’t living with it, I was dying from it and I didn’t even realize it.
I know it truly sucks to have to deal with this disease, especially in high school. The bright side of it is you know about it early so by the time you are an adult you will be an expert at dealing with it. It seems like your family is very supportive and are doing whatever they can to help you. Finally, you have found this totally awesome blog which I have found as a great sense of comfort.
Find friends who will stay true to you no matter what. Friends that will share a gluten free pizza with you, buy special flour for you and bring you tea when you acidentally get sick. By having this disease you will find out who your true friends are. I know I did…. and they are glad my **it attacks are less frequent.
As a fellow IL resident, I can tell ya – it doesn’t get much better in the big city, one has to shop mostly at the specialty stores and we’re lucky to have the restaurants that are GF.
But to the more topical part, I think Mychaela shows a lot of resiliency in this post – something that will serve you well as an adult! Kids are always bad, and always will be in the school environment. The best thing you can do is try to cultivate a circle around you that may help insulate you from them. I was bullied too, but because I was a diabetic – I had to shoot up my insulin at the table…sigh…Hang in there, honey. High school sucks and it does get better afterward, no matter what disease or condition you have.
Mychaela, I hope you’ve learned about all the foods online that you can get now. I do way more online ordering than anything else. And if you’re ever going through Chicago area, bring a trailer with you and stock up on Trader Joes, Fruitful Yield, OMG Its Gluten Free, Sweet Alis, and Whole Foods products!
Mychaela,
Thank you for sharing your story! I love the idea of you starting your own teen Celiac blog. Having Celiac can make you feel very alone, as we all know. It is especially for children and teenagers. If your parents would agree, I can see a youtube video explaining your disease in a super cool way and what happens at school. ….I understand your worry in a lunchroom,however, I don’t have anyone throwing cookies at me. I have had students drop food on my food by mistake and a co work pick a piece of fruit out of my container with her fingers in passing!
Hugs girl and hang in there!!!!
I wish people would “get” it
My daughter is your age and made me some of the best gf (soy free nut free)chocolate chip cookies I’ve had in 2 1/2 years! If you can get Hodgson Mill gf cookie mix at walmart (I got mine there) it makes great cookies ๐ Enjoy life chocolate chips : )
Okay, This may be a long post, but please hear me out.
I taught teenagers for 22 years. They can be wonderful and charming and funny —–and they can be whiny and obnoxious and rude.
As we all once were. ๐
Mychaela,
I am sorry anyone gives you grief over your lunch and tries to mess with your food. This is unacceptable!
I have a suggestion:
I am guessing there are OTHER kids with celiac or various food allergies at the school? There must be! This is rather common now.
So, start a club. Eat with them. Bond with people who “get it”.
The ones who are behaving this way towards you continue to do it because they feel powerful. That’s what bullying is–acting powerful. So, take the power away.Stop being a victim.
Find ways to take charge. Get involved in clubs –or start your own–and meet at lunchtime. AS a group. Drop anyone who treats you with disrespect.
Write a column for the school newspaper explaining what celiac is and what gluten does to the body. Awareness often changes people’s opinions.
Honey, there is no need to fear going into a restaurant.
We do not get sick just ” being around food”. That is impossible.
I would certainly avoid bakeries– as airborne flour could be an issue– but just sitting with people eating gluteny foods is not going to harm you. I have dined at a dinner table with others (eating my own safe food) and nothing happened to me. And I am VERY sensitive to trace gluten.If you are worried about it, invite people to YOUR house. That’s what I do.
Fear is our worst enemy.
I do not think it is necessary for any of us–adults, teens, or children –to wear a “I am a celiac & woe is me” sign. The faster we all stop using it as a label, the sooner it will be less of a burden and we will not be a “victim” of this disease.
Do the kids taunt the ones with peanut allergies? Cystic fibrosis? dyslexia? diabetes? glasses? if so, they are total jerks.
With all due respect, I have to disagree that “it gets worse”.
This is not necessarily true for all of us and one person’s bad experience with an obnoxious and thoughtless MIL is not the norm. (and Donna, hon, sorry, but it’s time to tell her to cut the crap and have your hubs tell her the same thing. Take a stand. Enough is enough..)
As you grow up and become more assertive, confident and comfortable, Mychaela, you will learn to say to others “Look. I cannot have that, it is deadly for me, so please do not bring it into my home.”
Don’t ask–TELL. Be firm.
If they do not honor this, do not invite them again.
No one in my family or circle of friends would ever intentionally
try to harm me with gluten.
If they did, I would cut them out of my life so fast —-and I do not care if they are my mother, mother in law or my best friend. My life is sacred and my heath is my priority.
YOU are in charge. Do not let this disease define you –or confine you. And never, ever let anyone treat you with disrespect.
and really, Oreos on a shelf will do no harm. Food in sealed packages are not harmful to celiacs. Just ignore that stuff. Learn to say “that’s just a stupid, narrow person doing that and I choose to ignore it”.
Best wishes, honey–you sound like a really wise and savvy kiddo –and I have no doubt you will blossom into an amazing woman!
“Adversity reveals true character”…and yours will shine!
You’re a warrior princess, honey—go forward and be strong.
Dear Mychaela,
I have been in your shoes & I know that it might seem horrible right now & that things will not get better, but please, PLEASE, listen to me – if you stay strong & refuse to give in to negativity it WILL. GET. BETTER. I was diagnosed at your age many years ago, and reading your story brought up all of the horrible memories of high school. You are NOT alone and you need to remember this. I know it’s hard to not give in to the people around you, but the one thing that kept me going when I was younger, was the thought that I would “escape” from my home town & be able to find people in my life who would appreciate me for who I am as a person I am (and and who I want to be) while allowing me to be able help others who were also celiac or gluten intolerant. My stubbornness & bullheaded-ness over the years this have allowed this to happen and I am living my dream. Please don’t give up, we’re (the gluten free kids who survived HS ๐ are rooting for you!!!
Hi Mychaela,
It’s tough being a kid as it is, I’m sorry that you have to deal with this as well :(. I’m 24 years old and was recently diagnosed with celiac but think I’ve had it for years! All through high school and varsity, I would get really sick at times and everyone kept saying its just gastric flu or stress from exams. I even stopped eating pizza a few years back because that would make me so sick that I’d take a couple days to feel better.
But even as an adult life is hard but you learn to deal with it :). It makes you a stronger person as you start standing up for yourself. I agree with IrishHeart, “Fear is our worst enemy.” As a young adult, you tend to party and socialise a lot and after I was diagnosed I was so scared to eat out or do anything. But I HAD to toughen up and stand up for myself so that I don’t get sick. And you will figure out who your true friends are in time. Mine actually check with me first before we eat out and if there is nothing there for me to eat they don’t mind hopping off to another restuarant. They even keep any eye out for gluten free goodies everywhere they go.
Also, think of it as a challenge to educate people and create awareness about an immune disorder that not many people know about.I know it’s hard, I used to be really depressed all the time and even now I hate being sick all the time. But you have to try and be optimistic that things will get better. I don’t know what you going through, I may not even be able to relate but I can always listen :). Venting is the best thing in the world!! Lol. You could even vent to your parents, I do that and they don’t mind listening.
Also, I live in South Africa and there aren’t many safe gluten free options so I bake my own food :). It actually comes out really good and my friends are surprised by how amazing it tastes. Plus you encourage other people to eat healthier as well.
Good luck to you. High school is always a battle for most kids but you smart, young and intelligent and I have complete confidence that you can do this!! ๐
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…
The BEST dang celiac community in the world!!!!
You know it really is GD. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a PART of this terrific community and support system!!!!! Merry Christmas to you and everyone that’s a part of “The Gluten Dude”!!!!!!!!! May it be the best Christmas you’ve ever had and may next year be TOTALLY GLUTEN FREE!!!!!!!! And I mean gluten free with no cross contamination, no being glutened and NO PAIN, DISCOMFORT, DIARRHEA, CONSTIPATION…..and etc!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank YOU Donna. Wishing you a merry one too!!
hey! I just wanted to let you know that I am turning fifteen in february, so I’m about the same age as you, I have celiac’s disease, and I can totally relate to what you’re going through. It sucks to have to turn down time with friends and gifts because it makes us so sick. if you are ok with it, it would be cool if we could email or something, to have someone to relate to, you know? I don’t know if you’ll see this, but if you do my email is teenageceliac@yahoo.com. Not my personal email, but its the one I use if someone ever emails me about this stuff. ok, bye the. ๐
Wow Amanda! That is really cool and a phenomenal idea!!!!!!! What a great support system you will make for each other. You might even be able to text each other for that “immediate” support!!!!!
Very cool Amanda!
Hi everyone I’m so sorry that it’s taken me so long to respond to all of you’r comments it was finals week at school so i had alot of catching up and studying to do. I want to first say thank you so much everyone for the outpoor of support that i recived from everyone it really means alot to me that I have finally found a group of people that are all total stranger who understand what I’m going through more than people who have known me my entire life. You’r comments have inspired me to stop letting this disease control me and to start living my life I’ll be 16 in a few days and I am, for the first time, excited about my life ahead of me. I can accomplish so many things and I am capable of doing what ever I want. Maybe I can’t eat the things that every other teenager can eat but I have a feeling that in the long run I’ll find that it will all be worth it. Again thank you so much for reading my story and giving me your advice, I know that I am going to be okay and i hope to inspire more young kids to not let this disease controll them. It’s just one more obsticle in life everyone has them and has to get through them we are no different. I hope everyone has a great Christmas! thank you! ๐ Mychaela
Good for you, sweetie. Great attitude. ๐
Rock on, warrior princess! You have your whole life ahead of you and you can do anything you want!
Be well, be happy.
Merry Christmas.
Hugs, IH
I have to say i really love that warrior princess ๐
and love yourself, because….. you ARE a warrior princess
,,,,,, just like me.
๐
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
–you know what I say? Every year is a healing year, honey..
Hang tough, kiddo! IH
Happy Birthday, Mychaela! Go eat some gluten free cake! ; )
Yes, Happy sweet 16!!
whoohoo!!!!!!!!!
Wow Mychaela!!!!!! I am so very glad that you found Gluten Dude’s blog!!!!! I am proud of you because I KNOW how hard this disease is! I cannot say that I had Celiac as a teen, but I can say that I was fat as a child and KNOW how viscous kids can be!!!!!!!! Just keep your chin up and KNOW that we will always be here for you!!! XXOO and Merry Christmas Mychaela!!!!
Merry Christmas Mychaela!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was diagnosed at 15 . The kids sound horrible , it’s annoying having CD at a young age , but on a positive note I quite enjoyed the days off school ๐ I like to think we become stronger when we are diagnosed with CD due to sticking to the diet and tests we go through . Many adults have trouble sticking to simple diets and complain lots but us Celiac’s we have 100 times more stricter diets and still stick to our strict GF diet better than them ๐
All the horrible kids couldn’t stick to the diet as well as you and probably would run a mile when going through the test to get diagnosed !
Good luck for the future ๐
โImagine gluten ingestion on a spectrum, says Dr. Fasano. โAt one end, you have people with celiac disease, who cannot tolerate one crumb of gluten in their diet. At the other end, you have the lucky people who can eat pizza, beer, pasta and cookiesโand have no ill effects whatsoever. In the middle, there is this murky area of gluten reactions, including gluten sensitivity. This is where we are looking for answers about how to best diagnose and treat this recently identified group of gluten-sensitive individuals,โ says Dr. Fasano.
My daughter, Cameron, was diagnosed with celiac at 4 1/2 years old, so she doesn’t know any other life. She, too, faced the kids who made fun of her or questioned why her food was “different”. We have been blessed with a safety net of amazing teachers and staff who watched out for her and protected her from what you have endured. She attends a camp in East Texas for kids with celiac and she sees every year that she has a support group around the country that deal with many of the same issues. Fast forward 10 years to a diagnosis of Type 1, insulin dependent diabetes. Now at camp, she is just as different as she is at school. The saving grace is that she is a strong young woman with an amazing faith that helps her deal with it all. Trust me, we both have our break downs and our “why Cameron” moments, but we both realize that it won’t change who she is or what her life has the ability to become. Cameron is the strongest person I know. Life isn’t easy and most days it pretty much sucks, but what we have learned over the years is to never let other people’s actions and words determine your actions or words. It is an ongoing process to educate others with lots of prayers and faith. In our world, God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.
I can relate… I’m 14! It sucks not being able to eat stuff that everyone else is eating, and it is really bad when kids tease you about it.