Celiac disease: A day in the life
Ever wonder what it’s like to have celiac disease? Of course you do. Let me take you through 24 hours of my life and see what a pain in the ass joy it is to have celiac.
The Day: Saturday, October 15, 2011
7:00am: Wake up. Crave coffee. Make coffee. Drink coffee. So far, so good.
7:30am: My first hunger pang. Luckily, breakfast is probably the easiest meal to figure out. Plenty of good gluten-free cereals on the market. Pour a bowl of Gorilla Munch with almond milk. Half-way thru meal, stomach hurts already. Dump the rest out. On a side note, I once offered my daughter’s friends some Gorilla Munch, and she was absolutely horrified. Note to company: perhaps not the best choice for the name of a food.
7:40am: Bathroom trip. Will spare you the details.
12:00pm: Make lunch. 3 eggs and an Udi’s bagel. Forget to put the toaster on the bagel setting and burn the crap out of my bagel. Rats. Eat it anyway.
12:40pm: All packed and ready to go for an overnight in Philly (30 minutes away). We have a charity event to attend.
12:41pm: Realize I haven’t packed any food for my journey. Open my gluten free drawer and throw a potpourri of items in a bag: Twigs & Sticks, 3 bananas, 2 Kind bars, almonds and pistachios. Way to plan ahead Dude.
3:00pm: Arrive in Philly and immediately think food. Simply cannot risk eating out and ruining my night (and next six months) by getting glutened. Play it safe and get some sushi (the Dude’s favorite).
5:00pm: Go up to the top floor of hotel for some free appies and beverages. Everything looks awesome. And dangerous. I ask the server if the tuna is ok. She checks with the chef. Says it’s fine. Gives me ingredients. Includes soy sauce. Sigh. Watch everyone else eat.
6:30pm: Arrive at charity event. Cocktail hour first. Wow…everything looks great. I eat a carrot. Head to the bar.
8:00pm: First dinner course is served. We planned ahead to let the hotel know my dilemma but the server seems really annoyed when I remind him. Brings salad out. Remind him AGAIN I cannot eat gluten. Takes salad back. Brings back a plate of lettuce. Head back to bar.
9:00pm: Main course. Steak and shrimp over a sweet potato puree. As long as I don’t have the sauce on top, server assures me it’s totally safe. Must eat so I have no choice. Really good, but hard to enjoy as I just can’t be sure it’s ok.
10:00pm: Dessert served. Not even close.
1:00am: Back at the hotel lobby. Everybody drinking. Everybody starving. Somebody goes out and brings back 20 slices of all kinds of pizza. Everybody enjoys. Well, not everybody.
2:00am: Call it a night. Already mourning the next morning’s breakfast that I won’t be able to eat.
9:00am: Breakfast. Everyone complaining about all the crap they ate the night before.
Eat my fresh fruit and smile.
Hmmm…maybe having celiac isn’t so bad after all.
Alex
215 days ago
Waiters!! Are people selfish, uncaring or just lazy? Waiters and resteraunts need to have financial ramifications for making mistakes with food allergies, people are too selfish to do anything for the greater good. Hate to have more litigation but a few lawsuits would change the training and standards by resteraunts.
The Gluten Dude
215 days ago
I hear you. In this case, it was a large function and they had to get 450 meals out. So I blame more the management than the server. But never the less, a total PITA.
David Zaritsky
214 days ago
I am the guilty party that brought back the pizza…I knew it wouldn’t be popular with everyone but literally the only food source. Saw your expression when the boxes came and I immediately tried to sympathize….don’t worry, we will be in more control of the Halloween Party.
The Gluten Dude
214 days ago
Please…it was 1 in the morning. That is totally pizza time. Never a need to worry about it.
Marcia
87 days ago
I just read this article and I thought it was really interesting, so I thought I would pass it on.
The entire article may be viewed at http://www.livingwithout.com/issues/4_12/ataxia-2366-1.html
Gluten Attack: Ataxia
December 30, 2010
By Christine Boyd
Is gluten attacking your brain?
Gluten ataxia is a neurologic condition characterized by the loss of balance and coordination. However it can also affect fingers, hands, arms, legs, speech and even eye movements. Typical symptoms include difficulty walking or walking with a wide gait, frequent falls, difficulty judging distances or position, visual disturbances and tremor.
The Gluten Dude
86 days ago
Real interesting article Marcia. I’m always amazed at the wide-ranging symptoms of celiac disease. Ataxia almost sounds like a version of MS.
Marcia
86 days ago
I know, how scary! There are so many things that gluten can do to your body, that we don’t even know about. I learn new things every day!
The Gluten Dude
86 days ago
Agreed. I know I spout about the evils of the “gluten free diet craze: but I am a firm believer that there is something inherently bad about gluten. We just don’t know it yet.
Kara
31 days ago
Reading wheat Belly and finding very interesting info about the fact that the wheat for 1950 to 1970 was the beginning of “bad wheat”. 1970′s on…a totally different product. Some of his views lead to gfree as bad for everyone’s diet but the actual change in gluten’s genetic is very interesting.
The Gluten Dude
31 days ago
I’ve heard of this as well. Will have to check the book out.
Marcia
85 days ago
Like wise with sugar, it’s evil and poison!! That and cigarettes should be illegal. In January I cut out all sugar, and it’s just amazing how many things have sugar. Like gluten it’s everywhere. But that’s another one of my soap boxes… my boyfriend is of the mind that companies don’t lie, it wouldn’t be out there if it was harmful… Can you believe that??? I just get crazy, with the mind set, his and my co-workers that eat crap all day long and think I’m weird for trying to get healthy… what can you do?? It’s a losing battle of wills.
The Gluten Dude
85 days ago
Companies don’t lie?? Yowsa…a bit naive. Going sugar free is next on my to do list…at least for 30 days.
Marcia
83 days ago
It takes about that long to adjust, then it’s a piece of cake, haha! It’s not that hard. Really! After about a month you kind of lose interest and can more easily say no. It probably takes years to get it out of your system though.
Claire
63 days ago
I’m gluten-intolerant (not celiac) but have days very similar to yours. In fact, I can’t have so many things on a restaurant menu (also lactose-intolerant), what’s the point of eating out? I can always make salad at home!
Claire
63 days ago
I’m gluten-intolerant (not celiac) but have had days like yours. What’s the point of eating out if you can’t eat 98% of the stuff on a menu (also lactose-intolerant…sigh). I can always make the salad at home!
marcia
61 days ago
Restaurant’s are the worst, it is always so frustrating to try to tell a waiter what you need and to actually get it. Or it not be a salad.. There are alot of chains now that have gluten free menus. Kind of boring but it’s getting better. Olive Garden, Applebee’s, and some local places here.. I have gotten grilled chicken parmagiana which is awesome! Instead of the usual breaded and fried. And veggies on the side, or a salad, instead of pasta. However, when you are traveling it’s so difficult sometimes. How many bunless burgers can one eat.
The Gluten Dude
60 days ago
How many indeed Marcia. Just had one out last Saturday. I no longer look at going out to eat as a fun “dining” experience; just a fun “social” experience.