Gluten-Free Love Story: Mama Knows Best

This Gluten Free Love Story was lovingly submitted by Melissa

My mother has always been the most precious thing to me in my life. She’s always been there for me – she’s always been my best friend, and she’s always comforting me when I’m sad.

My mother was diagnosed with Celiac disease just over four months ago. I remember her lying on her bed every day, complaining of stomach pains. Her hands were covered with red blisters and rashes. She felt so tired every day, with no energy, and was already asleep by 7 in the afternoon.

She had a lot of blood exams, all of them telling her that she had aneemia. She had a doctor’s appointment nearly every week. I’d never felt so worried in my life. Nobody knew what was wrong. Our family doctor had no idea what the problem could be. Everyone thought that these were all effects from stress.

One day, she was referred to a specialist, who, after a minor surgical procedure, determined that she had Celiac.

She told me when she’d picked me up after school. When she told me I couldn’t believe it. She told me that she couldn’t eat bread. That’s how I understood it. But over time, we realized that more things had gluten than we’d thought. We made several mistakes when adjusting to a gluten free diet. All of these followed by crying and angry yelling.

Every time something happened that reminded us of how careful we had to be with my mom’s disease, I went into my room and cried my eyes out. I couldn’t believe that this was happening to her. She loves bread. She loves noodles. She loves cake. She BAKES cakes, for god’s sake. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t do anything about it. In fact, I still am now. But we’re making progress.

I started researching about Celiac and I’ve learned so much. I now check every single label for gluten, and if there’s no gluten listed in the ingredients, I look for places where gluten may be hidden. I’ve learned the facts, I’ve learned about the scams and I’ve learned about many other Celiac stories.

In fact, this blog has helped my mom and I understand what Celiac is about. We never imagined that there would be such a large community with such nice and friendly people who had so many stories to tell. It’s amazing.

It took a long time before her problem sunk in to us both. She still lies in bed, wondering why this would ever happen to her. I always try to encourage her to look forward and I try to help her as much as I can. She’s dealt through so many things; she’s a strong woman. It will be hard for her to adjust her life, but I believe in her. And I’m always going to be here to let her know that I, and everyone in our family, will help her through everything.

I want to thank you, Gluten Dude, for bringing together everyone who suffers or knows someone who is suffering from Celiac through your blog. Without you, this wonderful community wouldn’t exist.

I hope you all have a lovely Valentine’s Day with the people you love the most!