Celiacs and My Thoughts....

I was recently diagnosed with an auto immune disease called Celiacs.  The diagnosis was a bit hard to take (UNDERSTATEMENT).  Thousands of thoughts raced through my mind.  Could I eat out again? How would I handle church meals and pot lucks?  What about eating on vacation?  What about eating at parties or at other people's homes?  Oh my! My very small social life was going to become even smaller.  I was a bit terrified and sad at all the changes that would be made.  In short, I was OVERWHELMED!

My next feeling that reared its ugly head was anger. I was angry because I was predisposed for this disease, yet I was never told.  Then God in His awesomeness and pure love began to teach me how to eat, shop and live.  As time began to heal my body,  I saw the diagnosis in another light. 

My pregnancy with Stephen, my smiling seven year old, is when I believe the disease was no longer dormant.  I began to have struggles with my hands during his pregnancy which later moved into joint issues with ankles. hips, and knees.  There were days I could barely walk. The absence of that pain made me realize what bondage I was under with a misdiagnosis of my ailments. God truly came and set my body free from pain and exhaustion.

As I continue to digest the diagnosis of celiacs, I see several more blessings from God.  It is a treatable disease.  It is controlled by my intake of meds and foods.  They must all be gluten free. The super markets are full of all sorts of gluten free alternatives.  We also have the ability to afford all the food which is a blessing worth repeating.  My grocery bill has gone up exponentially in the last few months.  God has been completely faithful with giving me the finances needed.

One of the biggest blessings for me is that we were able to diagnose my daughter, Mary-Elizabeth. Celiacs has a huge genetic componet.  It became imperative that we test of all our children that are older than 2 years of age.  Mary-Elizabeth is our only child with the disease being active.  The boys all have 10% greater chance of having celiacs at some point in their life.

 Mary-Elizabeth's numbers are outrageous.  The next step was a biopsy.  Her biopsy came back this last week.  She definitely has celiacs.  She also has a few other nutrition issues we are treating.  I am so grateful to God that we were able to diagnose her before she began to feel sick. 

I have to be honest.  Accepting the fact that I gave my daughter a disease that will be with her for her whole life is tough.  So, I take God's character into account and know that He is faithful and loves ME more than me.  I also take refuge in God's greater plan. 

Ultimately, I pray that we can became better instruments of His ministry because of this diagnosis.  At the least, celiacs has taught me volumes about self-control.  It is definitely another post though!