Two Months Gluten Free

It’s now been roughly two months since my diagnosis of celiac and thus two months attempting to eat and live free of gluten. It’s definitely continued to be a learning experience. I’m still not certain how well I’ve done in my efforts. But I think I’ve done pretty well. We’re still learning how to avoid cross-contamination, the art of reading labels, and techniques for dealing with restaurants (though I have not gone out to eat very much since my diagnosis). I’ve certainly not intentionally ingested any gluten. And I am getting more proficient at this life each day.

It seems most of the short-term benefits were the ones I experienced in the first month. There have been no dramatic or even noticeable additional improvements this past month. I suppose I’ve now settled into the long haul of healing and recovery where progress is measured in months rather than days or weeks. I can live with that.

I met with the dietitian and in addition to outlining the types of food I need to be certain to eat, the frequency with which I need to eat something as my intestines recover, and similar advice, she has me taking a lot of vitamin supplements (and refrigerated probiotics capsules) to try to compensate for my damaged small intestine over this interim period. That too is beginning to settle into a routine, though I’ll be glad when I don’t have to take so many pills every day.

I’m not yet finished with my rounds of new specialists, though. While the results from my bone density scan weren’t horrible, they did show some osteoporosis in my lumbar spine (lower back). So the gastroenterologist is referring me to another specialist. (I believe she’s an endocrinologist.) I think (or at least hope) that we’re done discovering the various things that are wrong with me as a result of celiac disease and can move on toward the part where I start getting better.