About Me
Hello everyone!
The name's Casey and I am an incoming freshman to Point Loma Nazarene University, home of the sealions.
Beyond figuring out my schedule, classes and friends, I also have to explore the world of gluten-free after being diagnosed with celiacs two months ago.
Before I start welcoming you into my life as a college celiac, here's my story:
I've always had some health problems, but two months ago I knew something was wrong. I was never hungry and when I was, nausea hit me soon after eating. As the pounds I didn't have to lose steadily came off, my parents became more worried. We made tons of doctor's appointments, visited with one gastroenterologist and I gave vials of blood for testing. A few weeks and one endoscopy later, and I officially joined the celiac family.
When I first learned the news, I didn't know what to think. Change my diet? Go gluten free - easy peasy, is what I first thought. Two months of unfulfilled cravings, shopping cart experiments and lots of Internet searches later, I now know that easy is definitely not the case. And while I'm determined to continue my diet and healing in college, I know resisting the temptation of college junkfood won't be easy either.
So why am I documenting all of my random thoughts? Mainly because when I feel frustrated after bringing my own snacks and declining that pizza and cake during a party, I can't find any blogs to turn to. Sure, tons exist containing recipes, product reviews, and fitness advice, but only a handful show the social side of celiacs - what living with this disease is actually like.
With this blog, I hope to find friends in all ages of life who suffer the same issues and provide an open ear for anyone wanting to vent. I also want to show that being a celiac doesn't kill any chance of a social life in college - it just makes things a little more interesting.
The name's Casey and I am an incoming freshman to Point Loma Nazarene University, home of the sealions.
Beyond figuring out my schedule, classes and friends, I also have to explore the world of gluten-free after being diagnosed with celiacs two months ago.
Before I start welcoming you into my life as a college celiac, here's my story:
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| Me with my PLNU shirt and lots of wind |
I've always had some health problems, but two months ago I knew something was wrong. I was never hungry and when I was, nausea hit me soon after eating. As the pounds I didn't have to lose steadily came off, my parents became more worried. We made tons of doctor's appointments, visited with one gastroenterologist and I gave vials of blood for testing. A few weeks and one endoscopy later, and I officially joined the celiac family.
When I first learned the news, I didn't know what to think. Change my diet? Go gluten free - easy peasy, is what I first thought. Two months of unfulfilled cravings, shopping cart experiments and lots of Internet searches later, I now know that easy is definitely not the case. And while I'm determined to continue my diet and healing in college, I know resisting the temptation of college junkfood won't be easy either.
So why am I documenting all of my random thoughts? Mainly because when I feel frustrated after bringing my own snacks and declining that pizza and cake during a party, I can't find any blogs to turn to. Sure, tons exist containing recipes, product reviews, and fitness advice, but only a handful show the social side of celiacs - what living with this disease is actually like.
With this blog, I hope to find friends in all ages of life who suffer the same issues and provide an open ear for anyone wanting to vent. I also want to show that being a celiac doesn't kill any chance of a social life in college - it just makes things a little more interesting.
Casey,
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if my comment posted from earlier because I was at school but I LOVE your blog. I have been reading all of your entries, instead of doing my homework, laughing and feeling sad along side you, because we share the same struggle! FINALLY someone who understands what Celiac does to your social life, the anxiety over going out to eat, how you can't leave the house without food, god forbid you're out and can't find somewhere to eat, and if you do, cellphone in hand, a million questions to ask, feeling annoying while ordering. Or the emotions, crying over chocolate cake that you stare at so longingly while every else devours its deliciousness. You're one hundred percent right, it becomes a part of you, whether you like it or not, we stand on a soap box for celiac, explaining to all who come into contact with us, because as you said, society revolves around food, from the minute we wake up to the minute we go to sleep. I think your blog is wonderful and you should keep doing what you're doing! Contact me via the form on my own blog, eatsandexercisebyamber.com, I'd love to hear from you, offer you support, give you some advice, whatever you need :]
Stay happy and healthy
<3
This comment made me smile so widely. It's so hard for non-celiacs to understand how eating gluten free really controls one's life, so I love meeting other celiacs who share similar experiences as me. I will totally hit you up and check out your blog. You have now joined a very special club: Casey's Celiac Crew, so welcome and I can't wait to talk more with you! :)
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