This is the day that the Lord has made... Let me rejoice and get... Baking. Yep that's right, it's baking day in my household. I think I'll tackle the insurmountable task of baking either cookies or brownies. Why, you might ask, is this an "insurmountable" task? It's the first (well actually second, my cake experiment didn't turn out so well), since being diagnosed with celiac's disease. Baking without gluten, well, it has it's challenges. Bread bake differently, cakes don't rise, just to name a few of the problems gluten free baking causes. Not many people know about the disease, so I'll get a very, very short overview of the disease. Basically speaking, someone with celiacs cannot ingest or be exposed to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley or rye. If I do get exposed, my symptoms can range in the extreme, from annoying to debilitating (hives, brain fog, edema, asthma attacks, depression, among others, as well as intense abdomen and stomach pain and all the joy that goes with it).
Basically, it's what some call the "the mother of autoimmune diseases". It's been linked to lupus, lymphoma and other cancers, diabetes and assortment of other nasty disease. In my part of the woods, 1 out of 99 people have the disease and don't even know it. For the rest of the U.S.A., it's about 1 out of 133. If a celiac ingest or is exposed to gluten, the body literally starts attacking itself. Every single organ is affected. I feel absolutely awful. I've had symptoms all my life, went to doctors to find out what went wrong, and no one could help me. Finally after decades of frustration, a G.I doctor told me what I had, and now I can controll the disease through following a strict gluten free diet. If you have any questions about what the disease really is, go to http://www.csaceliacs.org/, an incredibly insightful, helpful webpage.
Celiac's disease is not fun to be sure. I mean, celiacs disease not cancer (although it often does lead to it), but it encompasses every aspect of my life. I have to be careful of what lipstick,shampoo/conditioners, soaps, even how I eat my lunch at work (because of cross-contamination). My job is affected, because when I accidentally ingest (by that I mean ingesting cross contaminated food or other products), I miss work. In short, it stinks!
I could be bitter and blame God and my parents for my faulty genes, but what would be merciful about that. I choose to be merciful to God. Yep, that's right, I choose to believe God has a wonderful plan for me, even if it includes disease. I choose to bless Him and not curse Him. He is still my God and I will trust Him. I don't blame Him for letting me have this disease. I have this because we live in a fallen world. Bad things happen. They just do and there are somethings we just can't control. Having a disease like this has taught me to look at those with disabilities and diagnosed health issues in a different light. I mean, I wasn't inconsiderate to them or anything, but at the same time, I couldn't really empathize. I now know what it feels like to wait at home for test results, and am aquinted with that horrible feeling of not knowing what the doctor found until receiving a phone call. At least I know what I have and can take actions to protect myself. I thank God for that! 1 out 133 people, remember, have "something wrong" with them and don't the name of the disease that haunts them.
I thank God for sending me to a doctor that knows the signs of celiacs disease like: stomach discomfort, diarhea, constipation, anemia, edema, hives, anxiety and depression, brain fog, and that's just the short list. Many people are diagnosed in their 50's and 60's.
One of the things I'm grateful for is that eventually, I will be healed, either in this life, or in the next. That is only possible because of the death and ressurection of Jesus Christ. Thank you, God my Father, who gave up Your Son, for me! I can't wait to eat all the gluten containing bread I want!
God's peace be with you, and wish me good luck.
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