Getting Diagnosed and Beginning a Lifestyle Change

It has been approximately 8 hours and 42  minutes since I saw the doctor today for what I thought would be a devastating diagnosis to my mystery illness that had finally grown to a near bed ridden state this week. It turns out, it was half what I had suspected nearly a year ago and another half something I had suspected in the last 24 hours. But now that I know, I suddenly feel motivated, empowered, and back in control of me and my body.

Celiac diesease seems to be more of a trend than a real, sometimes life threatening, diagnosis. Today, this became my reality.  I could go into a litany of what mayo clinic and webMD and even Kaiser Permanente define Celiac to be and how it only actually affects 1% of Americans while thousands suffer from gluten intolerance blahblahblahblah BLAHHHHHHH. Truth is, I don't really care about everyone else right now and their war against gluten. I care about making the changes that are right for me in order to be the best me I can be. (I love rhymes.) But for the sake of the older (and always lovable) generation family members who have questioned me to the point that it felt like an interrogation, I want to scream out, "I'm guilty! It was an accident! I don't know what I did but I'm sorry!" (I may be watching too much Law and Order SVU at the moment) I found a cool little diagram:

That one may be a little too crazy (cray cray? No? Boo. You guys suck) let's try this one instead

Simply put: Celiac Disease leads to damage to the lining of the small intestine, resulting in the inability to properly absorb nutrients into the body. Left untreated or insufficiently treated, celiac disease can lead to damage to other organs. I don't know about the rest of my family but I kinda sorta really want to be around for my son's life. And maybe have a long (to the point of getting those you've been together that long?! looks) marriage to my husband. And hell I might want another kid in there. Pretty sure I need functioning organs to do that. Now that I've gotten that one explained, on to the next: Prediabetes.

(No cool pictures for this one.) I haven't completely wrapped my brain around this one. Apparently the glucose level that dictates when one has Type 2 Diabetes, mine was 3 points/numbers below. What does that mean? Blood monitoring over the next few months, upping my already vigorous exercise routine and crossing my fingers till they're purple and blue that my glucose levels don't teeter over the edge. The probability is, they will in the next few years. And I'm ok with that. Because knowledge is half the battle. I would rather know what I'm facing in the next few years and the rest of my life and NOT go through what I went through this week again.

Awesome Sarah. So you can't eat bread and you're doomed to get diabetes. Why are you telling us this? Trust me. It's not for sympathy. It's not for attention. It's because if it can happen to me... Then it can happen to you. Because it's been in the last 2 years that I have become proactive in my diet and my health and it's been at the quote unquote healthiest time of my so far life that I've been diagnosed with these things. I watch so many of my friends on Instagram and Facebook checking in at the gym, sharing their every meal, showing the world how healthy they are. Going to the gym and eating right aren't the only factors in your over all health. Trust me, I just became the epitome of that statement today. Listen to your body. And don't blow off those"stupid" pains. Take care of yourself. And be proactive.