After watching how God has opened your eyes to using your talents....I can't help but think that God is painting yet another color on the canvas of your life as you learn to work with your gluten diet.

While I know that you will be struggling, and face dark and difficult days ahead as you change your life habits....I know that Christ has done this for a reason, and hope that you will give Him the glory as He walks you through this.
I will be praying for you.

Ugh. The body. As an overweight woman who was athletic earlier on, I struggle with my body. Sometimes I give it loads of attention - eating healthily, exercising, getting my sleep - but most of the time I just wing it and ignore my health.

Like you, I have a family health history, but mine is diabetes and thyroid. I'm learning to pace myself in my changes and health care, not to make a million changes at once, then fail and give up. One step at a time works.

Thanks for the reminder to take care of what God's made. :)

Just wanted to tell that both this article and your earlier one on talents have really hit home for me. God has definitely spoken to me through your writing. Thank you for using that talent and sharing it with us!

As a young woman who was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago, I can relate to a lot of your experiences. It has definitely forced me to be more mindful of my body. I needed to be reminded to treat it as the gift from God that it is. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

I have Gluten Intolerance which is a milder form of Celiac. It will be difficult getting used to your new dietary lifestyle, but it will get easier in time and your improved health will be very motivating too. :) Don't listen to people who make fun of you for taking care of your health. You ae on the right road to taking care of the body God gave you.

Megan

Andrea,

I've been allergic to gluten (yep, Celiac) and milk products since I was born, and have a close friend who was just diagnosed with the same allergies last year. It can be a real challenge trying to find gluten-free products and adjust to meals, but there are lots of options! With the health-food, organic craze, more and more alternatives are available. We should chat!

hi, the Lord woke me up to these truths and more a while ago when diagnosed with bipolar, it was learn these truths or sink!
by His grace, i am learning to swim. and i am also struck once again as i read your article that we cannot truly leave out our body in our lives without leaving out our Creator to some extent as well, and none of us want to do that...

this article was great... praying for us all who struggle in these areas...

Thank you fo your honesty. many of us have done the same thing neglecting our bodies to please a boss, a spouse, a child or children, a boyfriend, any Tom Dick or Harry! What I have been reminded today is that my body is a gift from God and that I should take care of it as I take care of all the gifts others have given me, that are not as precious as me, God's creation in His image.
God bless you through your new diet.

I also was in the very bad habit of not taking care of myself until last year when I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Lupus (both autoimmune diseases). I still struggle with feeling like I am being "selfish" by taking care of my body, but I have to remind myself that God only gave us one body, our "temple" which we are to be good stewards of. Best of luck to you on your gluten free diet and the new lifestyle God has in store for you!

In the past year or so as I passed the "35" mark, I have realized that my playing it "fast and loose" (NO - not *loose* - you know what I mean!!) with my health is having it's long term effects. Your article has just served to confirm my growing need for making lifestyle changes BEFORE I find myself in a much more dire position.

That being said, I'm heading for bed instead of surfing to the 30 or so blogs that I know I could get lost in...

Blessings.

In October, it will be One Year since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I was so sick for so long that my diagnosis was almost a relief..until I realized that I would no longer be eating the pasta during our Sunday lunch or making Garlic Bread or stopping to have a slice of pizza. It can be a pain at times, but, there are others out there with diseases that they will die from. We just have to eliminate certain ingredients from our diet. For this, I am thankful.

Dear Andrea

You write so beautifully and I really enjoyed your article. God has blessed me with good health so far, but it is a good reminder not to take His gifts for granted. Thanks for that.

My husband just died recently. He had celiac disease. He died of a perforated bowel. We were not aware of seriousness of disease. The doctors never informed us. The doctors never told us it is hereitary. Our children have been blood tested. Our 4 daughters are border line and our youngest our son is positive. We learnt alot of information from computer. Too bad we didn't know enough to help my husband. He was only 58 years old.

I just learned a year ago that I too have Celiac, after years of being treated for numerous other things. It's a long list of foods to get adjusted to but you'll get there. Also, read and educate yourself on the disease as much as possible. It will help reinforce what you're dealing with. My daughter just learned that she also has it and now I'm amazed at where I've come from in a year and can teach her. I have a hectic life-style as well so I've had to rethink my eating habits and focus on making healthier choices but you'll get there. Good luck to you as walk down this new path.

One year ago this week, I was unofficially diagnosed with hypoglycemia. I know exactly what you are going through. I hadn't thought to think of this as God gifting me with this "new" body, though. Thanks for sharing your insights! I think your story will make the rest of us feel less alone.

How many diferent ways use God to talk to their sons. With this article God used you to open my mind, as well the mind of others to understand that we need to take care of one of the most precious gift He gave to us OUR BODY, the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

God bless your talent.

I am a 5 year breast cancer survivor of invasive lobular carcinoma with lymph node involvement. 2 surgeries, 8 chemos, 5 years of oral pills. I had none of the known risks for breast cancer. I now facilitate "women of hope" cancer support group. Sometimes, we do not know that our bodies have broken down. We are still busily raising our children, working, living our lives, when suddenly we are diagnosed (10 years after the fact). We, ourselves found the lump. And our lives are forever changed. My cancer never showed up on mamograms...and I had them regularly. But it looks like I had this cancer invasion up to 10 years earlier--still in my 40's. My warning would be (1) always do self exams, I did not. (2) Do not take prempro or any other hormone. I never asked for it--but my doctor put me on it hoping for better sleep. (they never knew the connection of hormone pills to breast cancer until 2002) (3) if you have dense breasts-like me--you must ask for ultrasound testing. That is the only way my cancer was detected--even after it was a 2.5 tumor. Dense breasts are now listed as a risk for breast cancer! Please be aware of these 2 new risk factors.
God has given me a new mission which is "Women of Hope" cancer support group. It's important not to place blame on others for their diseases. (Some women are shocked to find out they have cancer--they are working out, eating well...have no known risk factors and still become diagnosed with cancer) Each of us must do what we can in eating well-balanced diets, exercising, resting. A good book is "Cancer and The Lord's Prayer." Regardless of our diagnosis, we can live purposeful lives. Please heed my advice on the newer risk factors. Living stressfilled lives can also lead to disease.

Thank you for the perspective that getting a disease like that reminds us to take care of our bodies (which are described as the temple of the Holy Spirit, by the way). It stands as one redeeming factor in having such pain. I have had abdominal pain daily for 6 of my 23 years now, which is almost 1/4 of my life. As of this past spring, the doctor's diagnosis still does not account for all of the various ways that it hurts, or offer me a solution. Recently I started seeing a new doctor (at least my 4th since the pain begain, partly due to moving) and I am beginning to hope again that a solution will be found soon, perhaps with the help of major dietary changes. Reading your article and everybody's stories on here brings me hope as I begin yet another diet designed to help the problem.

Welcome to the world of Celiacs! I've heard it described as planning a vacation to Italy and when disembarking finding yourself in the Netherlands. After the frustration of being misguided, you find that you meet people, see places, and experience things you never could have in Italy.

As one who has been gluten-free for four years, I can truly say that it isn't a struggle or major hastle now. I know how to be prepared & when I can eat when out with friends. Be gracious with yourself, but make it a priority to learn all that you can in the first 6 months to a year. After that everything becomes easier & you'll find that God will use it in unusual ways.

Blessings on your journey!

I have also been recently (January2007) diagnosed with Celiac disease. There are a lot of us out there and, to be honest, it is getting easier to be gluten-free as more people are learning about this auto immune disease. I guess the hardest thing for me has been not being able to just "grab a bite" on the run - food courts and fast food restaurants are difficult! But many "sit-down" restaurants are very helpful. Hang in there- it gets easier. Join the Celiac Association, too- lots of good info. Now, if I could only find a really good recipe for gluten-free French Bread!!

Imagine teaching a child 28 years ago to live with Celiac disease and without cookies, bread, etc, not in the US but in Portugal! I did, to Sara, my 2-year-old twin girl at the time. Everything she could eat was to be made at home. Today she continues her long-learned diet faithfully, knowing it is for the better! It is much easier today, when supermarkets are full of gluten-free products!

I feel for you. I had a blood test that was positive and the doctors told me I would have to go gluten free, but not until I had the biopsy. Since there was a few months in between I tried gluten free. I lost weight right away. I had to go back on wheat before the biopsy. The biopsy came back negative. All the hype had been misleading apparently (and after I'd announced this to my family and some friends). I was now supposed to go back to gluten.

I'm glad because I felt gluten free food was more or less yucky and it made meal planning for a family difficult. It was really limiting when trying to eat out.

I think I still have some intolerance because of other symptoms so it's hard to know what to do.

Now one thing I have given up is coffee - I was getting symptoms of chronic adrenalin rushes that stopped as soon as I quit the coffee.

Praise The Lord, I was just realeased from the hospital, I have scleraderma & Pulomary hypertension, I have had it since 1999, I am on alot of medication and had been doing okay, the one medication I was on was couminden which causes you to burise easily therefore I was used to the burises. Thanks to God, almost my entire body had burises on it with knots a swelling I did call my Dr. and they told me to go and get my blood work done for the coumiden, the next morning the Dr. called me and told me to have someone drive to the hospital ASAP and for me not to do anything, after I was admitted my Dr. told me my blood count was at 80, I was litterly at deaths door and did not even realize it I had four units of blood plasma and two blood transfusions. I will now be seeing hematologist and may have to give myself injections of lomex instead of the coumiden. I thank God first and for the Doctor. You are so right when you said we must take care of our bodies, and when we get lax, I thank God that he will give us signs.
Blessings,

im a doctor and i find myself telling patients to do things that help them take care of their bodies. on the other hand ihave no intention of taking my advice. I pray that i remember in the days to come your article and the most important message...I am a steward of the temple God has given me.