Hello. My name is Linda and I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in September 2005. This was a very busy year for me – I married my wonderful husband in November, we were planning and building our new home and I changed jobs.I started having symptoms from January 2005 including a bloated stomach, regular trips to the toilet straight after eating, feeling tired and I had also lost some weight. At the beginning I was pleased to be losing some weight without trying too much so I could look good in my wedding dress at the end of the year! But as I lost more weight and had more frequent symptoms I knew something was not right.I went to see a doctor and explained all my symptoms. He sent me for a blood test and an ultrasound of my stomach and the results came back that everything was fine. I persisted with my doctor and stressed that these symptoms didn’t feel normal. The doctor said it must be something I am eating like onions and chillies – but I told him I don’t eat those foods much at all. Despite not finding out what was wrong with me, the doctor sent me away and said to see how I go and to come back if my symptoms continued.As I had thought, the symptoms didn’t go away so I decided to see a different doctor. This doctor initially sent me for a blood test, including testing for the coeliac serology test. The blood test results came back positive which suggested that coeliac disease was present. To actually confirm that I had coeliac disease (as the blood test results can occasionally be wrong) I had to have a small bowel biopsy. The biopsy results came back positive and I was diagnosed with coeliac disease.I finally knew what was wrong with me after feeling unwell for many months. At that time, I didn’t know what coeliac disease was and my doctor initially described it to me as a lifelong change in my diet where my staple foods would become rice and corn, and that I could no longer eat gluten. I was shocked! I was trying to understand how I could only mainly eat these foods as at that time I wasn’t too fond of rice but I loved corn.Once I started researching what foods don’t have gluten in them I was very relieved to learn of the wide range of products available! I went searching for a book listing gluten free products and I couldn’t find one. This is what gave me the inspiration to write this book and to also be able to help others who are following a gluten free diet.Once I started eating gluten free foods, the symptoms disappeared and I slowly started feeling healthy again – which was a great feeling! I started to put the weight back on that I had lost and was thankfully still able to fit into my wedding dress!I have been very blessed with all the help I have received from my family and friends in supporting my gluten free diet and I thank them sincerely for all their help.
© Linda Greguric 2009 My Gluten Free Supermarket Guide ®
