My Coeliac Disease Journey of Transformation
I am gluten free since my diagnose with coeliac disease in November 2014. Coeliac disease changed my life – but definitely to the better. Before being diagnosed I was a happy, sporty and very active person, kind of healthy and with the plan that I will become a primary teacher at some point – I was studying my Bachelor of Education at this stage.
How it began…
It all changed when I started having really heavy diarrhea and awful stomach pain constantly for almost 4 weeks. I tried everything: from eating a very simple diet – most of the days just only dry crackers – until taking antibiotics. Nothing helped! The peak was reached by having circulatory collapses at uni. At this point I moved from my study town back to my parent’s place getting their support and help. We went to a lot of doctors and finally my awesome GP sent me to do blood tests for CD and a biopsy. Result: positive and marsh stage 3c. My diagnose was very clear: coeliac disease. I had no clue what it meant to have CD, what it is, what to do next, what to eat – no idea about anything. Luckily, I had some amazing persons like my GP and my nutrition coach who guided me in first place with all the basic information. But the most important support I received was from my parents. I am so grateful and thankful that my parents, my brother and my sister, and a lot of good friends helped me throughout this tough time.
How I recovered…
I was struggling at first. Starting the gluten free diet helped me but didn’t get me completely pain free. I was searching for reasons: did I cross-contaminated my food? Was I eaten hidden gluten? I started researching and educating myself in health, nutrition, body symptoms. With gaining more and more knowledge I began with self-experiments, especially with writing a nutrition journal. I wanted to know what food is good for my body. I quickly discovered that I had some side effects like lactose and histamine intolerance in addition to my coeliac disease. And slowly slowly with a lot of patience I recovered, but it took me 1 ½ years getting fit and active again. There were definitely a lot of downs but in total I must say more ups!
How it changed my life…
I am very happy that I have coeliac disease. The diagnoses and my health journey made me to the person I am today. Getting to know and learning to listen to my body is such a wonderful gift I received through my recovering period. Today I care more what food I take in, I get to know many new food products like quinoa, millet, etc. and I create my own gluten free recipes. I am symptom free, healthier, more fit then ever and I have found my purpose. Changing my career from becoming a teacher to studying my Masters in Sport Science, Health and Physical Activity was something I never had planned before and actually the best thing that could have happened. Health and all the many factors like good nutrition, movement, mindfulness, sleep that it comprises are so fascinating and interesting to me. Living a healthy lifestyle, doing sports and inspiring people to find their happy life has become my personal ambition.
How I live today…
My home is Germany, to be precise Munich. However, I am currently living in Auckland and I love my life here – New Zealand has become my second home. One of my passions is travelling, exploring new countries and cultures and my diagnoses of coeliac disease could not have stopped me in continuing to discover the world or to even live abroad. Yes of course it is not as easy as it was before, but planning a bit ahead – especially taking some snacks every time – and shifting the focus away from tasting all the new exotic food towards just exploring how beautiful the different landscape, the people, the culture in the foreign country are has shown me a really important life lesson: Everything you want can be done, also with coeliac disease!
