My Story
Hi there :)
My name is Mary and I'm currently living in Galway in the West of Ireland. I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease back in 2015.
Before 2015, I never knew what Coeliac disease was or much about gluten free at all. At the time I was very fatigued for most of the days even though I was getting a lot of sleep. I didn't feel 100% right. After a conversation with my Aunt Patricia, she mentioned that she had been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease and he doctor recommended everyone in the family get tested.
My doctor was reluctant about giving me the blood test but I stood firm and insisted. When the blood tests came back positive we were both shocked. He referred me to the Coeliac clinic in NUI Hospital Galway for an endoscopy.
The camera and samples from the Endoscopy showed that my intestines were fairly destroyed from the old gluten. They recommended I immediately start a gluten free life and ever look back. To set the scene, I never really was too concerned with diet and exercise but I decided to give this diet a go as it was alarming that my insides were messed up and I didn't even know it.
After about 2 weeks of Gluten free my life changed.. I had no idea I was living in a state of fatigue. I felt like I was 10 years younger and I don't even think I felt that good at 18.
Of course going cold turkey was not smooth sailing at the start. About a month in I may have had a mini breakdown when I couldn't eat the pizza that everyone else was eating!
Once I did go the the gluten free diet, if I had gluten by accident after this, I did get symptoms that are much more severe than fatigue.
I thought about starting this blog lot over the last few years as I have learned so much since my diagnosis and I would be so happy if I could help others in the same situation. During the first lockdown in the pandemic I had a lot of extra time on my hands and finally set up the Instagram page and started designing products after I woke up in the night dreaming about the cookie monster eating gluten free cookies.
In the beginning of my Coeliac journey the diagnosis was very tough to hear and deal with but it is honestly one of the best things that has happened to me. It kickstarted me on a healthy journey and I'm loving life without the Gluten.