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Today’s post is a bit more serious in tone as I was waxing nostalgic for some reason during my morning commute and remembering how my food allergies came to manifest themselves.  As if being Celiac was not enough I also developed a shellfish allergy not that long ago so in the course of a few years my life became very interesting indeed.  When first diagnosed with Celiac it was a pretty big blow.  I mean I loved bread, pasta, beer – okay, I had a love affair with gluten and did not even realize it.  Yet, this was a one-sided love affair as I may have loved gluten but gluten was slowly destroying my digestive system unbeknownst to me at the time.  It is funny when you think back and the signs were so clear yet Celiac was not something that had mainstreamed so it was always a case of having a funny tummy or GERD (God, I was on Nexium for 3 years which I am sure is not a good thing).  It is amazing how something can be right in front of you yet without a little bit of knowledge it just goes unnoticed.

I often wonder what life would have been like having known I was Celiac all along and am glad that younger generations can spare themselves the damage and discomfort early on.  I am also still amazed that one can become allergic to anything at any point in their life.  Celiac aside, because obviously many of us had it our entire lives but just went undiagnosed.  My shellfish experience was a real wake up call because, once again, the initial warning signs my body was sending off were ignored because I did not know what was happening. I would eat shellfish and feel itchy or get small hives but never connected the dots until my body sent a clear message which led me to a fantastic allergist and in-depth allergy test to find out not only what I was allergic to but also to what degree.  I was amazed at how specific the tests could get (down to the different varietals of individual species).  I will never forget my allergist going over the results and starting to read the shellfish section – about half-way through, after being off the scale for every type thus far, he looks at me and said Just never eat ANY type of shellfish again because you are off the scale.  At the time I felt like, great, yet another entire food group wiped away.  But somehow the shellfish took a priority in the sense that 1) it would likely kill me and 2) the thought of having to jab my Epi-Pen into my thigh (which I had to be trained in) was really not appealing because I am essentially a big baby when it comes to any type of needle.

So where am I going with all this?  My lesson learned was to listen to your body.  No one knows it better than you do.  If something seems a bit off, get it looked into and nip it in the bud.  Also, you have to be comfortable with your physician – if you are not, find someone else.  I am lucky to have a brother who is a physician and I can bounce things off which comes in very handy.  But is important to ask questions and have a physician that does not seem put out in answering whatever (or however many) questions you might have.  It is your responsibility to take a proactive stance in your own health in order to keep living a full and fabulous life. 
 
 
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I’ve been to Nice and the Isles of Greece…I’ve been to paradise…well, you know the rest.  One of my favorite pastimes is globetrotting.  I love to find new destinations to explore and more importantly eat my way through.  Now, my other half absolutely hates to fly though, on occasion, I do get him sufficiently liquored up in the airline lounge, then continue for the duration of the flight – as long as the seat turns into a bed on long flights, traveling with him is a dream, LOL!

Most of my crazy travel adventures actually involve (with my partner’s blessing) my fabulous 70-something year old mother who, will on a moments notice, trek cross-country or around the world with me.  She makes for a great travel partner and also happens to be diabetic so coupled with my food allergies there is never a dull moment.  Now I speak Mandarin but when Mom wants Splenda in China –good luck!

The point of this post is that when I first was diagnosed with Celiac disease, then later an allergy to all possible shellfish – I honestly felt overwhelmed and a bit scared.  I mean how could I keep living the fabulous lifestyle and be GF and not die from an anaphylaxis shellfish-related incident?  After all, it is a BIG world out there.  I love to eat more than words can express.  I loved shellfish more than ABBA (well, maybe not that much, but close).  I loved pastry, bread, pasta, you name it.

Well, I took baby steps when travelling doing lots of research beforehand so I would at least have some safe backup options at a particular destination.  Know what to ask for in the language of your destination.  Now, I do speak several world languages but there are times I need a cheat sheet for new countries.  Go online and look for helpful phrases or better yet, purchase translation cards from a company such as Triumph, which I stumbled across but have not yet tried. 

Basically do whatever you need to do prior to departure to feel empowered and comfortable.  Most international airlines will offer a GF option, so ask.  I have had some great ones (and not so great) over the years but it is always interesting to see how different airlines approach GF dining at 35,000 feet.  I will review some of those some other time.  Another great tip is to pack a snack pack and don be shy about it.  On shorter trips we know airline food is crap and more often than not, regardless of class of travel there are few to no GF options.  I like to bring some of my favorites along just in case of delays. 

When you arrive at your destination, talk to people, ask hotel staff for recommendations – remember some estimates now put us Celiacs at 1:100 so you never know who you might chat up or what recommendations they might have.  Oh, and for my shellfish allergy sisters, a good tip is finding a Kosher restaurant.  Yes, it is not always easy but it really helps put, at least one of my allergy woes, at ease.

Do I ever feel 100% fully confident?  Nope.  But a little knowledge goes a long way.  So get out there and be fabulous while going gluten free on a global scale!