A few months ago my sweet daughter brought home a nasty stomach bug she decided to share with me and caused us both
to be laid out flat for a week. She, of course, recovered quicker than I did so it was all I could do to keep her entertained and not be running to the bathroom to puke while Kenny was at work.
When I finally decided food would be awesome the first thing I did was make myself homemade bread. It was YUMMY.
Then I got sick again. This has got to be the stomach bug from hell! I thought.
About a week later once I was feeling a little better again and I wanted nothing to do with bread a foreboding thought entered my mind: Celiac Disease.
I've known about it for years. When I was first diagnosed with Type 1 8 years ago there were very few websites for diabetics - especially for young diabetics. I spent tons of time on www.childrenwithdiabetes.com and there were a lot of things on that site about Celiac. So I learned
just because I can and I love to learn anything medical.
I knew that being Type 1 was a risk factor for Celiac as it is also a Auto-Immune
disease. As soon as that thought entered my head I then started thinking
about all the other things that have been "going on" with me the past
year and it all just fell into place.
As research addicts do, research I did. I found not only would I need a blood test
to 'confirm' I would also need a biopsy of my small intestine to really
know. ...So I've been putting it off. Still putting it off.
I hate co-pays. I know that the insurance companies deserve them, it's
not a huge co-pay for the amount of 'costs' they cover. Yet, I hate
them, so I avoid going into the doctor all the time.
So, there has been a tiny battle going on in my brain for the last couple
months: Self diagnose and cut out gluten just to see, or bite the
bullet and go in to the doctor? You have to have a minimum of 6
weeks of gluten in your system for the tests to reflect accurately. ...Self
diagnose and cut out gluten just to see, or bite the bullet and go in
to the doctor?
This week I've gone a couple days 'gluten free' and I've definitely noticed the difference.
With the recent event of my car blowing up I'm still not entirely sure what
I'm going to do. I'd like to just have the diagnosis - because it's a
huge lifestyle change and I'd love to not make it if that's not what the
problem is. However that is a lot of money in co-pays that we won't
have because of having to buy a new car.
I'm still debating this conundrum in my head even now. Maybe I'll have an answer
in a few days! ...or maybe not...
they will. That copay in the greater scheme of things is a small loss compared to what they gain from the insurance.