Gender Jumper

It's been over 10 years since I was diagnosed gluten-intolerant. I have what my nutritionist called "silent Celiac", in that my body doesn't really know gluten is bad for me; we just happened to catch it and confirm it after some irregular bloodwork. I don't have to sweat cross-contamination the way most Celiacs do; just avoid wheat and everything is fine.

But wheat is everywhere, as are other allergens new and established. I've spent a significant of the past decade relearning how to eat, how to plan, how to prepare, how to keep my dietary limitations from becoming others' problems.

But I've also spent a lot of that time exasperated, under-resourced, and falling apart when something doesn't go the way it needs to. When the backup plan falls through, or there is no backup plan. When one little detail throws everything out of balance.

And I'm just now starting to admit that this amount of effort just to be able to feed myself is a burden in my life, and that if it were easier to accommodate, my quality of life would be a lot better.

In other words, I'm finally starting to understand why Celiac Disease is considered a disability.