{five years of celiac disease}

the iceburg metaphor, more medical
than my boyfriend one

Five years.

FIVE!!

That is so crazy to me!

I can remember the diagnosis like it was yesterday. I won't go through the saga again, because I've done that enough {& it's outlined in the "Why So Lively" page above}, but gosh. I'm so glad that one doctor finally figured it out.

Celiac & I have had a complicated relationship in the past five years. He's like a high school boyfriend who knocked the wind out of me when we first met, then turned out to be a jerk right after, but by our 5-year reunion finally got his shit together & turned out to be an okay guy.

Except I had to be married to him the entire time. And forever.

You know? ;)

I'm still completely at peace with it, even if I do still mourn over Dunkin Donuts & Entenmann's crumb cake & the idea of never having a croissant again {it's apparently scientifically impossible to make one without gluten}. It's also still a huge pain while traveling--airports & planes still haven't caught up yet.

BUT...it's been fascinating to watch the world adapt to this disease. It was virtually unheard of five years ago, but now it's talked about all the time. Not always correctly, but the awareness is higher than ever.

I'm so thankful Dylan & I have had to go through this together. I mean...it's so much easier to have a gluten-free buddy at gluten-filled dinner parties. The fact that we both have this genetic disorder proves that we are, in fact, identical twins---something we did NOT know in the 17 years before our diagnosis. So wild.

We're pros at it now. I don't cheat, don't really feel the urge to cheat anymore. I feel SO healthy---I can't stress that enough. When it comes down to it, that's really the main point. I felt so sick for so long. This healthy thing is really addicting; I'd be stupid to mess with it.

This blog was named Lively Liv because of my diagnosis. It wasn't until I eliminated gluten did I finally feel alive---or, lively---again. I'm determined to keep it that way.

So...Happy 5 Year Celiac Anniversary to Dylan & I!

What a great excuse to bake a cake :)

**Celiac isn't the main focus of this blog anymore, because it's so minuscule compared to the rest of my life, but if any of my readers have questions about it, or a gluten-free diet, please reach out.  I'm always here to offer support & tips.