🌾 The Beginning of My Gluten-Free Life

I’ve been gluten free since August 1, 2008.

For as long as I can remember, I had trouble with food. I never knew what made me sick—two completely different meals could have the same awful result. I tried eliminating various foods, but nothing worked. Learning about MSG helped with migraines, but not my stomach issues.

In 2004–2005, after a lot of stress, things got worse. I cut out soft drinks, garlic, onions, peppers, and acidic foods. That helped… but not enough.

🧩 The Clue I Almost Missed

In 2007, my primary physician attended a conference and came back convinced gluten was my problem. She also recommended cod liver oil for my skin issues. But the timing was terrible—right before a long road trip. I didn’t know what gluten was, and I was already overwhelmed trying to eliminate other foods.

I skimmed the paperwork she gave me and set it aside. My initial reaction? “What’s gluten?”

🔍 Connecting the Dots

The following summer, while visiting family in Buffalo, my Mom asked me to research safe foods for my great uncle—who likely had Celiac Disease. That’s when it clicked. No wonder my doctor had told me to go gluten free!

So many useless diagnoses over the years: IBS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and even testing for HIV (which I knew was impossible—and the testing confirmed it). None of it helped. No one knew about gluten.

🚫 My Last Gluten Meal

On July 31, 2008, I ate a delicious ham and cheese sandwich at the wonderful (and now closed) Country Cupboard in Lewisburg, PA. I was unbearably sick that night. We had a six-hour drive ahead of us, and I decided: that’s it. I’m done. August 1, 2008, would be my gluten-free start date.

I was starving on the way home. All I could find at gas stations were Lays plain potato chips (I now avoid Frito-Lay), Hershey bars, juice, and water. But it was a thousand times better than being sick.

🥗 The First Several Weeks

Back home, I didn’t know what to do. Roanoke didn’t have many options, so I ate a lot of salad—more than I’d ever eaten in my life.

The first several weeks were rough. I was grumpy and agitated. It felt like what I imagine detox would be like. But after two weeks, I felt better than I had in years—maybe ever.

😣 The First Slip-Up

In October 2008, I was glutened at a restaurant. The spice on the steak had flour in it. I’d told the waitress everything, but it still slipped through. I thought I was going to die. I couldn’t believe I’d lived with that agony for so long. Was I going to be stuck eating salads forever?

🍕 A Taste of Hope

That December, a friend flew me to Phoenix. He took me to gluten-free pizza places, bakeries, and more. I was in food heaven. Talking to bakery staff was enlightening. I learned a lot.

My friend reminded me that I was a writer. He suggested that maybe I could start a blog to help others—especially people in my area who were just as confused as I’d been. So I did.

🧬 Diagnosis Without the Biopsy

I never had the “gold standard” biopsy. Given my family history, symptoms, and a rash that looks like Dermatitis Herpetiformis, it’s likely I have Celiac Disease.

Would I get the biopsy now? No. You have to eat gluten for at least three months to get a positive result. That would wreck my body. I’d be out of work and in for a long, painful recovery. It’s not worth it.

I’ve only been accidentally glutened a handful of times since 2008, but each time makes me sicker than the last.

In 2019 and 2020, I did health-related DNA tests. I have two copies of a primary Celiac gene, family history, and my own history + symptoms; that’s enough for me to say: Yes. I have Celiac Disease.

📸 Before and After

Eating gluten free has changed my life. People who haven’t seen me in years tell me how much healthier I look.

I found old photos from before I went gluten free. The difference is striking. Photos are at the end of this page.

• December 2006 – The likely Dermatitis Herpetiformis Rash. Worse than head-to-toe Chicken Pox. By the time I knew what it was, it had cleared up, because I had given up gluten. Thankfully I never took the standard medication for it, as it is a sulfa drug. Given how the rash made me feel, I don’t know if I would have realized I was having an allergic reaction to the medication, since at the time, I didn’t know I was allergic to sulfa meds. 
• June 2008 – Before going gluten free.
• October 2011 – 3 Years and 3 Months gluten free.
• June 29, 2023 – 15 Years and 10 Months gluten free.

🏡 Building a Gluten-Free Home

From 2009 to 2019, I lived in southwest Virginia with my incredible wife, Teresa. My soulmate. My person.

Our entire home was gluten free—down to the cat food. We started with brand-new kitchenware and cleaned the appliances as best we could. When our fridge died, our landlord replaced it with a new one. Small victories.

Teresa didn’t need to be gluten free, but she did it willingly. I react to minute traces of gluten, so it was easier for both of us to be GF. Sometimes she shared gluten-filled food with my Dad when we visited my parents, and it gave her a clear comparison: her allergies worsened, and she snored more when she’d eaten gluten. Wheat is inflammatory, after all.

💔 Loss and Silence

On January 23, 2019, Teresa died from complications of uterine leiomyosarcoma—a rare, aggressive cancer. The hospital made things worse. And before that, every surgeon except the original general surgeon refused to try to save her.

She was willing to take every risk. To live with ostomies. But they told her surgery would impact her “quality of life.” Chemo never touched it—the tumor, the metastasis.

We spent over a year chasing specialists. That’s why the blog went silent. And then, in 2018, it was hacked. I couldn’t monitor it, and dangerous code was woven into every post. I had to rewrite everything manually. Thank goodness for XAMPP (a free tool that lets you run WordPress offline on your computer)—even when Cox Cable was down.

💞 A New Chapter

Now, in 2020, I have my own house. I lived with my parents for a while, which meant non-dedicated space—a nightmare for anyone with CD.

I’m in a new relationship with L. As of May 25, 2021, we’ve been together eight months. L is learning to shop and cook gluten free. It’s daunting, especially with companies doing GF for profit instead of safety. But she’s wonderful and perseveres.

I know how lucky I am. So many people are the only GF member of their household, and no one—sometimes not even their spouse—takes their diet seriously. I don’t get people sometimes.