The flip side

So, like I said in my last short post, it's invisible illness week. I wasn't really sure what to say, but i did want to throw something about it up for my 4 followers to see... haha! I was thinking about it just now though, so here I go.
My arthritis is very mild, so most people would think that I'm not very severely affected by my invisible illness, but there is a 'flip side' to my wellness- the gluten intolerance. I first went off of wheat partially to help keep my arthritis under control, since somehow gluten and autoimmune responses are connected. My mom has severe rheumitoid arthritis, and she doesn't eat wheat because of it, and my brother is extremely celiac, as well as my sister being somewhat sensitive to it. Great genetics, huh?
So one night I had had my FAVORITE meal ever-- after my brother was diagnosed I had become a gluten junky, eating at Panera Bread probably twice a week-- bread bowl of macaroni and cheese, bread, and a cookie... and my hands started KILLING me. This wasn't the first of my arthritis symptoms, but it was the worst up to that point. So the next day I began to get rid of the wheat.
Since most of my family is on the GF diet also, I lost some weight but overall I still ate plenty and the diet helped so much.
Now, if I get any wheat, I get really sick besides it making my arthritis flare. Except now, I'm at college.
ALERT: College cafeterias may TRY to make gluten free food for you, but they may not understand enough to make it good food. Here, I have plain rice, plain meat, and plain veggies... twice a day. Sometimes I get some rice noodles, thank goodness, but the blandness is a bit of a turn off for me. So I have begun to lose more weight. After every meal i eat a HUGE cup of ice cream, and still my pants are falling down! All the walking and biking to classes, the small amount of each meal I eat... The calories just don't even out I guess!
So, even though my arthritis is mild and well controlled, I still suffer from the 'flip side' of invisible illness. I know so many people like my mom and dear friend Victoria who have it much worse than I do, so I feel very blessed to still live the active and mobile life I have in college. But, Invisible Illness still affects me, and this is my story.
DISCLAIMER: I am by no means complaining about the caf, they work very hard to make sure I have food that I can eat every day!!!!

http://invisibleillnessweek.com/