Nope, I’m not perfect. Maybe pretty close, but not last night. I made a mistake.
Yesterday was a complete crap day. I had to take a kid to the doctor’s office, got stuck in traffic to the point where it took 45 minutes to go 1 mile, had to call a friend to take a different kid to a swim meet, and then the real problem hit! We went to dinner, fine no problem, but after we went to a friend’s house to have cocktails.
This morning I had a raging headache, slept well past where I normally wake up, felt nauseous, and just terrible. So, I start racking my brain. I had 4 drinks – 2 skinny margaritas and 2 drinks at my friend’s house over the course of 6 hours – I shouldn’t feel this badly.
Next, I start to google what I drank. Oops. I found it. Peach Fresca and Absolut Vodka. Normally, I drink Tito’s. I remember thinking, “Well Tito’s is ok, I’m sure Absolut is. I’m sure this will be safe.” I wasn’t buzzed enough at that point to justify not Googling it. I just guessed and made a mistake. It is made from gluten containing grains. I have a hard time with alcohol made from gluten containing grains – bourbon, rye whiskey, etc. Not everyone will have a problem and they say it is gluten free and it might well be. My body doesn’t like them.
Normally, I bring whatever I’m going to drink for the evening, but I was completely unprepared for the evening. I had a bad day and made a bad choice. Next time, I won’t make the same mistake.
I’m sure I’m not the first person to make this mistake or another mistake similar to this. Life got in the way. My usual safety precautions were tossed aside in an attempt to enjoy the evening and just for once forget about this disease. My safety protocols are in place to keep me safe. As long as I remember my own rules, I can stay safe. They were carefully crafted over years of making mistakes and last night I threw them all aside. I just wasn’t smart.
We assume we know everything and even after 7 years of this stupid disease, I still make mistakes. Over time, my mistakes have gotten to be fewer and farther between. I suffer a lot when I make the mistakes so I avoid them at all costs.
I’ve got a long, hot day at a swim meet today and an event tonight I cannot get out of. I’m going to hope that I can get a nap at some point today and sleep some of this misery away.
Being perfect is the problem with Celiac. I have to be perfect all the time – three meals a day, every single day. A single mistake causes such damage that it hurts for a week. No other disease requires perfection so often. There is always a medicine or a salve or a procedure can fix it. Not with Celiac – we are given the impossible task of keeping a gluten free diet at all times and the damage that comes when we fail is awful. The worst part is that it can take a long time to heal from this instance. Ugh. I don’t even want to continue down this rant because I could go on and on and on.
Today, I will suffer with a raging headache, extreme fatigue, and nausea. I have taken some acetaminophen and will flood my body with water. I will live through the pain and hope that as the day progresses I feel better. I’ve learned this lesson. Next time, I will know that before I go to a friend’s house, I need to go to the store to lay in supplies if I’m going drink rather than hoping that they have something safe for me.
I will do better next time.