Last night my family ordered pizza. I baked my fave cheese pizza and added extra cheese, Italian sausage, and basil to make it even better. I told my husband I was going to eat a piece of his delicious gluten pizza. He jokingly responded, “Please don’t because then I have to hear the complaints.”

I found this to be a very telling response. It got me thinking about how we can overshare about celiac. 

I don’t want to be like the stereotypical older person that when asked how they are doing, lists off all of their ailments, pains, and issues. When someone asks how the food is, whether you can eat it or not, find something nice to say, like “The table decor is beautiful.” Or “It looks really great” rather than vomiting about celiac disease. Just a suggestion- not everyone or everything is about our celiac disease and most people don’t really care. 

At the same time, I want people to know and understand what it is like to live with celiac.  I want people to be kind when I decline to eat their food and not ask a million questions.  I want people to understand that I don’t always know when gluten will hit me.  I want people to understand what its like to fight an invisible enemy.  I want to advocate for better food labels, more clarity on restaurant allergen menus, and make the term “gluten friendly” disappear.

Anyway, I want all of these things without overburdening my friends or family with the ugly side of having celiac.  The fear and anxiety that comes with all social interactions involving food and the aftermath if I get it wrong.

It’s a balance.  It seems I’ve been complaining about my celiac disease a lot lately.