Who knew that twenty-some years later and I would be finally diagnosed with Celiac Disease, Lactose Intolerance, and a severe Vitamin D deficiency?

Most of my childhood felt like a haze. I was constantly sick, exhausted, and struggling to get through the day. At university, I survived only because of the sheer amount of coffee I drank to keep from dozing off in class. I saw countless doctors, dietitians, and alternative medicine practitioners, desperately searching for answers. I tried more diets and exercise regimens than I can count, yet no one could explain why I felt this way. At one point, I was even told it might all be “in my head.” My mental health, already fragile from years of illness and fatigue, deteriorated further. I convinced myself I probably wouldn’t live past my twenties.

Then I met my future husband and became pregnant. I tried to push past my doubts, telling myself I was overthinking things. But during my pregnancy, every complication doctors hesitate to mention for fear of alarming patients… happened. I was diagnosed with preeclampsia, suffered from unexplained symptoms, and my baby wasn’t growing as she should.

Then, at 37 weeks, my worst nightmare came true – I had a placental abruption, and I started bleeding internally. When we arrived at the hospital, they didn’t believe me at first. But once they saw what was happening, a swarm of doctors surrounded my bed and rushed me into emergency surgery. My husband was allowed in for only a few seconds to be by my side. Later, he told me they didn’t expect either of us to survive and in fact they let him in… to say goodbye.

The recovery was long and filled with complications for both me and my daughter. Even 13 years later, I still get emotional talking about it. I remember asking the doctor why this happened when I had followed every best practice in the book. He shrugged and said something was “off” in my tests, but they couldn’t figure out what. Then he left the room. Celiac was not a very well-known condition back then where I lived.

I felt guilty, like I was to blame, like I should have been able to control my own body.

A year later, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, shortly after my sister. I threw myself into research, but information was scarce. That’s when I found Celiac Canada. I devoured every piece of information I could find. There was no single explanation for all my symptoms, but suddenly, the dots started to connect. Finally, everything made sense.

Within weeks of going gluten-free, my body started changing. The constant trips to the washroom stopped. My energy returned. And, for the first time in my life… I didn’t need to nap. I haven’t napped since. I no longer feel like I need to.

Adjusting to a gluten-free lifestyle was challenging, but I was committed. I thought that would be the end of it.

It wasn’t.

When I tried to conceive again, it took seven years and a miscarriage to finally have a viable pregnancy. Even then, I developed eclampsia and experienced minor internal bleeding. This time, however, I was in Canada and I had a dedicated team of physicians monitoring me from the start. They had me on prenatal vitamins for years before conception just to reach the necessary nutrient levels. Despite all the precautions, my son was born barely past 37 weeks, underweight, and faced growth complications.

Now, nearly 12 years after being diagnosed, I’ve developed additional autoimmune conditions, because with Celiac, it’s never just Celiac.