Some of it’s related to dairy, but most of it’s just my stomach healing. The last time I was at my doctor, I asked him how long it would take for my stomach to feel ‘normal.’ I thought he was going to quiz me about the ways in which my stomach wasn’t feeling normal, but he seemed to know exactly what I was asking, and said, “Six months. There’s a lot of inflammation down there, and it just needs time to heal.” Six months! Six months is almost to Thanksgiving!

I just have to remember that this is a major learning experience on the benefits of patience. Learning the lesson becomes “easier” and more crucial when I don’t have a choice. I can’t make six months of being gluten-free happen by snapping my fingers. I just have to do the best I can to eat gluten-free every meal, every day. I have to work on learning how to get sufficient vitamins and nutrients into my body.

So — the point: If you’ve been recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease and you still feel weird and somewhat unpredictable after a meal, it’s normal. It’s okay, and it will eventually go away (I hope). There’s a lot of inflammation, and it takes time to heal.