Breaking Up With Bread

So, I'm a bread kind of girl. Okay, let's call it "starch" that I'm in love with. Bagels, Italian bread and butter, muffins, sandwiches. I could do without cake and cookies, but I LOVE the other stuff. Why am I telling you this? Well I was diagnosed with Celiac. I've suffered from this for apparently a long time and just wasn't aware. Gluten did horrible things to my body. I thought it was just me, I couldn't lose weight even though everything that I put in my mouth came right back up because it hurt my stomach so bad, and I've thrown up for so long that I have gastroparesis (my stomach no longer "works" correctly). I've got keratosis pyloris down my chest and back and a rash on my face. Been there for years, nothing will make it go away. I'm told this is also a reaction from having celiac. My bones and joints ache. This is because I have a severely low level of vitamin d-a side affect of having celiac. When I was first given the "celiac" diagnosis, I went gluten free. I gave up on it within WEEKS, because its a very hard diet, a very COSTLY diet. I didn't see any "Immediate" results in how I felt, so I gave up and went back to eating the same foods before. My body decided to retaliate just a little more... I now have a positive ANA (anti-nuclear antibodies), my rheumatologist told me that my body is fighting itself and I no longer have the "choice" of being gluten free. I HAVE to be gluten free. It's hard, expensive, and not always great. I still don't feel any immediate changes, except for the bloated belly. My belly is no longer hard and pregnant looking. I still don't feel good, but they told me that I have been putting gluten in my body for almost 29 years, its not going to fix the affects of that overnight or even in a few months, its a long term thing and eventually I will feel better. In the process of going gluten free, I am trying lots of new things. I find that I can't just "have a snack" out of the cabinet, and the treats that are gluten free, are so expensive that you really have to learn portion control and ask yourself 'do I really want this right now, or later', its frustrating, I seem to be eating a lot of grilled chicken and spinach salad. Nothing wrong with that, its a go to that I know I like and know I can eat. As I continue this journey I will post little reviews about my gluten free finds!