Champagne and Socks

I’ve known it’s been coming for a while and today I put my big girl pants on and went gluten free. Being caffeine free has been really rewarding – and I say this as the huge coffee addict that I was (am?) – so much so that it’s a breeze to continue it, even with the seductive aromas of the dark nectar of all good things. I feel better. I feel more awake. I no longer drag myself through the day. I sleep better. I drink more water. … I feel better.

But. My reactions or intolerance to gluten and dairy has been increasing over the last few months. And it’s kinda gotten to the point I was at when last I went cold turkey on the fun things in life. I can deal with some of the less serious side effects – and have done so for a long time, hence my “should be but am not” practice. But now I am in physical pain which increases throughout the day til I feel very unwell at nighttime.

And it occurs to me, as I have thrown off the (bitter doubleedged sword) shackle of the coffee addiction, that it seems utterly self defeating to choose actions that directly lead to sabotaging myself by not feeling my best. And that if all I have to do is … not … to feel unhindered or at least not handicapped in the day … well, why would I? It’s like, there’s enough crap holding me back or obstacles I have to climb to get where I want to go and do what I want to do, why should I be actively going out and seeding the course with mines? It  makes no sense.

And that above is the result of five (is it 6?) years of counselling. There may be hope for me yet.

So today was the day. I started it in a cafe waiting for my car to be serviced and found a bunch of gluten free options. I had hot chocolate so didn’t go lactose free. The work canteen now offers at a minimum 1 gluten free lunch option, often 2 or 3. So I opted for one of those for lunch. And then had gnocci for dinner. And? Verdict? I still need to go lactose free – I bought lactose free milk and put it in the work fridge so the rest of the day was lactose free and from tomorrow I will be properly. BUT I am in much less pain this evening than yesterday. And almost no nausea. Win.

Also, this is *much* easier than it was 10 years ago when I had to live off rice and those rice biscuits for a year. We had an afternoon tea this afternoon and some of my workmates brought in bought gluten free mince pies and gluten free choc chip cookies and they were good!