Submitted to I, Anonymous (bolds are mine, but the pain is all hers):

Are you fucking kidding me?

I came home yesterday on a beautiful, sunny, warm spring day, happy and content with life, to find a letter from my doctor in the mailbox. I thought it would be a results page from my recent hospital visit to determine the cause of my severe anemia, telling me everything was fine, the biopsy showed all negative results - have a nice life.

Wrong.

Celiac Disease. I have Celiac Disease.

What the hell is Celiac Disease? So I spend some time finding out about it on the wonderful world of the internet. And learn that I have to cut gluten out of my life. Which sounds annoying but not so bad at first. Until you start thinking about it. Bread. Cereal. Pasta. Cake. Cookies. Pizza. Beer.

Beer? Are you fucking kidding me? I can't have a goddamn beer after work?

What if I do? What if I just kinda follow the rules? Mostly cut out gluten, but have a little here and there?

Osteoporosis. Diabetes. Cancer. Death. Just for starters.

Fuck me.

Did you know there is gluten on the back of a fucking stamp? I didn't even know they still made the kind you had to lick anymore, but that means I have to think twice before I lick a goddamned envelope.

Think about it for a few minutes. Think about all the stuff you eat without thinking about it that in some way has wheat in it. It's a HUGE percentage of your diet. And it's a LOT of the good stuff. Donuts, for example. Thanksgiving stuffing. Hot, gooey pizza on poker night. My mom's homemade cinnamon rolls. The huge batch of beer my husband is in the middle of making especially for me right now. It can all kill me. Literally.

This is in addition to the fact that I am already on blood thinners for life because my body is ALREADY trying to kill me by creating blood clots for no apparent reason. That's a whole other rant I don't really have the energy for right now.

I know—it could be worse. I don't fucking care. I really don't right now. I am sick of this bullshit.

Fuck. FUCK!!!!!!!!!