Gluten Free - Myself _ Under 18 I guess I am still a kid :)

by Nicholas H
(Havelock north, New zelaand)

Since along as I can remember I have always been rather ill. I have been taken to the doctors time and time again at a young age and they have all said I’ve had glandgela fever.

I seem to have gone in a repetitive cycle for a long time, usually about once a month i seem to crash, for about 3 or 4 days I’m just completely run down flat with flu symptoms but without the flu. Then one day my sister got tested and they found she was intolerant to gluten.

After a month of being gluten free she was better then she has ever been, she used to being the biggest pain. I know being an older brother is hard but I truly felt she hated me. Now she talks to me all the time and we are best friends, she is happy and hasn’t been tired or ill for a long time.

I decided I wanted to try it.
A few symptoms I had before I went on my gluten free diet:

1 I was terrible at remembering anything, sentences on a white board at school; I had to read one word at a time as I never remember strings of words. Also numbers which is why I’m so useless at maths etc. phone numbers at work on the answer phone are hell as i have to repeat it over and over again to write it all down.

2 I am always tired. I sleep a lot and never seem to feel more awake. Even fully awake i still feel run down, and I’m talking all my life.

3 I have always had one side of my nose blocked since as long as I can remember.

4 depressions has also been a really big problem with me. I am very negative without even trying. Most of the time I completely disagree with my negative view at school work yet I’m stuck thinking it.

5 have no work ethic even though I know I’m known full. I try very hard at school and spend a lot o my time studying yet because I never remember half the stuff I study lately I have just wanted to drop out and leave because I hate feeling like I’m hopeless... the feeling is like being trapped inside the shell of a utter moron, my brain unable to tell my body the answers to anything. In tests I know answers for things yet for some reasons i can never seem to put my finger to anything like it’s out

of reach.


day 1
pretty much the same no real change. i hada bowl of gluten free pasta and tomate sauce for breakfast. fruit for lunch and gluten free tea.

day 2
pretty much the same. no change

day 3
woke up feeling rather good, pretty happy. had a really good day at school.

day 4
woke u completely awake. was rather odd, first real sign of change. didn' t feel hungry very much and didn't eat any snakes as i had no urge, just ate main meals. completely awake all day.

day 5
completely awake, remembered far more at school then normal.got home and studied for 4 hours, parents thought something was wrong with me hahaha. don't know what made me do it really, i just felt happy and wanted to learn.

day 6
read a 500 page book in 3 hours.... remember every detail throughout book. read a whole text book for history subject. u want me to explain Vietnam war i'll do it. i remember it all. friends at school asked me if i was ok because i seemed really warm. depression completely gone.

day 7 had work
answering phone had three numbers.rote down 12 digit phone number first time without needing to hear it again. i have never done that in my life, i don't even know my own cell phone number. it was very weird. i felt on top of the world. i was doing jobs very quickly and accurately, didn't make a single error ll day at work, at end of day was still full of energy even after working a solid 11 house straight, got home went for a hour jog.

day 8
got up total happy all day. possibly the best id feelt in years. i was at complete peace at home and felt great. the feeling was indescribable, i could cry trying explain the joy i felt. id never felt so awake and well in my life.

its been a a few months now. i havn't argued with my sister or my parents once. iv been doing well at school.my grades at a passing achieved have risen to excellence on every test. i havn't been ill once. my life has completely changed. my only regret is that i new about it sooner. because i feel iv missed out the benefits of my education over the past 12 years of school.

i am now 17 years old, and i am only now enjoying school for the first time in my life. I feel like i can now do anything.