text: There’s no doubt that the awareness of the gluten-free diet has expanded tremendously since I was diagnosed in 2009.
  It took approximately two years of blood tests, new diets, and finally a biopsy before my sister, Sarah, was diagnosed with Celiac in 2004.
  So when my mom started experiencing fatigue and numbness in her hands, she didn’t think it was Celiac because Sarah had an entirely different set of symptoms.
  After a number of discussions with different doctors and a few tests, my mom was diagnosed with Celiac in 2008.
  Seeing the drastic differences in my sister and mother’s experiences led me back to my doctor in 2009.
  What I find interesting is that when I was first tested in 2004 (after my sister was diagnosed,) my blood test came back negative. I got tested again in 2009 (a year after my mother was diagnosed) and the result was positive.
  What I find more interesting is that I never experienced any severe symptoms of Celiac (numbness, stomach pains, bloating, etc) until adopting a strict gluten-free diet.
  Since each of our diagnoses, and adoptions of the gluten-free diet, we have all experienced different symptoms when eating gluten.
  For instance, when Sarah or I eat gluten, we are plagued with crippling stomach pain for hours. This pain is followed by the development of a crater-sized canker sore.
  (Sarah and I think she just uses it as an excuse to eat chicken Parmesan in front of us, but who knows.)
  The symptoms that I’m plagued with have never varied throughout the years, but I am curious to hear from you!
  Comment below for the chance to be featured in a follow-up post with a compilation of symptoms and stories from Western New York’s gluten-free community!
  I can throw whatever’s left in the fridge from the week right into it. Today, I had carrots, quinoa, edamame (leftover Japanese takeout!,) mozzarella, some sprouts and a small red pepper.
  Next Sunday afternoon when you’re thinking about grabbing a bag of chips, or plate of wings, I urge you to think twice and just make yourself a little salad!