My name is Melinda Arcara, but my friends and family call me “Beeb”. I grew-up the youngest of 10 children so naturally my Dad nicknamed me the “Bebe” (pronounced Bee Bee) for being the Baby of our big family.
Looking back over the last 25+ years, my gluten-free journey probably started when I was very young. I grew up in a very close and loving Slovak/Ukranian family. Traditional Eastern European foods like pierogies, nut rolls, breads and baked good were always homemade by my Slovak Mum. Food was culturally a huge part of my everyday life.
It’s easy to look back and see all the problems I had growing up with learning, attention and behavior, but back in the 80’s no one thought to look at all my problems as a whole. I was a mediocre student who got by on a very BIG personality. My humor was my crutch. I knew I wasn’t stupid, but I couldn’t figure out why it would take me twice as long to read as the other kids. Or why I couldn’t grasp concepts in math or science. I could learn from someone telling me or through song, but I couldn’t open a book and comprehend concepts on my own.
It was when I was about 14 years old that I was told that I had an auto-immune problem, but that was all I (or my parents) knew. After that first sigmoidoscopy, the doctor explained to me that I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and that I would “eventually have Colitis or Crohn’s disease and perhaps colon cancer.” Nice thing to try to explain to a 14-year-old. I spent the next 6 years hiding symptoms from my mom or refusing to see doctors for fear of the embarrassment of the procedure preps and the mention of colonoscopy.
Every major life event from the time I turned 20 until I had my daughter at 36 (college, jobs, marriage, death of my dad, infertility, pregnancy) resulted in a weakened immune system and subsequently I would have a colonoscopy to determine if the IBS had gotten worse or turned into Colitis or Crohn’s disease. When I had my son at 34 I started to get migraines, in the form of flashing aura’s. After my daughter, they got worse and I eventually contacted a neurologist to rule out any brain defects. All tests (CAT Scans, thyroid tests, etc.) came back normal. He suggested that I try taking Riboflavin as a last resort. He didn’t know why it worked for some people, but I didn’t want to go on prescription medicine, so this was my last resort. Thankfully it cut the number of migraines to one to two a month.
Shortly before my 40th birthday EVERYTHING fell apart. Depression set in. It was suggested by my OBGYN that I go on birth control pills to help with my remaining migraines. My general practitioner suggested I go on anti-depressants to help me even out my mood. Finally my sister Sue stepped in. From California she found me holistic practitioner who was able to diagnose me with non-celiac gluten intolerance and a severe vitamin B and iron deficiency. Before I went on any vitamin supplements, I decided to consult my M.D. as a back-up. She did blood tests that confirmed everything that was found by the holistic practitioner.
I cried a river of tears with joy that I finally had a diagnoses for the way I felt. It took me 7 days to detox off gluten, but once I got away from the cravings, I immediately noticed that could breath out of the right side of my nose. I’ll bet I hadn’t done that my entire life.
The first 6 months were up and down. I would go on and off gluten. I would feel sick and then feel good each time I got on and off it. The seventh month I made the full commitment to stay gluten-free for the rest of my life. And I’m OK with that. I’ve come to the realization that it’s NOT about elimination, it’s all about substitution.
So, here is where my journey continues and your journey begins. Through my website, book (3 Steps to Gluten-Free Living), blog (glutenfreebebe.com) and teaching programs I'm looking forward to helping newly diagnosed find their way through the gluten-free world. With my help, anyone can stay 100% compliant and on the path to healing and health for life.
Looking back over the last 25+ years, my gluten-free journey probably started when I was very young. I grew up in a very close and loving Slovak/Ukranian family. Traditional Eastern European foods like pierogies, nut rolls, breads and baked good were always homemade by my Slovak Mum. Food was culturally a huge part of my everyday life.
It’s easy to look back and see all the problems I had growing up with learning, attention and behavior, but back in the 80’s no one thought to look at all my problems as a whole. I was a mediocre student who got by on a very BIG personality. My humor was my crutch. I knew I wasn’t stupid, but I couldn’t figure out why it would take me twice as long to read as the other kids. Or why I couldn’t grasp concepts in math or science. I could learn from someone telling me or through song, but I couldn’t open a book and comprehend concepts on my own.
It was when I was about 14 years old that I was told that I had an auto-immune problem, but that was all I (or my parents) knew. After that first sigmoidoscopy, the doctor explained to me that I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and that I would “eventually have Colitis or Crohn’s disease and perhaps colon cancer.” Nice thing to try to explain to a 14-year-old. I spent the next 6 years hiding symptoms from my mom or refusing to see doctors for fear of the embarrassment of the procedure preps and the mention of colonoscopy.
Every major life event from the time I turned 20 until I had my daughter at 36 (college, jobs, marriage, death of my dad, infertility, pregnancy) resulted in a weakened immune system and subsequently I would have a colonoscopy to determine if the IBS had gotten worse or turned into Colitis or Crohn’s disease. When I had my son at 34 I started to get migraines, in the form of flashing aura’s. After my daughter, they got worse and I eventually contacted a neurologist to rule out any brain defects. All tests (CAT Scans, thyroid tests, etc.) came back normal. He suggested that I try taking Riboflavin as a last resort. He didn’t know why it worked for some people, but I didn’t want to go on prescription medicine, so this was my last resort. Thankfully it cut the number of migraines to one to two a month.
Shortly before my 40th birthday EVERYTHING fell apart. Depression set in. It was suggested by my OBGYN that I go on birth control pills to help with my remaining migraines. My general practitioner suggested I go on anti-depressants to help me even out my mood. Finally my sister Sue stepped in. From California she found me holistic practitioner who was able to diagnose me with non-celiac gluten intolerance and a severe vitamin B and iron deficiency. Before I went on any vitamin supplements, I decided to consult my M.D. as a back-up. She did blood tests that confirmed everything that was found by the holistic practitioner.
I cried a river of tears with joy that I finally had a diagnoses for the way I felt. It took me 7 days to detox off gluten, but once I got away from the cravings, I immediately noticed that could breath out of the right side of my nose. I’ll bet I hadn’t done that my entire life.
The first 6 months were up and down. I would go on and off gluten. I would feel sick and then feel good each time I got on and off it. The seventh month I made the full commitment to stay gluten-free for the rest of my life. And I’m OK with that. I’ve come to the realization that it’s NOT about elimination, it’s all about substitution.
So, here is where my journey continues and your journey begins. Through my website, book (3 Steps to Gluten-Free Living), blog (glutenfreebebe.com) and teaching programs I'm looking forward to helping newly diagnosed find their way through the gluten-free world. With my help, anyone can stay 100% compliant and on the path to healing and health for life.