Who am I & why am I here?

"If you think adventure is dangerous,

try routine, IT IS LETHAL.”

-Paulo Coelho

I love to travel and have a "next trip" to plan. It gives me something to look forward to.

I visited about ten countries before I was twenty years old. My goal has always been to travel as much and as often as I can.

I did slow down when I had children. My international travel became domestic travel.

Noreen Wheeler

When my daughter was three months old I got on a plane a flew solo to Florida from the northeast. However, when I was thirty-six I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. Suddenly my travel and eating out came to a screeching halt!

I have had problems with my stomach most of my life. I had been very sick for months leading up to my diagnosis. I remember thinking “if I just knew the rules, of what I could and could not eat, I’d happily follow them."

When I was seventeen I lost a lot of weight due to my stomach issues. After many tests, over several years, the doctor decided I needed to have my gallbladder out. I was twenty-one. I remember the surgeon being surprised as I did not fit the “profile” for someone getting their gallbladder removed.

I had major complications from the surgery and wound up in and out of hospitals for months afterward. I threw up almost every day for several months after my gallbladder complications. My stomach did finally get better but has never been “normal.”

I discovered I had Celiac by accident. I was eating healthier to lose weight. I had cut out refined carbohydrates for two weeks and then went on vacation. I went out to eat with my family and had a dinner roll. I was SO SICK! At first, I thought I had the flu. It seemed odd as it was the middle of the summer. A few days later, I had bread again and once again got really sick. Over the next few weeks, I realized something was really wrong. I went back to see my doctor and explained my symptoms. After having tests, I was diagnosed with Celiac when I was 36.

To be honest it took over a year for my stomach to get better after my Celiac diagnosis. I stopped eating gluten and also had to stop eating milk products for a while.

Luckily, I no longer have to completely cut out milk. I did have to be patient and allow my stomach to heal. I met with a nutritionist to help me figure out what I could and could not eat. In addition to having Celiac, I am a very picky eater so the nutritionist really helped! Thankfully, almost nine years later my stomach is more manageable.

As someone that loves to travel and lives with Celiac, I know how hard and stressful it is! I want to share my everyday life with Celiac as well as great places to travel, where you can eat safely.