With my Bony Arms & Hollowed-Out Face, Gluten Free was my Saving Grace… Meet Nicolas Cole

Cheers to the first day of Celiac Awareness month.  There are so many great stories, giveaways, expos coming your way over the course of this next month from many a blogger out there. Don’t be afraid to get involved, educate, and spread the knowledge.

This young man you are about to meet is doing just that.  He is one of our Calendar Men and spent most of his growing life sheltered in a body that was turning against him, no one could figure out why.  Finally they did.  Meet Nicolas Cole…

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I spent the first 18 years of my life undiagnosed with celiac disease. Stories? Here’s a story for you…

Doctors thought it was Irritable Bowel Syndrome. They wanted to do a lower G.I. test. I said, “Mom, what’s a lower G.I. test?” She explained the tube, the camera, the destination and I said nope, no thank you, really, I mean truly, such an honor, I would, any other time, but not now, find someone else, I’m good. She approved the test anyway.

Preparation consisted of drinking 2 gallons of sulfer-tasting water. And with each sip, what little food was left in my stomach headed south, down and down, until I was clean as spring gutters.

This “cleansing process” lasted from 5 p.m to 4 a.m, during which I sat on the toilet with my entire desktop computer situated on a foldable card table in front of me. I ran chords from the bathroom to the outlet in my bedroom, long extension chords, looking like I was powering a spaceship from behind closed doors.

Every hour or so, my mom would come upstairs, knock and ask, “Cole, how’s it coming in there?” She could hear the click clack of my keyboard, my mouse, the only things keeping me from teetering into depression—because seriously, all I wanted was to take a normal poop, just one normal poop, once in my life. From within the bathroom, I called back, “It’s going ok,” and she followed that with, “Are you drinking?” I looked at the still almost-full two gallon jug beside the toilet and said, “Slowly but surely.”

We repeated this call and response until it was midnight and time for her to go to sleep. All alone, in the empty night, I sat there, awaiting tomorrow’s procedure. Maybe they’d finally figure out what was wrong with me. Maybe i’d finally be able to gain some weight. Maybe I wouldn’t look like a skeleton anymore, with my bony arms and my hollowed-out face. Maybe i’d be able to make some friends and attend school for more than three days in a week and maybe, just maybe, i’d find myself a girlfriend. But no, oh no, that would be asking far too much.

The test came back negative. As did the other 79 tests I underwent, and diets I tried, and medications I sampled. It wasn’t until my 18th birthday that my mom, who had been reading about her own stomach issues for quite a while now, approached me with the thought that maybe we were both allergic to gluten.

I tried eating gluten-free for a day and never looked back, my soul singing the sweet song of solace. I gave up the pizza, the cupcakes, the brownies, the flour tortillas and the fried chicken and the donuts and the sandwiches, and replaced it all with vegetables, chicken, turkey, and rice. It was hard at first, but hardly as difficult as living undiagnosed with celiac disease.

Finally, I was free, free of the ball and chain that had kept me locked in the bathroom for 18 years.

And what did I do with my newfound freedom?

I remade myself.

 

 

For More Info on Cole:
Instagram: @NicolasCole77
Twitter: @NicolasCole77
YouTube: www.youtube.com/NicolasCole77
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nicolascole77
Vine: NicolasCole77

 

If you interested in sharing your story and growing awareness, send an email to kb@glutenfreegal.com

Tags: Celiac Disease awareness Month, freedom, gluten free stories, GlutenFreeGal, IBS, nicholas cole, remake yourself

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Comments

  1. Reply

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  2. Reply

    It’s an remarkable article in favor of all the online users; they will obtain benefit from it I am sure.

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  5. Reply

    Reblogged this on It's a FODMAP Life! and commented:
    Such an awesome story! Please share

  6. Reply

    “all I wanted was to take a normal poop, just one normal poop…” I can still identify so much with this. Thanks for sharing your journey. You are very lucky to have discovered the gluten sensitivity early in your life.

  7. Hey, how come going gluten-free hasn’t made ME look like that? (Ha, ha, just kidding, I’m sure it took a lot more work than just cutting gluten.) Great story. Nothing like a colonoscopy to traumatize you for life, but it’s still good to do them…just to be safe…and I’m glad you figured out the right treatment in the end!

    1. Haha, you’re funny!

  8. Reply

    Thank you so much for sharing your story and I’m so glad that you finally gained control over your health and your life! As an 18 year old girl with celiac still struggling to gain weight, I hope that I’ll be able to grab the reigns of my body soon too!

  9. Reply

    what an amazing accomplishment you have made with yur transformation. I commend both you and your mom for your persistence towards a true health solution.

    • AZshell
    • May 1, 2014
    Reply

    MR. Nicolas Cole…thank you very much for sharing your story. I am showing it to my 14 year old son. Moms know what moms know. You are brave, and inspirational. Thank you.

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I was diagnosed w/ Celiac disease in 2010, after 7 agonizing years of misdiagnosis. Once I started living gluten free I felt 100% better than I did, but something was still amiss. Giving up gluten was only the beginning of my long journey to gut health and healing.

Everyone is different, there’s not one lifestyle that can work for everyone. Living the gluten free lifestyle is not an easy one and can be very overwhelming: from grocery shopping and social events, to deglutening your own household. I

Let me help you navigate through the gluten-free maze more seamlessly with tips, tricks, humor, healthy recipes and more.

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