Okay, I haven't been ready to blog about this for a while because I just don't feel like dealing with it anymore, but it's a reality in my life and something I have to come to grips with. A few months ago, I started having stomach pains and potty issues. At first, I thought it was indigestion and took some tums. Big mistake! My stomach felt like it was going to erupt. After several visits to the doctor and no answers, I got in touch with a friend from Sioux Falls and discovered that she had a wheat allergy that was causing her some of the same problems. So, I thought, what the heck, I'm going to try to cut out wheat and see what happens. The first day I didn't eat wheat was the first day in almost 3 weeks that I didn't have stomach problems. There is a disease called Celiac Sprue that I started researching and the next week I met with a GI specialist. I completely cut gluten from my diet and the problems started going away. It's been a learning process and there are hidden things that contain gluten that I have discovered the hard way. I went for an upper endoscopy which came back inconclusive for Celiac, but I was informed by the National Foundation For Celiac Awareness that once you have removed gluten from your diet, your intestines repair themselves within 3 days. It would actually take 6-8 weeks of eating gluten for me to test positive for the disease. Guess what I'm not doing. The only treatment for Celiac Sprue Disease is a gluten free diet and I suppose that's my solution. No more fried chicken, PB& J, or spaghetti :(...... I have learned to read every label, which is a good thing! Do you know how much crap we put in our body? What is mono sodium glutamate anyway?
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
11 comments:
I have tummy and poopie issues, too. Even missed both services at church yesterday due to being glued to the potty. Commodium A-D does NOT even work for me. And yet it's not Celiac.
I am feeling so miserable for you now. 'Cause if someone said, "no peanut butter sandwich or fried chicken for you!" I'd most likely keel over in a dead faint. Until someone wafted fried chicken under my nose in a revival attempt.
I feel for you...truly...
But we are living the day and age of a glorious God who supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory. He's provided a whole aisle of revamped grocery staples just for YOU! I have several friends on a gluten-free diet and they are living well using these specialty products.
There now...don't ya feel better?
Much, LeAnn, thank you. I love Pad Thai and I can eat as much of that as I want, within reason!
It cannot be fun for you to be restricted from fried chicken and other things that you love, HOWEVER, I am so glad that you have discovered what was causing you problems, cause, girl, you were looking seriously ill there for a while.....Wow, celiac sprue, I have never even heard of that. I'm so glad that you are feeling better. :) Love ya
I've heard Celiac's is awful. I am SO sorry. We have a Wild Oats near our house and they have a whole section of gluten free food. I had to go home and find out what gluten was.
I read labels for MSG...it reaks havoc for Josh. Everything that has "chicken" flavor contains MSG...Crazy. Sorry for you sister friend. Seems like Wally world has gluten free box mixes now.
I have actually found some great rice pasta at Wal-Mart. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. The hardest thing has been going to dinner at someone else's home. I feel bad that I can't eat until I read the labels. I feel like I'm being really rude by asking them what they put in the roast!
Hi Melissa,
Found your blog via my Google celiac alert!
If you need some help with the gluten-free diet I have lots of tips on my blog: Sure Foods Living. Good luck!
Alison
I have Celiac and I made fried chicken last night. I use the GF flour and make my own. You do not have to stop eating the foods you love - you just need to find the GF version of them! They have great GF pastas - spaghetti and lasagna noodles too! I also eat PB&J - although the GF breads are not like gluten laden breads. They are very crumbly and you have to keep them frozen.
MSG should be avoided as it possibly could contain wheat. I have to avoid MSG too.
It does get easier! And, once you feel better you NEVER want to feel that sick again. So, that makes it easy to walk right by all those glutenized products everyone brings into work.
Rice Chex is now GF - they took out the Malt and use Molasses instead. So, you can have those now!
After 1 year of being GF I started adding dairy back into my diet. It does not bother me like it once did.
I have been GF since March 2007 and it has been a life changing experience for me - in sooooo many ways. I have had this my whole life and it was 41 years of one misdiagnoses after another.
Look upon this as a blessing - you will be healthier and much happier now that you are GF.
Good luck!!
Good place to shop:
http://www.kinnikinnick.com/
They have K-Toos that taste just like Oreos! Their donuts are pretty good too.
Wow, Thank you so much for your comments. I totally didn't expect to get a response from google searches. I welcome any advice on ways to live with this. It hasn't been too bad for me since I love rice. I definitely going through a trial and error process. The quality of life since removing gluten has been much better. My husband had pretty much taken over my job as mom before we figured out what was causing it. My advice to anyone out there who suspects they are gluten-intolerant is to not take no for an answer from your doctor. I don't know why they seem to look to every other possible problem before they consider Celiac. They call it a rare disease, but it's not as rare as you think.
Thank you again for your comments.
how many things can we think of that could also stand for GF.....
good food
godly females
girl friend
green frog
did your docs examine gb (gall bladder); very common issue with those that are fair, fluffy, & (pushing) 40....I am glad you are feeling better...
Post a Comment