Let Go Already! #reverb10

December 5 Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (prompt by @finslippy)

I was thinking about this all day.  Who did I let go of?  What did I let go of?  I'm not so good at making clean getaways, so this was a lot harder than it sounded for me.  But, it dawned on me.  I did let go of something.

Gluten.

In February, my sister Ky was diagnosed with Celiacs.  Knowing that all her symptoms were my symptoms (which had been diagnosed as numerous other things over the years) I thought I should get tested too.  Now, when Ky was diagnosed she spent the next week gorging herself on all things gluten.  It seemed like a good plan.

In March, I finally got the results back from the test.  I definitely have Celiac disease.  So, I walked out of the doctor's office and never ate gluten again.  Well, not intentionally at least.

It wasn't very hard to say goodbye to the food: breads, pastas, burgers, fast food, etc.  Especially when, after the first few weeks, I felt better than I had in years.  What has been hard to let go of is the convenience.

Being Celiac is a royal pain in the butt.  Well, except that for the first time it's without the pain in the butt!  However, it's all about planning.  If I can be at home, with my own ingredients, I am fine.  I know what I can eat, I know what I have on hand, and it's all good.  Easy, even.

What I miss is being able to drive through a fast-food joint and grab something to go because I'm in a hurry.  Being lazy is just not something I'm willing to let go yet.

Ima bake bread now

I broke down the other week and bought a loaf of gluten free bread.  I wanted to eat a cold meatloaf sandwich and everyone knows you can't do that without bread.  It was a 4x2x2 loaf of rice bread for $8.  I set it on the counter with a heavy clunk (it was frozen) and laughed.  The Guy brought out his loaf of bread that was 12x5x4 that was $2.  It was pathetic.

I thawed the bread and looked at it.  It was spongy and weird.  I put together my meatloaf (made with quinoa instead of oats) sandwich and sat down to eat.  Huh.  It tasted spongy, but not terrible.  It was a sandwich, but I knew, that loaf of bread was not much worth $8.

I was inspired by my sister Ky to attempt to make my own bread.  She bought a Celimix package (which would make 6 loaves at a mere $2 a piece) and baked her own.  I thought, Ky has an idea here!

I bought the package, and the yeast and made a plan. 

Mix and yeast.

 I have never baked bread before.  I mean, without my Mom's help.  So, I followed the instructions which were pretty easy, and mixed the yeast and watch it do it's thing.

I had no idea yeast smelled SO EFFING TERRIBLE.  But, there is was.  It smelled bad.  And I'm going to have to eat it some later.  Yummy.

Mix, all mixed.

So, I mixed the mix together.  Stirred it just like it told me to.  And then I poured it into bread pan and prepared to wait.  It said to wait until it rose just to the brim of the pan... Ky says that's about an hour.

Mix getting ready to rise.

So, I'm watching Season 3 of Supernatural (Dean! *sigh*), eating ice cream, and waiting.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Warning labels

Since I've been diagnosed with Celiac disease and have to stay away from all things gluten, The Guy has been vigilant in trying to protect me.  He has also been using my new found diagnosis as a way to dissuade me from eating things he wants to keep for himself.

He's been behaving a lot like the guy from the Oatmeal Crisp commercial (but you won't like it) by telling me that my favourite things (which I know to be gluten free) are actually full of gluten. 

This is what I discovered in the fridge when I went to grab a snack of Baby Bell cheese. 

Gluten, gluten, gluten!

I know, you're tired of hearing about it.  You're all like "Bron, we get that you used to be gassy and depressed, but seriously, if we have to hear about your diet one more time, we're going to force feed you pasta."  I know.  Shush, it's okay.

SUCK IT UP.  It's my site and I will talk about farts and wheat if I want to.

This week has been a bit of an eye opener for me.  Celiac disease in my own home is relatively easy.  Sure, I sometimes want to bury my face in flour and breathe deeply, but that could happen to anyone.  For the most part, I make good food for me and am a responsible Gluten-holic.  I can't have it, but I want it desperately.  I behave, but only because I know if I don't, it will hurt me.

This week, I've been at a conference.  One where I did not have time nor place to tell them I could not eat gluten.  One that has served meals of pancakes (breakfast), pasta (lunch on Thurs), pirogies (lunch on Friday -- I always thought it was spelled perogies?) and snacks of cookies and pecan pie.

I came awful close to attacking people for what was on their plates.  I talked to the wait staff and the chef has been amazing enough to make me special meals.  He's been a dream and the serving staff have been awesome.  PS, the Saskatoon Radisson rocks.  Even though their sleep beds suck, but they can't help that.

However, on Thursday night, unbeknown to me, I got some gluten in something at a local restaurant.  The one who swore that item was gluten free.  Not so much, but what can you do?

Well, what I can do is be thankful I had a room alone.

Now, today I felt a ton better and I started talking to a couple of like minded souls about our bowels.  It lead me to think about how grateful I am for this diagnosis and the things I had which I do not have any longer.  Without futher ado, I give you the list!

Bold is what I had.  Striked is what I no longer have.  After 20 ish days!!!  Get ready to have TMI!!!


Signs & Symptoms of Celiac Disease*

Alopecia  (I don't know what this means. UPDATE: It means hair loss.  Nope!)
Anemias, especially iron and folic (working on this!)
Anorexia
Autism
Autoimmune arthritis
Autoimmune connective tissue diseases
Autoimmune thyroiditis
Cerebellar ataxia
Cerebral and cerebellar atrophy
Cerebral calcifications
Chromosome aberrations
Chronic fatigue (getting better, now I just can't sleep!)
Chronic liver disease
Colitis
Constipation
Delayed puberty
Dental enamel defects (permanent damage)
Depression
Down’s syndrome
Early menopause
Febrile seizures
Gallbladder dysfunction
Gallstones
IgA deficiency
IgA nephropathy
infertility (scariest possibility)
Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
Intestinal Cancers
Kidney Stones
Low Calcium
Low Iron
Low Magnesium
Low Vitamin A
Low Vitamin D
Low Vitamin K
Low Zinc
Mild ataxia
Monoarthritis
Muscular hypotonia
Neurological disorders
Obesity (well, I'm "overweight" so says Wii, but I'm getting better!)
Obstructive pulmonary disease
Osteomalacia
Osteoporosis (on my way, but putting a stop to it!)
Pancreatic insufficiency
Pica
Pulmonary bleeding
Retarded motor development
Rickets
Sacroileitis
Schizophrenia
Short stature
Single generalized seizures
Spontaneous, low-impact fractures
Systemic lupus erythematosus
White-matter brain lesions


Symptoms and Conditions Associated with Gluten Sensitivity

Craving for wheat/gluten or inability to stop eating it
Obesity
Allergies, asthma
Sinus congestion, post-nasal drip
Arthritis
Joint and muscle aches
Diarrhea and/or constipation
Gas, bloating, abdominal pain
IBS, colitis, gastritis
Psoriasis, eczema or unexplained rash
Depression, anxiety or mood-swings
Hormonal imbalance
Neurological disorders
Memory loss
Unexplained Chronic Fatigue
Fibromyalgia
Increased liver enzymes
Frequent canker sores
Iron-deficiency anemia
Headaches / Migraines (near headache free for the first time in ~ 7 years!)
Hyperactivity
Osteoporosis
Dental problems
Short stature


*Info from glutendoctors.com

This is the greatest thing for me.  The pain is going away.  If I keep this up, I will not be in pain except for rare occasions rather than all the time.  It keeps me going.

It keeps me from killing small children for their chicken fingers.  And that is all that matters.

Day 17 -- Gluten free and not homicidal

It's been 17 days since I've gone gluten free.  In some ways, it's been a real adjustment.  I keep finding things I will never be able to have again -- Wunderbars! Oreo Blizzards! camp hot dogs on buns! -- but I have also found things that I do like and I can eat.  So, I'm making adjustments.

I find I actually like quinoa.

I'm eating healthier and I feel better.  No stomach pain, lessened headaches, no bloating, no excess gas (oh, the things you learn about me), no other intestinal issues.  I feel better.  Unless I accidentally ingest something gluten and then it's like the gates of hell unleashed in my stomach, but you know, for the most part, I feel better.

I've also lost 12 pounds since I was diagnosed with Celiac disease.  Apparently, the doc's suggestion that all gluten products (because they couldn't be processed) were just going directly to fat storage, wasn't such a far off thing.  I still feel fat, but I'm less heavy than I was.  So there is that.

It's going to be a long haul.  For the most part, I'm pretty glad for it.