Bread of Life?

Foods for Life GF bread: 4-5, depending on the type. Bread comes frozen, and it's pretty expensive, about $5.50 at Kroger. The rice bread gets a 4. Mom gave it a big thumbs-down. I think it's ok, doesn't taste like much, kinda dry, and it falls apart, but it does the job. The Rice Almond bread however, is pretty good. A little sweeter and it holds together better.

Just don't try to make a sandwich with it- it is very dense and just doesn't work. I prefer it toasted to thaw it, then some PB or J or PB&J. Good with coffee for breakfast! Although I may be biased, breakfast is hard to come by unless I'm ambitious and feel like eggs, or I feel like gagging down a Glutino bar... right... Gone are the lazy days of a granola bar in my first class!

On another note- yesterday was interesting because I had a meeting that included free pizza. Good pizza too, deep dish, the kind we used to get with the other TAs that I love. I tried very hard not to sulk as I shoveled in my leftover chicken and rice. Thankfully, I did have the foresight to pack my own lunch in the first place...

Because I Can

Just had to post in honor of my lovely mom :) She is trying this GF "adventure" as well, and we've nicknamed it the "Because I Can" Diet. Basically, you eat things that you wouldn't normally, especially if you were trying to have a normal healthy diet. For example- I think I've had a hot fudge sundae with her homemade hot fudge about every day this week. Why? Because I can!

I tried making cookies (see previous post) last weekend. I used to make cookies all the time, but it's been awhile at the moment. Why go back to making cookies? Because I can. And then I'm a little disappointed with the results, but nevermind that...

I eat a lot of tortilla chips, with salsa, Skyline dip, etc., when I would have probably gone for crackers and cheese in the past. Well, it's mostly because I can.

Ok, time for one of those amazing hot fudge sundaes!!

Labs

Ok, should be studying for my test in two hours, but I just looked at my lab test results online. Unless I'm wrong- it looks very positive for Celiac. My IgA was in the normal range (proving I'm not IgA deficient), and my TTG was 58. Normal is 5-8 (yes, there's a dash there). So unless I'm an idiot and can't read lab tests, I am absolutely, positively Celiac.

Pretty unusual lab tests (the lady at the lab was a little confused by the order at first), but I should be used to reading labs by now, right? I did really well somehow on my big exam last week, which was a good portion on labs. We're all not really sure how we did as well as we did (sharp curve?), but I'm just happy for a good result after a strenuous test!

Now I'm off to study for the next one and hope that I can remember hematology lab tests... and diagnoses... and treatment regimens... wish me luck!

I'm a critic... of food.

I think my weekend was successful in the gluten-free arena. I was gone most of the weekend, and still managed to do ok. As far as I know. I didn't feel very good after supper on Friday- I think maybe because of contaminated brown sugar? I remembered later that I had put a piece of bread in the canister to soften it up awhile ago. Duh.

I guess every time I don't feel very well, I'm going to instantly over-evaluate everything I've eaten. Welcome to Celiac!

I have updates on some gluten-free products. If you don't care, that's fine, I just want to keep track of what to buy in the future... I think I need to invent a rating scale, stars are too boring... On a scale of one to five:

1= Cardboard. Or whatever equivalent non-edible substance it resembles.
2= Ugh. Maybe if we were stranded together on a desert island...
3= OK, borderline. Maybe if it's on sale?
4= Good. That's all.
5= Stellar. Now a pantry staple.

Gluten-free Pantry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix: 2- tasted alright, but texture was questionable. It was like eating an OK cookie, followed by having sand stuck in your teeth when you were done. They also were very very thin. They'll work in a pinch, but definitely not something I'd crave.

Glutino's Breakfast Bars: 1- Absolutely dreadful. Almost had a pumpkiny smell? Chewy, weird texture, but the real issue was the taste. Plus, I hate raisins, and both the crust and the filling had raisins ground up in them. Basically, I'm glad these came free with an order, I would feel really bad if money had been paid.

Celiac is really expensive.

Wow. I had no idea Celiac would be so expensive. It's more expensive to eat healthier anyway (fruit costs more than fries...), and GF alternatives are pretty pricey.

Still, the biggest expense? The diagnosis. I just got the bills for the EGD, etc. I can't imagine what it would be like to not have insurance. We have really good insurance, and it's still making our already tight budget about to strangle us. I got the bill and thought hmm... that's a lot. Oh well, we can handle it. Little did I know that more was coming! I opened the mail yesterday, and there was another bill with a notice that essentially said: Oh, by the way, the doctors and the endoscopy center bill separately...just thought you should know... Frustration.

Ok, enough ranting. Just needed to get that off my chest. More later, hopefully something happy after my big test that I'm avoiding studying for. Wish me luck!

This one's for the buttmunch...

Guess what I'm making: Skyline Dip!!

Just found out that Skyline chili is gluten-free, and so are the other accompaniments (cream cheese, cheddar, tortilla chips). Obviously not the most figure-friendly recipe, but oh so good, and it brings back memories of living in The Palace apartment with my bestest buttmunch :). Yay!

I'm thinking of trying chocolate chip cookie mix, but it's getting too late for that tonight. Huge exam on Thursday, maybe after that?

How have I done?

Not real sure exactly how well I've done at being GF. I could be hypervigilant about it, and eat nothing that's even questionable... but then I would never eat. Seriously- try it for a day and let me know what you think after reading the label on every bite that goes into your mouth. Including gum. And don't forget the envelopes and postage stamps.

Have you ever noticed how many products have natural flavors? Caramel coloring? Vanilla flavor? Vinegar? Modified food starch? Maltodextrin? All these ingredients and many more could have gluten in them. Usually, if they are produced in the US, they are processed with corn or potato ingredients (as opposed to wheat), but apparently you have to be careful. I'm not about to contact every company before I put anything in my mouth, but I'm trying to not be an idiot here and blindly think that all products are ok.

Plus, contacting companies is less than fruitful, not to mention frustrating. I've already tried a few... Even though I spell out exactly what I want to know and why, I get such stupid answers. I'm not writing to you because it's fun and I enjoy it- I need information. Wheat does not equal gluten. Allergy information and reading labels are not enough. You just can't tell.

I guess I might as well get used to it.

Lessons...

Ok, now it's time for a little science and history lesson. I would write objectives for it, but I'm not quite that big of a dork. Maybe I am for thinking of doing that in the first place. ANYWAY: What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac is NOT:

• wheat gluten attacking your GI tract
• an "allergy" to wheat

Celiac is: an autoimmune disease in which your body mounts an immune response to the presence of wheat gluten in your diet. This immune response can cause damage to the GI tract, especially the villi of the small intestine. This can cause varying, nonspecific symptoms, many from malabsorption. It's estimated that 1 in 133 people has Celiac disease, though Celiac is often overlooked or misdiagnosed. For more info, visit here.

How in the world did I find out that I have it?

I've been feeling generally "bad" for years. I'm not sure when it started, somewhat as far back as I can remember. I was really sick as a little kid with major GI issues, but I guess I "grew out of it." I've been tired all the time, no matter what the situation, just different degrees of tired according to how much sleep I get. I was anemic according to blood tests about two years ago, with no real reason as to why. I took iron supplements, and it sort of helped. I started to notice last summer that I had pressure in my chest and it was hard to swallow sometimes. It would come and go randomly. My doctor said that it was GERD and gave me a PPI to take. I stopped coffee, chocolate, tea, anything that aggravates GERD. No difference. I've had, uh, other GI symptoms as well. Although they were annoying, I just wrote it off, thinking i was a hypochondriac and it was related to anxiety.

The anxiety was a whole different monster in itself, accompanied by depression. Not exactly sure when that started, but that was the big factor that made me realize that something was indeed wrong. After my first referral to a GI doc fell through, I eventually scheduled an appointment with a different group of GI docs. It was 5 months from the time I scheduled it to when it actually happened. I considered canceling many times for various reasons. I was feeling OK. It wasn't like I was dying. It was all in my head, and I didn't want to pay money to have a doctor tell me that. Regardless, I went to the appointment.

Coincidentally, the weekend before the appointment, I went to see my family doctor about a weird sort of rash on my toes. I noticed some itchy blistering on the tops of my toes. I thought yuck, this is a pretty nasty fungus and it's in a very weird place on my toes, and started using an antifungal cream. Yeah, that made it much worse. Doc took a biopsy and put me on an antibiotic (What? I don't contribute to antibiotic resistance!). Long story short(er), the GI doc later that week asked to look at my toes. Huh?! Yes, apparently that's a pretty common inflammatory manifestation of Celiac Disease, itchy blisters. Go figure. That contributed to his idea that it just might be Celiac.

Well, the biopsy is in (I don't recommend it...), and the blood tests are to come, but I am convinced I'm Celiac. If you know anyone else that you think of after reading this- bring it up!

Biopsy, etc.

By the way, the biopsy results came back positive for Celiac, but the Dr. wants TTG and IgA blood tests before he'll diagnose me because the biopsy is apparently nonspecific (meaning it could indicate a few other things as well, such as infection...?!). What's up with that?? In my professional (ahem) opinion, the blood tests should be used more as screening tools, with biopsy as confirmation. Did I go through that less-than-pleasant EGD for nothing?!

Waffles!

Typical Saturday morning: We sleep till whenever. He gets up, I wallow in bed for awhile. Then, I make waffles. (Pronounced wa-flees in my house).

That's just how it goes. Now today, I was a little nervous about GF waffles. Sounds a bit difficult to me. Thanks to my lovely mother, who bought me GF baking mix, I was surprised and impressed. Only one slight substitution (milk instead of water), and it was really good. Pair that with some peaches and pecans. Yum.

Of course, this experiment took about a half hour versus the five minutes it normally takes. I made two separate batches of batter, one for me and one for him, and had to carefully clean the waffle iron before and after. He has told me that he's willing to eat whatever I have to eat, which would makes things easier, but I'm too cheap to make him waffles from the $5.99 box instead of the perfectly good $2.00 box.

So anyway, once I get the hang of this separate batters thing, I think we're going to be eating a lot of waffles.

Today

Mom is coming up tonight to help me go through my pantry, fridge, freezer, etc. I figure I'll never get around to it by myself, it's always easier with someone else! I'm very glad for the moral support. I love food too much, and restricting myself is going to be difficult anyway.

I was always the kid that begged for home-cooked food after weeks of disgusting dorm mush. Even if I didn't love my parents and my brother and go home to see them all the time, I still would have gone home just for the food. I'd go to an event with free "real" food, and come home giddy. I'm an emotional eater- such that food almost always improves my emotions. Who would have known that all this time, food was the enemy. Gluten was the evil villain making me feel so awful. And all this time, I thought it was all in my head.

Still waiting for the biopsy results to make it official, but I'm convinced I'm Celiac. It just makes too much sense. More to come with my history, what led up to all this. I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat, just waiting :)

Departure Date

With every journey comes the initial departure. Some are spontaneous, usually short-lived. Others require careful planning and readiness for long-term success.

Departure date is set for tomorrow. I will document my journey here. I pray for God's blessing and assistance in advance.

Where am I going, you may ask? What location holds such importance in my life, that it may very well change my life?

The land of the gluten-free.

Much remains to be told. Why am I doing this? Where did this concept come from? How am I going to do it? I hope and pray that, by my story, you are informed and encouraged. This is not going to be an easy road for me, but the potential benefits are just too obvious to pass up. I'm counting on you, my friends, family, and whoever else stumbles upon this, to keep me accountable and encourage me. I have a feeling I might need it.