Background info
Well this has been an interesting start to summer. I became very ill the week before Memorial Day weekend and found that I have diverticulitis, fibroid tumors, my thyroid was out of whack again and I had double ear infections starting up. I got antibiotics for the diverticulitis, as a side note here I've always had stomach issues going back to early childhood.
Trip to the ER
After a day on the 2 antibiotics I started looking sunburned, had a scratchy throat and mouth, then started getting spots on my face like a teenager with acne! lol. Then had trouble breathing, after a fast trip to the ER, I found that I am allergic to one of those antibiotics, they don't know which one. During this time I was on a liquid diet from my doctor, only 7-UP and Jell-O. I was feeling pretty good, no stomach issues, then I had some chicken broth and got very ill, my friend Kathy, an RN with a DH that has
Celiac Disease asked me if the broth contained wheat, I read her the ingredients and guess what it had Modified Food Starch (wheat). Kathy said to get some gluten-free broth and try that. I did, guess what? I did not get sick! Kathy has been telling me for 10+ years that I probably had
Celiac Disease, I did not want to hear it! "LaLaLaLaLa blah blah blah! I can't hear you!!"
6 days later
I go back for my follow up doctors appointment and tell what I have found regarding the gluten and being sick. I had a lot of time to think back to different times I had been sick and I came up with a few scenarios of being very ill over the years. I also brought in a list of symptoms I've had that other doctors have blown off over the years, turns out that I have all but 3 of the
symptoms of Celiac Disease. So they did blood work, test came back negative, then I find out that you must be consuming wheat and gluten foods to have an accurate blood test, well I had been off gluten for sure for 6 days, but I had been off of it longer since I had been ill and not eating much at all for the last few weeks. What a waste of money! They don't do the genetic testing here, so that is out for now. They want me to see a GI specialist, not sure what I am going to do about that, I am praying about it all.
4 more days later
We attended the
IAHE conference (more on that later) and celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary this past week, I was not sick at all! My DH would ask me "Do you need to lay down and rest?" "How are you feeling?" "Do you need to find a bathroom?" He was so use to me being sick, he was actually able to enjoy an after meal cup of coffee instead of his usual: grabbing the check, while I run to the bathroom, then heading straight to the car so I can get home to use the bathroom AGAIN and then lay down. (this really has been my life for years!) I kept saying "Honey, am I dreaming this? Or was it really not that bad all these years? I just can't believe we are sitting in a restaurant and I ate my meal and I am NOT doubled over!"
16 days later
I have been gluten-free and wheat free for 16 days and guess what? NO STOMACH problems!! No symptoms what-so-ever! I am feeling refreshed, more energy, less tiredness, clearer thinking, and I am not hungry all the time, for years I was just starving day and night. I did try to have some dairy, a slice of Munster Cheese and that gave me a bit of a stomach ache and I ran to the bathroom......lol. Guessing that dairy will still be out of the question, but I was hoping.
Today
I will be honest that it sure seems to be easier to not have dairy than to be wheat-free and gluten-free! I am learning a lot and will pass on the info here and some great reads/websites I have come across.
