Recovering From a Backslide

Have you ever wondered why life turns out the way it does?  Me too! However, I’ve decided to move on and quit wondering and start living!

I am now almost 3 weeks past my Celiac breakout and 7 days past steroids, still feeling bad, still itching but thankful that I am slowly healing. The last 3 weeks have given me a new perspective on life! I am so thankful that I am able to enjoy my life and so blessed that I have been given a chance to move on and learn a new way of thinking!  Although, I have been gluten free for almost a year, it was by choice (I could deal with a little joint pain or swelling if I really had to eat that special something!). Now it is a matter of my life and well-being.  I cannot repeat another outbreak just because I want that piece of cake or those fried shrimp. After 3 weeks, my body is still not back to normal. I still find myself taking naps and having to struggle to finish tasks. I also know that if my skin is this bad after 3 weeks, my stomach and intestines must be horrible!

I spent yesterday going through my pantry. Although I have been eating relatively gluten free for almost a year, I needed to verify that EVERYTHING in my house is gluten free.  I ended up with only one thing of barbeque sauce that I was not sure about. I read the ingredients and noticed that at one point it said “spices”. I got it out of the pantry! I remembered Vanessa’s teaching: If the manufacturer won’t tell you what “spices”, it is not safe to eat!

Another thing that I am working on is a list of restaurants where I can safely eat. For those of you in the Nashville area, Darfon’s and the Backstage Grill have REALLY nice gluten free menus! I have also had success at Blue Coast Burrito. I get the Cabo Bowl and Red Robin; they have gluten free hamburger buns! Forget eating at fast food restaurants! The only exceptions that I have found are Hardees; I get the low carb thick burger and Subway, where I get a 6-inch made as a salad!

Dominoes and New York Pizza have gluten free crust pizza, but be very careful because they make and bake the pizza in the same area with the traditional wheat pizza! A month ago, I would have taken that chance, but not now!

The thing that I am happiest and most excited about though is that I can cook ANYTHING that I want and make it gluten –free!  I am rethinking my recipes and am thinking about a cookbook. What do you think?

“Lessons Learned or Why I Should Quit Being a Doubting Thomas”!

Throughout my life, there have been times when I tried to push the envelope or do what “Everyone Else” was doing. It has never worked.  I always get caught! That being said, I will move on to my latest lesson learned.

As you know, Shank and I were in Europe for 2 weeks. While on the ship, I was able to follow my gluten free lifestyle. However during shore excursions and in Barcelona, it was more difficult. If the excursion included a lunch, it was usually pasta. So, needless to say, I cheated. I did pretty well in Europe, just some joint pain and swelling, but nothing that I couldn’t live with. I think the reason is because there is less gluten in European wheat.

Flash forward: We come back from Europe and Labor Day is upon us. The last weekend of August, we spend a wonderful day with our friend Judith on Group Therapy. Everyone brought food to share. One of the foods available was chicken strips. I decided to have 2.  After all, I had just spent 3 weeks eating pasta and bread once a day, what was going to happen with the breading on 2 chicken strips?  The next day, I woke up with what I thought were mosquito bites.  The next week went by and everything seemed to be fine. On Thursday, I woke up late and missed breakfast. So I stopped and got a sausage biscuit. Now usually, I throw away the biscuit and just eat the sausage, but again, what could it hurt. 2 hours later, I am aching and having chills. In my denial, I thought, “ I must still be tired from the trip”.  Saturday, I cooked Gumbo and Shrimp and Grits for 20 people! We had so much fun! I have adapted both recipes so that they are gluten free. The only thing that I made that wasn’t gluten free was homemade Banana Pudding. I had a serving. I woke up in the middle of the night itching and I was so sore the next day I had trouble walking. Again, I realized that the aches were from the pudding but thought I had a mosquito in the house. On Sunday, I went to my friend Lorie’s for a cook out! I thought that I had not had any gluten but after about 30 minutes, I had chills again and had what looked like chicken pox appear on my arms.

Now here is where I should have listened to reason. But I just had to push that envelope. I just had to know for sure. I told Shank, this is probably not the thing to do, but I have to know for sure if this rash is caused by wheat/gluten. I decided that if I was going to do it I was going to go out with a bang! I had a chocolate chip cookie and a turtle brownie!

By midnight, I was covered in whelps and oozing sores, having chills, headache, and aching all over!  I tried to self medicate (being a nurse and all) but after 5 days of no relief and being unable to sleep with out clawing myself and drawing blood, I ended up at the doctor’s office.  Now 3 days into steroids, I can wear clothes with out pain!

The doctor told me that if I wanted to be tested for Celiac, she would order the testing, but that her recommendation was to consider myself Celiac and NEVER eat wheat or gluten again. I am considering whether to have the test or not. Either way, I am off of gluten.

Now why am I telling you this? First gluten is gluten. I should have not eaten it in Europe. It is interesting to know that I am not as bothered there.  Secondly, 95% of people with Celiac Disease do not know that they have it. I am including a Celiac Symptoms website that you may find interesting. I hope that this may help someone who is having issues and does not know why.

Until next time!