Tex - I owe you that gluten free cookie!

Robin.booboo · Post by **Robin.booboo** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:15 pm

Hi Tex, I'm just reporting in...

So, I went for the first two full weeks gluten free. Norman arrived around day 5 (!) and stayed. I was able to stop taking the immodium completely on day 8!!! At the end of the two weeks, I challenged with wheat, and had rumblings, urgency, and Norman degraded into slushies for the next 24 hours. Not anywhere near as bad as before, but I was obviously off track after two weeks of feeling great. Now it has been a third week gluten free, and still all is well! The only problem I have had is when we went to a restaurant to meet a friend for a holiday visit and something I ate caused a problem. I had chicken schwarma and rice with romaine lettuce and hummus. I later checked online and found out that the hummus there contained gluten, so that was probably it. It must not have contained much as it was just rumblings and nothing major happened after that. I did not change anything but the gluten, so apparently my immune system is ok with the milk for now. I have not tried soy - that was actually one of the very first things to cause major issues and I have been avoiding it for months. I'm a little scared to challenge with that, although I haven't had my yummy Morningstar Farms soy sausages for ages - I had been reacting pretty badly to them.

Sooooooo..... I've found that I like the GF pecan sandies. I hereby present a virtual package of gluten free pecan sandies to you. You won fair and square. And now I am off to peruse all of Dee's recipe listings!

Thanks!!!
Robin

Post by **tex** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 9:27 pm

Hi Robin,

I'm sorry that things turned out that way, but thanks for the virtual GF cookies. I'm sure I'll virtually enjoy them. LOL.

I hope your remission continues, but in case it doesn't, the most likely suspect will be casein.

Dee has assembled some great recipes, so I hope you find some there that appeal to you.

Tex

Robin.booboo · Post by **Robin.booboo** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 10:01 pm

Thanks Tex, I am actually quite happy!

I'm ready to go there if I have to (CF), but so-far-so-good with the GF regime. There are actually a lot more options than I had expected. For example, grits - I love grits! And I don't miss some of the other things as much as I expected I would. I guess it is all finally sinking in and I must be starting to accept things. It's the little things that throw me, like wishing for a chicken and cranberry salad wrap, and then I remember the wrap is whole wheat, so I can't order it. I am slowly training myself to order stuff like that over greens instead.

Plus I was able to explain it all to my family over Thankgiving and they are starting to clue in to the reality, instead of thinking I am some crazy hypochondriac. That was a big pressure, much better now.

Anyway, thanks again, and Merry Christmas!
Robin

Post by **tex** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 10:28 pm

Robin wrote:Plus I was able to explain it all to my family over Thankgiving and they are starting to clue in to the reality, instead of thinking I am some crazy hypochondriac. That was a big pressure, much better now.

I agree, that's a huge improvement. No matter how hard we try to ignore it when our family isn't willing to accept what we tell them about our condition, the stress is always there, and it gnaws at us constantly. None of us needs any unnecessary stress, on top of everything else.

You're most welcome, and Merry Christmas to you, too,
Tex

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:49 pm

Tex and Robin

if the MC diagnosis and the myriad of symptoms is not bambozziling enough to others
the fact that a quite specific mostly limiting eating plan can minimise/elminate symptoms is too much to comprehend

i have given up trying to justify or explain why i stick to my eating plan. my latest retort is 'would you knowingly consume a chemical poison?' and they answer "NO, of course not", and i reply well thats what i am doing, i will not consume ingredients that act like a poison in my body....

humbird753 · Post by **humbird753** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:48 am

Hi Robin,

Those are quick results from the first 5 days of being on a gluten-free diet. Congratulations!!

I have been on the gluten-free diet for a little over 2 weeks; and although it is improving, I have not seen Norman. I am patiently waiting.

Paula

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 10:57 pm

Yay, Robin!

so glad to hear GF is working well for you! You're all set to enjoy the holidays without running to the bathroom all the time! Right there with you on the family thing--I know how I used to look at people who had dietary issues, so I'm trying to be patient while they get used to mine! (Of course, I'm kind of a crusader now!)

Merry Christmas!

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 11:47 pm

Robin, I am glad you responded so quickly. That's terrific. It's strange to say, but I hope that's all there is.

Robin.booboo · Post by **Robin.booboo** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:28 am

Merry Christmas, Everybody!

Well, I have had very good luck with the gluten free experiment, so I am going to stay on board with that. I think I also react some to overly greasy food; maybe it is just too hard to digest if your insides are already sensitive. Still, though, even though I was faced with greasy stuff today (too much in a "Farmer's Breakfast" of eggs, new potato, butter, cheese and Canadian Bacon, I still have had only the rumblies and nothing worse. I still have Christmas dinner at my Mother-in-law's tomorrow, but she is used to me and making food that should be fine, all but the deserts, which I won't eat.

I can say as of right now, ya'll have made a believer of me.

It's wierd how it is both easier and harder than I thought it would be. It's easier to find gluten free foods that I really-truly like to eat, than I expected. At the same time, it is harder to dismiss the random thoughts, like, "oh, a sandwich with stone-ground mustard would be so good right now!" or remembering NOT to put the oyster crackers in your tomato soup at the cafe, when you actually thought about what soup to order and picked tomato soup. I picked the tomato to avoid gluten and then almost dumped a packet of oyster crackers in it, purely out of habit!

Anyway, thanks to all for the encouragement, you guys are awesome!
Merry Christmas and Bright Blessings and a Happy New Year if I don't check in again before then. May you all give what your gift recipients have longed to receive and receive the blessing of time spent with your loved ones.

Hugs!
Robin

Post by **tex** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 10:33 am

It's great to hear that things are going so well, and I hope that the trend continues. If the diet should stop working, the first thing to suspect would be the dairy products, because most of us here are also sensitive to dairy. Hopefully, that won't happen, but if it does, you know what to do.

Merry Christmas to you, too, and I hope that the New Year brings smooth sailing, and renewed health.

Hugs,
Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Sun Dec 25, 2011 2:18 pm

Robin,

Nice to see your lovely self in that picture! Thanks for sharing ;)

I no longer habitually do things like that 'dump oyster crackers' habit - but I sometimes worry that I will, or did (did I just pop a cracker in my mouth??)... and like several others here, I've had dreams where I suddenly realize OH NO, I JUST ATE A BOWL OF PASTA!!!

I think those dreams are kind of like a 'practice mechanism' to keep us on track. As it gets easier, that 'fear of eating mindlessly' starts to wear off (thank goodness) and - not so good, though not all bad either - we wind up able to eat without engaging our brains.

It's great that you've had such success, and here's hoping no more intolerances. But if something does pop up, you've already handled the Big Biggie, so you know you can do what must be done.

Congratulations,

Sara

Robin.booboo · Post by **Robin.booboo** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 9:24 pm

Thank you for the nice compliment, Sara!

It has been a hectic holiday season, but things are settling down now. Unfortunately, it seems like I am not quite out of the woods yet...

I've had D again a few times the past two days. It hasn't been severe, but I am hoping it will go away and not get worse. I have a new symptom now, though. I'm not sure what to make of this. What happens is, I will briefly feel a little queasy, then get super sleepy. The sleepiness lasts for a couple of hours and then my lower body starts to ache. It doesn't feel like a muscle soreness (I run and am very familiar with what the feels like) but like a deep, dull ache from inside my bones. Right now it is pretty much everything from the waist down that is aching, from my hips, through my legs, and including my feet and toes. What is up with this? It doesn't feel like a fever ache either, I don't think I am getting the flu or anything like that. It is wierd. I took a hot bath and soaked, which felt good, but now that I am out of the tub it is back. Does anybody else get this?

Thanks,
Robin

Martha · Post by **Martha** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 9:38 pm

I got really sleepy, fatigued, and achy when I ate soy protein in pork tamales by mistake back in July. It took me two days to get over it. I thought I was seriously overtired, and it was several months before I happened to check the ingredients of the tamales I had eaten that day.

I hope you can figure out what is causing this for you.

Love,
Martha

Robin.booboo · Post by **Robin.booboo** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:26 pm

So wierd. Today I had Corn Chex for breakfast, then ran five miles. Then for lunch I had chicken breast, squash (yellow and zuchinni) with a little roasted red bell pepper, and jasmine rice, right before it happened. The veggies were cooked, not steamed or raw. I don't remember what I had the other day, the first time it happened - I just thought I was tired from work. I don't know, this one is new for me.

Post by **tex** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 10:33 pm

Flu-like symptoms were an almost constant companion when I was reacting, but my whole body was usually affected.

Tex