Weekend Catch Up

Saturday for lunch we ate Sam’s Choice ham that we had frozen from before Christmas. It was deliciously paired with sweet corn and brown rice. I am going to have to learn how to season rice since I can’t have Rice-a-Roni or anything like that anymore. Also, lots of ham glazes can contain gluten, so be sure to always check.

For dinner I made an old favorite around our house: chicken cacciatore. I made one pan of chicken and sauce, but I made Ryan his normal noodles while I tried Tinkyada’s gluten-free rotini. It was good, and I’m not sure that I could have told a huge difference had I not known. A friend recommended Tinkyada, and I would also recommend it. I did not try any left over, though.

This weekend I also ate at Chili’s. Chili’s has a separate menu for every allergen! They have a wheat-free/gluten-free menu, and I was excited to see my normal meal, Monterey Chicken, is gluten-free. I have to get loaded mashed potatoes instead of gravy because gravy has gluten. I was amazed by how differently I felt after ordering the same meal as always, minus the gravy. It’s unbelievable.

Last night, and today for left-overs, we had mexican food. I made my normal chicken tacos at home with McCormick Chicken Taco seasoning and Mission white corn tortillas. I had refried beans, and I still made Ryan our normal rice even though it’s off limits to me! Although I read the labels carefully, for some reason I did not feel well last night after dinner and today after lunch. I’ll have to look into that more closely.

I am seriously enjoying my alleviated symptoms. My um, “bathroom habits” have improved greatly since going gluten-free, also. 🙂 Happy happy!

Big Difference

There is a significant different between the way I feel tonight and the way I felt most nights before this week. It is incredible. Today was my first day to have to eat two meals away from home, and it was a huge success. I was really nervous; I’ve said this several times this week, but it is much easier to eat gluten-free these days than it was a couple of years ago, I’m sure.

For lunch I had Chick-Fil-A. It’s never been my favorite, but since they have grilled nuggets now and cook their fries in a separate fryer I can eat a whole gluten-free meal there without any special requests!

For dinner, we met Ryan’s family at a home cooking place called Granny’s Kitchen. I was prepared to just visit with everyone and eat somewhere else afterwards, but to my huge surprise and delight, I opened the menu straight to this:

I ordered fried chicken tenders, which were made with Corn Flour. They were good, although I could definitely tell a difference in the breading. The biggest difference of all, however, was that I felt good and energized after my meal. I can’t remember that ever happening after a meal like that in the past. Gluten-Free for the win!

Annoying

Reading food labels for every single item I hold in my hands is both annoying and eye-opening. It’s tedious, but necessary. Today for lunch I ate fried eggs and a little left-over chili from last night. I snacked on cashews, and for dinner we ate at Chipotle. I read on their website that aside from the possibility of cross-contamination, everything on the menu is gluten-free except for the flour tortillas. I ordered a “burrito bowl,” which is basically the burrito with no tortilla. I did feel a little sick after dinner tonight, but it subsided very quickly. I am sure it was caused by the other stomach problems I have; I did not get any of the tiredness or a achiness or bloating like before. 🙂

Lackluster

I cried last night when I was preparing my lunch for today, just because I’m finding there is no easy, quick, desirable choice, such as a sandwich. It came together, and all was right with the world. This was my lunch:

Turkey, cheese, cucumbers, cashews, and an apple. I didn’t eat all of it, but I was aiming for variety. I have been trying to decide what my go-to snack is going to be. I know that I will not always be in a situation where I am presented with gluten-free options, and it’s not practical to carry around produce in my purse. I normally would eat Cheez-Its or Wheat Thins, but those are clearly out of the picture now. I’ve decided my go-to will be cashews, for now. I’ve always loved them!

For dinner, I made chili. I have always, always used McCormick seasoning, but for some reason I picked up a different brand at the store last time I went grocery shopping. Come to find out, McCormick is not gluten-free, but the brand I randomly picked up is. I was so excited to see that I did that before I even knew!

Williams Chili Seasoning is does not contain gluten, and I would barely be able to tell a difference between these two seasonings in a taste test.

Tonight we went to the store so I could pick out some food that I can eat. I bought a couple of pastas to try; they are both Tinkyada brand, recommended to me by a good friend. I am eager to try them! Other than that, I mostly bought natural foods: apples, cashews, avocados, etc. I’m still feeling great!

Oh yeh– I also had a hot-fudge sundae from Braum’s. They say that their ice creams are gluten-free, as long as you don’t get a kind that has baked goods in it. I’ve never been big on ice cream, but my long-standing favorite is permanently a no-go: cookies and cream. Oh well. Their hot fudge does not contain gluten, and I needed a reward for my luckluster meals. 🙂

Pizza and Cupcakes

I have been craving pizza for days, and the news of Celiac Sprue did not curb that craving. Although I think I will eat mostly naturally gluten-free foods instead of substituting everything I normally eat, I have been eager to try gluten-free versions of foods I already love so I can see how they compare.

Last night, I tried a gluten-free pepperoni pizza from US Pizza Co. on Dickson. The crust lover that I am, it was nothing to rave about; however, it was not bad at all. Had I not known it was gluten-free, I might have asked, “what’s up with this paper thin, tasteless crust?” It was good, though, and I would get it again. I have read a few things that suggest some brands of pepperoni are gluten-free, while others are not. I’m not sure about the pepperoni that I had last night. But I do know this: pizza is something I’ve always loved, but it has always, always made me feel sick. This gluten-free pizza did not! I could have eaten the whole thing!

I followed that up with a gluten-free cupcake from Bliss. I’m not too much of a sweet-eater, but again, I wanted to see how it would compare. It was good.

I can do this.

My story

I have been searching for answers and settled for none since around 2008, although my symptoms began some time before. I have suffered from GI symptoms (mainly nausea and/or vomiting) after meals for a few years, but still no answers. I had my gallbladder removed, and things progressed like never before. I thought I was dying in December 2008; I know it sounds dramatic, but I vividly remember thinking it was true. Obviously it wasn’t. 🙂

My after-meal-ritual soon became one of getting extremely nauseous, often even dry-heaving, and then just feeling chronically tired and sick in general. I can’t explain the fatigue I feel after a meal. Too many times, I have asked friends at dinner, “whew, do you all feel tired after eating?” and was always told “yes, everyone does.” Not like this, friends.

I quickly came to believe that everyone always felt the way I did, and that quaility of life here on earth was nothing to envy. Still, I can’t even begin to count the number of times Ryan and I have come home from a dinner date that has made me feel miserable, only for me to cry in his arms and insist that I “have a disease” and that “something is seriously wrong with me.” Once my symptoms subside, I chalk it up to my dramatic flair, and repeat this cycle the next day.

I did not realize what I was secretly causing what I believe to be every single one of my symptoms. A little over a week ago, my gastroenterologist performed an upper endoscopy on me, and took a biopsy of my small intestine. This was my third or fourth upper endoscopy, so why this one was so different, I don’t know. It was the only one done by an actual GI doctor. Friday after work, I received a voicemail saying that I needed to go in for some lab work because of my biopsy results. I immediately sent a text to my friend who is a nurse, and asked her what exactly that could mean. She responded with a variety of options, and I began googling them all. Each one listed symptoms that did not describe my life.

And suddenly a word popped into my mind: Celiac. I actually knew quite a bit about Celiac just from researching my symptoms for so many years, but it never clicked the way it did this weekend. Every single symptom lines up with what I have been experiencing for quite some time. I never made a connection between all of the random things I thought were “wrong with me” until I started researching the symptoms more in-depth. Random problems I’ve had since I was young, and random symptoms that developed later: canker sores, joint pain, back problems, chronic fatigue. In fact, sleeping for 9-10 hours and difficulty waking after naps are listed as symptoms, and are also true for me. This hasn’t always been the case, but for the past year or so, it has been. And then I talked to my mom. I told her that Celiac is genetic, but nobody in our family has it. She told me that my young cousin was just recently diagnosed with Celiac, and for me, that sealed the deal.

I convinced myself over the weekend that it had to be Celiac. Sunday night I started freaking out that come Monday, they would tell me something different. I told my husband that I would be devastated if that were the case, because it seems to be perfect and explains so much.

I called Monday morning to set up my labs, and I shyly asked if they could tell me what was going on. Her response: “Celiac Sprue.” My response: “Oh thank God.” The letter I received in the mail from the clinic says that it is a “possibility” and they need my blood work before they can diagnose me. Even if my blood work comes back negative, I am fully, 100% confident that I have finally found my answer.

Here’s to a new life. One with joy, and health. One without anxiety and tears over “what is wrong with me?” I encourage you to read what the Mayo Clinic’s website has to say about Celiac. It describes my life so accurately; I’m still in disbelief. I have been searching for answers for so long.

This is truly a gift from God. I will elaborate on that later, but I know this: I am no longer a glutton for gluten. I am sure there will come a day where I will want it so badly I can’t stand it, which is part of my motivation for writing this. I do not want to forget how miserable it made me.

Gluten free since Monday evening, January 7, 2013. Praise. The. Lord.