Gluten-Free

No more gluten for this girl. I had no idea this little pest could cause SO many widespread symptoms. Kind of impressive and sneaky, actually. What is gluten, you ask? To put it simply, it's a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and a couple other random grains.

Turns out some of the super random side effects of gluten have been a part of my life for a very long time and I just didn't know it was all linked. I'll let you pick and choose which ones you think I have...heh. This is taken from 1 website alone. Other websites list other things in addition to this.


Abdominal Distention
Abdominal Pain and Cramping
Alternating Bouts of Diarrhea and Constipation
Anemia
Arthritis
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Autism
Bloating (see Gluten Intolerance Bloating)
Bone Density Loss
Borborygmi (stomach rumbling)
Constipation (see Celiac Disease Constipation)
Stunted Growth and Failure to Thrive
Depression, Anxiety and Irritability (see Celiac Depression)
Dermatitis Herpetiformis (skin rash — see my Dermatitis Herpetiformisarticle)
Diabetes
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Low Ferritin Symptoms
Malodorous Flatulence
Malodorous Stools
Gluten Ataxia (see my Gluten Ataxia article)
Grayish Stools
Hair Loss (Alopecia)
Headaches and Migraines
Hypoglycemia
Infertility (see Gluten Intolerance and Pregnancy)
Joint pain
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Lactose intolerance
Mouth sores or mouth ulcers
Nausea
Numbness or tingling in the patient’s hands and feet
Osteoporosis
Peripheral Neuropathy (including either a tingling or sensation of swelling your toes and fingers)
Sjogren’s Disease
Steatorrhea (high lipids in the stool, which may cause the stool to float)
Teeth and Gum Problems
Turner Syndrome
Vitamin and Mineral deficiencies
Vomiting
Unexplained Weight loss
Urticaria


Here's the thing: I do not believe that I have Celiac Disease. I believe I have a gluten intolerance. They are not interchangeable. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm going to be tested to "know for sure" (because clearly I must be making this up). My doctor explained it like this: I can either get an expensive biopsy done or go off gluten for 3 weeks see how my body reacts. One of those options is free. No doy. After 3 weeks, I have never been so sure that my body is sensitive to gluten (which just so happens to be something a non-traditional doctor told me right after Cole was born). But I just ignored him because how do you not eat wheat? Rumor has it that around 7% of the population shouldn't be eating it but they never figure out that eliminating it from their diet can change the annoying little things in their life that they've become accustom to. Like sinus pressure. Yep, I've had it my whole dang life. So weird.

Well, it's possible to not eat wheat...it's just REALLY HARD. I spent the first few weeks in panic mode buying pre-packaged items that said "Gluten-Free" on the label. Well dangit if we didn't need to take out a loan to buy our groceries. That stuff is EXPENSIVE. Kind of makes me angry, actually. I'm going to start my own bakery and have Danny be my head chef. Makes sense to me.

So long donuts, pizza, croissants, homemade rolls (that are actually yummy, light and fluffy), and scones.

Okay not really, but life will honestly never be the same when it comes to finding food to eat. I cannot believe that the barbeque sauce in my pantry even has wheat. It's everywhere. So while it is extremely annoying, it has also really opened my eyes...and even pushed me in a good direction. I have tried several recipes for cookies and have found a few good ones. Some mixes and recipes are just downright nasty. And that is frustrating when you pay out the nose for it. But I know I'll narrow down my preferences with time and that things will get easier.

The day after deciding to go gluten free, my visiting teachers came over and brought me warm chocolate chip cookies. Yes, I cried. I know it's self-inflicted but that doesn't mean that I love it.


Dah well. I'm feeling much better these says and unless this is all a complete coincidence and it is really something else, let's hope we find out soon before our entire pantry is transformed.