Gluten Intolerant

As of June 1, 2009 I have been on an elimination diet to check for food allergies. Eleven things are eliminated from my diet ie gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, sugar, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers) red meat, corn, alcohol, coffee, peanuts; then after three weeks I get to introduce one food group at a time.

On the day of introduction you eat the specific foodgroup for two meals. Then I wait... wait for reactions... for 72 hours. If nothing happens I get to keep that food group and add the next. Obviously if a reaction does occur, then you eliminate that food group permanently. Well I have add the first four food groups back and keeping only eggs and soy. I had a mild reaction to dairy and reacted to the gluten with indigestion, anxiousness, inability to focus yada yada.

Why am I blogging about my health you ask...

At my normal Wednesday lunch my mom informs me she had looked back at my medical records from when I was a baby and she remembers that I had a mild reaction to wheat. As time passed I had no visible reactions to gluten, so nothing was ever said and after 45 years my mom had forgotten that I had an allergy. During that time I developed a food favoritism to bread. I loved bread, sourdough, rye, pumpernickle, seeded, bagels, english muffins. I just loved bread. Then I discovered oil dipping... dredging bread cubes through olive oil. Oh and dont forget my other food allergy dairy. Cheese fondu with bread cubes. It makes me want to kill to have it now.

So whats the big deal... people who are gluten intolerant and still continue eating gluten, rob their body organs of nutrition because the body can not absorb the nutrition it needs to feed them. So my symptoms were weight gain, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, anxiety, panic, depression, random circular thought patterns... all classic signs of a gluten allergy.

After seeing the naturopath for two and a half years, he decided to try me on the elimination diet to check for the obvious.

Cut back to my lunch yesterday. When my mom told me of the allergy I had an internal reaction and it wasnt allergic. Finally an explanation to some of the physical misery I have lived with my whole life. No the gluten is not the answer to the emotional issues, but it gives an anser to why... why I could feel like a normal person one day and not the next. After the anger subsided, I had to reassure her that doctors did not know what they know today about gluten allergies back in the 60's. I think she felt bad. I know I would if I knew my kid was physically suffering and I knew but didnt really know. I am grown up enough not to hold this against her. The anger comes from all the time lost feeling abnormally anxious, never being able to shut down the circular thought, the up and down mood swings etc. I did not have to live life like that.

I have to remind myself that God will add this major piece of my life to my history, my personal testimony. It will be neatly tucked away with the other emotional issues from my past, and someday I will encounter someone like me and I will have the deepest compassion and understanding.... because of my story...........