The Bread is Baking

[SLLRunner]

I had a doctor's appointment today and spoke frankly with her about my gluten intolerance. I am on a four week gluten challenge prior to the blood tests for celiac, which means I may be miserable until April 16, or longer to an endoscope date (I don't want another one, but they took only one biopsy of my small intestine last time). 

Regular bread is baking in the bread maker. 

I bought Bob Mill's creamy wheat cereal for my breakfasts. 

I bought wheat tortillas for my sandwich wraps for lunches. 

I am not looking forward to this, but my mistake was finding out for the last three weeks how good I was beginning to feel without obvious gluten in my diet. 

I keep a food diary anyway, but I also track symptoms.

Today, the heartburn has already started...and my throat has that awful old feeling again.  

Let my lesson be yours:  if you suspect your might have a gluten problem, don't stop eating gluten but talk to your doctor and ask for celiac testing.  It's always better to talk frankly with your doctor and be proactive when it comes to your healthcare. 

Since I have discovered that I am at least intolerant to gluten, I want to know one way or another if I have any disease process going on. 

 

[cyclinglady]

Hang in there!  Please eat some sourdough bread for me spread with a generous chuck of sweet butter!  

[squirmingitch]

Don't eat anything for me cause I don't miss it. But ENJOY what you can, while you can!

Oh you poor baby. The next 4 weeks are going to get rough. {{{{{{{{{{{{{SLLRunner}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

[cyclinglady]

1 hour ago, squirmingitch said:

Don't eat anything for me cause I don't miss it. But ENJOY what you can, while you can!

Oh you poor baby. The next 4 weeks are going to get rough. {{{{{{{{{{{{{SLLRunner}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

You know, I honestly do not miss anything with gluten.  I just miss being able to eat out with ease.  

[SLLRunner]

7 hours ago, cyclinglady said:

Hang in there!  Please eat some sourdough bread for me spread with a generous chuck of sweet butter!  

Thanks, Cyclinglady. I will admit, I did enjoy a piece of my homemade French bread with my breakfast this morning....but my body is yelling at me right now.  Hello heartburn (which was all gone when I was not eating gluten), and hello again to the heart flutters (nothing wrong with my actual heart, that was checked out). 

[SLLRunner]

3 hours ago, squirmingitch said:

Don't eat anything for me cause I don't miss it. But ENJOY what you can, while you can!

Oh you poor baby. The next 4 weeks are going to get rough. {{{{{{{{{{{{{SLLRunner}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

I know....it's already getting tough. Today my boss asked if I was okay, was I getting enough sleep, etc. I explained to him what was going on. I am having a difficult time concentrating.

[squirmingitch]

2 hours ago, cyclinglady said:

You know, I honestly do not miss anything with gluten.  I just miss being able to eat out with ease.  

Amen to that cyclinglady! I miss the convenience of gluten.

[squirmingitch]

58 minutes ago, SLLRunner said:

I know....it's already getting tough. Today my boss asked if I was okay, was I getting enough sleep, etc. I explained to him what was going on. I am having a difficult time concentrating.

I'm glad you explained to your boss. I'm curious what kind of reaction you got to that? Care to share?

[SLLRunner]

1 hour ago, squirmingitch said:

I'm glad you explained to your boss. I'm curious what kind of reaction you got to that? Care to share?

My boss is great. He listened to what I had to say and said he understood. We've been working together for 12 years, so we know each other pretty well. 

[squirmingitch]

9 hours ago, SLLRunner said:

My boss is great. He listened to what I had to say and said he understood. We've been working together for 12 years, so we know each other pretty well. 

This is wonderful! Hooray!

[SLLRunner]

1 hour ago, squirmingitch said:

This is wonderful! Hooray!

I think it is too. The only person who is having a difficult time accepting that it could be celiac is my partner, who first thought I had h-pylori (negative). His second cousin was diagnosed with celiac at about 11,and her intestines were pretty damaged, so he originally thought you have to have malnutrition and be underweight, and that it's generally diagnosed when you're young. I'm sure these are common misconceptions.

Today are the itches, and the eczema on the back of my neck has taken a nasty flare for the first time in ages.

By the way, my mother has been deceased since 1985, but I'm convinced she had celiac and didn't know it--horrible digestion, visibly bloated, depressed, never felt well, itching, and eczema on the back of her neck just like me, and the doctors could never find out what was wrong with her. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with lung and liver cancer from smoking at 42, and died nine months later.  So, she never really got the opportunity to feel better. 

[squirmingitch]

Oh that's so sad about your mom. 

At least your partner has a relative with celiac so knows it's a "real" thing. Lot's of times we get people whose spouse/s.o. doesn't believe celiac is really a real disease &/or doesn't think it's something you seriously need to be strict about the diet.

[SLLRunner]

4 hours ago, squirmingitch said:

Oh that's so sad about your mom. 

At least your partner has a relative with celiac so knows it's a "real" thing. Lot's of times we get people whose spouse/s.o. doesn't believe celiac is really a real disease &/or doesn't think it's something you seriously need to be strict about the diet.

Squirmingitch, you're right, he does know Celiac is very serious-thank goodness.  I think it's more his heart that is getting in the way rather than not believing I could have it.  Whether or not I do have it, once the testing is done I will not be consuming gluten because I truly do not feel well when I do.  I am already lactose intolerant and have a sensitivity to soy (small amounts as an ingredients do not bother me, but I can't eat tofu, soya beans, or drink soy milk, because it makes my stomach hurt like crazy). Oatmeal gives my heartburn, even though it has no gluten. 

[SLLRunner]

Update:

I am in week two of the gluten challenge, and I'm eating lots of it: many of my digestive problems have returned full force, but the acid reflux has calmed down.  Also, I'm fatigued, foggy head and grumpy.  A part of me wants to quit, but I know better. 

On Monday, I have a phone appointment with a specialist in food allergies.  His nurse told me he does the phone appointment then usually orders blood tests with a follow up appointment. I have to let him know I can't do a celiac panel yet.

That's the current scoop.