queenofhearts

I did see plenty of armadillos when I lived in Texas-- but heck, that's where they have their World Headquarters.

This is a post-mature and a pre-mature post.............so here it is:

Glad to start off with Racheville - went to a wedding at Hilton Head this weekend. Ohhh, love the trees. Saw my first allagator is the wild, black squirrel, and an ARMADILLO (sp) whoa.

Lisa

That's where we honeymooned but the only wild animal I saw there was the one I'd just married!

Wait till the day comes when you have to do that and you have a baby in there kicking your bladder!!!

Hey, she had an alien baby!

I completely agree. Here's the thread:

Open Original Shared Link

Yeah...and I actually do feel better when I make a consious effort to drink more. Well....except for when I drink massive amounts all at once and disturb the alien baby....then I dont feel so good.

Wow, you even "Rachel" water!

i PM'd you again------the other night i realized i had PM'd myself by accident. LOL!!

That's a good one! Just sent the list.

I really should drink more water. I can never do it though. 8 glasses a day...maybe I would feel better??

There was just a thread on this! I'm a water advocate, myself, but there was some dispute...

Thanks for the replies,

My lips are the same color as my finger tips when I squeeze them a little. Is this is a good color ?

The other reason I am questioning this is that the tip of my tongue feels a little raw sometimes when I eat fruit. It showed up for the first time last week. At first it was cantaloupe and then plums. But then it cleared up. Now cantaloupe is fine. But cherries bothered me today.

I didn't sleep more, I slept less, but wheat makes me sleepy. If you were sleep deprived and now you are sleeping then it would be a good thing.

Hm, the tongue thing sounds a bit like an oral allergy. Do you by any chance have hay fever? They're often linked. Plant proteins that irritate the tissues... only when raw usually. Ursula knows a lot about them.

Leah

my daughter was hospitalized for 3 months recently. i suspected her diet was not gluten free and asked that a TTg be run. her levels were over 100. they had only been 12 when she went into the hospital. we were at a different hospital in boise idaho for the first 2 weeks, and they did an excellent job with her diet---it was the last 2 1/2 months at children's in seattle that her TTg went so high. they claimed her diet was ok when i questioned it---that a "few" mistakes had been stopped. but the proof was in the blood test.

Chrissy, that's just awful! I hope she's okay.

Leah

Mosquitos??? Do we have those in Rachelville....

Of course not! You have bats!

did you get my PM?

I thought I'd responded to all but I'll double check!

I thought I'd responded to all but I'll double check!

Weird, Chrissy, it's not there... unless you used another name or something?

Do the glittery purple bats serve to keep the glittery purple mosquito population down? I'm all for that!

I'm curious about the sublingual B-12-- is this an otc thing or do you need a prescription? I don't remember seeing it on the vitamin shelf but I may be looking in the wrong place. Is it a pill? Drops?

I have a feeling I may be deficient, but not getting much of a change from the pills I take.

Leah

You need to have proper levels of B12 to be able to absorb iron. I would also check your magnesium and calcium levels.

L.

Was it you who recommended magnesium a few weeks ago? I decided to try it & I think I've detected more stamina. I was always afraid to take it before because of the D issues, but now that's so much better that I dared to experiment. So far no digestive problems!!!

Leah

About the gluten challenge, I sympathize with the spirit of scientific inquiry, but it sounds kind of scary to me.

Then again I've been diagnosed by biopsy so I feel like I already know the answer.

About the soy sauce, have you tried fish sauce? No, it doesn't taste the same, but you can sub it in recipes for a hit of Asian saltiness... if you haven't tried it, don't be put off by smelling the bottle-- if you just use a splash it isn't overpowering at all. Do check & make sure the brand you buy is gluten-free because some do contain wheat.

Leah

Hope you enjoy it! Remember to fry-- right out of the tube it would taste pretty gross. But it's good with just salt & pepper if you can't do garlic or other yummies...

Leah

Great thread, I missed this the when it first came up, but it's definitely one of the worst symptoms for me, along with fatigue. Both are s-l-o-w-l-y abating, & it's so great, because for years I thought it was just going to go downhill from here on out & I could see myself in a rocking chair with dementia in a few years.

I could still concentrate when I really worked at it, but one little distraction & I was...

Getting lost on the way home from my mother's house (we live an easy 35 minutes away & visit often)

Forgetting names of people I knew well

Getting my clients mixed up (very embarrassing!!!)

Completely blanking out in midsentence, losing words, &c.

Can't wait til it's all gone & I have my brain back!

Leah

We all need some lunacy in our lives!

Oh Lawzy now my head is truly spinning. Or spinaching...? Here I thought this thread was about meds of some sort! Who knew?

Leah

On the subject of corny scientificness,

1. Polenta!!!!! I love it but then I'm a grits lover & they're close cousins. I like it best after it's been chilled & then fried in olive oil & garlic. It's scrumptious with tomato sauce, for those who can eat that... or ratatouille.

2. Corn eating bread questers-- I've been thinking about coming up with a recipe that's somewhere between corn bread, tortillas & a pancake, that is, thicker, softer & fluffier than tortillas, but usable as a sandwich matrix... What are your dos & don'ts for quick breads? Soda okay? Are egg yolks out too, or only whites? Please advise & I'll try to accomodate.

3. Lime in hominy/ grits/ masa-- it's my understanding that it all gets washed off, but I suppose it's conceivable there is a tiny bit of residue. But it is an alkali, & don't you have a problem with acids? So it might even help...

Leah

Whoa! Spent the day taking care of my grandmama, & came home to a whole new Rachelville! What a good solution-- Dr. Jeckyll can post there, & Mr. Hyde here!

Be seeing you in both spots I hope--

Leah

I hear you! Gluten free baking is like alchemy, there are so many weird ingredients. You're probably right to stick with simple foods until you get things figured out.

About the lime in your tortillas-- are you sure it is the fruit? It might actually be the mineral kind. That is what is used to treat corn for hominy & grits. It's related to the stuff you put on the lawn, not the fruit. It actually breaks down the husk of the corn, so it might affect its digestibility. Have you tried eating grits? (If you want to try them I'd go for the whole foods kind, definitely not Quaker!)

Leah

My hunch is that you have been ingesting enough gluten already that you are likely to show damage after a shorter gluten challenge-- in fact you might even have damage now. The blood test might be indicating that you still do have exposure. And there are hidden glutens besides processed foods-- cross contamination, cosmetics, vitamins-- that a lot of doctors never even think of.

Check out Nini's newbie kit-- it's at Open Original Shared Link

She has loads of helpful info on what to do to be truly gluten free. Because if it is Celiac, you do have to be really strict to reap the benefits of the diet.

Leah

Sorry to hear about the family situation, that can't help. But I'm glad your cysts are the benign kind. And yes, have patience, because it does take time to heal, & you had some pretty severe symptoms. If you are showing improvement, it means you're on the right track.

Leah

Nini has a great kit for newbies to help you figure out what you can & can't eat. You can get it from her website, Open Original Shared Link

There are so many forms of Celiac & gluten intolerance. There are some who only have neurological issues, some with skin conditions... it is truly a challenge to diagnose. The best way to find out if you have it is to go completely gluten-free & see how you feel. Your symptoms definitely sound like they may be related to gluten.

Good luck! If you like to cook I can direct you to some helpful gluten-free cookbooks, but there are also many readymade gluten-free items on the market, & most unprocessed foods are safe (veg, fruit, unflavored meats).

Leah

It was my understanding that often Vitamin E is actually derived from soy, so a product could have it & still be gluten-free-- but maybe soy is also a problem?

Leah

Have you tried corn flour or corn meal, & if so do they bother you? (If you can eat corn tortillas it sounds like they might work-- authentic ones are made of masa, which is corn flour.) I've been contemplating trying to come up with a sandwich bread made with corn flour-- I love cornbread but it's a bit crumbly for sandwiches.

Can you do xanthan gum? I know it's a problem for some. Are you off yeast?

Leah

If you like lettuce, have you thought about growing your own? You'd be sure of its unadulterated state that way. I'm beginning to sound like the Whole Earth Catalogue, here... but you're too young to know that one!