Vanilla Creme Cookies by Glutino

YUMM!!! So close the real thing that my kids don't think they are gluten free :-)

My sweet fix

I'm not an expert on this gluten free stuff. But here are a few things that I have come to depend on for a sweet fix.

I honestly don't know what I would do without Udi's Double Chocolate Muffins. The are rich and awesome. Look for them in the freezer section.

Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix is one that I always have in the pantry. I have taken these to family gatherings and everyone loves them.

Homemade Rice Krispy Treats made with Kellogg's Gluten Free Rice Krispies are easy and they taste the same as regular Rice Krispy Treats.

These are all quick and easy.
I do most of my shopping at Publix.

Now what....

It's been 6.5 weeks since day 1 of the Elimination Diet.

I just had the genetic test done that checks for the Celiac Disease markers. I should have the results by Monday.

I haven't talked about the joint pain that I have been having over the past year and it is pretty much gone.  Or the weight loss :-)

 I was not excited about the elimination diet. I didn't want to try going without gluten. I loved bread! Warm, soft, buttery bread!!! I LOVED IT!
Today I'm happy to go without. I have had my moments and wanted to just get mad and eat something with wheat.

I have read several books about all this wheat & gluten stuff. My favorite: Wheat Belly (Amazon) by William Davis, M.D.
I decided to blog this adventure to help me keep track of everything and also maybe to help someone else feel better.
In the next few days I will post some of my favorite brands and products and where I purchased them.

Fruit Loops

Last week I bought 1 box of Fruit Loops for my 6 yr old son that begged and pleaded with me...because he's so cute I bought the box.
All week I stared at that box of Fruit Loops.
I went as far as smelling that box of Fruit Loops.
After 5 days of staring at those Fruit Loops and EVEN smelling that box of Fruit Loops I caved and ate a bowl.

15 minutes after eating them, really foggy brain (worst yet) and very bad stomach pain. I ended up curled up in a ball on my living room floor for several hours. And then running to the bathroom.
My body is beginning to heal and then when I eat something with gluten it makes the symptoms worse. 

 My husband jokingly asked me, "Well why did you eat them?"

My answer is "The same reason I eat cupcakes although I know they will make me fat" ;-)

Migraine during Elimination

Yesterday at 5am I woke up with a really bad headache. My first thought is I am having a migraine. Wait a second, my hands are not numb & and I can see....so that must mean it's just a bad head ache. So I take Motrin and try to go back to sleep.
 I ended up getting in the shower and that helps with the pain. I got nauseous. I realize that my head is hurting in the same place as my migraines.
After a few hours I realize that it is a migraine but I never lost my vision, never became numb, and never vomited. It lasted about 3 hours instead of 5 or 6 hours.
WHOA WHOA WHOA! I have never had a migraine that I could function though or that was manageable with Motrin!

I was left with that "hangover" headache all day.

THIS IS HUGE! This blows my mind! This can change my life.
Over 24 hours later I am still in shock that I had a migraine and it took me hours to figure out that was what was going on. Before today a migraine would hit and I was in bed within minutes, blind & no feeling in my arms. 

Elimination Diet Summary

At the end of week #2:
I had a rough week. I was a bit depressed because this elimination stuff is not easy or lots of fun.

I was craving pizza REALLY bad! So I ate 1 piece. Within in 20 min my head felt "foggy"...I thought I was imagining the foggy brain. But this "fog" is how I have been feeling every day for the past year.
I was pretty miserable with bloat, constipation, and eventually diarrhea. The miserable feeling lasted 24 hours.

Since I ate dairy & wheat at one time I couldn't pick which food caused the issues. I "assumed" it was the dairy

End of week #3:
I ate a sub sandwich with no dairy just the wheat.....just to see what happened ....I "assumed" nothing was going to happen since I thought my issues were from aged cheese and yogurt.
Within 15min I had trouble focusing and began squinting (just went to the eye Dr 3 months ago for this but my eye sight was perfect)....later that day I had constipation, bloat, stomach just was miserable.
I start doing more research and discover the rash that has been on my hand and wrist for the past 1.5yrs could very well be caused from eating gluten.
 This is when it started sinking in that I really do have a gluten issue.

2 days later I ate french fries that were not gluten free on accident at a restaurant.....within 15 minutes I knew that I had just ate gluten. Same fog and miserable stomach.
I've accepted the fact that I do have some kind of gluten sensitivity, allergy, or Celiac Disease.



 

Day #3

I went to Publix and bought some connivence foods. Hopefully that will help with the feeling of being denied everything I want to eat. :-)

Breakfast: Taco Soup
Latte with raw milk
Lunch: 2 pcs of salmon diet Pepsi
Snack: Kind bar
Dinner: Green Beans Taco Soup
Water & Crystal light 125oz
Latte

Day #2

Breakfast: latte with raw milk, Truvia
15 Bean Soup with Chicken
Lunch: homemade sushi with salmon
Snack: Almond Butter and popcorn with coconut oil
Hot tea with Truvia
1 diet Pepsi
Ham
Green beans
Rice Krispies with marshmallow
Latte

110oz h2o
Frequent small snacks is my goal at this point.