Dairy or Gluten?

All things happen for a reason. I have always believed that. Maybe it's the optimist in me and that I actually spend time thinking about all the benefits of even negative situations. You can carve whatever beliefs you want out of any situation, and in doing so, it makes you think differently; and I love to think differently.

I may be bent, but not broken, everything happens for a reason.
Because if God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

What happened that caused me to ponder this belief, you ask? I went to the dentist yesterday morning for a routine cleaning. (BTW, my dentist is awesome - check Dr. Jay out at Wardius Dental). I passed with flying colors and really enjoyed hearing that I am not needed back in their office for six months. Given the problems my poor mouth has gone through at the dentist's office, this news is such joy to hear. While I was having my teeth cleaned, Nicole (my hygienist) was telling me about all the symptoms she'd been experiencing which led her to a doctor who recommended she give up gluten. Her symptoms are identical to mine - nausea, bloating, gassy, trouble losing weight, hand and foot joint pain, loss of hair in large clumps (didn't mention that one before, did I?), extreme fatigue, and a problem with lactose. She said that after giving up gluten, she asked the question, "So this is how people are supposed to feel?" I want to be able to ask that same question. She was very encouraging and even gave me her cell phone number and email address should I have any questions.

I was headed to another doctor for a second opinion the same afternoon, and low and behold, the second doctor suggested I give up gluten. He said that I will notice a difference and eventually be able to add dairy back in to my diet. He said I could do a full blown study if I'd like, but it requires eating lots of gluten items for a week and it would most likely make me miserable. OR I could just give it up and see if that helps. No brainer there, folks. I just so happen to have already been gluten-free for three days and have noticed a difference anyway, so I was jumping on that bandwagon. I'm giving it a solid two weeks to see if there is a difference. I'm betting there will be.

I've stayed off dairy for two weeks and I've had two whopping doses of VD (vitamin D) along with smaller daily doses of VD, and I do feel a little better. But still not where I want to be. I'm willing to try anything to feel better, so bring on the asparagus. It's my favorite veggie anyway.

I had hoped to have a "cheese day" to say goodbye to dairy and see if that is the culprit, but I opted not to feel sicker; because I know if I overload on cheese for a day as the first doctor suggested, I'd resemble Templeton from Charlotte's Web, and frankly, that does not appeal to me.

I'm amazed at the differing viewpoints of our medical community. The first doctor told me that gluten is probably not a cause of my angst because celiac's usually lose a lot of weight, and well, my number is not budging. I have managed (on many occasions) to defy the medical journals and their research, so it should come as no surprise that I am about to do so again.

My next steps will be to change the way I shop and cook. Lucky for me, I love to cook. I made a scrumptious rice and chicken sweet and sour stir fry last night that even the kids loved, and that was made after scrounging around the fridge for some more fresh veggies. I only had carrots and asparagus, so that's what went in. I just cut the asparagus up into small pieces and they thought it was green beans. Silly kids. Since a gluten problem is often hereditary, I'm betting that my kids have an issue with gluten, especially my oldest. I've been reading a lot about gluten and its connection to asthma, and I'll post info on that soon. We'll see what happens as his diet is also transformed. I might actually get him to eat healthier finally!