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Gluten Monster Is Getting To Me

23 May

This is day 7 of my taking on gluten straight up. Let me put it this way: wheat is delicious, but gluten is beginning to screw with my life. I have been on my food challenge since May 1, 2012, eating gluten-free oats for the first two weeks, then transitioning to wheat and other gluten-containing products. I’ve had ups and downs–none of which had been as bad as I thought they’d be–but I’m beginning to react more consistently to the point where this whole experiment is getting to be a lot less fun.

I thought for a couple of days there, maybe I could keep eating some of the challenge foods, but now I have my doubts. For example, a side effect I didn’t anticipate is that I have put on around 15 pounds since the challenge started, and I’m not eating any more than I usually do. I’m finally hitting a wall, too, with my reactions. Nausea, migraines, weird dreams, sweating, gastrointestinal distress, and brain fog. And now weight gain (bloating, too). I’m trying to figure out how I can convince myself to stick with this for the rest of the month – I have 28 days until my test.

Looking for incentives. And mumus. Because my clothes are being outgrown :( Please let me return to semi-normal after this is over.

Day 4 Of My Gluten/Food Intolerance Challenge

20 May

I woke up this morning and I’m still alive. Today is the start of day four of my major food challenge. I have been going for the gluten, some nightshades, and seafood. Basically choosing foods that I don’t have to think about. It’s completely liberating and hasn’t been too bad yet, though I’m sure it’ll catch up to be pretty soon.

So far, I’ve had Chinese food, Round Table Pizza, an almond croissant, a baguette, Togo’s sub sandwich, sour cream and onion potato chips, and brown sugar streusel coffee cake. Some of the things that have been most surprising to me about it:

  1. Psychologically, it’s weird to eat things that I know I can’t
  2. Gluten-based bread is a lot springier/chewier
  3. Sour cream and onion chips are delicious and flavorful
  4. Chow mein noodles are much more delicious than I ever remembered
  5. The buttery flaky pastry of croissants are unequalled by gluten-free counterparts.

I’m hoping I can take some of these notes and figure out how to incorporate them into my baking/cooking when this is done.

Bad things:

  1. Heartburn
  2. Food cravings – burning food cravings that drive me insane and make me want to eat everything
  3. Feeling somewhat queasy during/after eating some things
  4. Bloating

While I’m glad I’m not super sick at this point, I’m kind of looking forward to when I can go back to the way I have been eating, because there’s too much freedom. I don’t know how I feel being able to eat any old thing I want.

36 Hours Until I Go For The Gluten…

17 May

36 hours from now I begin the main part of my food challenge. First thing I’m going to eat is a real croissant. And then maybe an almond one. And hopefully this next month will pass without my getting too sick and the testing will give me useful information.

I can’t believe I’m doing this…. :/

Day 8 Of Food Challenge

10 May

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good, not thinking I was having any reaction. It’s a new week in my progressive food challenge where I reintroduce the foods I have identified as problematic or causing me to feel sick when I eat them. Since I have never been officially diagnosed as having any of these food problems and my gastroenterologist has an upper endoscopy scheduled for me for the end of June, we both agreed its probably a good idea for me to go off my diet as much as I could tolerate to “irritate” my system so there is something to measure during my test.

I have started with eating gluten-free oats and drinking orange juice, both of which have been found to trigger reactions in me, as unusual as they may seem. However, they tend to be lesser reactions for me so I decided to start with them to see if they still caused problems and to ease myself into the rest of the foods I know make me feel crummy.

I made it until noon before I noticed feeling anything off about my day. No ninja battle in my stomach like yesterday, but I did feel aches in my abdomen. Also, eating other things triggered reactions, especially foods with more fiber in them, like nuts and grains. Salami and cheese didn’t feel weird at all. I have been snacking on candied ginger as well as minty water to see if they would help, and they do.

I’m feeling more emotional now, feeling testy and frustrated, even depressed and a little weepy (but without actually crying). Also, just plain distanced from people and out of the loop with my school schedule, which is almost over for the semester (and the reason I’m not back into the challenge diet hardcore yet!) I have to get past finals week before I can dedicate myself to making myself feel horrible. :)

Anyway, one more week and I’m on to the “hard stuff” – but I think it would be safe to say that oats, gluten-free or not, are not my friend. I haven’t reacted to the orange juice yet, so that remains to be seen.

More to come!

Day 7 Gluten-Free Oats Food Challenge

9 May

GlutenFreeda Banana OatsI decided to shake things up a little yesterday and went for some GlutenFreeda Banana Maple Flax instant oats instead of the Bakery On Main Maple flavor I’d been eating the last several days. So far, I have only been having a few side effects, such as heartburn and bloating, so I figured trying another brand wouldn’t hurt. Not blaming the brand, but I am not feeling so hot today. I had some more oats today and then went about my life, until I got the opportunity to have some lunch.

Boy was that fun.

As soon as I finished my non-threatening salad and brown rice salmon/tuna/avocado cut roll, I immediately started feeling like two ninjas were having a battle in my stomach. Seriously painful, no joke. When that died down, I had a couple of squares of chocolate and the ninjas were back. Not fun at all.

Anyway, I guess I’ve confirmed that I’m one of those celiacs or gluten-intolerants who can’t tolerate oats. Unfortunately, for the sake of my food challenge, I still have a few weeks of this to go. And I still have some more aggressive foods to add to my diet. The upper endoscopy to see if I have eosinophilic esophagitis is scheduled for the end of June. Let’s hope I make it. :/

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