This is a new blog that I am starting. I have other blogs that I have been adding to for several years. Mainly, my hobbies, life events and I even created a blog when my brother was in a terrible car accident. It was a great way for me to catch everyone up on his recovery, and I great way for me to deal with the whole life changing tradgedy that it brought to our family. Now I am embarking on a whole new thing....Gluten Free!
Let me tell you a little about myself and my problems that I had been going through that brought me to this new stage of my life. As a teenager I never experienced bowel issues. Around the age of 18 I had 2 occasions that I can remember vividly that sent me flying home to get to my bathroom. I never really thought much about it until...I returned from working at Disneyworld as an intern and I started experiencing a terrible break out on my face. I never had skin issues so I was devistated when I awoke to pimples everywhere. I went to several dermatologists then with no relief I resorted to the best derm. doctor in Texas that I know, Dr. Cochran! To this day I still think he is the best dermatologist in Texas and Texas is a big state! He gave me an antibiotic that clear my pimples up right away! Was it the answer? Well, at the time when I was devastated it was. Now looking back I often wonder was it those antibiotics that started my whole IBS thing? I will never truly know.
So once my face was clear as a bell I went on to start having stomach aches everytime I ate. It started out slow and then all of a sudden I realized I was running to the bathroom everytime I ate. So I just couldn't figure it out. I went to gastro after gastro. Hearing things like its all in your head....or did you have a bad childhood- uh NO!!! I had a wonderful childhood with great parents! I heard that I swallowed to much air, that I needed to eat smaller meals, you name it I heard it. I also had 4 colonoscopies in the span of 15 years. Okay that may not be too many but think about it....I was only 23 when I had my first one. You normally hear them say you need one around the age of 50.
Through the years I tried my best to work around my stomach issues. I never really used my college degree, which is sad, but I just couldn't seem to get my stomach to work with me. I just have a hard time getting out of the house early in the am. And afternoons after dinner are always the worst. Have I suffered over the years....TERRIBLY! I have had anxiety that could make your toes curl. It goes through stages. I panic everytime someone says, "Lets got to lunch" or "we can go have dinner then to a movie"....NO- I CAN'T. Not because I didn't want too, but because of the fear of a stomach ache.
Do my parent think its all in my head....YES they do! Does it hurt my feelings....Yes it does. I will agree that I can sike myself up, but for the most part I know when my stomach hurts! They aren't around me on a daily basis because I live in a different state. My sweet husband can atest to the things I have gone through with this IBS crap.
Well truly this story could go on forever. But I will I was diagnosed with IBS after my first colonscopy. I have lived my life around the bathroom, I have scheduled my vacations around the bathroom (LOVE VEGAS- always a clean bathroom around) and our beach condo that we go to is steps away from the beach so I can run up if needed. When I go on scrapbook weekends with my lady friends. I never leave the house! I do panic alot, and nobody really knows I try to keep it in check, but I worry constantly that my stomach will hurt or does hurt! Oh and I would love to go eat with my son's baseball teams after games, but that just can't happen. Over the years I have tried to figure things out. I finally was told to go see a Internal Medicine doctor by the name of Kelly Cobb. She is real into- hormonal checking and natural remedies. So I said, sure- it can't hurt.
Dr. Cobb asked once I was finished telling her my long list of ailments- aching back, stomach aches, diarreha, anxiety, depression, joint pains, vision issues (that's a whole other story) and now Rosecea... another problem that has just arose... she asked, "Can I step out and grab a brochure for you to read." I said, "sure." She came back with a little brochure that said- Is Your Food Killing You? I read through it, well I could answer Yes to almost every question it asked. She suggested I do a test called an ALCAT test to see if I was sensative to foods and which ones. Well, I had already been tested through blood work for Celiac Disease. So I didn't think that was my problem, but sure enough when the results came back....the list, oh the list was so long! And- I be damn, GLUTEN was in the blue box of things that I was intolerant to.
So here I am...left with a the results and completely overwhelmed. I'm telling you my story could have been alot longer than this but it would have taken forever to type up the last 15+ years of my life. So I tried to sum it up as best as I could. I hope this gives you a little idea of where I've been in my life and where I plan to go....
With that saying....I am embarking on a new gluten free life. Is it going to be my answer? I don't know I have noticed when trying to learn the right way to eat I have still made some mistakes. I am still having a few stomach aches now and then. So am I doing it right? I don't know just yet. It also said I was sensative to dairy. Well, I just can't give up everything all at once, there would be nothing left in my mind.
This will be a long journey. I hope to help anyone that needs it, I would love to find so friends in my area that are struggling with the same things. I would love to compile lists of restaurants in Lafayette that have Gluten Free options. I have searched for support groups and come up empty handed everytime. So please feel free to leave me any comments, information or your info so that we can form a support group!
Until next time....healthy happy eating!
Wendy
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