Gluten is a word...part 5

After years of suffering and the downward spiral of symptoms it would be easy to think why did it have to be this way? Part of it was my own narrow mindedness. Someone mentioned gluten to me years ago and I dismissed it because I didn't understand it. But as in so many things I couldn't understand until I was ready. Ready to reach for wellness out of desperation. Ready to change. When you are living with tolerable problems it's easier to stay the same than try something different.

And the people along the way...I am so grateful they are in my life. I found out the great power of friendship and kindness. The friends who were understanding, the ones who encouraged me, helped me get through every day. And of course the ones who were instruments of healing. The gifted professionals who chose their work to help others. Even my doctor is happy for my improvement. He complimented me on my correct diagnosis. I told him it wasn't me...it was my coworker! Now I am now the one telling others.

It was worth every moment of pain to connect with people in a new and deeper way. There is meaning and purpose in suffering even if we can't always open our hearts to its power. I am also reminded that, even though I am stronger right now, I should never forget what it felt like to feel weak and hopeless. I should never forget to have compassion and understanding for those still suffering. I think back 5 years to my simple short prayer for physical and emotional healing. I wrote it because I hoped that it would have more power if the words were written. There is power in the words.

When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?"
~~John 5:6

Gluten is a word...part 4

I lived with my symptoms and some days were better than others. Now I know that the "better" days were most likely days with less gluten. I started an exercise program that was designed for people with low mobility. I hadn't had the sensation of exercising for years and it was great. I lost inches off my waist and increased muscle tone.

The trainer would tell me to try other activities like walking but I was still in pain. I used pain killers to get through the week but tried to give my body a break by using less on the weekend. That meant limiting activity. It seemed like a vicious cycle.

Everything I ate seemed to cause more pain or swelling. I had eliminated most of the common allergens. I'm not sure why, but I neglected gluten. It was last on my list of things to eliminate. Gluten seemed so foreign a term, more about food science than anything else, and I didn't know much about it.

Then someone new started on my shift at work. She had been told to talk to me because we had something in common: food allergies. She was enthusiastically gluten free. No more pain. No more inflammation. Life was good gluten free. She has become my gluten free "angel" of information and encouragement!

I started eating gluten free during the week. Typically, by the weekend, I would be feeling fabulous. And then I would think, "it can't be the gluten"...and I would indulge (people battling food allergies can be a little delusional at times). Mostly in social situations because I was unprepared or didn't think I should burden others with my problem if I was at someone's house. All the symptoms would return.

As the weeks went by, I was gradually feeling so much better and with lots of reading on the Internet, I learned how to eat gluten free so I didn't feel deprived. And I realized I had to speak up and take care of myself which has always been a challenge for me. I still have some setbacks and reactions but my body seems to recover quicker now. I have to be careful with cross contamination and read labels carefully. My best bet is to eat unprocessed, simple foods that I call "peasant food". It will most likely take me a year or two to heal completely. But for now, everyday feels better than the day before.

My gluten free "angels"...they make life very good. My coworker is am amazing cook/baker and she shares, Doug and Barb from "Nana's Bakery" make me laugh and bake for me, even Zehrs...I couldn't live without the gluten free products. Living gluten free is not so bad. Feeling healthier is very good! I feel GLUTEN FREE GREAT!

~~to be continued, part 5...

Gluten is a word...part 3

Everything started to get worse about 5 years ago although I've lived with stomach problems all my life. I don't blame my doctor. He tried to address my symptons and give me some relief. Tests, specialists, meds. He really tried. I told him I couldn't walk. He signed a handicapped parking application and I stopped complaining and lived with it. But it was no life. I rented a wheelchair one summer to take on vacation. The next summer I stayed home and while walking in the yard I fell like a chopped tree. I spent the rest of the week on the sofa. By God's grace, I went from a job on the road to a physically easier inside desk job.

But I hid how bad it was getting. Lots of painkillers and a few supportive friends. I was inspired by someone who had overcome many physical challenges herself (you know who you are!).

I wrote a prayer asking God to show me my pathway to healing, both physical and emotional. Twelve days after that prayer, I got a phone call from an acquaintance I had met at a woman's group. She noticed my problems walking and said she was selling a powerful supplement that might work for me. Later on I would find out that she had said a prayer to connect with people who she could help.

The supplement helped immediately and I experienced relief for a while. I was able to walk easier, there was less swelling and pain. But I had to take large quantities adding several products to get results. Now that I know what the problem really was, I realize it was like trying to put out a house fire with a bucket. The supplement was good detoxifier but the problem was systemic. If I was still ingesting gluten which my body viewed as a toxin, the supplement would never really work completely. The inflammation grew and affected so many areas. Each problem had it's own name: edema, rosacea, cellulitis, ovarian cysts, arthritis, psoarisis, acne, gout, fungal infections, irritable bowel, chronic fatigue. Since giving up gluten 3 months ago EVERYTHING IS BETTER OR GONE! Thanks to a new coworker who was enthusiastically gluten and PAIN free...

~~to be continued....Gluten is a Word...part 4

Gluten is a word...part 2

1 out of 100 Americans, it is estimated, has celiac disease. Only 3% of us have been diagnosed. Now, some of those people have skipped the doctor's visit, the blood test, and the biopsy. They stopped eating gluten and felt so much better that the official diagnosis doesn't matter. They aren't counted in the official statistics. But most of the people with celiac have belly aches or anemia or swollen joints or infertility problems or exhaustion or a multitude of little complaints that they have come to accept. They don't know that they could feel better. They could be reborn.
~~gluten free girl from the blog post "do you have celiac?"

I have been reborn. "Gluten free girl" said it so well I had to quote her.

She has a book by the same name coming out this week and I'll be buying it.

Last week someone told me I even sound stronger. Every week I feel better than the week before. But strong is definitely not how I felt for most of last winter.

I won't go into all the symptoms in this post but I will say I experienced the most physical pain I have felt in my life. Pain and lots of swelling everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Swollen joints, feet so swollen I couldn't do up my shoes, fingers so swollen I couldn't close them, eyes so swollen it hurt to open them. Even my ovaries were swelling. My doctor asked me if it felt like a knife was going into my body. Yes I said that's exactly what it felt like.

One day at work after eating multigrain oatmeal I felt like someone was stepping on my feet wearing steel toe work boots. I started to cry and begged a coworker to get me water so I could take painkillers. I couldn't even walk to get myself water. Multigrain oatmeal with good things like whole wheat and spelt. It sounds so healthy right? I came home and threw away the box. For someone with wheat intolerance or Celiac it is definitely not healthy. But I didn't know it at the time. I was playing hit and miss with the game of find the food allergies.

~~to be continued...Part 3

From the archive: Gluten is a word...part 1

Gluten is a word...part 1

I've been debating whether to blog about my struggle with food allergies. It is has been a long and winding road to wellness. Some of the people who know me have heard this story. But many have not.

I'm seeing a ripple effect as I share my experience. People who have symptoms they have lived with for years, symptoms they have been given medication to treat, symptoms that never completely go away no matter what meds they take...are getting better when they remove gluten from their diet.

I've mentioned that some of my earliest memories of childhood are of reading and books. The other big memories are stomach problems, rashes and pain. I just found out that there are countries in Europe where children are routinely screened for Celiac disease. The term Celiac was invented by a Greek. That's where my people came from. This is all new to me and many of the people I know. And maybe it is new to you.

This is not going to be a blog with all the info on Celiac Disease and food allergies. This will just be my story and a little of what I've learned. Because this blog is about how words change and transform our lives. And gluten is a word that has changed mine.

Just so you know...this story is definitely going to have a happy ending.