GLUTEN doesn't work for me...

Someone at church asked me if I had a knee replacement. She asked where my cane went??? Was I healed or something?

Yea, I guess you could say that. I had prayed to find my pathway to healing. The answer came 4 years later when the new girl at work asked if I had ever tried going off gluten. I didn't even know what gluten was.

In the meantime, I had been taking some great supplements and going to physical rehab which helped and gave me some improvement. But the pain and swelling in my joints never went away completely. And at my very worst, I had rented a wheelchair.

I hadn't expected that removing wheat, rye, oats(some can tolerate oats but not me) and barley from my diet would change my life. But it has. I've had a few setbacks. Like when I realized that I was bathing in wheat filled shampoo, lotion and hair styling products. And the unexpected GLUTENATION from cross contact. I sometimes wonder what good is gluten if so many are allergic?!

This post is not meant to give you any in-depth info about going gluten free. Just do a search and you'll find lots of great blogs and sites for that. I am mainly proclaiming here that living gluten free can feel mighty good, so don't be afraid to try it, especially if you've tried other things and you're desperate like I was. Here's my story in more detail.

I feel good and have hope for continued improvement. And it's all because of one person who said:

Have you ever tried giving up gluten?

This post is part of Works for Me Wednesday...but for today it's What doesn't work!

The Bakery...where everybody knows your name.

I haven't posted about the Bakery much lately but that doesn't mean I haven't been going there regularly. Oh I've been going there regularly alright. And Saturday when I walked in 2 hours later than I usually go and was greeted with a chorus of "where have you been!!" from the The Baker, Mrs Baker and the "regulars", I wondered if possibly there was a slight chance I've been spending too much time at the bakery.

Late on a Saturday afternoon there are not too many real customers. I know that because if a "real" customer comes in The Baker tells us (the regulars) to be quiet. That's how you know you're a regular.

You see late on a Saturday afternoon is THE MOST FUN TIME AT THE BAKERY. In my humble opinion. I've popped in at other times and it's just too busy for my liking. I'm sure The Baker likes those times. But I don't.

I like Saturday afternoon because the sun shines in at just the right angle, casting an extra special glow on the yummy trays behind the glass. The Baker is done making his magic delight-able delectables in the kitchen for the week. Mrs Baker puts on the music that makes us all happy. And over an endless cup of coffee or a tea (for $1.50) we talk about nothing and everything.

So why was I late?? I was all discombobulated from working different shifts this week and couldn't get organized plain and simple. And isn't that what Saturday is for? Well that and going to the Bakery.

So lately The Baker has accused me of having no friends outside the regulars. He doesn't even count himself as a friend because I pay him to be my friend. If you baked gluten free bread for me I'd pay you too. Now I've even brought friends in with me so I don't know WHAT he is talking about...I also brought someone I gave birth to...

Have you ever watched Hell's Kitchen? We were saying that The Chef is not too far off from The Baker. When I walk in and it's too quiet I immediately know The Baker is not there. And he tells us to be quiet when a customer comes in. Whatever.

The Baker challenged me to bring a friend in which I did last week. And it turns out they knew her. She's a regular at a different time(not Saturday). And she just happens to be from Oklahoma City, OK. So The Baker said I don't even have local friends and I had to go that far to import a friend. Again I say...whatever.

So now I'm up for the challenge. Calling all friends! Wanna join me at The Bakery on a Saturday afternoon?
Oh and remember to be quiet when the real customers come in...

It turns out The Baker hangs out at Starbucks on the days The Bakery is closed. I don't know why I find that funny....but I do. I had this vision of an exact replica of The Bakery in his kitchen. Guess not.

A Baker's gotta have a place to be a regular.


Click here to read another post about The Bakery...one of my personal favorites.

Gluten Free Challenge and Triumph

I've been gluten free almost 10 months. And it is still a journey of discovery. Up to Christmas it was steady improvement. Then after the New Year it all started to inexplicably unravel. Unexplained reactions, rashes, hives, illness. It's been rough. People asked me what I had eaten, told me to take better care of myself, go for extensive testing. I was frankly demoralized at feeling that I had done all that I could and yet was still sick. And then a discovery.

Every product I was applying externally had WHEAT OR OATS in it. Right there on the label of my lotion, shampoo, body gel, hair gel. It was the third ingredient on one. I have had the worst reactions from oats. I know some who are gluten intolerant can eat oats. Not me. That is what was in the lotion I was slathering on at work. Bath and Body Works...I'm gonna miss you. I would get to work and break out in hives. Then take meds for the hives while still applying the lotion. Antihistamine, cortisone cream and prednisone. Thank God for prednisone. At one point my buddy offered to make prednisone cookies for me!

It was because of a post I saw titled the 10 silly mistakes I made going gluten free.

So I feel so much better now! And Easter was a wonderful feast after months of suffering!! (I guess that is what Lent is for, right?)
Big thank you's to these special people:

• Nana's Bakery for the AMAZING GF BLUEBERRY PIE
• Irene for the STICK TO MY RIBS CHILI and asking how to make a meal gluten free
• Barb for the best feta cheese this side of the Aegean Sea and the whole grain gluten free crackers and taking me for GLUTEN FREE FISH AND CHIPS IN TORONTO at Broadview and Danforth
  
• El Mayor restaurant and the waitress who first asked if "gluten" was Arabic, then went out of her way to tell me everything I could and could not eat when she understood
• Frances for listening, for warming up the pie and ice cream, for coming to Easter Vigil, sharing Easter Sunday and for being so darn lovable

Remember your Nana's kitchen...

I went to the bakery twice last week. I smell like cookies and bread...gluten free of course.

I go for the cookies and bread. I stay for the stories. Some people go there twice a day. I forgot to ask if the unlimited coffee refill applies if you step outside and come back later. While there I met the first gluten free customer they ever had. She was just stopping in for an order and to give a Christmas gift before she left for a winter trip to Florida. She was very excited to have passed her driving test again. She always gives Mrs Baker a hug for carrying her gluten free goodies to the car.

There was a new GF product....Christmas "crackle". I love it!! However, the Baker says this may be the one and only batch of crackle 'cuz he has no idea how he made them. He is confident enough in his skills to admit they were ginger cookies gone wild. They all ran together in one mass of crackley goodness. They may never happen again.

The Baker and I are both allergic to real Christmas trees. We also both had those silver artificial trees as children, those ones with long, straight tinselly branches about a foot apart. Instead of "Andy Williams"... we had "George Jetson".

I loved hearing about their trip to Mexico in February. Since he was "in the business", the Baker got to tour the kitchen of the hotel/resort. It was their first big vacation in years and a well deserved one in my opinion. I hope they take another one soon. Getting up to bake in the wee hours of the morning can wear you down a little. We can't be having any baker burn-out around here. Please. Renew that passport. Plan another trip. Shut the shop...but not for too long! And make some more crackle please!

I think I am definitely a "regular" now...