Hello my name is Jeanne and I have an obsession with GLUTEN.
I didn't know it... but I used to lust after it.
I didn't know what it was...but I couldn't live without it.
I was addicted to GLUTEN.
I despise GLUTEN.
What the heck is it?
Wikipedia gives a thorough definition you many want to read.Basically, it's the stuff in wheat/rye/barley that makes pizza irresistible, a crusty loaf of french bread delectable and a cherry danish orgasmic. It makes you crave gravy, a gooey box of orange mac'n cheese and probably why you end up eating the entire bag of Twizzlers!
Gluten is EVERYWHERE. Expect it in bread, pasta and pie-crusts. Then look further and find it in salad dressing, cooking stock, even ice-cream.
Gluten is ADDICTIVE. Often discussed as a wheat addiction. It has opiate-like effect. And withdrawl symptoms can be similar to Heroine withdrawl for some. Like my husband. Saw it. Lived it. Fear it.
I didn't know it but
...gluten was the cause of my weight issues, swollen santa-like beer belly, frequent migraines, my short nasty nails and even dandruff
...gluten was the reason my husband spent hours in the bathroom daily, was told by a GI Doc at 35yrs old after a colonoscopy that he had the colon of a healthy 90 year old man, the reason he suffered bipolar manic/depressive issues that cost him friendships and almost ending our marriage.
...gluten was the reason my little boy had uncharacteristic temper outbursts, random rashes that came and went, was a regular in the school nurse's office and was living with a constant tummy ache that he didn't know wasn't normal
...gluten was the reason my little girl often had swollen bags under her eyes and big bruises all over her legs and body after going out to play
...gluten came days away from KILLING my amazingly wonderful 1 1/2 year old baby boy
THIS IS OUR TOMMY June 2012
:-( OUR STARVING TOMMY Aug 2012, breaks my heart
It was my determination looking for the cause (and ignoring medical advice)
THAT SAVED HIS LIFE.
It was my baby's illness that saved us all.
It is CELIAC DISEASE.
It is the only DISEASE completely controllable BY DIET.
A GLUTEN-FREE DIET
It was the obliviousness of countless doctors at a prestigious teaching Children's Hospital (and 10+ years of missed-diagnosis by my husband's various doctors) that made me realize that...
MOST OF THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY IS DECADES BEHIND ON AWARENESS OF GLUTEN-RELATED ISSUES
It has been 7 months since we learned how celiac affected our family and almost
all of our health problems noted above have DISAPEARED
(with the occassional re-emergence when we Do G-Free Wrong).
In some ways, our discovery has been miraculous but the journey isn't over - there is so much to learn, my husband and I struggle with other health issues that only became apparent after going gluten-free, but everything is clearer now and
Thank God, our Tommy is a happy, healthy 2 year old, sledding in the snow and trying his best to be big like his bro & climb trees!
