It's astounding how pivotal a few weeks can be in the trajectory of one's life. The last 5 weeks have been incredibly busy and brought so many new and not always pleasant transitions to my life. There have been two deaths in the family, both of which leave a void. I have seen two different doctors as I continue to pursue answers to all of my body issues. The sciatic pain ebbs and flows; this week it has flared up, but several weeks prior I hardly noticed. I continue to see the chiropractor for my back that keeps un-aligning itself. Frustrating.
One of my doctors diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia, on the day my grandma died. That was a hard week. I haven't even had time to process that diagnosis yet.
We were out of town for a week, and then came back, at which point I got that nasty throat-sinus bug going around. During that week, we drove over 9 hours in one day for me to have blood drawn for a test that we hoped would show what foods I've been consuming that my body treats as poison. "Toxic" to the cells, the literature says. I got those results yesterday, the day after my great aunt passed away.
Those test results were ones I have been anxiously awaiting. Ever since learning about this test for delayed reaction food sensitivities, I knew it would hold answers. Sometimes it made me nervous--what food(s) would I have to cut out? I joked with Emily that it might be cheese, since I eat that about every day. I was a little nervous about milk. I wasn't sure if wheat or gluten would be problematic, but had a sneaking suspicion they might.
I got the call in the middle of the afternoon, and within 30 minutes I'd talked with the doctor about a plan of action and our conversation was over. But my mind was reeling. Let me show you why.
There were two tests - one for gluten, by itself; one for 154 other different foods.
The gluten one showed a "weak positive" for gluten sensitivity. Doctor's orders are that I'm off gluten for at least a year.
The test for 154 foods showed 31 are causing reactions. I have to cut all of those out for at least one month, at which point I can add back in the weakest reaction-causing foods at one serving per week. For the highest scoring reactants, I can't ever have them again (this is my understanding).
The highest reactive foods were cheese and eggs. I can't have those anymore.
The next category included kidney and navy beans, pineapple, and brewer's yeast. Those are out for at least 3 months, if not forever. (This isn't a huge deal. I like kidney and navy beans, but they will be easy to eliminate.)
The following group of foods I can't have for at least 2 months: milk from a cow (and all byproducts), wheat (which was already cut out by the gluten test), and baker's yeast (no breads!). This is a hard group for me to cut. I consume a lot of dairy products.
The final group is the lowest reactive foods, and I must cut them out for 1 month, at which point I can add back in, like I said above. This includes bananas (a staple for me), tomato (we eat this or its products in everything), cranberry (I drink this daily), oat, green beans (I love), asparagus, blackberry, lemon, ginger, thyme, sage, malt, perch, rye, goat's milk, papaya, and several others that I never consume.
Right away, I see baked goods are out (it's so obvious--milk, egg, wheat). I might have a love affair with baked goods. This is hard. I had planned on eating oatmeal, if the gluten test came back positive, but I can't even do that. What do I eat for breakfast, let alone other meals.
The list of results showed all the foods that didn't give reactions, so there are well over 100 there. Several of them are nuts, however, and I have immediate allergic reactions to nuts, so those are out. And, the rest are fruits, veggies, and meat. Good things, healthy things. But what do you DO with them? I always add tomatoes and make a stew or shove things between slices of bread and have a "sandwich" or burrito, if I use a flour tortilla.
I'm overwhelmed, I must admit. With a thesis hanging daily over my head, that I have hardly touched since mid-January, I have enough brain-fodder for a lifetime. And now this. How do I plan?
Food used to excite me. Cooking was something I enjoyed. Today, that is gone. Today, this weekend, this week, this month...it's a chore to figure out how to feed myself.
I'm thankful for numerous resources in people and the Internet to help me figure this out, but holy cow. In one day, my world has been turned around.
5 comments:
I'm sorry, Lana. I can't imagine how huge and overwhelming this all is. It will get easier, though with any food allergy or sensitivity, there will always be challenges and frustrations.
Stir-fries are a great supper food that easily incorporates lots of veggies and meat. Serve it over rice or rice noodles. We eat lots of salads and soups. Brown rice pasta is really good too.
Lunch is almost always leftovers for us. I try to make enough supper for at least another whole meal for us.
Breakfast is a tough one, but cream of rice cereal or corn grits are two hot cereals I think you can eat right now. Also, gf pancakes are quite good. And we like them leftover as well. I also enjoy mashing up leftover cornbread in a bowl with some honey and milk. And, you can even do veggie/meat sautees for breakfast too. We enjoy green smoothies with breakfast, or as a snack--frozen strawberries/blueberries/cherries pureed with water and sometimes a little oj, then throw in a couple handfuls of baby spinach leaves and blend like crazy!
I know you are processing so much right now, so hang in there. Know that you're not alone. I'm praying for you!
Oh Lana, I'm so sad to hear how much you are forced to process right now. Thank you for sharing, we will be praying for you.
Sending big cyber hugs your way, Lana! I hope that once you're able to get past your initial and understandably negative reaction to the diagnosis you can be inspired to get creative in the kitchen! And most of all, I hope it brings you good health!
If and when you are able to eat oats again in a month or so, I have a fantastic baked recipe that is healthy, super yummy and egg/butter/wheat free. It's a chocolate chip cookie pie.
so sorry, Lana! i can't imagine how hard this is. i hope that you have good success and that it really makes a difference in how you feel. you'll be in my prayers!
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