I think I need to take my allergies more seriously. "Duh," you say. I came into allergy awareness differently than most. I do not have a frightening food allergy story to tell, I have not had near emergencies, dangerous episodes, life threatening exposures to allergens. I have had a very manageable existence. I pull weeds, I get welts on my skin and I cough and sneeze, but it's all gone in about an hour. I bought gardening gloves that reach my elbows - problem (mostly) solved. I eat peanuts until I get itchy, then I stop, and I survive the snack as if it never crossed my lips. I don't even know what soy does to me, but it tested as a higher risk than all of my other allergies. Papaya and avocado instantly put red splotches on my face, but they go away soon enough. I take my allergies for granted, I treat them like sniffles. They go away. But not really, they just hide. They went away last time. Next time, I might not be so lucky.
My focus has been on managing Celiac, taking for granted of course my other allergies. I was nearly doubled over at the grocery store this weekend, cursing gluten and my ever growing sensitivity to it. I thought my gut was supposed to heal after I went off gluten! My small intestine is so fabulously wrecked from a lifetime of consumption that even a trace from a contaminated almond butter jar puts me down. Celiac bonus: I am "fatigued" and suffer from cold flashes (think opposite of hot flashes) most of the day.
We assumed I had a malabsorption problem, but according to blood tests performed two weeks ago I am perfectly healthy. Even my doctor shakes his head at that. I am currently on a self-medicating regimen of digestive enzymes (sans papaya or soy) and probiotics, just to approach "normal" gut function. I also pop iron, B vitamins and a good multivitamin. My mornings start with a "bloodbuilder" smoothie adapted from the book, "Raw Energy": 1 1/2 cups orange juice, 10 dried apricots, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds kernels, 1 tbsp tahini, one scoop of protein powder and one scoop green powder. This combination gets me through the first half of the day just fine, but after lunch I'm feeling like a shell of myself again. My husband, my doctor and I are in the midst of brainstorming complications of Celiac and their relation to my symptoms, or whether I might have other allergies or worse, another illness. Consequently, my war with gluten overshadows my anaphylactic threats, although it shouldn't.
At the store I thought, of all of my offenders, gluten is the one taking me out right now? I might very well need emergency care sometime because of a gluten episode, and my EpiPen won't be any help. What would I do? What should I do?
For one thing, people need to know I have allergies. I have been hunting on and off for a good allergy bracelet. I am not a fan of the MedicAlert bracelets, although they are nice looking and likely the most appropriate choice, frankly, they clash with my wedding ring and my watch. I know, that's a dumb reason. I'm not saying I don't want a bracelet, I just don't want those. Consider too that I have several allergies to fit on mine! I found some good options on Etsy, but they are designed for simple phrases like "Peanut Allergy," or "Diabetic." I need a bracelet that can stand up to constant water exposure from excessive hand-washing and daily swimming, and something that won't get broken by or scratch my daycare kids. Leather, charms, various metals, and delicate chains are off the table. Silicone bracelets are my best option, but I either have to wear a ton of them or get one custom made, and those bright orange bracelets don't exactly compliment my dinner dresses. One solution is to wear a silicone bracelet at work and at home, and then a more jewelry-type bracelet for when I leave the house.
Is it vain to care so much about what my potentially life-saving bracelet looks like? Consider how you dress when you go to Target versus Happy Hour? Do you want everyone around you to see instantly that you have allergies because of your 1-inch neon green bracelet, or do you just it identifiable in case of emergency? The way I see it, not every conversation needs to be about me and my allergies, so I try to keep a low profile. But, we have already established that I am too lax about the situation, so don't take any advice from me!
A trip to Joann's or Michaels is on the books for this weekend. If I can't find the right bracelet, I will make my own. Better safe than sorry, and the sooner the better. If you've got an idea for me, please share it!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I'm Freezing
Jeesh! Does anyone else have this problem? I can hear the resounding "YES!" already. It's a simple fact that many Celiacs suffer from the unfortunate condition of feeling cold even when everyone around them is perfectly comfortable. Two people in my family have been wearing shorts all day - remember we live in Tucson - but I've got chills and goosebumps, wearing two shirts, jeans and socks in my 74 degree home office. The only thing I can do to warm up is to take a long, hot shower. We leave the heat off at night because everyone complains they swelter while they sleep. I however, wear full pajama sets to bed and hog the electric blanket.
Back to the doctor I go. My Celiac test came back negative, but we know I have a gluten allergy/sensitivity. Consuming any gluten, even less than the food product labeling "acceptable amount" of 20 ppm, has me doubled over within moments. Do I go in for further testing, knowing that feeling cold is a symptom of Celiac Disease? How much does it matter if I just assume that I can never have gluten again and live a gluten-free lifestyle? Am I at risk for further illness or complications if I don't have a biopsy?
I my food allergies/sensitivities very seriously, primarily because I've got some of the big ones that are in almost everything: peanuts, soy, gluten, papaya. Papaya doesn't seem like a big deal, until you start reading labels for papain, papaya's enzyme. It shows up in protein powders, digestive aids, and many supplements and skin care products. I had a heck of a time finding a shower cream that didn't have oatmeal, soy or papain in it. I also have a nasty reaction to salicylic acid and all of its family, which narrows my options considerably. Everything I do, from showering, washing my face and applying body cream, through breakfast, lunch, dinner and all my snacks, is prefaced with label scrutiny and examining contents for contamination (like breadcrumbs in my butter, or peanut butter in the jelly.) We can't mix the family's mashed potatoes with mine, because they like to use (soy) Country Crock. We are diligent.
So, do I need a biopsy?
Well, yes and no. First I have some other things to test more easily. My other complaints coincide with symptoms of hypothyroidism and/or low iron anemia. If tests for those come back normal, then I will have to pursue further Celiac testing. It could be that Celiac disease is causing low iron absorption, or general malabsorption, and would explain feeling cold and tired all the time.
I am grateful to have a knowledgeable doctor, and an appointment with him in three days. I hope to walk out of there with an order for excessive blood work, and then maybe we will get to the bottom of this. Alternately, I can look forward to triple digit heat just a few months away!
Back to the doctor I go. My Celiac test came back negative, but we know I have a gluten allergy/sensitivity. Consuming any gluten, even less than the food product labeling "acceptable amount" of 20 ppm, has me doubled over within moments. Do I go in for further testing, knowing that feeling cold is a symptom of Celiac Disease? How much does it matter if I just assume that I can never have gluten again and live a gluten-free lifestyle? Am I at risk for further illness or complications if I don't have a biopsy?
I my food allergies/sensitivities very seriously, primarily because I've got some of the big ones that are in almost everything: peanuts, soy, gluten, papaya. Papaya doesn't seem like a big deal, until you start reading labels for papain, papaya's enzyme. It shows up in protein powders, digestive aids, and many supplements and skin care products. I had a heck of a time finding a shower cream that didn't have oatmeal, soy or papain in it. I also have a nasty reaction to salicylic acid and all of its family, which narrows my options considerably. Everything I do, from showering, washing my face and applying body cream, through breakfast, lunch, dinner and all my snacks, is prefaced with label scrutiny and examining contents for contamination (like breadcrumbs in my butter, or peanut butter in the jelly.) We can't mix the family's mashed potatoes with mine, because they like to use (soy) Country Crock. We are diligent.
So, do I need a biopsy?
Well, yes and no. First I have some other things to test more easily. My other complaints coincide with symptoms of hypothyroidism and/or low iron anemia. If tests for those come back normal, then I will have to pursue further Celiac testing. It could be that Celiac disease is causing low iron absorption, or general malabsorption, and would explain feeling cold and tired all the time.
I am grateful to have a knowledgeable doctor, and an appointment with him in three days. I hope to walk out of there with an order for excessive blood work, and then maybe we will get to the bottom of this. Alternately, I can look forward to triple digit heat just a few months away!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Figuring it out: My journey with food.
When I found out I had food allergies, I was relieved. I was glad to have finally found the answer to all of my ailments. It was difficult though, to process that my entire way of eating had to change. Since then I found a good amount of resources that have helped me understand more about food and how it affects my body, as well as how to get the most from my food. I also found plenty of cookbooks and online sites that have recipes for anything I'm craving, plus some new adventures that I share with my family. This month has been particularly huge in the development of my relationship with food, thanks to a great Christmas gift from my husband. I'll get back to that later.
In the beginning, my approach was to go without. I tried to eat whatever the family was having, minus foods to which I am allergic (gluten, soy, peanuts, papaya are the big ones). Next, I substituted and tried adding that in place of what the family was eating. If they had meatloaf (they like the way I make it with oatmeal and Worcestershire), I had a piece of chicken or fish instead. That was a reasonable approach and worked for a while. But then I decided I could do better. I could eat "cleaner" meals. We should all transition from packaged and processed foods anyway, to homemade meals and snacks and foods closer to their natural state. Several types of diets support this already, including the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, the raw food diet, and the whole foods diet.
My youngest son, now 4, has never liked meat. For him, I have been a subscriber to Vegetarian Times for a few years now. I have found some amazing recipes in the magazines, and I just add meat for my carnivorous kin. What has been extremely helpful though, in helping me understand how to nourish my body, has been their articles and blurbs about individual foods and nutrients. Last month I adapted a recipe I found for quinoa patties, using ground turkey instead. Vegetarian Times issues steered me onto the road toward better health. I highly recommend subscribing.
Not that I was becoming a vegetarian, I did add much more fruit, vegetables and whole grains to my diet. That's a good idea for anyone. I never leave home without an apple and a nut and seed bar in my bag so I won't be tempted to eat junk while I'm out. Some time in December, a link from a link from a blog landed me on a raw foods page. I was intrigued and researched it. Oh my, how we kill our food when we cook it! And, oh my, what clever ways those raw foodists have of making ultra-nutritious food that is gluten-free!
The raw food diet is very clean, as I like to call it. It's made from foods purchased primarily in their original natural state. Ingredients get processed and blended and chopped into countless drinks, meals and desserts that are hard to believe. I watched a video of the making of a raw chocolate mousse cake, for which the filling was made mainly from avocados and cocoa powder. Impressed, I added some raw food "cookbooks" to my Christmas wish list, which the in laws were kind enough to pick up for me. Hearing me go on and on about how I could blend up nuts and seeds and make my own crackers, my husband bought a lovely Breville blender for me. I ruined its Kitchen Aid predecessor trying to process dates into a paste to make my own Larabars. I ruined two appliances on that endeavor, actually. Finally I figured out to just pulse the dates until they break apart, and then mash them with your fingers into a paste. Thank you Tim, I'm back in the blending game!
For several days after Christmas, I abused my fantastic Breville 800 BLXL Die-Cast Hemisphere blender, with all sorts of veggies and (soaked) dried fruits. I knew it was time to slow down when my family cowered at the sight of a cup in my hand, accompanied by "just try it, you'll like it." But in a weird twist, I picked up momentum!
Several weeks ago I hurt my knee, so bad that I thought I fractured it. In the end, I required near bed rest for a few days. I stretched out on the most comfortable piece of furniture in the house for three days, watching documentaries on my laptop. I watched a few videos by raw foodists too and cruised Facebook to "like" a good number of health-minded pages. I landed on a page for Russel James, Raw Chef. He had a post that mentioned a video now available for streaming on Netflix: Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I added that to my queue and moved on. Meanwhile...
Putting the ornaments away in the garage while my husband was gone (I should have been off my feet!), I remembered that about five years ago a woman from the vegetarian and sugar-free school where I worked had given me a juicer. We put it in the garage without ever looking at it. I remembered it to be extremely heavy the way she carried it to my car, and she said "you'll have to clean it up a bit but it works great." I pulled it out of the cabinet and it wasn't heavy at all! And it was clean. I rinsed off the parts, watched a quick YouTube video on how to assemble, use and clean my Champion Juicer. Wow this thing is amazing. I never cared for juicers, hearing they were a pain to setup and clean, and they were loud and messy. This juicer is none of those things. Another thing I highly recommend!
Back on the couch, I started watching Forks Over Knives on Netflix, with my husband next to me. He quickly became interested in the story. We watched it together and he immediately gave up meat. The next day we watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, which supported what we learned the night before plus had us singing the praises of our new amazing blender and juicer combo in the kitchen.
In the end, or this new beginning I should say, because of my food allergies, my whole family is on its way to being truly healthy and learning how to avoid lifestyle related illnesses, like diabetes and heart disease. We firmly believe in the benefits of making fruits, vegetables and whole grains the main focus of our meals. Most important is to try to buy food as close to it's natural state as possible, meaning apples instead of applesauce or apple juice.
Some of us are still eating meat as we learn more about the vegetarian lifestyle. I picked out a food dehydrator to add to the lineup next week and then I will be able to expand our diet to a whole new level! I have to say, I'm lucky enough to have the space for all of these appliances. We have a handy pantry just off the kitchen where my juicer lives on a shelf so I can get to it easily, and my dehydrator will soon join it.
We are finally figuring it out:
In the beginning, my approach was to go without. I tried to eat whatever the family was having, minus foods to which I am allergic (gluten, soy, peanuts, papaya are the big ones). Next, I substituted and tried adding that in place of what the family was eating. If they had meatloaf (they like the way I make it with oatmeal and Worcestershire), I had a piece of chicken or fish instead. That was a reasonable approach and worked for a while. But then I decided I could do better. I could eat "cleaner" meals. We should all transition from packaged and processed foods anyway, to homemade meals and snacks and foods closer to their natural state. Several types of diets support this already, including the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, the raw food diet, and the whole foods diet.
My youngest son, now 4, has never liked meat. For him, I have been a subscriber to Vegetarian Times for a few years now. I have found some amazing recipes in the magazines, and I just add meat for my carnivorous kin. What has been extremely helpful though, in helping me understand how to nourish my body, has been their articles and blurbs about individual foods and nutrients. Last month I adapted a recipe I found for quinoa patties, using ground turkey instead. Vegetarian Times issues steered me onto the road toward better health. I highly recommend subscribing.
Not that I was becoming a vegetarian, I did add much more fruit, vegetables and whole grains to my diet. That's a good idea for anyone. I never leave home without an apple and a nut and seed bar in my bag so I won't be tempted to eat junk while I'm out. Some time in December, a link from a link from a blog landed me on a raw foods page. I was intrigued and researched it. Oh my, how we kill our food when we cook it! And, oh my, what clever ways those raw foodists have of making ultra-nutritious food that is gluten-free!
The raw food diet is very clean, as I like to call it. It's made from foods purchased primarily in their original natural state. Ingredients get processed and blended and chopped into countless drinks, meals and desserts that are hard to believe. I watched a video of the making of a raw chocolate mousse cake, for which the filling was made mainly from avocados and cocoa powder. Impressed, I added some raw food "cookbooks" to my Christmas wish list, which the in laws were kind enough to pick up for me. Hearing me go on and on about how I could blend up nuts and seeds and make my own crackers, my husband bought a lovely Breville blender for me. I ruined its Kitchen Aid predecessor trying to process dates into a paste to make my own Larabars. I ruined two appliances on that endeavor, actually. Finally I figured out to just pulse the dates until they break apart, and then mash them with your fingers into a paste. Thank you Tim, I'm back in the blending game!
For several days after Christmas, I abused my fantastic Breville 800 BLXL Die-Cast Hemisphere blender, with all sorts of veggies and (soaked) dried fruits. I knew it was time to slow down when my family cowered at the sight of a cup in my hand, accompanied by "just try it, you'll like it." But in a weird twist, I picked up momentum!
Putting the ornaments away in the garage while my husband was gone (I should have been off my feet!), I remembered that about five years ago a woman from the vegetarian and sugar-free school where I worked had given me a juicer. We put it in the garage without ever looking at it. I remembered it to be extremely heavy the way she carried it to my car, and she said "you'll have to clean it up a bit but it works great." I pulled it out of the cabinet and it wasn't heavy at all! And it was clean. I rinsed off the parts, watched a quick YouTube video on how to assemble, use and clean my Champion Juicer. Wow this thing is amazing. I never cared for juicers, hearing they were a pain to setup and clean, and they were loud and messy. This juicer is none of those things. Another thing I highly recommend!
Back on the couch, I started watching Forks Over Knives on Netflix, with my husband next to me. He quickly became interested in the story. We watched it together and he immediately gave up meat. The next day we watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, which supported what we learned the night before plus had us singing the praises of our new amazing blender and juicer combo in the kitchen.
In the end, or this new beginning I should say, because of my food allergies, my whole family is on its way to being truly healthy and learning how to avoid lifestyle related illnesses, like diabetes and heart disease. We firmly believe in the benefits of making fruits, vegetables and whole grains the main focus of our meals. Most important is to try to buy food as close to it's natural state as possible, meaning apples instead of applesauce or apple juice.
Some of us are still eating meat as we learn more about the vegetarian lifestyle. I picked out a food dehydrator to add to the lineup next week and then I will be able to expand our diet to a whole new level! I have to say, I'm lucky enough to have the space for all of these appliances. We have a handy pantry just off the kitchen where my juicer lives on a shelf so I can get to it easily, and my dehydrator will soon join it.
We are finally figuring it out:
- I don't have to go without, and what's better is that we can all eat the foods that I can eat.
- Food is not just something you stuff in your mouth to get full.
- You are what you eat.
Here is a list of my favorite resources. I'm sure you'll be surprised at what they have to offer. Take your time and check these out thoroughly!
Videos (available streaming on Netflix):
Websites and blogs:
Sweetly Raw look around for her unbelievably decadent desserts!
Print:
Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking With an amazing brownie recipe! I used dark chocolate to avoid soy.
Further, get onto Twitter and find people who share your concerns and goals. Follow their posts and collect the articles, recipes and websites they post.
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