What I'm thankful for
It has been awhile since I wrote, not because things are going poorly but because I have my life back. As Thanksgiving approaches I have been thinking about all the things I am thankful for. Of course family, friends, being employed is what we all think of. This year I am thankful that I have figured out why I have been so sick these last 3 years.
After being gluten free since the spring, I have not had one recurrence of SIBO. No more bloating, gas, feeling miserable, tired, getting sick easily - it is all gone. Now the disclaimer here is if gluten sneaks into my diet, even a crumb, I feel horrible. At least I know that I have been glutenized within about 20 minutes. The last time was because of a sponge that had crumbs on it, you know, those with the mesh coverings. Bye, Bye sponge. I know have my own toaster, condiments, butter, everything that could possibly provide a source of cross contamination. Eating out is slowly getting easier - I state that I am GF over and over again and never go during rush hour. The list of places that have a GF menu is growing. Then there are all the yummy products you can get. Now don't get me wrong, there are some pretty gross things too but that is true in the world of gluten as well. I am hosting Thanksgiving this year - 24 people - the entire meal, including dessert, will be GF. When I was making the stuffing my S.O. kept snacking on the bread and cornbread - saying this is so good. He couldn't keep away from it - that is until I ushered him and the dogs that were under foot, out of the kitchen! My kids are requesting GF chocolate chip cookies and brownies! Don't get me started on some of the yummy GF beers out there. Needless to say, going GF does not mean you are on a "diet", you can eat really well. Still need to watch those calories!
Then there was the allergy testing - I wanted to know if there was anything else foodwise that I needed to know about. I mentioned that I tested positive for Casein with the saliva test. The doctor said that the saliva test is highly unreliable. So he retested me for that and 90 other things. I looked like a pin cushion! No other foods are off the list. No to the casein allergy but he said that I was probably intolerant to the casein or lactose due to my symptoms if I have it for 3 or more days in a row.
My new endo tested my insulin levels after I told him my 9 yr old son passed out at school and I suspected low blood sugar, the doctor agreed. Diabetes/hypoglycemia runs in families. My insulin levels were really high - I have finally been diagnosed with hypoglycemia which explains the roller coaster of energy, the exhaustion in the evenings, crankiness, memory issues, lack of ability to lose weigh (high insulin levels = weight gain, typically around the middle). I changed my diet and avoided even more carbs and sugars, all low GI/GL. Still the symptoms remained. My endo put me on metformin twice a day. Ok, so that was a miracle drug for me. I feel 1000% better!
My weight is still high but it is not going up anymore - it has actually started dropping, slowly but that is the most progress I have had in 3 years. I am beginning to accept myself for they way I am. This journey has taught me that doctors don't have all the answers, sometimes you have to be the one who solves the mystery through trial and error. Often more error than anything. The elimination diet helped me immensely with the trial and error part of my food journey. Sometimes you just get lucky with a doctor who listens.
I am thankful for the journey. Thankful that I stopped saying I can't and started saying I can. Thankful that I had the courage to keep looking for answers.
Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
