I was supposed to go back to work Saturday, but with the number of biopsies they took I've been feeling pretty uncomfortable and had a small amount of bleeding. Bouncing around in a mine truck probably isn't the safest thing (and the ER doc told me to stay at home) so I've been sitting on the couch!
I've tried a few more GF foods, and hit upon some stuff I'm not as fond of. Arrowhead Mills makes a GF macaroni and cheese mix that wasn't so much BAD as boring. There was no real flavouring to be had in it, and the sauce was incredibly runny. I added a bunch of black pepper, but it didn't help a whole lot. I'll probably keep a box or two around for now for emergencies, but I know I've seen recipes around for making your own ry) GF cheese sauces, so I'll probably make some of those up instead.
I'm also not wild about the Enjoy Life cranapple crunch. It's a sort of granola. It might be good in yoghurt, which unfortunately is not a way I particularly like granola, although I might have to try and come around to it. It got gritty very quickly in milk, which unfortunately is the fate of a lot of things made with rice flour.
On the other hand, my favourite brand of hot chocolate mix (President's Choice) is GF!
I've tried to spend my time at home in semi-valuable ways. I've finished a pair of thrummed mittens, and am now working on a lace scarf. I also folded all our clothes, and gathered up most of what I need to pack for vacation - we fly home in 3 days!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Scope
Well I had the scope yesterday. We were panicking because it was snowing - hard - and we were trapped in crawling traffic. If you arrive less than an hour before your appointment, they not only cancel it but you need to go through another referral to get a new one. We did eventually arrive barely on time though.
I explained to the admitting nurse that I was nervous, because the preparation letter I'd received said that people with a less-reactive gag-reflex would be given local anaesthetic. Naturally, I wanted none of this - if you're going to do a 6-ft enteroscope instead of a regular gastrocope, I'm going to want a sedative! She reassured me though that it's only for people who don't WANT the sedative.
They brought me in on time, but I had to wait in the procedure room for another 1/2 hour as they completed another scope in the next room. When the doctor came in he realised that they'd prepared for a regular scope - there was only a gastroscope and no pain medication in the room. I also explained that I had once before woken up during a scope when the medication wore off unexpectedly. While the dug up the other scope then, they gave me the medication in time for it to work before. That's the last thing I remember!
I'm guessing Sean walked in and got me, I don't really recall, nor do I remember the drive home although I DO remember going into the gas station, but not leaving there or how I go onto the couch. We watched a movie, and fell asleep for a few hours while Sean went out and got some things. This recovery was a little more painful, although they took a very large number of biopsies and warned me it would be.
Today I still feel sore-ish, and after gathering up some laundry and putting it on, and tiding the living room I feel totally exhausted again. I'm glad I took tomorrow off as well, and that my first two shifts are weekend days (which tend to be calmer and slower moving).
I've already started cutting back on gluten where I can, and can add PatsyPie biscotti to the list of very edible GF foods I've found. It's amazing how far some things have come in the last few years, since I last went GF.
I explained to the admitting nurse that I was nervous, because the preparation letter I'd received said that people with a less-reactive gag-reflex would be given local anaesthetic. Naturally, I wanted none of this - if you're going to do a 6-ft enteroscope instead of a regular gastrocope, I'm going to want a sedative! She reassured me though that it's only for people who don't WANT the sedative.
They brought me in on time, but I had to wait in the procedure room for another 1/2 hour as they completed another scope in the next room. When the doctor came in he realised that they'd prepared for a regular scope - there was only a gastroscope and no pain medication in the room. I also explained that I had once before woken up during a scope when the medication wore off unexpectedly. While the dug up the other scope then, they gave me the medication in time for it to work before. That's the last thing I remember!
I'm guessing Sean walked in and got me, I don't really recall, nor do I remember the drive home although I DO remember going into the gas station, but not leaving there or how I go onto the couch. We watched a movie, and fell asleep for a few hours while Sean went out and got some things. This recovery was a little more painful, although they took a very large number of biopsies and warned me it would be.
Today I still feel sore-ish, and after gathering up some laundry and putting it on, and tiding the living room I feel totally exhausted again. I'm glad I took tomorrow off as well, and that my first two shifts are weekend days (which tend to be calmer and slower moving).
I've already started cutting back on gluten where I can, and can add PatsyPie biscotti to the list of very edible GF foods I've found. It's amazing how far some things have come in the last few years, since I last went GF.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Well I tried out some Blue Diamond Nut Crackers in Cheddar Cheese and they were rather nice. They have that super crisp snap you get from a rice cracker, but the nuts soften it up slightly in a nice way. The seasoning was great too!
Definitely something to buy again.
Luckily my favourite yoghurts are safe too: Liberte Mediterrainee and Island Farms Vanilla +. I'm going to have to start doing all the regular grocery shopping in downtown though instead of nearby since all of the above are from the Sav-On.
Definitely something to buy again.
Luckily my favourite yoghurts are safe too: Liberte Mediterrainee and Island Farms Vanilla +. I'm going to have to start doing all the regular grocery shopping in downtown though instead of nearby since all of the above are from the Sav-On.
Starting Out
I decided to start a blog again, to try and document my adventures through trying to become gluten-free again.
I've had stomach problems for years, as well as things like joint pain, severe fatigue, migraines, and clumsiness.
Back in 2005-2006 they did blood tests which showed I had celiac antibodies. I went GF for awhile (though not particularly well, since I had no instructions on how best to do it and no dietitian follow-up) and didn't feel any better. I went back on gluten, and then had a gastroscope and biopsy. No damage was shown, so they assumed I didn't have celiac disease. I went on with life as usual, still feeling generally horrid.
Then I finally managed to see an internist again a few weeks ago. Many advances had been made in celiac research since then, and a new form of celiac - latent celiac - had been described. I fit into that category. This is someone who has antibodies in the bloodstream and other known celiac symptoms, but no damage is seen on biopsies. This may change, as I have a scope tomorrow to check again.
At any rate, I need to go gluten-free (GF) in order to prepare for us having children. The antibodies in a non-GF celiac's blood can cause miscarriages, low birth weight, early births, and other problems. Being GF may also help in preventing the baby from developing celiac disease.
I had an appointment today with a dietitian which was very helpful. She's GF as well due to an intolerance. I had originally gone to the local Sobey's, which someone had told me had a large GF section.
It consisted of 3 little shelves. I cried in the grocery store. It didn't help that the clerk treated me like I was a hippy freak.
The dietitian told me to check out the Sav-on foods instead, which had a MUCH larger array of products which looked really nice. One of the things I'm going to go over in posts is how the food tastes.
I went out after buying the food and bought a label-maker and new containers to put the GF food in. I will be going totally GF after New Year's, so I'm trying to be prepared.
I've had stomach problems for years, as well as things like joint pain, severe fatigue, migraines, and clumsiness.
Back in 2005-2006 they did blood tests which showed I had celiac antibodies. I went GF for awhile (though not particularly well, since I had no instructions on how best to do it and no dietitian follow-up) and didn't feel any better. I went back on gluten, and then had a gastroscope and biopsy. No damage was shown, so they assumed I didn't have celiac disease. I went on with life as usual, still feeling generally horrid.
Then I finally managed to see an internist again a few weeks ago. Many advances had been made in celiac research since then, and a new form of celiac - latent celiac - had been described. I fit into that category. This is someone who has antibodies in the bloodstream and other known celiac symptoms, but no damage is seen on biopsies. This may change, as I have a scope tomorrow to check again.
At any rate, I need to go gluten-free (GF) in order to prepare for us having children. The antibodies in a non-GF celiac's blood can cause miscarriages, low birth weight, early births, and other problems. Being GF may also help in preventing the baby from developing celiac disease.
I had an appointment today with a dietitian which was very helpful. She's GF as well due to an intolerance. I had originally gone to the local Sobey's, which someone had told me had a large GF section.
It consisted of 3 little shelves. I cried in the grocery store. It didn't help that the clerk treated me like I was a hippy freak.
The dietitian told me to check out the Sav-on foods instead, which had a MUCH larger array of products which looked really nice. One of the things I'm going to go over in posts is how the food tastes.
I went out after buying the food and bought a label-maker and new containers to put the GF food in. I will be going totally GF after New Year's, so I'm trying to be prepared.
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