Well everything changes…..

Exactly, I’ve been lactose free for 11 years so making changes doesn’t bother me, it’s the currently not knowing what’s wrong/what changes need to be made.

 

I'm currently awaiting the results of the blood tests, they've been delayed due to two long weekends in a row here which I was warned about. Unfortunately staying on gluten past the blood tests was not an option as even just one slice of low carb bread was causing me issues (I was mostly gluten free by ingredient the past two or so weeks as a bit of a trial to see how I felt but keeping either toast for breakfast or a sandwich for lunch using the low carb bread). I feel much better off it and my doctor supports me taking the same approach as I did with lactose (I'm not officially diagnosed as intolerant by medical professionals but I feel better without large quantities of lactose) and the worst of my symptoms has cleared up which is good. So I may not be officially gluten intolerant or celiac but I have decided its best for me to be gluten free given the way I've felt on more than one occasion now - explosive liquid diarrhea happening while sleeping, rock hard uncomfortable stomach and gas as well just to name the worst of what I have dealt with over the past 6-8 weeks. If I keep having gluten, I won't be able to go anywhere or lead a "normal" life which has been a major issue the past while and given I've just had two job interviews time is also of the essence to figure out a solution and what my new "normal" way of eating looks like

 

Well 2 1/2 weeks in to gluten free and I’m feeling almost like a new woman - the explosive bowel issues have cleared up and some of the fatigue and brain fog has lifted. I’ve been super lucky that since I’ve gone GF, I’ve only had one night/day of feeling rotten and that could be linked to some handmade sausages from one of our grocery store’s butchery departments - there was labeling for the spice mixture (which was gluten free by ingredient) but no ingredient list for the rest of the sausages. We took a risk on it and it most likely didn’t pay off. Was relatively easy to figure out as everything for several days had been gluten free including the rest of that meal. Since then I’ve been fine - sure there’s some GF foods that are just horrible and I’m hungrier than I was pre gluten free so eating a lot more. Trying to make healthy choices though when I can so I don’t gain weight again.

 

Well, the good times only lasted about two weeks unfortunately as I was still having some issues. There had been improvement in some ways but still things weren’t great. All I’d done is swap one very yucky situation happening every 3-4 days to a slightly less yucky situation happening constantly. Turns out rather than being gluten intolerant I actually have irritable bowel syndrome - not exactly surprised by it as my gut has always been a bit temperamental. Ended up having to do a Low FODMAP ‘diet’ to settle my gut and to figure out my trigger foods.So far I’ve had to eliminate lactose (which I knew about already), garlic (again I already knew about), ripe bananas, asparagus, Brussel Sprouts (had an inkling already that they caused issues for me), chicory root, inulin, wheat, barley, rye, oats (can still have oats if 1/2c or less per serve though), spelt, couscous.

 

definitely dealing with it way too long so now hopefully it won’t be so much a case of one step forward, two steps back most days.

 

Already starting to notice a difference but it’s only been a few days at this point but any progress in the right direction is worth it especially if it means I don’t feel so horrible all the time.

 

Depends, some I can get away with just the specific food, others it’s the whole family

 

Well there is some great news, the past three days I have felt the most normal that I have in the last 5 days. I ended up having to take processed gluten free bread out of my diet about 10 days ago as a manufacturer changed the recipe to include an ingredient/additive that creates havoc for my body.

 

Oh I’m so happy I’m feeling better too @BevG. Each change I’ve made I’ve felt increasingly better which has in a way made the journey a bit easier though still a challenge. I think my next challenge will be eating out as I’ve only dipped my toe into that in a very controlled manner (three take out dinners from where my mum works - two were a success but one wasn’t unfortunately) as there is huge risks there at least for me if I have issues.