We've Gone Gluten-Free

Obviously, I'm not doing too well with the blogging. I had all of these high hopes involving my posting with regularity. No matter. I have an excuse.

After my last post, in which I detailed how I aim to remain productive while sick, I found that I just didn't get better. After more than ten days of being sick, I started to cough up blood, and I finally decided to go to a doctor. Thankfully, it wasn't anything too serious. I just had been coughing for so long, that my throat was irritated. In any case, I went to see the doctor, who kindheartedly chided me for not having come in earlier, and I went on my way with a diagnosis of bronchitis, a throat infection, and an eye infection. After about three days, I started to feel human again.

Then, if that wasn't enough to deal with, I've been fairly concerned over my 14yo daughter, E. She was diagnosed with episcleritis several months ago. This is a fancy name for eye redness and inflammation. It only seems to effect her right eye. Well, we took her to the eye doctor a while ago, and he wasn't too concerned about it. He prescribed anti-inflammatory eye drops and it cleared up, but then he told us that if it came back again, to make sure that she gets checked to rule out any underlying issues. Well, it came back. Twice. And for the last few weeks, the redness has been a constant, sometimes getting better or worse at varying times of the day. I still wasn't worrying, but decided to call her pediatrician to ask if he could take a look at her. He suggested we take her to a pediatric rheumatologist instead, as there was only so much he could do before sending me to a specialist anyway. He figured he'd save us time, and he referred us to a pediatric rheumatology group in a nearby town. Imagine my surprise when I found out that there are only seven pediatric rheumatologists in our whole state, and four of them work together so close to us. In any case, having to see a specialist for something I had initially thought would be innocuous, was a bit frightening. Strike that, I'm lying. It was more than a bit frightening. And of course, it didn't help that I spent countless hours reading stuff online that did little to temper my anxiety. But the rheumatology appointment came and went without a hitch. The doctor, who we loved, told us that there was no outward, physical sign of systemic disease, and I felt like I could draw breath again. Of course, to be completely certain that my daughter didn't have any of the auto-immune disease markers, we'd have to take her to Labcorp for bloodwork. We did that last week, and I still don't have the results. And yeah, I'm frustrated with the wait, and am still anxious about all of this.

Well, I was getting increasingly frustrated with feeling completely impotent with regard to all of this, so I continued to research auto-immune issues, and how diet, particularly a gluten-free diet, can help in some cases. I figured it wouldn't hurt to be proactive, and just make some adjustments. Tangentially related, my son, age 10, has had ongoing (more like on and off) intestinal/bowel issues over the years. I had discussed this with his doctor, but he didn't feel it was a serious issue, as my son seemed well overall. He was thriving it seemed. In any case, the more I read about the gluten-free diet, the more I wanted to try it. I figured I could put the family on an elimination diet, and then after a while, reintroduce gluten and see what happens. I wrote out a detailed menu, made a few trips to the store and farmer's market, and we were set.

Immediately, I saw a difference in myself (no more bloating!) and in my son. I didn't see a difference at all with my husband or my daughters. But the changes, particularly for my son, were eye-opening. I noticed that my son was much more relaxed. He's a very restless sleeper, and in fact, just getting him to bed is difficult. It's like he has difficulty winding down. I think I may have written before how he is very active during our homeschooling. He gets up, walks around, sits down, gets up again, etc. I just assumed that this was the normal state of things for him. I just felt that he needed to move to think. But immediately after putting him on the gluten free diet, he was much less fidgety, and far more focused. Yes, it was *that* noticeable. He was also happier, and just generally more pleasant to be around. I figured his increasing testiness was just due to his age. But apparently it wasn't! More startling yet, was that his intestinal/bowel issues were no more. This was very encouraging, if not overwhelming in a way. This was really just an experiment of sorts, and here I was, faced with the very real possibility that this may be how we'll have to eat from now on. I didn't bristle at this fact for me, but rather for my son. He loves his bread, cakes, and pizzas, and I want to make sure he still has access to safe variations of these. But I'm not a baker, nor am I especially gifted in the kitchen, so I have a lot of learning to do.

Despite all of the changes I saw with the elimination of gluten, I still felt it necessary to reintroduce it. I figured it would provide me with the proof that we were going about things the right way. Thankfully, my family is very good about trying out new things, so I was met with absolutely no argument. This past Saturday, we were going to the grand opening celebration of our Kung Fu school's sister school, and I knew that there would be food there. I figured that I wouldn't make a big deal about it, and let the kids have some of the food there. Again, I saw no difference in my daughters or in my husband. I immediately felt "off." I don't know how else to describe it. I didn't have too much, but what I did have just felt heavy, and made me feel sluggish. My son's reaction was much more startling. By the time we left the celebration, he was very testy and argumentative. He also seemed a bit jittery and even twitchy to me. By the time we got home, it only got worse, and then came the intestinal/bowel issue again, after over a week of no problems. He had a terrible time settling to sleep that night as well. There was a lot of fidgeting, and even a twinge of anxiety. As I said, it was startling.

So now we're eating gluten-free. I don't know whether my son has a sensitivity or an allergy to wheat or gluten, but I know that not having him deal with the restlessness, anxiety, and bowel issues is infinitely better than the alternative. I don't even know if it's worth seeking a firm diagnosis, or if I'm just better off moving forward without a diagnosis. I do find that I'm hyper-focused on food now, more than I ever have been. My 14yo daughter has had food allergies her whole life (peanuts and nuts primarily, with very mild sensitivities to eggs and dairy), but gluten is a different beast altogether. It's everywhere.

In closing, for any of you out there that may be reading this, we'd appreciate your prayers. Really, I'm very concerned over my daughter and her eye issue. My husband thinks there's nothing to worry about, and I certainly hope he's right. Things have been so screwy lately, and there have been a lot of changes in our home. I don't fare too well with change, so a prayer for my peace of mind wouldn't hurt either. Thanks!