Modern Day Celiac Hippie

Meal Planning 101

2012-02-07T20:49:00.002-07:00

Before I get to Part 2 in the Away From Home series, I thought I'd interject with some meal planning. Not only was it requested by a number of different people, but there are also some new to Gluten-Free living people out there that are feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Welcome to Meal Planning 101!

You're newly diagnosed, or you're wanting to branch out into cooking more, or you're tired of the same old same old. How do you manage? Where do you start? And where do you look at the grocery store?

First of all, take a deep breath. Take a step back away from it all and then take one little baby step forward. That's what going gluten free is about. Baby steps. Oh sure, you have to take one giant leap (diving face forward tripping over a branch) to go gluten free, but meal prep is smaller little baby steps to get to where you want to go.

1. Find some good, reliable, do-able recipes. Now that we've been GF for more than three years, I don't find that many recipes daunting. But I still have some go-to sources.
Rubelle's Moon is one of my fave twitter girls to follow - she's always cooking up something great.
Wendy from Celiacs in the House is all about meal planning and plans her weeks out ahead. She cooks really great stuff and was a huge inspiration to me to start cooking more GF stuff that tasted good.
Jules from Jules Gluten Free has great recipes that are easy, remind me of truly good baking, and she's one of the most positive people I've ever encountered. That should get you started :)

There's some other amazing blogs out there like Gluten Free Girl, and Gluten Free Goddess (and if you have others, please leave it in the comments!) but I'd be here all day just listing them.

When you find good recipes, you have a source to start from. Less daunting, and easier to plan meals from.

2. Make a list of 5 things you'd cook this week.
Why five? Well, when we cooked all 7 days, we ended up wasting food. We still have little kids who don't yet eat our fridge clean, and there are only so many leftovers I can eat. I'm also currently in a positive where I don't have a microwave at work to heat things up. But, if you make 5 meals, that still allows for leftovers for lunches, an evening of "help yourself" and an evening of "get out of the house" eating out.

3. Plan the grocery list.
You can do so much of your planning at home. Seperate your list into sections: Produce, Meat, Dairy, Canned Goods, Pasta, other. This will allow you to consult your list and cross things off easier without having to scan the entire thing every time.

You can also download many different APPS on your smart phone to help your grocery list organization. Check ahead of time what ingredients you might need that might be questionable. For instance, if you need to pick up a sauce of some kind, look at home to see what sauces might be safe so that when you get to the store, you're not overwhelmed with choices.

Many grocery stores now (Whole Foods in the states, Superstore in Canada) have entire aisles dedicated to gluten free foods. When in doubt, head for this aisle and regroup.

4. Stick to your plan!!
The biggest mistakes happen when you decide to wing it and just pop into the grocery store on the way home and forget to read labels.

When we were meal planning, we often added a 6th "optional" menu day that had things that could be carried over to the next week if necessary (for example, enchiladas - we could freeze the meat, and the rest of the ingredients we needed stayed fresh).

5. Plan your lunches.
Lunch is often the hardest part of the transition (it definitely was for me!). Pack leftovers into lunch sized tupperware so you can grab and go in the morning. On Sundays, cut things up for quick assembly (my mom is big into salads so every Sunday she cuts up all her veggies for the week so that each night it's just a matter of tossing things in together).

When you're making supper, think lunch. Making quinoa? Make more than you will need and while you're waiting for supper to cook, cut up some fresh vegetables to throw into the quinoa after for an easy quinoa salad. (See a recipe below).

Never assume you can just run out for fast food or assemble something quickly in the morning - especially at the beginning. A hungry celiac is just not a pleasant person to work with :)

Step 6:
Pull out the ingredients, and get cooking!

I hope this has helped. If you need more help, or need any clarification, please drop me a line. I'm always here to answer questions!
You can also find me on twitter @mamaceliac

And now for a quick recipes supper/lunch recipes.
Quinoa Stir Fry Dinner + Quinoa Salad Lunch
Cook 2 cups of quinoa in either vegetable or chicken broth. The quinoa will double in amount, so split it in half once it's done.
While the quinoa is cooking, cut up as many vegetables as you want - think brocoli, asparagus, mushrooms, onions, peppers, carrots, kales.
Put half in a frying pan to saute - add some garlic and olive oil for rich flavour.
The other half put in a LARGE salad bowl raw.
Once the vegetables are partially cooked, throw half the quinoa in and saute it. Let it simmer in a bit more broth (about 1/2 a cup) until all the broth is gone.
Optional Step: create a hole in the quinoa and add 2 eggs that have been whisked lightly. Once the egg starts to cook and harden, stir up your quinoa stir fry. The egg adds amazing texture and taste.
Turn off your stove and serve up!

For the lunch: add the other half the quinoa to the salad bowl with raw veggies.
Mix up:
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbsp wine vinegar
the juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic minced
2 tbsp dill
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Once well mixed pour on top of quinoa salad mix and stir well to blend.
Optional: add on craisins - yum!

Try it and let me know how it goes!

Away From Home - part 1

2012-02-01T21:45:00.007-07:00

I thought I'd start a mini series on being food restricted away from home. So many times we want to travel.. many of us want to see the world, explore different cultures, or see other parts of our own countries. I still have not seen all parts of Canada, and I've only been to about 1/3 of the United States. I've only been to one other continent (Europe).

Most of my out of country trips have been pre-celiac diagnosis, and pre-kids for that matter. When we had children, we didn't stop our travel (at least not before they were 2 and cost more money to fly). Both of my children were on planes at 8 weeks of age. When I was 7 months pregnant and Mr Man was 17 months we took our first road trip down to Boulder, Colorado to see my brother and meet up with my parents. The next summer, we took 5 weeks and drove through the states and back up into Canada to trek out to Ontario for a conference, a wedding, and some family lake time in between (kids were aged 10 months & 2 years). Then I got diagnosed.

Since diagnosis, we've been to: Nova Scotia (twice), British Columbia (twice), Portland, Seattle, and Ontario (many times). Here's what we do. It's not fool proof I will admit. I've been glutened in Portland and Ontario (though that was from food at a funeral).

When we go on our road trips, we always pack a cooler and many bags of food (when we unpack it looks like we've just gone to get groceries for the week). We bring vitals that we won't necessarily be able to get anywhere else. And, if we're crossing the boarder, we always bring food that you're allowed to take across (you aren't allowed to bring many fruits over). We bring: oatmeal, homemade breads like banana bread, bars, snack foods, bagels, Udi's toast, spices (we save small containers and bring our own spices that we trust). In our next trips, we may pack 1 large and 1 small pot, as well as 1 frying pan and some basic utensils.

In our cooler, we bring meat (we always stay in hotels that have fridges and we refill the cooler with ice to keep meats at optimal temperatures and out of the food danger zone), milks, yogurt (we make our own homemade coconut milk yogurt), etc.

This way, we always have snacks for the road without having to stop at fast food places and worry about what the availability of food or risks of cross contamination are. We will stop at grocery stores in a town and grab some fresh fruits and vegetables, head over to a park, and have a mini picnic. The kids can play and run around, we can get some fresh air and healthy food, and everyone is ready for more driving.

If we're going on a plane, we always pack multiple containers of food. I trust no food on an airplane. Flight attendants aren't training in cross contamination and there is too much up in the air (no pun intended) in the food allergy airline world for my liking right now. We buy a drink once we get through security, and then we're good to go for the whole ride. Depending on the airline, some do still have free snacks, but all of them have wheat and most "may contain" peanuts or tree nuts, so snacks en route are out for us. **Note: You can also now call ahead to most of the airlines to let them know that you have an allergy and they can arrange to have you in an allergy-free section. This is dependent on the airline so please call!**

So now that you've travelled to your destination, what do you do when you get there?

* Pay extra for a kitchenette!! The cost of staying in a room with a kitchen is usually about $20-40 more a night than without. Compare this against what you would be spending on food in restaurants and you're really saving money. Cook the food you brought. Stop at a grocery store and buy fresh ingredients. Cut them up with that knife and small cutting board you threw into your grocery bags and fry them up in a very well cleaned pan or one you brought. Healthier eating and safer.

* But I want to eat out! Check some of the gluten free references out there. There are gluten free apps that allow you to search for restaurants in a city. Post a message on twitter! (We did this when we went to Seattle this summer and it was super helpful!) Do your research before you leave your house! When we went to Portland and Seattle this summer, I had a list of places in each city that I wanted to go to. I didn't get to all of them, but it was really helpful!

* Ask at the front desk. Many hotels are equipped to answer your questions about where to go and what to eat. They can be more informative and helpful that you'd expect!

* Call restaurants ahead of time. Just like you would at home, don't go in blind.

Ultimately, don't be afraid to travel. The world is pretty amazing and should be seen. When you have food restrictions it can involve more planning, but it's just as worth it.

It's All In the Genes

2012-01-30T21:39:00.006-07:00

I've been thinking a lot today about genes and genetics. I have this weird love/hate appreciation/annoyance at all things genetic. I find the principals of genetics and their impact to be fascinating and yet I find the study of them and the science of them incredibly boring. When Chef Husband was the TA of a genetics course years back I would pray that he wouldn't want to talk about the course (thankfully, he's much more interested in his field of study - ecology - than he is about genetics and didn't much like talking about it nor teaching it).

Since having children, my opinion of genes has changed a fair bit. Take food for example and let's look at a bit of family history here:

Mr Man - allergic to peanuts
Miss A - celiac, dairy/soy intolerant

Parents:
Me - celiac, dairy/soy intolerant, shellfish allergic, cashew allergic
Chef Husband - allergic to nothing the lucky duck

Relatives:
Uncle - allergic to bananas, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts
Auntie - allergic to fish
Maternal grandmother - allergic to bananas, grapefruit, scallops, carries celiac gene
Paternal grandfather - allergic to some fish

That doesn't even start to delve into any other relatives like aunts and uncles for me or my husband. History of food allergies? why yes, I think there just might be one there.

Then look at my daughter today who underwent her second surgery of her life (and she's only 4!!) First of all, she looks exactly like I did as a child (talk about genetics):

She has her dad's tonsils and her mom's ears. Her tonsils (and adenoids) were covering 75% of her throat (and nose). Just like her dad's do. Her ears just won't work properly on their own, so she's on her second set of tubes now to eliminate ear infections and to restore her hearing (more importantly). She had moderate-severe hearing loss in one ear and mild-moderate in the other. Just like I did.

It's all in the genes.

Looking beyond the physical and medical side though, watching your children develop into this insanely strong, self-advocating, educating, powerful young beings makes me proud to know that they have my genes in them. If I gave them even a portion of their strength and intellect, then I applaud my genetic make-up. Because man alive, I am proud to be the mama to these children. Their children may have much higher likelihoods of food problems (just look at the genetic history!), but if the strength of my children is any indication, their kids will get by just fine.

Here is my daughter post-op, cuddled up to her doll she named "Lemon". She's doing well, eating like a machine, drinking up a storm, and talking. (Look for another post this week on what to do when you're away from home as a celiac).

Lean on Me

2012-01-29T15:55:00.003-07:00

I can't explain how important it is to have support around you when you have food allergies, intolerances, or celiac disease. The people around you can make transitioning so much easier, and when people really "get it" there is an immense feeling of relief that you aren't alone.

Take the following 2 stories for example:

Celiac number one got diagnosed and had a bit of a meltdown about it. Her husband gave her immense support and took cooking to a whole new level. He helped her relabel their kitchen, replace things that needed to be replaced, reorganize their cupboards, and learn how to bake all kinds of breads, goodies and food that was all gluten free. He looks out for her as much as anyone else could.

Celiac number two got diagnosed. Her husband wouldn't let her buy any replacements for the kitchen because it was too expensive, and did the same for food. Celiac number two had no idea how to go about starting, and with no support, but rather push-back from home, she continues to consume gluten and is just as sick as ever.

Celiac number one is me. Celiac number two is someone I really do know.

I help people. Newly diagnosed celiacs call me or email me to ask for advice. Parents of children who are new to the allergy world find me on facebook through their friends and send a message to me asking what to do, where to start and how to deal with this new restriction. I love this ability to help people. I always tell people that if they want to pass on my name they can. It can be so overwhelming and so daunting when you first get diagnosed with any food restriction. Having someone who has been there - mentally and physically - can be very comforting and reassuring.

Support can come in many forms and I consider myself lucky to be surrounding by amazingly supportive friends and family members. They go out of their way to find food my family can eat (even buying desserts for my daughter so she doesn't feel left out of special dessert time at dinners), offer me support when I get glutened, and wait for the updates after appointments with the allergist for my son. I'm very, very lucky.

If you, or someone you know, needs that support, send them my way. Point them to my blog, find me on twitter @mamaceliac, or contact me for them. Let me offer them support and start them on this amazing journey. I find the science of allergies and celiac to be fascinating and I truly love helping people find hope during that initial overwhelming period.

As an aside - please send as many good thoughts as possible to my family. Miss A is having her rescheduled surgery tomorrow!

Cook Your Troubles Away

2012-01-22T19:20:00.010-07:00

I've had a rough week. The funny thing about that is, a few years ago, said rough week would have thrown me into a tailspin. Anxiety would have gurgled up and spat me out into a person who couldn't get anything accomplished.

Now, I have changed. I have become a person that I love. I respect myself, appreciate myself, and take little for granted. I don't hold grudges (well, not to the same degree I used to anyway), I see no point in vengeance, I try to look at the positive despite that being really hard sometimes, and I know that I alone can have an impact on how I handle a situation.

So after my rough week, I decided to cook my troubles away.

For the last number of years, Chef Husband has been in charge of the kitchen. I'm a pretty good cook, but he has always gotten quite a bit more pleasure out of cooking, and he definitely likes food more than me. In the last month, I've been finding my way around the kitchen more, and having quite a few successes (and I'm not going to lie.. there have been a few disasters). i feel rejuvinated, and I realize that as much as Chef H loves to cook and is a bit of a control freak in the kitchen, he appreciates my help and likes not cooking every meal.

I may have to make some significant dietary changes again. My biopsy results came back with weird results - nothing serious, but it's a toss up at this point as to whether it's Acid Reflux or the more daunting unknown Eosinophilic Esophagitis. I get rebiopsied in 3 weeks and should have a definitive answer one way or another then.

But back to cooking the troubles away.. a long time ago, we had this amazing chili like concoction that was lovingly known as "Bean Stuff". I have no idea why I had a desire to eat this comfort food, but I did. So I made this beautiful nutritious (mostly) supper for the family.

2 cans of Maple Baked Beans (14 oz each)
1 can of lentils, drained and rinsed
1 onion chopped (optional)
1 pound ground beef browned
1/2 pound of bacon cooked and chopped
3/4 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp worchestire sauce (gluten free)
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt

Put it all in the slow cooker, stir, cook on low for 4 hours. (I need to thank Serben Free Range for making the best bacon in the world that went into the above and below recipes. Good bacon is second to none!!)

And voila, a beautiful meal (with plenty of leftovers). I love the additon of lentils into this dish for nutritional value, and taste. It's sweet without being too sweet and has a great flavour. We served it with a bun recipe from Jules Shepard's Free For All Cooking - one of my favourite cookbooks ever.

To top it off, I made egg muffins this morning. They're so easy and so good. To make 12:
12 eggs beaten
a variety of additions (think mushrooms, peppers, bacon, sausage, onion, cheese, etc).
In our case we made:
4 mushroom, yellow pepper, bacon
2 yellow pepper, bacon
6 bacon
Put the additions on the bottom of the muffin pan, add the egg mixture almost to the top, and cook for 20 minutes at 350. So easy, gluten free, dairy free, nut free, soy free, delicious guaranteed!

To celebrate the fact also that it warmed up 40 degrees (from -40 to +1 in a week), we went sledding together - an amazing fun outdoor activity that resulted in some very happy children!

Birthday Parties

2012-01-16T13:43:00.002-07:00

If you have a child with food allergies or restrictions of any kind, birthday parties can be a source of difficulty. Not only are you faced with having to discuss, usually at length, your child's food issues, but I personally always get this slightly panicked feeling as I send them off.

It didn't used to be so bad. Before, I would always accompany my kids. I still do stay with my daughter as she's only 4, but my little man, he's almost 6.. and he goes by himself now.

His latest party was on Sunday and not only was I not going, but I couldn't drop him off or pick him up because I had a meeting. Mini freak out? Why yes, yes I did.

I thought it might be helpful to have a list of questions to ask, or things to remember to discuss as you start to send your child on his own, as well as things to talk to your child about. You see, believe that the more you share with your children about their limitations, the more they will become an advocate and become a stronger little human. These are also questions you yourself can use to ask potential dinner hosts or restaurants!

To the child attending the party:
* Make sure you review the "If in doubt, spit it out" rule. Vital rule for the rest of their life.
* Review and rehearse exactly what they allergic to, and make sure they can say it in a full, clear sentence. "I am allergic to peanuts and nuts and I can't have any at all." - simple words are all that is needed.
* Review the "what-if" scenarios - what if you feel like your throat is making it hard to breathe? Where is your epipen located?
* Make sure your child has a medical alert bracelet. This could save their life.

To the hosts:
* Be clear that there your child has food allergies / celiac disease and that you need to make sure that the food at the party will be safe for your child.
* I always ask whether that parent is comfortable with my child's allergies. As much as I don't want my kid to miss a party, I'd rather he come home alive.
* I ask for a list of foods that will be served including brands
* I ask where the cake is from, and if it's homemade, how often they bake with nuts
* Ask if they know anyone with food allergies directly and have they ever dealt with them before

It's usually a long conversation. But so far I have felt really comfortable in each situation letting Little Man go to parties. He's gone to 2 this school year in people's homes I've never met. Both times the parents were wonderful. My husband also told me that Little Man went around telling everyone to put away any nuts because he's very allergic. Now *THAT* is what I call an advocate!

Don't be ashamed of your food restrictions. The more you educate people, the more they will know for next time. You are responsible for your health, and for the health of your child. Be strong - the first conversation might feel awkward and hard, but it gets easier each time.

Where Do I Find...

2012-01-12T21:50:00.002-07:00

As celiacs, or people with allergies, finding products that are allergy-free can be a daunting task. I've had a few people ask me lately where I find my products. You see, even though I'm not well known in the blog or allergy world, I am a go-to person for a lot of people in Edmonton who are starting to go gluten-free. We are also a family that has 2 soy-free people, 2 almost completely dairy-free people, and one 100% nut-free little man. I am extremely allergic to shellfish too. My mom is allergic to bananas and grapefruit; my brother to bananas, all nuts, fish and shellfish.

Family meals are fun. :)

But while foods are getting more labelling laws around them, what about the rest of your body?

As a celiac, would you put lipstick on that wasn't gluten-free? Does a day really go by that you don't lick your lips? And if what you put on your skin is absorbed into your body, should you make sure that what you're using is free from your allergens?

When I first when gluten-free in 2008, I didn't think very much about anything other than food. In the last year or so, I've noticed that my eczema flares up if I'm not careful about what I use on my skin, my head itches like crazy if I use generic shampoos, and my skin feels like it's on fire if I use random lotions.

So, here are few companies/products that I go-to a lot, for both me, and my children.

The Canadian company Green Beaver has some really great options out there. I especially love their Conditioning Detangler - it's gluten free, nut free and vegan and smells delicious! It also works wonderfully on my wee girl's frizzy locks. They have gluten free stuff for adults too.

Another one of my favourites is LUSH. Almost all of their products are gluten-free. A couple of them contain oats, though apparently in testing they are coming up as gluten-free. I don't use any of their products with oats in them, but I absolutely love their shampoo bars, their veganese conditioner, and the snake oil for itchy scalps. I have the majority of my facial stuff from here too.

So now you have some skin care and hair options. But what about make-up?

I love the All Natural Face. I've had the pleasure of emailing back and forth with the owner about the ingredients and feel very comfortable in her knowledge of what goes in her make-up. I almost exclusively use the eyeshadow from here, and often use the foundation powder and blush as well. On top of that, the prices are unreal for the quality of product you are getting.

I am on the hunt for a good gluten-free mascara. I've been asking everyone, but have yet to find one that I like. If you have any ideas, please let me know!!

And finally, AVON actually has the majority of their lipsticks/glosses/balms gluten-free. You just have to ask, and they will let you know.

The biggest thing is that for every company, there is a customer service number you can call, or email where you can find out more about a product. In some cases, I have received such ridiculous replies that have left me wondering if they even read my question.. some of the larger companies that aren't 100% sure on their manufacturing practices generally will give a very vague (but longwinded) response that leaves me feeling uneasy. Then, I just don't buy that product. Others will give you easy answers: yes, or no. (Is it really that hard to give a straight answer? I understand liability but OYVEY!)

There ARE products out there. Ask. Everywhere I go, I ask if something is gluten-free, even before I try a tester of it. In cosmetics and skin-care, companies are not required to list all the allergens like they would be with food. It's a different industry.

If you have any other favourites, please let me know! I'm always on the lookout for great information!

Happy shopping!

Healing Foods

2012-01-10T13:23:00.006-07:00

Yesterday, I had an endoscopy as planned. I had been having troubles eating regular foods. I could eat them all, but I couldn't swallow them properly, or without discomfort. They would go down verrrrryyyyy slooowwwwlllly. Eventually, they'd all get down, but it was uncomfortable. I also found that at times, I'd get heartburn more frequently.

So, my (amazing, fantastic, wonderful) gastro doctor decided to scope me.

Scopes are pretty standard practice to find: blockages, growths, evidence of esophogeal allergies, evidence of celiac disease, ulcers, etc. It turned out there was a blockage of some sort in my esophogus. They couldn't see anything in there (and I'm told it looked quite healthy!) but when they put a dialter down, they felt a blockage. They used a small balloon to stretch it and that should solve the problems.

I thought I'd use my experience to describe what happens for those of you about to go through it!

First I got changed into a beautifully becoming hospital gown that was just the perfect shade of blue for my eyes.. I had had to fast from the previous night on. Would you want to go down someone's throat with food in there? YUCK! Anyway, then an IV was inserted and some hydrating solution was dripping into my blood stream. It was actually kind of nice because I hadn't been allowed any liquids and by this point, I was parched!

I was wheeled into the room and placed onto my left side. There was my GI doc and 2 nurses. One nurse was at my head the whole time. They inserted a sedative into my IV, put a tooth block into my mouth that I had to bite on and then it was off to la-la land. The sedative feels very icy-burny going up the arm. I remember nothing from that moment until I was woken back up.

The GI talked to me for a few minutes about what they did and then I was wheeled out, completely out of it.
When you come out of the scope, your throat hurts (kind of like strep throat hurt), and your tummy is huge from the air they pump in to expand everything. You need to be passing gas before you are allowed to leave to make sure you can get all the air out. Under normal conditions, you stay monitored for 30 minutes. If there is anything abnormal - any pain for instance, you usually stay an hour.

And then you go home. But, because of the sedatives, you are considered impaired for 24 hours - no driving, no big decisions about money, and generally no work unless you can work somewhere where it can be laid back. You're pretty tired for a day or so.

Then, you need to be careful about what you eat. Soft foods are best because it is tender. Miss A helped me make some delicious smelling soup for supper. I hope it tastes as good as it smells!

I put in whatever I had on hand:
4 cups vegetable broth
2 celery stalks chopped
3 carrots chopped
1 leek chopped
3 potatoes chopped
And I turned it on high on my slow cooker for 4-5 hours. I'll puree it all when it's done. And then I'll eat it with some buiscuits from Jules' book Free For All Cooking .

Smoothies are also my best friend today.. this morning I made an amazing one chalk full of non dairy, non gluten goodness. (Plus it's also naturally nut free, soy free, egg free)
4 ice cubes on ice crush mode
strawberry puree
one banana
2 tablespoons of homemade coconut milk yogurt
Blend until beautifully smooth

There are foods that will help you feel better.. you just have to find them and remember that nutrients help the body heal!!

Next Week - Can we Just Skip it?

2012-01-07T20:53:00.002-07:00

I'm not going to lie - I kind of want to skip next week altogether.

You see, almost exactly 3 years after my first, I'm going for a second scope. I've been having issues with my esophogus to the point that it feels like there's something constantly, well, there. As though there's a big hunk of food constantly stuck towards the lower part. It's not overly comfortable and it's quite frustrating. It gives me heartburn frequently and makes food go down really slowly. Some foods make it worse (like overly spicy foods for instance), and nothing makes it better.

So after seeing my specialist for the first time in a long time, I'm having a scope (endoscopy) on Monday. Now, the cool thing about scopes is that they get to see inside you and see pretty quickly what's going on. My doc is unsure as to whether or not it's related to celiac disease, or whether it's a different issue completely. Either way, I'm quite relieved to know that I won't have to wait much past Monday at 1pm to find out.

And that's just Monday.

Tuesday should be a walk in a relatively calm park other than the slightly sore throat I'll have after the scope.

Wednesday Miss A goes in for surgery. Three years ago my little monster man had the same surgery - tonsils, adenoids out; tubes in. It wasn't too horrible and we've definitely benefited from that surgery. Three years ago Miss A also had surgery (and for added bonus, so did I.. 3 surgeries in 3 months) to put tubes in her ears. She was ear infection free for a long time after that, but they've returned while her hearing has gone to the dogs.

Both my kids suffer(ed) from sleep apnea, a potentially serious condition in which people hold their breath. Mr Man was a serious case - labelled moderate to severe as he stopped breathing (and his oxygen levels dropped to the 60s instead of the high 90s where they should be) 16 times an hour. Surgery has fixed that.

Miss A is more mild, but still has it - she stops breathing in random clusters. She'll be fine for a while, and then she'll hold her breath for periods of time all in a row.. then she'll be fine again. It's considered an "urgent case" so she goes under on Wednesday. The idea is that when the tonsils and adenoids are removed, it makes it easier for children to breath consistently. Gone will be her snoring, which truthfully I won't miss; and she should no longer suffer from apnea.

Then we'll be on a 2 week hiatus from the world. No playdates, no dance, no school. But oh, there will still be fun. There are crafts, and movies, and books, and snuggle time. And there's the fact that her breath will smell like a combination of dead people and dog breath.. that part won't be so fun.

Anyway, for all of you out there in the blog world, prayers and good thoughts shot my way will be more than appreciated.

And hey.. at least after next week, we can start looking at the positives!

Her Story

2012-01-05T11:16:00.002-07:00

After yesterday's story about me, I feel like it's senseable to share my daughter's story.

Miss A was born after a daunting 44 hour labour. A week late, 5+ hours of pushing, a little help from my friends forceps and vacuum, she was my victory baby. She was my VBAC; my success; my proof to myself that I could do it. She was everything I could have dreamed she’d be. And she was a healthy 8 pounds 4 ounce bundle of beauty. She was bruised and bloody at birth, and I thought she was the most spectacular being in existence.

She stayed plump. Okay, I'll be honest. She was downright huge. She was consistently in the 85% for weight. She was a breastfed, contented baby that seriously thrived in every sense of the word. And then, at 5 months, she got RSV. Looking back, I think that's what triggered her celiac into full blown hell, but of course, that's speculation. She changed after that and began being more fussy. I hadn't been able to have any caffeine after she was born because the moment I took a sip, she'd be screaming after the next nursing, so I cut it out completely. But other than that, it was free reign for me on foods.

At 6 months, we tried solids. She had zero interest in any food and was fairly determined not to eat anything other than breastmilk. We tried again at 7, 8, 9 months and still she showed no consistent interest. She'd "eat" now and again, but never anything substantial. Around 9 months of age I took her to a naturopath and said that I was fairly convinced that she was reacting to dairy and wheat. He said that he thought her stomach was just immature.

At her one year appointment, when she was a hearty 22 pounds 7 ounces, her pediatrician also didn't show much concern given her beefy stance. What *I* knew what that all that beefiness was from my calorie rich milk, and not from any sort of food. In fact, Miss A would spontaneously vomit after eating and we couldn't link it to anything in specific. It didn't happen all the time, but seemingly rather randomly.

When Miss A was 14 months, I was diagnosed as celiac, but by that time, she was living on a meager diet of breast milk, toast (wheat), cheese (dairy), yogurt (dairy), and crackers (wheat). Over the next while she stopped gaining weight. Completely. When I say that I literally mean that she flatlined on the growth chart. At 2 years, she was 22 pounds 7 ounces - the EXACT same weight she had been a year earlier.

Finally, after 16 nmonths of me saying something was wrong, others started to think it (my husband included, though he had come on board the "something is wrong" train before her 2 year appointment). She was labelled failure to thrive. She was doughy - had no muscle tone at all. She was skinny in comparison. She had no hair still. Her fingernails weren't growing. She was lethargic and slept a lot. She'd run with the other kids then have to sit on a trusted adult to rest before being able to go again. Still through it all, she laughed, smiled a lot, and lit up any room she walked in to.

We started running tests. She had chest xrays (her heart and lungs were fine); she had a plethora of blood tests (some came back fine, some came back borderline); she went through 2 sweat tests to test for Cystic Fibrosis - both came back borderline positive so they ran genetic tests which confirmed she did NOT have CF. She had more blood tests. Nothing was pointing to anything but one thing was for sure - now everyone was worried. This was a very sick little girl.

I consulted another naturopath for guidance. At this point, we were dirt poor - not from medical expenses, but from me being a stay at home mom while my husband finished his phd. We couldn't afford natural therapies but our naturopath was mindblowingly amazing. She charged us exactly what we would get back from the insurance company so we weren't out of pocket. And strangers heard about our plight on a message board and sent us money to cover her tests. So test we did. A finger prick test that ran a gamut of food related sensitivities.

It came back glaringly obvious that little Miss A had some serious food issues. Gluten and dairy were out. Soy and eggs too. And garlic. So we cut it all out. It was extremely difficult given what she was currently eating, but we were determined. Nothing had worked so far, so really, what did we have to lose? Through it all, I kept nursing - we were fairly certain it was what was keeping Miss A from getting sicker given she was absorbing many of those nutrients.

After a month of being on a dairy-gluten-soy-egg-free diet, we went to get her weighed. Actually, my husband went. I couldn't bring myself to go. And she gained weight. She gained about 6 ounces, but given she hadn't gained in 14 months, this was mindblowing. I sobbed for a long time - Our hard work had paid off. She continued to gain slowly but steadily and now at 4, she's just over 30 pounds.

We were sent to a pediatric GI who said that we were obviously extremely dedicated parents, and that while she couldn't confirm this controversial test had provided some answers, she certainly couldn't argue with the outcome. We were getting our little girl back - she was starting to grow and her energy level was picking up. The GI suggested we treat her as celiac and not bother to scope her - We readily agreed.

Since then, Miss A hasn't eaten gluten. She has very minimal amounts of daiy - she can tolerate it more now, but anything over 2 pieces of cheese has her hurting. At 4, she already knows her own limits. We both avoid soy still, but she can now eat eggs (which I'm going to say has been VERY nice for baking). Her hair is growing, we have to cut her nails regularly, and though she's still little, she's not obviously tiny anymore. She's happy, VERY feisty and amazing. And she's her own little advocate telling everyone she can't have wheat or gluten and asking if she's not sure what something is.

What I learned from all of this? ALWAYS trust your gut instinct when it comes to your kids.

My Story

2012-01-04T16:41:00.002-07:00

I'm guessing some people won't like my blog because of how I write. I write basically exactly how I would speak. I'm not the kind of blogger that goes back and edits and re-edits their posts before hitting that daunting "Publish" button. I find typos. I go back and read things and think "hey, that was one well-written post" and others I think "why in hell did I press go".. who knows what I will look back on today's post as given I'm still in a gluten-induced-fog.

So why I'm picking today to tell my story, I'm not sure. But, it seemed as good a day as any, and I think that the more stories out there, the better.

All my life, I was always what I would describe as "unwell". I got sick often - bronchitis, colds, weird viruses. Through all of it, I consistently had stomach issues. I'd feel like I was going to throw up. Or have to run to the bathroom; or both. I never felt great. I always wondered if I'd make it to the fun events or would my "bad stomach" interfere and land me in bed. I slept a lot; I still do. I got brutal headaches, I suffered from undiagnosed depression and anxiety, I was constantly exhausted and no one knew why.

Most people thought I was a hypocondriac, or a wuss, or both. Mostly, no one believed me when I said that I just wasn't right. My parents knew something was wrong, but doctor after doctor kept saying I was okay. I was tested for everything and diagnosed with random things. It honestly was a little bit hellish. It had a huge impact on my childhood and my teenage years.

In my years of seeing doctors, I also saw 2 gastrointerologists.. none diagnosed me.

And then one day, after the birth of my second child, I read a magazine article. I felt like this giant light bulb went off in my head. I showed it to my husband and asked him why someone wrote about me without interviewing me. I called my doctor and made an appointment.

I told my doctor that I wanted a blood test for celiac because I read an article and it sounded like me. He seemed skeptical at first, asking me my symptoms and why I would think I had celiac. He agreed that a blood test would at least rule it out so why not. Then I put off going for the test for 3 weeks. I was convinced it would come back positive, and I was scared.

I went for the test. A couple of weeks later I was called back into the office to discuss my results. My doctor said "So, your test came back and we definitely need to refer you to a specialist." I said: "So signs point to celiac?" and he said "Well, normal levels are 7-10. Your are 1360." I think if I was prone to fainting, I probably would have fainted then. But I didn't, instead, I think I did an inner dance. It was like validation. Years of an inner fight that had finally been won. I had celiac disease. There was a NAME for my issues!

I went for a scope less than 2 weeks later and my disease was staged at 30 years along. I was 30 years old at the time of the scope. I had significant damage that would take a long time to heal. But I could heal. I could get better and finally lead a normal life. I could eat like a regular person (sort of..), and not worry about my "bad stomach". (I should interject that I was so scared of not feeling well that at my own wedding I had rice for supper while everyone else dined).

I went gluten free right after and I've never looked back. I've had ups and I've had many many downs. I've gone through rather extensive learning curves. I've had some horrific failures in the kitchen that I would rather forget about. But I've also had some amazing successes, like the
Fudge puddles in the GF Cookie Swap on Facebook.

But best of all, I'm healthy. It's something I always took for granted.. always feeling slightly off, and thinking that was normal. Don't settle. Always strive for more.

Maybe tomorrow I'll post about my daughter's story. She's celiac too, and at 4, she knows what gluten and wheat are, and how to tell others that she can't have them. Pretty amazing.

It's been a long time, but...

2012-01-03T15:02:00.002-07:00

I feel like finally, I am ready to return to the blog world.

I didn't leave for anything in particular. Instead, I just felt like there was no *point* to my blog. It was just another blog out there about living with celiac in a time when things were tough. But now, I have more a vision. I'm making a list of things I want to blog about. I'm wanting to become more of an advocate than a passerby. More of someone who can lead. And teach. And encourage. Rather than someone sitting on the sidelines hoping someone else will do it.

In the last 2 years, I've had people come to me asking for help. Asking me how to start. Where to start. Why they're reacting to certain things. And you know what? I *have* helped. I've been there to start them out - point them in the direction of products and things to look for that they might not have thought about.

I love it. I love being able to help people. I love being an advocate. I love having knowledge.

Last night I had the worst gluten reaction I've had possibly ever. The worst part about it was that I did everything RIGHT. I called ahead. I called back again. And a third time believe it or not. I talked to the head guy. I talked to everyone I could think of. I called when it wasn't busy. And still, still I got glutened. It's something that shouldn't happen. But it did. And today, I'm suffering. I'm in a fog and I'm exhausted. But it's given me a renewal that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been glutened. A blessing and a curse.

And a renewal. And hopefully a new pledge to help others through this blog.

Thanks for reading!
Amanda

Getting There..

2009-05-06T22:53:00.002-06:00

I went to see my GI yesterday for my follow-up appointment. My levels have plumetted - a good thing, but they have not yet returned to normal levels. The antibody level is supposed to be less than 10 (or close to). Initially, my levels were in the 1300's. Now, they're at 62. I'm feeling like a new person but really want to get back down further. I'm not sure what else I can do though. Will it just take more time? I'm coming up on 5 months of being gluten free. I've become more stringent in my routine cooking than ever before. For example, at the beginning I was excited that I could still eat Doritos. Now, however, I know that they still might have some cross-contamination issues so I stick to Rick Works chips. Not quite the same cheesy flavour (given they're Salsa flavoured..) but I'm just not willing to risk it.

We're master gluten-free cookers and bakers now. One day I'll get even more adventurous and try some of the pastas from scratch I've seen of-late. But for now, I'll stick with my GF scones (YUM!) and oatmeal-chocolate chip muffins (made with Pure Oats).

In other news, The Boy is now up for surgery May 22. He's an overnight stay kid as they've discovered sleep apnea but we're optimistic about the prospects of him being able to breathe at night, swallow food, speak properly and hear once again. Please keep your fingers crossed for him!

Silly silly blogs

2009-04-24T16:33:00.002-06:00

This is the second time I'm blogging - the first time I had this long "I'm back" post going on and bam.. it wouldn't save and then I lost it all - including the patience to re-write what I had written.

I've taken a break from everything other than my immediate family lately. I felt like I needed to settle down and pay attention to my kids for a while. They're both missing me and I get that - I miss them too. So I've been awol.

I miss my menu plans too. The Husband did such a wonderful job while I was down 'n' out taking care of us but I need my menus back. I really hate sticking my head in the fridge at the end of the day and trying to figure out what we might have for dinner. So, we'll be back to planning this week. Hopefully that will save the 7 trips to the grocery store, too.

Speaking of which, what is your absolute favourite, relatively easy dish? It cant' have nuts or shellfish in it, but anything else is fair-game. I want to make some new stuff this coming week. I think I'm going to make Beef Strognoff for the first time, but we shall see if that sounds like something the fam might eat.

I'm almost recovered. I start physiotherapy on Monday which I'm looking forward to immensely. It'll be nice to be able to get moving again. And slowly but surely, I've been able to lift The Girl now and again. The Boy is still too heavy as he's upwards of 35 pounds which is over the 25 pound limit I have right now.

The Girl had her ear surgery too last week and has recovered wonderfully. It's as if nothing ever happened (other than sometimes loud, unknown noises freak her out). We'll find out on Thursday if the Boy needs surgery too (which we assume he does given his speech, breathing, swallowing and hearing problems.

All in a day's life :)

Gluten Free Menu Swap

2009-04-06T13:41:00.002-06:00

I allowed the husband a week off in our menu planning but our grocery bill suffered for it. So this week, I insisted that we reinstate the menu planning. We start our menus on a Saturday so I'm a bit late, but eh.

We have a fridge full of leftovers that need to be eaten but much other goodness should be consumed. It is FINALLY spring here and our backyard has only a few specks of snow left. Our front yard on the other hand faces north and so still has 2 feet pondering whether or not to leave for a few months or not. But, we bought both kids rubber boots this weekend and they have been essentially living outside so I hope this encourages the last of the snow to melt away.

Without further adieu, my menu.

Thai Food - Curry Beef and Sweet & Sour Chicken with noodles and coconut rice

Another meal of the Gluten Free Lasagna baked for us by a friend as a get well gift

Pasta (go figure!)

Leftovers (shocking!)

Polenta with moose meat, red peppers, onions and mozzarella cheese

Tacos - this is one of 2 meals that I can consume a ridiculous amount of food during. I think I had 4. They were perfect.

And I'm missing something.. I wonder where the husband put that list.

Wendy at Celiacs in the House is hosting this week!

Yummy eats, cool treats

2009-04-01T20:41:00.004-06:00

Did you know that Dairy Queen ice cream is gluten free? I'm so happy. I love a good DQ in the summer and although I can no longer get my go-to small mint oreo blizzard, I can sure as heck still eat some good ice cream. But anyway, already it's the beginning of the post and I've already digressed.

My husband is a good extraordinaire. If he weren't in school for his phd, I'd push for him to be a chef. Maybe at a cozy B&B somewhere in interior BC.. or the Bahamas.. or California.. or anyway.. he's a really good cook. And he just whips these things up with a great amount of mess in the kitchen (which currently I can't clean given my healing back so I can't complain too much) but an even greater amount of yummy-ness on our plates.

I even took pictures. You see, my favourite Thai restaurant in Edmonton is Hoang Long. And I believe that tonight, my husband became the restaurant. I said I wanted take-out thai. He said he could cook it. I said he's no Hoang-Long and I think that set him out to prove that he was. And by golly, he is. He made 2 chicken dishes. One was sweet & sour with onions, bean sprouts and sesame seeds on top; the other a coconut curry with chickpeas and chicken. Plus, I got 2 kinds of carbs - rice noodles and coconut rice. It was divinity in a bowl. My mind had to try to slow my hand down from shovelling in this food..

I love gluten-free living.

Out of a drug induced haze...

2009-03-30T13:40:00.002-06:00

I feel that I am more coherent. There are no longer things crawling on my walls (that i can see anyway) and I'm slowly emerging from the fog that has been my life for the last few days.

I have a picture of the incision. It's gross but I'm totally posting it one day this week. It's still covered in steri-strips though. The Husband changed my dressing this morning so we gave it the once-over.

I stopped all my pain meds except for Tylenol. Sunday was a complete haze for me with the remaining anesthetic wearing off and my painkillers taking their toll. I think I'm okay to remain on just tylenol for now and hope that it does the trick. I'm not in that much pain anymore - stiff from being in bed so much but today I got in my first walk down the street. It's going to be a long recovery. I am not the greatest at remaining sedentary by any stretch of the imagination. And, while I'm enjoying very much the first season of Gilmore Girls and have high hopes of scrapbooking my kids' lives up until now, I think that by day 5, I might be going stir-crazy.

I can only hope that the temperatures remain above freezing and continue to melt this winter ice castle around us so I can breathe in the amazing spring air as I walk. The Boy came on our walk today and we compared footprints. We decided that daddy's footprints were giant and his were small. I'm not sure where mine fit in but I love the mind of a 3 year old.

And so, I am now ready for a snooze. Maybe I'll crack open my first issue of Delight Gluten Free magazine or read some of Eat Pray Love (great booK!!) before I drift off...

7 things and post-surgery

2009-03-28T15:40:00.002-06:00

I feel like I've been kicked in the back by a large horse. I've never actually been kicked in the back by a horse before but I imagine it feeling rather similar to this. The surgery went well and i have no pain in my leg for the first time in over a year so this is a big step. I haven't seen the incision yet as it's covered by a rather large dressing but that needs to be changed on Monday so I'll see it then. And I'm going to have The Husband take a picture too. I might as well scrapbook a page about this right? :)

Anyway, Wendy over at Celiacs in the House tagged me to come up with 7 random things about myself and I've been thinking about this so here it goes:

1 - I co-own a baby store and information site online. It's based out of Alberta and is a year old now. It's a culmination of BFF-N (my partner in business) and my favourite things for our kids. www.naturalurbanmamas.com

2 - I loathe ironing. I cannot tell you how much I hate this appliance. I have owned 1 iron in my life and it was a gift. I think I've lost it. I'd rather wear wrinkled clothes than iron.

3 - I am just about an accredited La Leche League leader. I have 3 more classes of sorts and my preview and then I'm done. I should be officially accredited in early May.

4 - I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I have a computer science degree that I don't use at all and don't plan to use again. I write here and there for different things and was really loving my job in sales before kids but given that I don't plan on going back to work for a while, I think I have some time.

5 - I am a perpetual worrier. I worry about everything. I worry that I've upset people with my open thoughts. I worry about my kids. I worry about my husband. I worry about people in other parts of the world who might be suffering. I have a difficult time disconnecting myself from things and I'm working on it.

6 - My pain meds make me hallucinate. I've seen a lot of really crazy stuff over the last 24 hours. Most things crawling on my walls. It makes me laugh and certainly makes me aware that I am not yet ready to drive, or go back to my normal life just yet.

7 - I have insane obsessions with kicking the winter dirt off of wheel wells. You know that sludge that builds up behind the tires that's a combination of snow and dirt and ice? I have to kick it off our cars all the time. And I have to seriously resist the urge to kick other people's cars. I have thought of starting a self-help group for people like me but feel it might not be seen as a true issue..

And that's that. :)

Surgery

2009-03-26T21:18:00.001-06:00

I'm nervous. Or downright scared - I don't know which. Friday morning at approximately 9:45 they will be removing a part of a disc that is pressing on my sciatic nerve and has been causing great amounts of pain for about 17 months now. While I'm looking forward to the pain relief, I'm nervous about the surgery and the impact it'll have at least temporarily on my kids.

Plus, I've packed my own food in case they don't have good celiac friendly options for me.

All this to say - if anyone can spare good wishes Friday morning I would great appreciate it.

It's been a yummy week so far..

2009-03-24T21:29:00.002-06:00

I really like food a lot more than I used to. I used to pretty much hate food to be honest. I ate it because I absolutely had to in order to stay alive but other than that, I didn't see the point. Nothing tasted good to me, nor did it feel good afterwards. I can pinpoint one of my celiac flare-ups to my late teens. I also battled depression at the time, but I literally could not keep anything in my stomach. I dropped 20 pounds in a month and my weight dropped dangerously low. Looking back on that time makes it shocking to me that I actually LIKE food now. I don't feel terrible after eating it and I can enjoy cooking it as well as eating it as a result. It's a whole new way of life.

This week food has been yummy. Our pork tenderloin was fantastic on Sunday night. Monday's Artichoke Pork was not the same as the chicken - both The Husband and I agreed that we liked the chicken better, but the pork was also incredibley good. Tonight we had a vegetarian friend over for dinner with her 2 year old. We made a lovely spaghetti dinner. I threw together an impromptu veggie sauce which turned out to be wonderful. I finely chopped (try Pampered Chef's food chopper! It really makes it much easier to finely dice things) carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and roasted peppers, added some crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, lots of spices (sugar, paprika and cumin are wonderful in sauces), and tossed in some fresh spinach. YUM! It was perfect over our brown rice pasta.

Tomorrow night will be pizza night and Thursday night will hopefully be the moose meatloaf. our fridge is getting full but it should work out that leftovers are there for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Husband will start cooking again on Monday but I want to get us through the weekend without having to cook. Some friends have offered to bring food as well post-surgery so I think that will be a big help.

3 days and counting..

The Cake

2009-03-22T19:50:00.003-06:00

I meant to post a picture of the Boy's cake. A GF cake (Glutino white cake) in which I added white chocolate chips and some lemon zest. I made the icing myself, and the spikes are white chocolate dyed orange hand done by me too. He loved it!

Gluten Free Menu Swap

2009-03-22T19:41:00.003-06:00

It happened. The Boy turned 3. I'm not sure how three years have already gone by but they have. And, just like 3 years ago, this weekend was filled with a snowstorm. Oh how I love living in Canada sometimes.. this time we're only supposed to get 20cm or so, but still. It's nearly the end of March.

Anyway, this is my first time participating officially in the Gluten Free Menu Swap, hosted by Weird and Suprisingly Good. Her theme for the week is Latin food but I went to my cupboard and thought our theme should be "food you already have in the house" so I scrapped Latin and went with my own. And, I might add, that the only things we need to purchase for this week's menu are: a bag of spinach and some mozzarella. Everything else we have in the house.

So here we go:

Pork Tenderloin with Maple sauce, rice (leftovers), carrots and peas - we had this tonight and it was fab. I kept dipping into the maple sauce. Mmm. The Husband = very good cook.

Brown Rice Tinkyada Spaghetti with Pasta Sauce already made in the freezer.

Moose Meatloaf with peas and potatoes - we've had this moose meat in the freezer for a long time and seriously need to use it up. If I don't have enough, I'll combine it with some ground beef.

Pizza (Pamela's crust) with onions, leftover meat, and whatever else we have in the frige.

Spinach Garlic Soup as a starter followed by leftovers.

Artichoke Pork with Broccoli and Rice or Potato

And finally.. leftovers :) We have to have at least 1-2 nights of them or else we waste food which is not the point of menu planning.

My surgery is on Friday so I'm guessing that leftovers will be Friday/Saturday this week.

Memories of Three Years

2009-03-17T19:48:00.002-06:00

It's as though a tidal wave is overcoming me today. The Boy turned 3 today. He's now a "Big Boy" (even with potty training issues he's still a boy now, no longer a toddler). I can't believe how much life has changed in three years and how much I've gone through personally.

Three years ago yesterday I went into labour 4 weeks early with a baby who was breech, feet down. Three years ago early this morning I had a cesarean to remove said baby. Three years ago this morning The Boy was transferred to a different hospital without me because he wasn't doing very well. He had been recusitated and couldn't keep his own oxygen levels up. Three years ago this evening I was finally transferred to the same hospital after the head nurses at the 2 hospitals went behind the doctor's back and transferred me. Three years ago tomorrow my baby came to live with us in my room after being released from Intensive Care. Three years ago tomorrow I fell in love with a new man and three years later I still feel that love and can't remember life before him as being much fun.

I went through post partum depression, surgery recovery and more after that day, and yet still, I wouldn't change a thing. The Boy is challenging every day and yet each day, I laugh out loud at least a dozen times by his actions and words. That kid cracks me up. Like tonight when he told his Grandma that he got lots of tiny presents.

It's the day of 3s here.. 3 months ago I started my new diet and 3 months later, I feel amazing. I almost never have sour stomach anymore, I'm pain-free, and my digestive system might actually be working. It's been amazing this diagnosis.. I can't even imagine what the next 3 months, years and further have in store..

Menu Planning

2009-03-15T21:16:00.003-06:00

I'm going for week two of menu planning and I'm quite excited. Here's what we have on tap:

1. Pasta - a staple in our house. It'll be Tinkyada Fetuccini this week.
2. Polenta with sauted onions, peppers and maple sausage, covered with provolone cheese.
3. Artichoke Chicken with Carrots and Baked Potatoes
4. Coconut Mango Chicken
5. Leftovers
6. Burgers
7. Meatloaf

This is the last week before my surgery so I wanted to make it a big cooking week for me.

We start on Saturdays so I've already made the Polenta - taken from Wendy's Celiacs in the House on Saturday night. The Husband was skeptical - we've never had Polenta before and it was SO good!!! I added some pasta sauce that had to be finished and this gave it a nice flavour too. I think it would have been good without but mmm. The Girl inhaled hers (which is big given she refuses to eat most things these days). The Boy actually ate sausage (he typically doesn't eat meat) so overall I think it's a meal we'll totally repeat.

We also made Artichoke Chicken and it's amazing as usual. It's a mix of mayo, artichokes chopped up, garlic, and parmasean cheese. Coat the chicken in a rosemary seasoning, and fry the chicken until basically cooked. You then put the artichoke mixture on the chicken and broil it for about 5-10 minutes (until it's golden brown). It's so fantastic.

I'm excited for most of the meals this week but I'm not sure what to cook on Tuesday. I know it's St Patrick's day but it's also The Boy's Birthday! He's going to be 3 - how did that happen already???

14 more days..

2009-03-13T21:51:00.003-06:00

Two weeks to surgery. 5 weeks until The Girl's surgery. hopefully this will make our summer much healthier than winter has been.

It was leftover night here tonight. I *LOVE* leftovers. I can't rave enough about leftovers. They're just so yummy - all of the great food you make through the week needs to be consumed before garbage day and mmmm.. it's just perfect! So tonight we finished up the Shepherd's Pie (which, by the way in french is Pate Chinois - or Chinese Pie.. how does that translate properly??), most of the potato chickpea curry, and the scrumptious corn-coated chicken nuggets I made last night (even The Boy eats these and he generally gags on most meat products)!

I'm planning next week's menu.. I know for sure it's going to include Polenta something because I'm wanting to try it, and the Mango Coconut Chicken that didn't get made this week.. and hopefully a slow cooker recipe or two.. hmm.. time to peruse the cookbooks!

On another note, it's above zero here!!! We hit record lows on Monday and Tuesday (Mondays' new low was -42.7C - in MARCH!!!) so seeing +9C out there today was bliss - the kids got soaked with all of the snow melting (and given that they're big fans of playing in the sandbox in the middle of winter, it was wet sand stuck to their snowsuits) but they had a blast. Now what should we do in the +3C weather tomorrow..? I feel like we need to take advantage of this weather in case it goes all crazy here again!

Menu for the Week

2009-03-12T14:42:00.003-06:00

What a week it's been. It's Thursday and I'm just getting around to posting my menu for the week - but, we've followed it! IT made grocery shopping.. well, somehow i still spent a ridiculous amount but I also bought our tax software for this year, an outfit for The Boy and new sippie cups. So I guess realistically looking at it, I did pretty well and spent about $140 for the week.

Anyway, we decided to do:
Pasta 2 nights
Rosti with Ham, Sundried Tomatoes and Provolone cheese
Leftovers 2 nights - this will be switched to 1 night
Shepherd's Pie
Chicken with Corn coating
Mango Coconut Chicken with Rice

The Rosti was amazing although I don't recommend cooking it in a pan that isn't very non-stick. I ended up switching pans halfway through just to make sure it wasn't a total disaster..

The Shepherd's pie was also wonderful - a new variation than what I'm used to - I added some tomato paste and carrot to it but it was so delicious and has served many lunches this week with its leftovers.

Tonight is corn/chicken and I'm looking forward to this. For years I thought I was allergic to corn because I seemed to react to it. Well, since diagnosis and diet change, I can totally consume corn again without any reaction, so we're taking full advantage of this.

I got a call from my GI's office for a followup appointment which means I'll also have to go for my followup blood work. It's going to be a busy few weeks.. I have surgery at the end of the month on my back, The Girl has surgery to put tubes in her ears April 17, the Boy has a sleep study April 1, and then a followup with the ENT on April 30. Whew! We'll survive and then at least it will be spring!!

Menu Choices, More Reviews

2009-03-03T17:53:00.004-07:00

Well I'm in a bit of a funk right now to be honest. It's been so well, BLAH this winter. It was beautiful well into October (the Boy was running through the sprinkler October 1 - Unheard of in these parts!) but then november hit and it's been downhill from there. I'm really in need of some spring though our temperatures for the week certainly don't indicate that's happening any time soon.

I'm having surgery March 27 on my back so I'm trying to get some things in order before then - some meals prepared ahead of time so our temporary nanny or The Husband can heat them up easily, the house cleaned (that's a losing battle these days), books set up to read during recovery, and an exercise plan for afterwards. So far the plan consists of: walk as much as I can and when given the okay, start running again.

I also go towards the end of the month for my first set of blood tests since diagnosis - I'm anxious to see the bad levels come down and the good nutrient levels go up. I think I had a "stupid" moment on Sunday and ate hot dogs which made me rather ill.. they didn't say they contained wheat - only that they might so really, I should have known better.

The Girl is just finished her 6th round of antibiotics after another ear infection. She's having tubes put in her ears in April.

And now:
Riceworks Chips Thai Curry flavour - I just don't like them. I think other people will but I just didn't. I like the Salsa ones and that Chili ones though!

Nearly Normal Flour - I think we've found a winner here. We've used it as a substitution and also in Jules Shepherd's own recipe. It's been wonderful.

Glutino Pretzels - Holy Hannah. These are better than any pretzel I've ever tasted. WOW.

I have a couple of other new products I've tried and loved that I'll have to review on when I'm downstairs and can see the labels which I've saved.

And the Gluten-Free Menu Swap people always intrigue me with their menu plans so the HUsband and I decided to give menu planning a bit of a try.

Tonight: Artichoke Parmesean Chicken with leftover spaghetti squash, corn and leek risotto.

Other nights this week:
- Steak & Onions with Rice & grilled veggies
- Potato & Chickpea curry (stolen from Celiacs in the House) but I will add chicken or pork to it served on rice.
- And reheats. Our fridge is way too full of leftovers right now and we're just wastign too much food.

Now if anyone has tips on potty training a rather stubborn 3 year old who can go for days without an accident and then decide he just doesn't FEEL like using the potty anymore, that'd be great. Speaking of the almost-3 year old - I registered him for preschool yesterday and soccer! How is my baby boy so grown up already???

Bread Glorious Bread!

2009-02-25T21:30:00.003-07:00

I seriously need to start taking pictures. So I made bread. From scratch. All of my other efforts in this area have been, well, pitiful. That might not even be a strong enough word for it. But the Gluten Free Mom posted a wonderful bread recipe. I had just purchased some sorghum flour and I was ready to go. I made a few changes due to a lack of certain ingredients (such as using 3T of apple juice instead of 1T+2T cider vinegar because I didn't have any cider vinegar). and I'm pretty sure I let it rise too long so that will be something to change for next time. All that to say that today, 2.5 months after diagnosis, I had my first grilled cheese sandwich GF-style. It was wonderful. I *LOVE* grilled cheese. And yesterday, I had a tuna salad sandwich on my bread. Seriously, this could open some wonderful new possibilities for me, no?

I made bagels again this week. Aren't I just the baking queen?!

The Girl has ear infection #6. I may consider hiding under several rocks for the next 2 months or so until the snow melts (speaking of which, we don't get a lot of snow up here because it's so cold in the winters but in the last 2 days we've had 25cm and it's still -20C!! Some form of respite would be greatly appreciated!). Needless to say, she's on antibiotics round #6. The good news (there's good news in that?) is that we see the ENT tomorrow for both kids. We'll know more then. Anything at this point to get them healthy would be much appreciated. I try to do things as natural as possible, and don't like tons of medications, but I'm pretty much at the end with The Girl.. and the Boy come to think of it, but I'm worried about her.

In exciting news: The Girl started WALKING today!!! SHe's been walking since about last week here and there but today she decided it was no longer easier to crawl! After about 11am, she crawled maybe once. She's adorable while walking! She'll be 16 months at the end of the month and it's just so sweet. The Husband and I had quite a number of giggles.

The other giggle we had was at the post-supper table (after a wonderful GF pizza complete with pulled pork on top - pulled pork makes everything better) when we had family colouring time (we all coloured dinosaurs which is the Boy's current obsession). The Boy likes to show off his work being almost 3 so we dutifully said "Wow" after he showed us, at which point the Girl held up her scribbles and said emphatically "Wooooowwwwww". Nothing makes me smile more than toddler antics. :)

Rut-a-tut-tut

2009-02-20T21:12:00.003-07:00

I've been in a blogging rut. The kids have been sick for the gazillionth time as have I. I'm still exhausted and wonder if I'll ever catch up on sleep. I'm hoping that the cloud of fatigue lifts soon but I was thinking about it the other day and I don't think I've had more than 5 hours of sleep in a row since sometime in 2005. Is that sad or what??

I've tried some more products that I think deserve some recognition:

Rice Works chips - Yum-er-ific. Holy moly (or as the Boy says these days "holy smokes".)

Celimix muffin mix - this is pretty good! I added some ground flax seed and 2 bananas to the mix for some extra nutrients but they're quite good. The Girl consumed 3 mini-muffins and the Boy consumed 4 - all in one sitting! So, I think I'd call that a hit and a half!

KinnickKinnick bagels - these aren't as good as the Glutino ones in my opinion. They were a bit drier. And stickier in the mouth. And they had that gluten-free grainy taste to them that I've learned can very much be avoided. I still prefer the Pamela's recipe from the Amazing Bread Mix as the best GF bagel ever.

And now a thank you to my husband. Valentine's Day he made cupcakes filled with marscapone cheese and strawberries. They were to die for and a nice reminder from last year when he made them for the first time. The Boy helped and he loved every minute of it (hence why we do so much baking in the house - he loves it)!

BFF-L and I have been going to the farmer's market most Saturdays. It's ncie to be able to stock up on fresh produce even in the bitter cold of our northern winters. On top of that, many of the meat-guys have GF sausages (the Mennonite chicken sausage is to die for), and there's tons of GF baking including one exclusive GF baker who's family is all GF. She makes wonderful banana bread that we have not yet been able to replicate.

Alas, I shall try to get back to blogging more often.

And Now..

2009-02-13T22:04:00.001-07:00

The Boy has croup.

Can we catch any kind of break?

First the Good News, then the Bad

2009-02-12T19:58:00.002-07:00

I'm so happy! The blood tests came back for the kids and both were Normal! No celiac there! If I hadn't been so uncomfortable and weak, I might have attempted a cartwheel. Though, now that I think about that, looking around my bedroom, there is definitely no room for a cartwheel.

That was the good news of the day. Then I called the Pediatrician about The Boy's throat. His tonsils never really went back to normal size after his last bout of infection and our Ped told us it was a matter of time before infection set in again. Well, lo and behold yesterday the Husband sees white spots on the tonsils. This morning I saw them too. When I told the nurse, she immediately thought strep and got us in to a replacement doctor given our Ped is away this week. Sure enough, it's strep. These poor kids can't catch a break. The Boy's 3rd infection since the beginning of November. Sadly, the pharmacist now knows us by sight.

And on a GF note, the Husband made the most divine cookies last night to cheer me up (even though I couldnt' eat them last night for fear of tossing them up later). They are from the Gluten Free Family Cookbook I think it is (i'll have to check that later) and they taste like a cross between brownies and fudge. They're soft and chewy (an absolute must in a good cookie I feel) and so divine. Then when you bite in there's these little chunks of chocolate inside. I can't even speak when I'm eating one - I have to concentrate on savouring it because it's so good.

Might I just add that the GF baking might have actually worked??? Are we on an upswing? If only our health would follow that same path...

A Day From Hell or a Learning Opportunity?

2009-02-11T19:37:00.002-07:00

I'd say that today was more a day from hell than anything else. I'm exhausted on every level imaginable. I've managed to stave off infections and colds and flus this season as my family has been plagued with them. Until today. (And excluding the stomach flu that got us all. Darned norovirus (insert shaking fist here)).

Today I woke up at 3am. Well wait, rewind to yesterday when I seriously think I peed 97 times in an hour. Leave it to the wonderful Husband to suggest maybe it was infection. Anyway, fast forward back to 3am when I'm lying awake thinking that somehow I've missed a pregnancy and I'm actually giving birth again. The pain was out of this world. It made me wonder how I went 43 hours without any drugs when in labour with The Girl. By 7:30 I was curled up in a fetal position on the bed praying for time to move faster so I could call the doctor. The Husband took me to the hospital instead where I waited for 2.5 hours but in that time I got all the results. A Bladder infection that has spread most likely to the kidneys. Oh joy of joys! How perfect is THAT?

So I'm on some medicine now. And I took a painkiller too because man those kidneys can hurt. Ultimately I think I'm fairly run down after our not-so-wonderful 2009 so far (I thought this year was supposed to be better?). So I'll let the meds do their job, hopefully avoid the IV antibiotics and rest. I plan to sleep all day tomorrow as I have someone watching my kidlets. BFF-L was kind enough to let me know her regime of cranberry extract and vitamin C to stave off future infections so I'll be starting that tomorrow too! Tomorrow should be good I think.

The Girl is finally back to being her hilarious self. She's still not walking yet (15.5 months) but I'm certain it's coming. Then again, I said that in December.

Oh, and The Husband should win Celiac-Support-Husband of the year I think. Two nights ago he came home with GF beer for our pizza night (thank you thank you thank you!) and this evening while I was napping, he and the kids made GF cookies. And you know what? They taste like fudge!! GF baking WORKED without a mix!! WOW! Progress has been made.

Now I leave you with 2 things:
1 - Check out this amazing GF Blog List! Wow - The Crispy Cook has seriously gone above and beyond here!

2 - Check out Matt Logelin's blog. I came across this blog through BFF-H. It is amazing. It's written by Matt who's wife had a premature baby on March 24, and on March 25, his wife died suddenly (27 hours after giving birth) from a pulmonary embolism. He's just started the Liz Logelin foundation to support other people financially in similar situations. It's amazing and I think everyone should visit his blog.

More Reviews and the Kids

2009-02-08T20:21:00.003-07:00

I've had the opportunity to try more things. I have to retract my complaint about Enjoy Life's chocolate bar things too. I think the first time I had one it must have been at the beginning of my wheat-free days and it probably tasted funny. I only had the one and did not like it at all. Well, the other day I was desperate and had one as the box was in the car. And? I loved it. Not at much as the Caramel Apple and sunbutter bars, but it was really quite a lot better than I expected.

Pamela's Amazing Bread Mix - this bread is exactly as it says - amazing. I actually made bagels from it due to a fellow blogger saying it was actually easy. And you know what? It was! And they were fantastic!! Even the Husband and the Kids loved them - the Husband liked them better than wheat bagels! So, I've ordered 6 cases of the stuff (that's 18 bags!) for bagels, bread and pizza dough.

El Peto Bread Machine Bread Mix - meh.. it was okay. It was good with dip, and really good when it came straight out of the machine, but I found that overall, it was quite heavy. I would make it again and will probably keep some in the house for when I'm desperate for bread (which I'm not generally) but I won't go running out to buy a case.

The Kids are officially getting tested tomorrow or Thursday. I'm a bit nervous about it - I'm not sure how the Boy will react to a needle. He's not great with them. the Girl is pretty laid back about most things although I'm sure she's not going to be begging me to go out and do more testing. At least we'll know and we can go from there.

The Boy is potty learning right now. It's pretty hit or miss although he's getting better at a) holding it; b) telling us when he has an accident; and c) actually using the potty.

The Girl is trying to talk! She says "Spider" because Itsy-Bitsy spider is her favourite song to sing, and she tries to say Beaver and Bear (they went to the museum this weekend :) ). I love when kids start to talk!!

Gluten free baking

2009-01-30T21:55:00.002-07:00

Will I ever get better at this? Is there some secret to GF baking that no one has shared with me yet?

the Husband is trying with all of his might to master it (I think it frustrates him more than me frankly). The muffins he made were really quite grainy but with a bit of butter and warmed up I don't mind them. He also made some butterscotch bars which I think were amazing, but again, the base was a bit drier than the chewy bottom layer he expected.

I think part of my issue is the flour blend I'm using. I'm going to change it up for next time based on other people's successes that I've met but alas, let's hope that it helps.

Any tips?

The blanket

2009-01-28T20:11:00.002-07:00

For Christmas I wanted a heating blanket. Ever since the Girl was about 9 months, I no longer have my internal furnace that always kept me toasty warm for the last 3 years (from pregnancy with the Boy onwards). the Husband couldn't find one he liked so instead he bought me the squishiest soft chocolate brown blanket he could find. the second I opened it I wanted to curl into bed with it. It's been on my bed since christmas other than laundry days, and I can't tell you how much I adore this blanket.

I sit here typing in bed while under the blanket and I feel peaceful. Wednesdays are tough days for me as I work at a dayhome next door with 8 kids including my own 2. By the time I get home I'm spent, so even though it's 8:14pm, I'm in bed and quite content here. This blanket is pure bliss.

My poor girl is sick. I could hear the Husband bringing her up the stairs she was snoring so loudly. Please pray or wish or whatever it is that your family does that my Girl gets better soon. She's on her 5th round of antibiotics in 3 months.

Countdown

2009-01-26T21:14:00.002-07:00

The kids are getting tested on Thursday. I keep speculating as to what the results will be, but I have to wait and see I think. I just keep searching for answers as to why my children are so sick right now. It all started in november with strep for the Boy and a ruptured ear drum for the Girl. Multiple rounds of antibiotics later, they were "better". Then Christmas came and so did the colds.. then the stomach flu, then more ruptured ear drums (on both parts) and a throat infection for the Boy. Rounds of antibiotics later and we're on to the next illness, barely a week after the meds ended. I'm certain that there's still something up with the Boy's tonsils.. they're frankly quite repulsive. And the girl? She woke with a fever last night and was lethargic and pitiful all day. What is going on??

The Husband made such a wonderful dinner tonight. I don't even know what was in it to be honest, but whatever it was, he tossed some into a seperate pot, added some broth and blended that baby up into a lovely soup for the kids - jam packed with veggies and even some chicken (typically the Boy won't eat meat). The Boy downed the whole bowl and I'm hoping to get some into the Girl tomorrow. I think soup might be on the menu for the rest of this week.. these kids need some serious immune boosters.

Food Reviews so far

2009-01-25T09:01:00.003-07:00

I've been trying everything and anything I can get my hands on just to try things out. Here's what I've found so far.

Glutino Bagels
Holy man these things are good. They taste like the real thing to me. So far I've tried poppy seed and sesame seed and they are both fantastic! Highly recommend these babies.

Enjoy Life Bars
I cannot stand the Cocoa ones.. they're so gritty. But I really have grown quite fond of the Apple Caramel and the Sunbutter ones. They are great to keep in my purse or pocket for when I desperately need something but can't just stop and grab anymore. Their cookies leave something to be desired. I'd rather make my own.

KinnickKinnick White Cake Mix
Holy man. This cake was out of this world. I couldn't taste any difference from gluten-filled cake at all! Oh wow it was good. We threw in a cup of coconut for kicks and that was awesome too. What I personally liked about this mix was that The Boy could do most of it himself - something he's big on as he approaches 3.

As for breads, let's just say we've had a couple of failures and a few so-sos but really, I'm not going for much bread these days..

In our life, things are as usual. I have to go for a Bone Density scan to get a baseline given the higher risk of osteoperosis when you're celiac.. I go for my 3 month blood work in March so I've still got some time before that but I'm anxious to see those levels of antibodies going down and the levels of nutrients going up.

The Boy had croup this week - my least favourite illness of his since it creates such a difficult breathing time for him. His inhalers have been getting a workout these last few days but I'm hoping we're over the worst of it.

Beauty in Sleep

2009-01-22T08:08:00.002-07:00

I adore my kids. Without sounding like a bad mom - I love them when they're sleeping. (I love them loads when they're awake but..) There's something so peaceful and beautiful about a sleeping child that you just don't get until they're asleep. Their lips, their cheeks, their hair all over the place.. I could sit and watch my children sleep for hours (and sometimes I do).

The Boy last night had a hard time going to sleep. Something is going on with him and I'm not sure what it is. I'm not sure if he's cognitively growing given he'll be 3 in 2 months, or if physically something is off. He's battled strep throat and a throat infection and an ear infection all in the last 2 months, so I'm sure there's some healing going on. But anyway, I went up to check on him as I told him he would and I asked him why he was still awake. His response? "I don't understand why I'm not aslsep mom. I think it's because I'm still little sometimes." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The Boy IS still little and I forget that sometimes. It's nice to be reminded.

I held him in my arms and cuddled him, rocking back and forth shushing as I did for so many hours when he was an infant. I nearly started weeping as all of the memories came rushing back. My boy still loves a good cuddle and for that, I am so thankful. The Husband went in and read him some stories and the Boy fell asleep promptly (isn't that always the way..). I went in and watched him for a couple of moments before bed (and listened to the sound of the motors coming out of my child's mouth.. the snore is a pretty good indicator that something's up I think). Smiling, I headed off to sleep myself.

As an aside - the cake was amazing. I added some coconut to it. The Husband wasn't sure he liked the coconut in it, but the rest of us loved it!

And, the kids are being tested next week for celiac. We get the req on tuesday so it'll be off for the blood test shortly after that.

Oy Gravy

2009-01-20T14:17:00.002-07:00

So I definitely discovered that gravy is not so easy to make without gluten. I made gravy at Christmas and it was pretty good, but the gravy I made last night was awful. I ended up throwing it out so we wouldn't have to eat it.

I'm not sure if I didn't have enough drippings, or if I used rice flour instead of GF all-purpose flour.. but it was gross. It had no taste and well, I'll have to figure out how to make it better. Any tips?

It's been beautiful here for the last while (finally, after a month of -30C temperature) and we got to spend some glorious time outside today. The kids had a blast and I only wish it woudl last, but alas, it's dropping back down this week. It'll give us a chance to start some of our crafts that we've been wanting to work on. The kids need to make some new paintings, and we'd like to try some new felting techniques too!

We made our first gluten free cake today. The Boy helped to ice the cake - he requested purple icing. It looks beautiful. I added some coconut to it (at the request of The Boy - he loves coconut) so I can't wait to taste how good it is after dinner. It was the KinnickKinnick cake mix so we'll see how it turns out!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

I'm a month in...

2009-01-16T07:13:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow marks a month from when I was diagnosed and I think I'm doing pretty well. Other than New Year's Eve's mix-up, I've managed, I think, to avoid gluten. I've learned these few things in my short month:

1 - I'm still paranoid about cross-contamination, but I'm managing. And, it's okay to be paranoid about it.

2 - I really need to learn how to do GF baking better.

3 - Meals are actually pretty easy for the most part. GF cereal is growing on me. Dinners are really good and I can't tell the difference when something is coated in GF flour as opposed to wheat flour.

4 - Lunches are still sucking. Unless it's leftovers, I'm still feeling at a loss.

5 - Bread is not the same.

6 - I'm getting there and I should be proud of my progress so far.

Hopefully in the next month I'll get even better at things. Already it's seeming to be a routine and not something I am forcing myself to remember.

Anti-panicked or utterly confused?

2009-01-14T21:59:00.002-07:00

It's a toss up really. Tonight's Anti-Panic session on celiac disease went rather well. I connected with other parents and we chatted about our paranoia of cross contamination. I'm told that although my paranoia will likely always be there to a certain degree (a good thing I think!), it will subside as I find my own ways and my own groove. It was helpful to know that I wasn't alone in my feelings. Especially about playdough.

It was set up with poster-boards of labels. I took pictures (which I'll put up tomorrow) of "safe" products. I found it interesting that Linda, the leader, calls things "celiac-friendly" as opposed to gluten-free unless they are labelled that way. We talked about labelling laws and how they have to get better - and how gluten really needs to be included in the list of common allergies to have it labelled on the package.

We also talked about the huge difference in acceptable levels of gluten in Canada vs the USA. Here in Canada, an acceptable gluten level is 20ppm. In the USA? 200ppm. That's 10 times the amount! Why is that? Apparently (I have no proof here, this is total hearsay), the WHO is trying to make a standard level and that level would be 200ppm. I wonder what affect that would have? It will certainly make me think even more (I don't think I've used my brain this much since university) when reading labels..

If anyone actually reads my blog, what do you think about the difference? Does that make you uncomfortable?

Will the black cloud looming lift soon?

2009-01-12T19:53:00.002-07:00

We're having a bit of a rough go around here. The stomach flu is clearing up, but ear infections are abound with both kids having them as far as rupturing their ear drums. Plus The Boy has a throat infection. And no one is getting much sleep. I don't mind being a sleep deprived mom (though today at my eye appointment I had several "stupid" moments and had to explain that I'm not really an airhead), but I have a limit to my sleep deprivation. Last night, The Boy was up from 2am until 6am. Why? According to him, he just didn't want to be asleep. Needless to say, I'm a bit tired, and fatigue cramps any hope of creative thinking.

I've just finished reading (yes, reading, as in cover to cover) The Creative Family by Amanda Soule (she blogs at SouleMama) and I have a list of projects to start with my kidlets, but alas, I can't even think how to tie a knot let alone sew something right now.

I'm looking very forward to Wednesday evening. My local Celiac Association Chapter is putting on an Anti-Panic session for us to learn about how to be a normal functioning celiac in a grocery store. The Husband does 95% of the grocery shopping, but we need to know more about what to look for and what not to. I'm hoping that they cover some of the issues of labeling that have been popping up lately. Even though I'm in Canada, we still have most of the same food to read the labels of.

Label reading isn't new to me.. I've been allergic to shellfish for years, and always had a sensitivity to MSG, so I've been an avid label-reader for a long time. What's definitely changed now is HOW I read the labels. I used to just look for a specific ingredient, but now I look for warnings and "may contains" and "gluten-free" and "produced in a nut-free facility" type prints all over the box. It's the may-contain that drives me up the wall. Can't you just tell me if I can eat it or not?

It's especially getting difficult to try to explain to an almost-3 year old why some things are okay and others are not. He knows that he's allergic to peanuts (you say: What are you allergic to? He says: Peanuts!) which is the first step. But, at this age, he doesn't understand the gravity of it. Plus, for us, we have to avoid ALL nuts. We don't even know if he's allergic to any other nuts but our pediatric allergist doesn't like to test too many things because of false results (which I'm quite happy with) plus he adds that at this age, a nut is a nut and kids can't tell or know the difference. So, we have to be careful. But that means trying to be careful everywhere else to and therein lies the problem.

People try to be wonderful about our food restrictions, but unless you are the parents of an allergic kid, label-reading just doesn't come easily. I can't tell you the number of times I've had someone say to me "it's okay, I checked and it doesn't have nuts" only to turn the box over and see "may contain traces of..." in small print. Will I get used to it?

Please tell me Pukefest is coming to a close...

2009-01-10T19:35:00.002-07:00

I hate the stomach flu. Loathe it with every inch of my being. It's not only disgusting (I absolutely hate puke which is why i could never be a doula, midwife, nurse, or anyone else who sees puke), but it's heartwrenching. It's bad enough when mama has it, but when the kidlets get it too? Oh my..

It's been, as a result, pretty gross and pretty sad in our house over these past few days. It started Thursday night with The Girl, Friday was my turn, then The Boy had his own set of puke-a-thons (though we actually think it might have been coincidence as we found out this morning he has a throat infection and ear infection and fever.. all of which could contribute to the puking). Thank goodness The Husband didn't get it since he has been taking care of us all like mad.

And, this was my first flu as a celiac. Why is that relevant? Well, shockingly, you need to think more when you have the flu as a celiac! Think of it - chicken noodle soup? Out. Saltines? Out. Toast? Out. Good think I very much like rice crackers because 5 of them were my intake for yesterday.. and then tonight I finally consumed some actual food: rice and rice pasta. I will get through this celiac thing!

I knew I was in trouble too at 4am - I was feeling better and couldn't sleep (given I had probably slept about 10 hours yesterday during the day never leaving my bed), and I went to read some of my favourite blogs. This one is one I frequent the most but I saw the food at the top of the page and had to make a run for it.. ugh. Not ready for that yet apparently! :)

But alas, we shall all make it through and hopefully be stronger for it. And maybe Monday I can actually start to accomplish all of the things I want to do..

The antics of 2 year olds

2009-01-06T20:19:00.002-07:00

The Boy is the funniest boy ever. He comes out with these phrases that just make me laugh out loud on a daily basis. Here are a few from the past 2 days:

The Boy: I'm still little right?
Me: Yes, that's true.
The Boy: Why?
(as an aside, we're in the why phase)
Me: Well, because you're 2.
(then I swear he said this next line while rolling his eyes and sighing loudly)
The Boy: I'm 2 and a HALF mom.

Episode 2:
The Husband: Do you want some of my spaghetti?
The Boy: No thanks, dad.
(large pause)
The Boy: Thank you for offering to share with me. It was really nice of you.

And one of my personal favourites from sometime early fall:
Me: I love you.
The Boy: I love cars, mom.

Oh he loves cars. How nice. He has since told me many times how much he loves me but oh how that wrenched my heart!

When I'm not having the best of days, he's still there to make me laugh out loud.

As are my BFFs. I'm one of the lucky girls who has a crew of girls she is proud to call her BFFs. Yesterday, I was on the phone with BFF-H who was feeling rather body image un-friendly. We had a nice chat about her awesome bod, and she complimented me on mine. The funny part? All the parts she complimented me on are the ones I'm the most self-concious about! It just goes to show you that a) you're usually out of your mind when thinking of your own body; b) we really care too much and; c) BFFs rock.

First Time for Everything

2009-01-04T21:22:00.003-07:00

I did it. I ate outside of my house at a restaurant. My girls and I headed out to brunch to say farewell to our NYC gal, J. She leaves in the morning so we needed to do something easy, and given that the majority of our kids are sick, we opted for a Girls-Only outing to brunch. When I went in, I was the first one there. I told them I had celiac disease and they told me there were options! Sure enough, on the menu were items labelled "Gluten-free". I loved it. I made sure to mention that I had celiac disease to the waitress too and she said not to worry. And you knwo what? No reaction. No pain, no bloating, no running to the bathroom this afternoon. I did develop quite a horrid headache this afternoon but I'm fairly certain the two weren't linked.

For supper it was wonderful rice pasta with homemade spaghetti sauce. And I made The Husband buy parmasean cheese so I can make risotto tomorrow. As long as I think of things in terms of normal-every-day living, the whole celiac thing doesn't scare the bajonkers out of me too much. It's when I start to overthink that some paranoia sets in. That and I'm insanely sleep deprived since The Boy has been having 2 hour wakeful periods in the middle of the night (where he's in and out but I'm awake the whole time, or The Husband is), and The Girl is sick and is waking up not so much a happy camper.

Thank goodness for Rescue Remedy. I've been taking 3 drops each night and since doing it, I've been once again able to sleep. It's 9:26pm and my eyes can barely remain open already. Am I old?

Funkytown..

2009-01-02T22:05:00.002-07:00

I'm in a funk. So much is swirling right now - The Girl is super-sick, and I'm finding some of the info I'm reading a bit overwhelming right now.

I have this little pocket dictionary with ingredients in it that tell you if something is safe or unsafe (genius I tell you). I also have this other book with safe products. So you can look up "preserves" and it'll tell you which jams are gluten-free. Of course, you need to read the labels to make sure the ingredients haven't changed, but it certainly helps with things.

All that aside, there is a lot of information coming out that things that were labelled safe are in fact, not safe. Companies are taking advantage of the booming gluten-free industry and are causing those of us with celiac-disease to be eating foods that could be compromised (I think in translation, this means my doritos are out..). I have felt safer making my own food anyway as opposed to buying pre-made foods, but where does this leave any sort of convenience? Or indulgence? What's a celiac to do?

Then I'm back to my whole cross-contamination issues. The husband pointed out today that when I do play with the kids I don't seem to have a reaction (unlike NYE when I did react to the soy sauce), but does that guarantee that I'm not getting gluten? How much is too much? Will my gut heal if I'm around so much wheat still? Right now the Husband is home on holidays, but what happens when he goes back to work? Should I really be feeding The Boy soy-butter sandwiches on whole-wheat bread? I feel like I'm scrubbing him down after chemical exposure when I'm cleaning his hands. And the backs of my hands now have eczema from so much scrubbing on my part. And let's not even talk about trying to clean up the playdough (which is labelled: Contains wheat). Again, what's a celiac to do?

This is such a huge learning curve. Please tell me that one day I'll figure it all out.

It's a New Year and I screwed up already..

2009-01-01T18:52:00.003-07:00

Seriously, how does that happen? I guess technically I screwed up LAST year since I accidentally ingested gluten last night and not today, but I'm certainly feeling the effects today.

We went to a neighbour's house for new year's and I had been reminded many times to ask about ingredients. Well, I guess I forgot one dish and after 30 minutes of feeling rather terrible and in pain, I found out there had been soy sauce in the sauce. Soy sauce. My former favourite sauce is laden with wheat. Good thing there's the alternative tamarin sauce but still. I'm feeling it today with a bit of a sour stomach - and this was after starting to feel better on a regular basis.

For some reason, it got me down a bit too. I was doing so well! I know it's going to happen, but I still feel like a shmuck for having it happen so soon.

I'm quite concerned right now about cross contamination. My kids are still eating whole wheat bread and playing with wheat playdough and my hands are getting insanely dry from scrubbing them so much after feeding them, cleaning them up, or cleaning the table. I'm not sure yet how to avoid this other than stop feeding them bread.. if tonight's ciabatta bread is any indication though, I certainly won't mind not having wheat bread - man that ciabatta bread was good! Oregano and basil and parmesean all in a lovely loaf that has pea flour in it for some protein and fibre! It was excellent!

It's a new year and I have 2 goals: 1 - I want my son to be using the potty sometime this year. 2 - I want to be healthy by summer. Exercising again and feeling great and having this diet down pat!

2008-12-30T23:21:00.007-07:00

I'm getting in touch with my crafty side. The Boy loves crafts, and I'm sure that when she's old enough to understand a bit more (for now she just thoroughly enjoys playing with the yarn) she will too. We do a lot of Waldorf-inspired and free-craft style art. The Boy loves to paint. That might actually be a bit of an understatement. Regardless, he loves to be creative, much like his mama. The difference is that I can follow instructions, but being incredibly creative off the top of my head is not exactly my forte.

But, I have to say that I've surprised even myself these last couple of days. The Husband got me a knitting book for Christmas and so far I've knit 2 pairs of fingerless gloves (one for me, one for his poor cold typing hands) and tonight, I outdid myself. I knit myself a purse. First of all, the wool it is knit from is amazing. I was hugging this wool in the store so I figured I should probably pick it up. And then I knit. And what followed was the purse at the top of the page.

I'm also quite impressed with my celiac diet to date. I've been eating fantastic foods and tonight I discovered that I can still eat Doritos. To be honest, that was a huge highlight for me. I adore Doritos and love being able to indulge once in a while. It was going to be quite sad for me not to be able to eat them anymore but alas, they are on the safe list. If you're ever looking for brands pretty quickly, you can always check http://www.penny.ca/ - on the left hand side they have a section for GF safe foods by brand which is a quick and easy way to see if something is okay to eat. Hence how I found the Doritos.

Of course, I'm eating a lot more healthy already. I'm quite excited for tomorrow's breakfast - I'm going to have a peach/mango smoothie. Yummerific. If this is what gluten-free is all about, I'm there.

And so it begins..

2008-12-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

It's been but 3 weeks since I've been diagnosed with celiac disease, and it's a learning experience every day. I managed to make it through Christmas without gluten (i think) and I even enjoyed the food. It's still hard some days, but I'm getting the hang of it. Now if only the Boy would understand that when I can't eat something he's trying to feed me, it's not because I'm allergic to nuts (but then he's 2, and he's allergic to nuts, so he assumes that everyone who can't eat anything must be allergic to nuts).

Getting diagnosed was a bit of a whirl-wind.. from an initial self-diagnosis, to a blood test confirmation, to a scope confirmation all within a very short period of time, all just before the holidays where food is the basis for every gathering. So far I've managed by eating veggies, cheese, fruit and some cheesies. Who knew cheesies were GF..

And now gearing up for New Year's, I'll make sure to get my own dip-dishes to avoid that horrible cross-contamination, bring something to the festivities, and just hope against hope that I don't screw up.

who knew that going GF was such a learning experience..