It's day five

It's day Five gluten-free and I'm miserable, though I feel better currently than I did last night (I thank Shaklee DR for that). Yesterday my tonsils all swelled up. Also, we noticed that the whites of my eyes are tinted a pale yellow. Keith says that's true every time I'm sick, but I had no idea.

Ick.

I figure my system is cleaning up with no gluten in my system it can stress about everything else. I'm going to give myself at least a week or two to detox and see if overall things improve.

Right now this is not improvement. This stinks. I feel horrible and I'm just trying to get things done, because the house has, yet again, fallen behind.

Update

Day 2 gluten free was horrible. By night time I had a raging headache and had a full-force joint flare-up-- Including my jaw attachments and cheekbones.

A nice, long, talk with my mom and I'm sticking to my guns. Perhaps my body is detoxing.

This morning (day three) my right side is stiff ad I still have a headache and my stomach is cramping, BUT nothing outside of what is normal for me.

I'm investigating leaky bowel syndrome-- which fits in some aspects, but not all. A simple urine test can verify that...

I'm also going to follow Manda's advice and have my blood sugar/insulin levels tested. That is, when I can. Insurance blah blah blah...

Keith got me a rice cooker last night to help me eat more easily. He also got me a Japanese mandolin for making pickles. I'm very grateful! He's so very supportive!

Evidence against Endo

Endometriosis only exists in menstruating women. Mom, who has gone through menopause (finally!) still has what I call the 'family' symptoms.

We can pretty definitively say that there is an inherited inflammation issue. Now we just have to figure out why and how to combat it.

As the only case subject I know the story of in depth-- I'll be trackinig myself.

This is day 2 gluten free.

Both hands and right elbow are flaring up (pretty normal for me)

Case history:

*I've always, as long as I can remember, caught every illness going around. Not only would I catch it, but it would knock me flat and for longer than my peers. I missed a lot of school.

*I have always had horeendous and disabling periods-- esp. the first day. Even now, with children, my periods have always been miserable and very painful.

*I get diahhrea frequently

*I have food sensitivities-- citrus, milk, wheat, anything tropical, anything containing sugar, anything red... like tomatoes and strawberries... just about anything containing protein such as eggs (store bought) and legumes. Home-raised eggs do not affect me as badly.

* I am allergic to alfalfa-- even if I get near it. My reaction is to have a hard time breathing and to have mt whole body 'flare up'

* Around 17 my hands started hurting and stiffening. I was feeding alfalfa every day. Two years after my last contact with alfalfa I was pregnant with my third child, I was incapacitated by body-wide joint and muscle pain. I was tested for RA, lupus, etc etc etc, All negative. My body wasn't attacking the baby so I got shrugged off.

* During my second pregnancy I couldn't keep food down for the whole pregnancy,

* I get migraiones, especially when pregnant.

* My joints still flare up without warning. I have not found a pattern in the flare ups.

* I am allergic to cigarette smoke. It makes me ill and flares my joints up.

* Currently, after baby 3, my diet and exercise are having not effect on me. I am heavier than I have ever been and, though I do usually 100 crunches a day, my abs are still separated. I'm not THAT stressed about all this because I'm still very post-partum. Oh, and I'm losing my hair. My ponytail has never been this thin.

* I should mention that I have an anxiety disorder. I pinpoint it becoming a serious challenge at around 15, though I was always displaying signs of it, A low dose of sertraline keeps me even-keeled.

* When I am in contact with something I'm allergic to I get 'itchy acne' along my chin and throat and jaw line.

* On consuming carbs or something sweet I get seriously thirsty.

* I drink about 12 bottles of water a day. I am always thirsty,

* Blood sugar and food sesitivities make me moody, and give me migraines,

Now I have the puzzle pieces and need to fit things together.

Day One Gluten-Free and researching

So, in light of some developments in the family, I am more determined than ever to try to uncover some health trends that seem to haunt the family.

1) The women tend to be sick compared to the men.

2) Heavy Periods with crippling cramps

3) Food intolerences, including gluten sesitivity that does not test positive in a celiac disease test

4) Joint, bone, and muscle pain

5) Chronic back pain

In my own history I have had bowel problems, usually connected to menstrual cycles. I have food sensitivities and intolerences, I have joint and muscle pain-- was tested for RA and Celiac disease and, though my white blood cell count was elevated, it did not point to any specific explanation.

I want to get well. I want to be well.

There's some interesting facts out there. Gluten intolerance (not celiac) is associated a 'sister ailment' with endometriosis.

http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/lofiversion/index.php/t9684.html

PLUS we already know we have it in our family and it RUNS IN FAMILIES.

It seems more likely to me that there is one larger ailment running in the family in common rather than the long long long list of problems the women in the family have. Even the trend of serious back pain could be explained if we all had various forms of endometriosis.

Also, endometriosis does not always effect fertility.

This is how diagnosis are being made:

http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/endometriosis/EM_diagnosis.html

I intend to continue doing my research on this subject and to test. If NOT the case, then at least it's one thing written out of what the problems could be. So far I have tested negative for fibromyalgia, RA, Lupus, and numerous other problems. All I have ever been told is that my white blood cell count is elevated and no one knows why.

Another interesting fact is that a tilted uterus can be a sign of endometriosis, which we already know is common to the family.

AS a note-- this research is purely for myself and I'm blogging it just to keep track of information. Hopefully I will not offend anyone by this research. I really want to find a fix for my health problems and, this time, I'm going to fight to find answers so I can have a more normal life.

Kasen's 4 mo. appointment!

24 inches (25%)

14 lbs 14 oz (50%)

41 1/4 cm head (25%)

The DR said that he's going to catch up with Noah soon :)

LOL

I was just daydreaming and had the realization that my three boys would be GREAT (in wigs) to play Renesmee in Breaking Dawn-- since they're all pretty and they all look the same, they'd be the perfect progression.

I'm so weird!

Ok, the other boys :)

Kevin is really excelling in school. He reads really well and is the epitome of good behavior... at school. At home he's been having his challenges. I think he's just not getting enough sleep. Even when he's in bed early, he doesn't fall asleep until late-- sounds like me! He's a really fun and imaginative boy and Noah wants to be exactly like him. The other day they set up a restaurant in the backyard.

Most of the time the boys play super hero/ ninja turtle/ knights. Both boys love the Avatar and so have elemental 'powers'.

Noah is off of all juice and most sweets and seems to be getting better. He's tiny... but he is growing. He's going through the ultra-terrible threes and seems to believe that tantrums can make the impossible possible. He's back in our bed after a serious power struggle. His health is just too important right now to have him up all night.

Soon we're going to be chicken-free. We're going to eat the three roosters we somehow ended up with and give the one pullet to my MIL. We've had a really bad year for animals and I'm seriously disheartened.

Keith is still job searching. Hopefully we'll hear something soon.

I've been walking to school to pick up Kev lately, but we have to get a tire repaired now, so not today...

OK, ok, OK!!!!

I have to admit that facebook puts a BIG damper on me blogging. And it's not that I don't have a lot to say.

Kasen is growing so fast and is so strong, that I don't even know how to handle it. I've never had a baby this young be this strong, so it's all new territory to me.

Kasen can roll over both directions now. The second we put him down on his back it's POP! On his tummy and kicking his feet and very S-L-O-W-L-Y creeping away, usually singing the whole time and being excited.

He loves blankets and they go into his mouth at every opportunity. He smiles ALL the time. He's not extremely vocal. He doesn't make many sounds, except the occasional singing and then once in a while he gets upset and says 'wah'. It takes something big-- like scratching himself on the face-- to get him rattled enough to really cry.

I'm trying to get ready for Christmas while still pretending to believe that Keith was serious when he said he wanted to shop before last minute this year... it makes me antsy...

And I sold a recipe on etsy this morning! Yummy pickles! :) I can't sell the actual items because I don't have a registered kitchen :(.