Tomorrow is the day

Tomorrow my daughter gets tested by the allergist for food allergies.

Then I can schedule the nutrionist

This should be good.

The Nutritionist and the Allergist

Well, this Gluten Free for 3 weeks, has certainly been an adventure.

Now it's time for some help... especially since I think that most of the positive results of the gluten free could be my imagination.

Enter the Nutrionist.

Turns out that my insurance has several nutrionists in the area that accept my insurance. I called and have been playing phone tag with one woman who informed me during one phone tag session that they will be accepting new patients in October. That's good news. I'm going to sign up.

Enter the Allergist.

Yup, I'm going to have her tested for Wheat allergy.. because if she can be diagnosed, then I might be able to get some help with the ever rising price for wheat free groceries! (I love Whole Foods... read my blog entry..but it was pretty expensive)

I was thinking that she might actually have a food allergy, because once I started introducing some regular food back into her diet her exzema came back on her finger tips... and she has asked for her inhaler before going to bed the last couple of nights.

Now I just need to know if she is allergic to just wheat or something else.

I'll keep you posted.

INTERESTING APIPHANY

All along... I have been wondering and worrying over the effects of the gluten free diet on my kids.
Wondering if it was having a positive metobolic effect
Worrying if I was restricting their diet needlessly

And it never occurred to me to think about how it was affecting me... because we are all limiting our wheat and gluten intake.

So... let me lay it out for you

We are definitely in week three

I have cheated on the gluten diet several times with a full on lunch, and once with a bear claw danish (it was home made from a bakery... how could I resist)

First - Hip Pain:
Symptom: Every month (you know... wink wink... monthly) I get excruiating pain in my hip joint, as it come to that... cough cough... time of the month. I had gone to the Dr. a couple of years ago and they explained... soft tissue, blah blah blah, I noticed in the last year or so that the pain recurred specifically around... that time of the month, so I self diagnosed myself as ... well, things happen and I take lots of motrin.
Result: I just realized, I mean I just now realized that I haven't had that hip pain since I changed my diet

Second - Thigh Cramps - Charlie Horses
Symptom: Since my last pregnancy (which is now 4 years ago) I have been plagued with charlie horses in my inner thigh and feet. I tried drinking more water, eating more bananas, drinking less coffee, but they persisted. They occurred almost every night with some reprieves that lasted as long as a week, but they always came back.
Result: I just realized that I haven't had a leg cramp or foot cramp since I changed my diet. I continue to drink tons of coffee and not much water. Interesting?

OK... I have to go make breakfast... this is the hard part. Hard to make something the kids will like... that they will eat.

Have a great day

Pondering the Gluten Allergy Test

Good Morning.
I was just thinking.... going over the last couple of weeks. Going over the changes I imagined in my daughter when she isn't eating wheat products... and I just can't wrap my brain around it.

On the one hand:
I think she seems like a much sweeter child, less sullen and less prone to fly off the handle when I say, "no" to something.
I think, she has more patience, and is more thoughful.
I think, she has less gas (sorry about that, but it's true)
I think, she doesn't come up to me as often saying, "I'm bored, what is there to do" but instead entertains herself better or finds things to do...
I think, she is less lazy (well, I'm calling it lazy, but I think it's more like she is MORE motivated.. not just less lazy, she seems to have more desire to so things)

On the other hand:
It's freaking hard to find things that they will all eat that doesn't have wheat or gluten.
These are kids that are NOT prone to experimenting with their food... and they base EVERYTHING on what it looks like... NOT what it tastes like.


The end analysis is....... on the one hand --
I think that I see improvement in my oldest daughter
(not so much in the younger ones... although, I think I notice when they have eaten other foods because they eat the other stuff every sunday with their father)

and on the other hand
It's HARD and Expensive to maintain this lifestyle.

--I'm thinking about the test--
Not the celiac check-out-the-lower-intestines test-- but the less invasive test at the allergist. I have read that the test can come back negative and the child can still have a sensitivity...

Why the test: I guess, I am hoping that if she is positive I can say to her father: Look. You have to stop poisoning your daughter.

Then I think.... will that work? She has asthma, and he still smokes in the car.

Well, that's all for another day.

have a great one!

Long Time No Write -- Here's the Update

Monday was a particularly heinous day.

Without going into HUGE detail..... I broke down and brought my kids to the local Pizzaria...

Preface: As you may have already read, my ex-husband is has not been diligently keeping the kids gluten free on his Sunday visitations.

I didn't sleep well, or very long on Monday Morning, the kids had minor meltdowns when it was time for me to go to work, and the day at work was long and hard... and I came home at 5:00 without a plan or supplies to make a quick dinner.

Off to the pizzaria we went. BIG mistake. That evening was meltdown city.

While I was experiencing the meltdowns... I realized that over the last 2 weeks, I have noticed a big change in the kids in that they were fussy at times, but they didn't have the hysterical over the top emotional episodes that they tend to have after seeing their father and ... like Monday night, after eating the pizza.

Then again, on Friday when I ... throwing caution to the wind, went to subway and they all had the mini-pizza there for lunch... big mistake... keeps getting worse.

My oldest daughter was looking less and less sullen and angry until I reintroduced the pizza. I'm waiting to see if her excema comes back.

So the thing that I noticed most was, that my oldest didn't have hysterical freak fests when she ran into the little road blocks in life, but was able to deal a little better.

So... the question is... is it gluten, or wheat? Apparently although intertwined, they are not the same thing.

Today I am going to borrow my sisters bread maker.

I'm going to borrow the bread maker to make pizza dough and muffins and I was thinking about making bagels (my oldest LOVES Bagels)

Honestly here's the list of things they miss:
Bagels
Bread
Pizza
Kraft Mac N Cheese (yes, they have tried the Annie's but they don't like it)
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (has to do with missing bread)
Chicken Nuggets

-McDonalds & Wendy's-


Well, today I'm going to Whole Foods for the first time. I'm hoping to drop my kids off at my sisters house and do the shopping without them... but I'm not sure if that will occur. So, I'll keep you posted.

Day 9 or 10

I've lost track.
I have to say, I'm in a terrible mood. (see http://rosiethewonderdog.blogspot.com) for my latest angry rant.

Anyway, the kids are gluten free. Besides them being less gassy, I don't notice much difference this week... although Maggie's moods have been less volatile and come to think of it... I think that my younger two aren't whining that much this week. However, I have been working so far... today's my first day home... so we will see between today and tomorrow.

Then there is one more week, to see how it is going.

Here's the thing. The problem is Sunday's their father doesn't seem to be able to stop himself from feeding them whatever they want, not necessarily what is better for them.

Sad but true.

We shall see how it goes.

Day 8? or 9 - The days are melding into each other

The kids are fine.
I made the mistake of taking them shopping and they saw a bunch of things that they haven't had in a week.... donuts, cookies.... hhhmmmmm that's it.

Well, I tried the gluten free donuts from The Health Shoppe - Terrible

So, here are some premade things and what we thought

Chocolate covered donuts: Terrible
Oreo looking cookies: yucky
Homemade chocolate chip cookies from gluten free mix: ok - good
Regular frozen Gluten Free waffles: yuck
Banana frozen gluten free waffles: yuck
Wild puffs - chocolate cereal (wheat free): LOVED THEM!
Wild Fruit cereal: LOVED THEM
Red Mill Oatmeal: loved it.
Pretzel: loved them
store bought gluten free bread: ok to yucky (reported that it tastes like pizza crust)
Soy pudding: loved it
Tofuti "ice cream": berry flavored: TERRIBLE
Tofuti fudgesicles: LOVED THEM
Annie's gluten free Mac n Cheese: initially hated, now will eat some of it...
Brown Rice spaghetti: ok
Gluten Free spaghetti sauce: didn't notice difference
---------------------------

Here are the 2 things I'm going to try this week:

Gluten Free Tortilla's.
First of all, I haven't found any gluten free tortilla's... and since most of the mexican food is gluten free with the exception of the tortilla... I'm going to try to "invent" one.

---- Stay tuned I'll let you know how it turns out... perhaps you will see it in your market soon! maggie's gluten free tortilla's

Kids are still sleeping, I have other blogs to update!
Have a great day!