Gluten Free Brownies...and Communion

These are the gluten free brownies I made this weekend. I got the recipe from www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com. They are pretty good (especially with some Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla on top), and I can tell a difference when I eat them compared to regular ones. This is truly amazing to me, that I've had this my entire life, and had no earthly idea. I felt like getting out this afternoon, when I would normally spend the entire afternoon asleep. I went shopping because...drum roll...I'm down ANOTHER SIZE, thank you very much!! I'm feeling so much better, and praise God for the discovery. (insert segway here) Speaking of God, I was at church this morning, and, as is usual, we take Communion. Today, I noticed I had an allergic reaction to the cracker. Now, this is going to sound crazy, but I've had these reactions every Sunday since I started taking Communion...6th grade. Also crazy, since the reaction is my throat closing up, I thought it was because I was feeling claustrophobic sitting in the middle of the pew, around so many people. What if I'm NOT claustrophobic??!! OH MY GOODNESS, THIS IS CRAZY!! What if it's just because I'm allergic to the cracker, it closes my throat, and that's what's uncomfortable? AND, do you realize how SMALL of a smidgen of cracker I actually eat for Communion???!!! WOW! Amazing, I tell ya! Kevin and I googled gluten-free communion cracker, and there they were...on amazon.com. I'm bringing my own from now on, and it's about to get real spiritual up in here!!!

Like Sands Through The Hour Glass...

....so, I begin the gluten-free days of my life. I'm amazed at this whole situation. First of all, there is such a joyful freedom just knowing what has been causing these problems. I don't have to be afraid of food, or guess if something is or isn't going to get me sick. It has been a week and a day since my last gluten consumption, and I still feel the effects of it. It takes a while for it to get out of the system...about a month, doc says. Over the last 48 hours I've been obsessed with reading about gluten-free living. Most of the information is on websites dedicated to Celiac disease...www.celiac.com; www.celiac.org; www.celiaccentral.org; www.cureceliacdisease.org...just to name a few. When I started this blog, I had no idea it would take me here. I started with intent to feel better by changing my bad eating and lack of exercise habits. In my mind, when I think about all the things I'm going to learn about gluten allergy, and all the things I'm going to want to post here, I cringe, because I don't want to be another one of "those" blogs, where the focus is about the writer's aliments. BUT, we'll see how this goes. I'm embarking on something life changing though, I just know it! If I have more energy than I've ever had,well then...you people need to brace yourselves :-) This is how I feel

And definately how I'm about to look!! Lost 22 pounds so far, and it's still coming off. (insert another jump here!!) Ok, and this girl seems more tan than I'll ever be, but these are just details...

HOPE!!!

I have hope after yesterday's visit to Doc Brown. I'm allergic to wheat, for sure. Not so much the other stuff. He gave me a run down of what wheat(aka. flour) is used for, in addition to the usual suspects. For instance, it's the white powder on gum. I chew gum everday to keep me from eating snacks in the afternoon. That means I'm injesting something I'm allergic to every afternoon. The extreme fatigue and muscle cramps are part of the allergic reaction. Additionally, I have an occasional burger (allergic to the bun), dessert (allergic to...deep sigh...cake), or pasta. I'm evidently so sensitive to wheat that even the occasional indulgence is a BAD THING!! I'm having a Celiac panel test today. He says that there is a spectrum of wheat allergy...from no allergy to Celiac disease. He does not think I have Celiac, however I am on that side of the spectrum with an intense allergy to it. We'll have a more specific idea of how allergic I am after the test today. Good news is I'm not allergic to potatoes, rice, quinoa, and a few other grains. OH! And the VERY interesting part is I've been allergic my entire life. He compared it to a smoker. The first time someone smokes, they cough, hack, choke, tear up, etc. After a while, the body adjusts. While the smoker doesn't feel the effects, the nicotine is slowly harming the body. Same thing here. When I was a baby, Mom and Dad gave me something with wheat. I became fussy, and it was attributed to just being a baby. My body got used to it, I didn't notice the symptoms, and it's been slowly harming my body. In January, I detoxed for the parasite, and now I feel the effects. SO INTERESTING!!! AND...it's explains so much! I can think back, and recognize symptoms I was having that I attributed to other things. Anyway, I'm glad that's "all that's left to fix." I did some walking this week too, without getting dizzy. Hopefully, I can get back to the gym soon.

This Has Gone On WAY TOO LONG!!

What to say? I'm plugging along through this journey of restricted diet and random episodes of fatigue. I would love to sit here and type about my successful ability to overcome the diet restricitons, but such is not yet the case. At my last doc appointment he said I could start trying to add some things back into my diet, like raw veggies, gluten free stuff, and some grains. Well, so far, every time I try to add stuff, I have this wierd allergic reaction to it all. I have NEVER had food allergies, so this is really a shock to my psyche. I have been able to figure out that anything with flour, corn, corn products (corn syrup, corn starch, etc), and raw celery (cooked ok...random)cause these allergic reactions. The reactions are not pleasant at all, and have made me scared to eat. So, I've decided to stop trying things and just go back to the original restrictions. Less complicated, and less fearful. On a positive note, I was able to eat a mini Snickers without consequence...oh, happy day! Also, on a positive note, I have found that recipes are much better tasting without the canned products. I had no idea how much I relied on canned tomatoes. I love the fresh taste of the tomatoes, although when cooked, they are not as red as the canned ones. I haven't checked a can of tomatoes, but I'll be there's some dye in it or something. Things like chili, spaghetti sauce, okra and tomatoes, and veggie soup have taken on a remarkable new flavor. Then, there's the random, unexpected episodes of fatigue. This was a very common occurance when all this health stuff began back in November. It took me from November until January to be able to complete a full work week (which is, actually, only 32 hours for me...nice, huh). This week for the first time since then, I missed church on Sunday and a day of work this week. I just don't get it, but that's what Doc Brown is for. I'll see him next week. I'm just tired of all this change and stuff. I'm hoping for some resemlance of normalcy to rise from the rubble. Any day now...it's coming...I'm sure of it! And, I realize this looks like some stream of consciousness thing. I tried to make paragraphs, and blogger is being stubborn today.

Texas Bluebonnets Are In Bloom

It's not all about physical health. Gotta have some fun too :-) We drove to Ennis, Tx today and toured the Texas Bluebonnet Trail. A-MAZ-ING!

And there were some animals out there too!

These are elk??? Maybe?? Really have NO idea, but look at the furry horns!

These are goats hearding themselves through the fence to the next pasture.

A beatiful day that I am thankful to have been able to take in.

Back Sliding and Creepy Mustache Monster Man

WOW...so, integrity. Defined in a sermon I once heard as doing the right thing, even when nobody is looking. So, what is it called when you do the wrong thing when somebody IS looking? Back sliding, I suppose. Kevin saw the whole thing...all month long! I have not really had a consistent month, as far as eating right. I would say I had a 75% success rate, where in the months before I was knocking it out of the park at almost 100%. I'm gonna need to regroup! It's amazing to me how much stress zaps my resolve for consistency. Not just in eating, but sleeping, exercising, and other stuff. I'm sure that's normal on some level, but I really do need to regroup. Glad tomorrow is my Friday, and I'm leavin' town for some Tulsa time this weekend.

Also, this evening, Kevin and I saw Needs-to-eat-a-hamburger guy from the gym out in the neighborhood running. What an awkward runner!! He was all hunched over and looked like he was almost limping, and his arms were wagging all over the place. Dude has a new nick-name...Creepy Mustache Monster Guy. He has a mustache now too. It's too big for his face, very scragly. NOT THAT I'M JUDGING ANYONE...AT ALL!!!!! And, he DOES still need to eat a hamburger! NOT JUDGING!!!!

Pictures From Honduras

I figured I would share more about Honduras than the fact that there might be parasites in the water. I went twice, once in December 1996, and then returned in May 1997 and stayed through September 1997. Here are some of the adventures. In these pictures, my hair is short because it was growing back in. I had finished my chemo treatments in August 1996.

My host family, Calvin and Linda Henry. Mr. Henry and my dad traveled to Columbia, doing mission work, back in the 80's before it was the drug/crime capital of the world.

Typical Honduran scenery seen on the way to missions in the mountains.

I helped out with translation in the clinics we visited.

And,here's a monkey :-)

A group came from ACU, headed by Harland Rall. Mr. Rall is another friend of my dad, also involved in mission work together.

This is the scenery at the school where we set up a clinic for the local village. The next pics show the set up of what we did most places we went.
Church groups would come in for one week, and have various missions. I don't have any pics of the homes that were built, but there was always a group building homes in addition to the medical mission.

Non-medical, non-spanish speakers removing lice from children's heads.

A typical triage scene at the school. Edwin Goodwin is on the left, and was in charge of the Clinica Amicus at the Baxter Institue, where I was living.

This is a nurse that came with a group from Tennessee, helping out with blood pressures on other vitals.

This is Edwin's wife, whose name I don't remember. She was the pharmacist, and is handing out meds to the locals.

I have no idea why I would have picked up some random rodent, but then again, I drank the water too.

That sums it up :-)