Circle Block Trying to Fit Into a Square Hole??

I can't seem to comfortably integrate myself back into this world after making such a health recovery.

How do people live their whole lives incredibly sick?

I feel like I've survived a war zone with certain unsettling emotions melted into the very depth of myself. Ok I'm probably going to come back and read this in a few months and think that I was being entirely too dramatic.

But nonetheless my demeanor feels off. It was brought to my attention that I first started having obvious health issues 2 years ago. Wait two years ago?! Another, and I'm sure not the last momentarily mind blowing realization that a certain amount of time has passed in relation to some said event. 

It's going to take some work to bring back some of the lightness into my life.

Silly and funny have always been something that have been a big part of my life.

Sometimes the heavy makes me forgot that I used to be this way a lot more often than I am now.

There was once a point where it was much harder to locate a picture of myself not making some ridiculous face.

My family seems quite down by the change of my demeanor.
Quoting my Aunt, "You used to be funny as hell."

Well I've always been a bit seemingly out of my control selectively awkward, shy, and quiet. But around those very close to me and my family I've often been a center of laughs. Granted my whole family knows how to make jokes and how to laugh.

Of course we all have a pretty serious side to ourselves and some of our jokes can be somewhat dark. There is also a very light side that all of us has carried no matter what we've been through in life. That's what makes my family so enjoyable to be around.

I can't get these Aerosmith lyrics out of my head, "Hey j-j- jaded in all its misery it'll always be what I loved and hated...Wouldn't change it, love me jaded."

I mean this song is talking about being jaded by a relationship. But many other things in life can jade a person. Not just relationships. I'm under the impression that just about anything can jade a person. Now I'm trying to think of some stupid example.

Ok Davea, whatever you say...how about too many trips to a zoo hmmm?? Can that jade a person??

You know what?! I would argue with confidence YES. One can be jaded by too many trips to a zoo.

...So we can all think of the common things that can jade a person. But there may be some less obvious things in a person's life that is jading them. After some introspection these things can be discovered and then something needs to be done about them.

Sickness has opened me up to seeing things that I never used to.

When I was extremely sick I pretty much only interacted with people on my facebook. I mean I had other friends but I rarely hung out with them during the worst point of my illness. I kind of stepped out of the world and I pretty much thought I would never be a normally functioning person again. I felt like I was going to be outside of something. Although just because one is sick they do not NEED to be outside of something. But think about it, it's really hard in a way not to be. Amongst all of the crazy going on in my life I mentally checked out of society. My thought process hasn't changed so much but a certain part of my thought process has deepened and thickened. It feels like I aged 30 years in 2 years.

I can't seem to get back in the game of it all.

All of these little everyday problems can't seem to keep my attention.
My minds always wandering to some bigger issue that I know cannot entirely be fixed. Change is possible, just look at history.

I really believe in this stuff. Just because I am functioning as I am without medicine doesn't mean that I can so easily go back to my old life. I don't think that I'll ever be able to go back to it. But we're always changing anyway, it seems to be that there is never an old life to return to anyways.

People need to be educated on this information. More information needs to be compiled. And more research needs to be done.

The- Omg Ahh! Where do I go from here?? DD: I was just diagnosed with Celiac Disease Starter Blog

Is this you?? 
Do people keep accidently offering you pasta??...
And then realize that although pasta may be a very tasty friend of theirs, it is MOST DEFINITELY not a friend of yours.

I would like to document here that this is simply my experience. My family doctor who is a Celiac taught me how to eat.
This is him and huge list of his accomplishments. He offers a free initial lecture that he makes his patients attend before they are allowed to make an appointment.
http://pro.osu.edu/profiles/aukerman.1/

Here are some ratings.
http://www.healthgrades.com/physician/dr-glen-aukerman-ychgk

So is a gluten free diet as simple as cutting out gluten?
For some yes, but unfortunately not for everyone. Most definitely initially not for me. 
Can you just go to your local whole foods store, buy gluten free items, and expect to heal properly?? Not always...
Number one you have to listen to your body, it will always lead you to the right direction.

Ok so number one here is cutting out gluten. What is gluten?? Gluten is a whey protein that when ingested causes an autoimmune reaction. It is not an allergy, but it can create other allergies and intolerances because of the autoimmune reaction that occurs in the gut when ingested. Ingesting gluten destroys the villi which are the part of your small intestines that absorb nutrients. On the tip of one's villi is the part of the digestive system that digests lactose. So second thing someone should do after cutting out gluten is to cut out dairy. This is not forever, this is just until the gut heals.
Ok so everyone is different, but this is what a lot of people that I have talked to find is best to do when trying to figure out what is bothering them.
Soy. There is something about soy. A lot of people with gluten issues have problem with soy. Also according to my doctor it has been found that soy can increase the risk for certain types of cancer. This may be controversial.
I would cut it out for now.
Also a lot of people have trouble with raw vegetables. I did. I suggest cooking them.

Honestly according to my doctor the best way to start off gluten free and to not be including what other foods bother you is to do an elimination diet. There is a lot of controversy in how to go about an elimination diet. What foods are people less likely to be allergic to and such. My doctor has found that beef and rice that is labeled gluten free usually fares people well. Also cooked vegetables seem to fare people well, so if one is a vegetarian possibly they could go that way. I have to eat grassfed beef. I would suggest starting with that over just regular beef. Also a lot of people fare well with potatoes. Life is not forever going to have to be like this...eating the same foods over and over again. But for a month or two this is generally the best bet to get the kind of improvement and healing that you want the quickest.

I would suggest not eating at a restaurant for a while. It is hard to know where the items are coming from. And their white rice most likely is not made in a special gluten free facility to avoid cross contamination.

Something else to seriously consider as I have mention before is to choose to eat foods that naturally decrease inflammation in the diet. This is the omega 3 and 6 diet, which deserves and a few blog posts on its own about it. To aim at having a better omega 3 and omega 6 ration in your diet. There is a lot of research backing this up in treating a variety of disorders, including autoimmune disorders. Celiac disease causes one's gut to be inflamed, but by balancing out this ratio naturally you may heal quicker and fuller. My doctor really is all about this. He uses it for all of his patients and suggests it to people who are not currently sick as more of a preventative medicine kind of thing.

Here's just one really great study to get the interest peaking. But don't take my word for it, do some reading and discern for yourself.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909

And this woman's blog is very well done and is very helpful when it comes to balancing the omega 3's and 6's.
http://paleozonenutrition.com/2011/05/10/omega-6-and-3-in-nuts-oils-meat-and-fish-tools-to-get-it-right/

He is also big on eating homegrown vegetables and when out of season frozen fruits and vegetables, less chemicals and latex to potentially react to and such. I will be getting into that at a later date. 
Here is some reading on the latex in vegetables theory.
http://dmd.nihs.go.jp/latex/cross-e.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11031347

You should expect to have stomach pain and other abdominal symptoms for a little while. It takes time. Don't expect improvement right away, but also if you are not improving for quite sometime what you are eating may still be bothering. You may be accidently ingesting gluten or you may be eating something that you are allergic to.

Once you do not have stomach pain any longer it would be good to continue on with your elimination diet by adding one food at a time and eating on that food for a couple of days before adding in another food. Sometimes people do not react to something they have eaten the first time around.

Now there is more to pay attention to. Be weary of drinking water from restaurants because one can get glutened from pop and water running through the same hose. I was running into this. There is a lot of controversy of what kind of water to drink. I was having trouble with certain bottled waters, so I just drink water from the tap that goes into my water bottle.

Something else that I had problems with was kissing. I was getting cross contamination from kissing. I was also getting gluten from my toothpaste. I use gluten free toothpaste and dental floss. Some people get diagnosed with celiac through their dentist. Make sure you brush your teeth after every meal. Celiac disease being the autoimmune condition that it is can weaken one's immune system making them less able to fight off the bacteria in food. It can cause the gum lines to recede. So be sure to floss and brush those teeth while you are healing. Plus why not forever? It's a great habit to get into.

Also when it comes to a partner as I have mentioned before to be sure that you do not ingest gluten through them it can be helpful to ask them to bath in gluten free products as you are. I did not initially do this. But I find it to be bothering me. I became quickly improved back to my previous level of health when the other's products were change.

I also use separate utensils and gluten free dishwashing liquids.

I've never experienced this myself by being glutened because I always take the precaution, but when cooking one's food in an oven it was suggested to me to wrap your food in aluminum foil and to place it in a container with a lid on it to avoid any cross contamination.

Some people recover without changing their products, but others do not. I wash my hair with gluten free shampoo and conditioner. I also use a gluten free soap. Anything on a product that says "fragrance" has gluten in it. My doctor suggests buying extracts, things like lavander and such. Something that does not bother you. There is also gluten in makeup. So I purchase gluten free make up as well.

To be honest being a Celiac has made me aware of the world around me. Every single product I use has thought put into it.

I actually enjoy it because I am using products that have few ingredients. I am not having all sorts of chemicals being put into my body. Everything is a lot simpler.

It is definitely a lifestyle change, but a very worthwhile one.

Here's a start. Good luck.
If you cheat and have a hard time getting disciplined accept it. Don't be afraid to start all over again. It's really tough, but it gets much better.

I enjoyed reading this post about taking care of oneself.
http://thequestforagoodlife.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/not-taking-care-of-ones-self/

"I long have been struck by the observation that, as Stephen Covey put it, “Common sense is not common practice.” For example, in my informal and occasional inspection of relevant medical research, it seems to me that scientists generally agree that health typically comes from (1) good nutrition, (2) regular exercise, (3) adequate sleep, and (4) stress management. I’ll save the details regarding these for another day. But, I am intrigued by a couple of things: (1) How many people get distracted from these basic truths and (2) how many people simply cannot motivate themselves to do what they know would lead to the best outcomes in their lives, such as good health."

A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TREATMENTS FOR AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES :)))

Well a friend in my National Guard Army Band, Leanne told me about this documentary called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. It's a true story about an Australian guy named Joe Cross who suffered from a debilitating autoimmune disorder called Urticaria. I don't know a whole lot about that particular autoimmune disorder except that it causes itchy rashes on the skin. Different things can trigger the outbreak such as the cold, touch, and anything that causes a histamine response. That sounds pretty horrible to me. He was on the traditional medicine that one with an autoimmune disorder is prescribed, Corticosteroids and Methlotrexate. He was also very overweight. It sounded like that was because of his diet, but I'm sure the meds did not help that situation. Also while on the medications he still had outbreaks, poor guy. Now he actually cured himself with a juice fast. And that's the basis of the whole documentary. He also ran into a guy along the way at a truck stop named Phil. Phil ended up trying the juice fast as well and after a lot of discipline and a lot of juice lol, his Urticaria went into remission as well. AWESOME! :DDD Here's his website: http://jointhereboot.com/


In my opinion the documentary is worth watching for everyone, even if they are not currently sick. It is very motivational! I have to tip my hat to Joe Cross and Phil Staples. That juicing diet can feel very socially isolating! It takes a lot of discipline. Good job guys! I am so glad they were rewarded for their efforts. :))


Now this documentary was shocking to me and was not shocking to me at the same time. A while back while I was very sick and waiting through many months of testing to find my diagnoses my condition kept worsening. That's when I decided to partake in self research. I truly had nothing to lose. I ran across this woman's article. She used a vegetarian diet and carrot juicing along with a lot dose antibiotic which is part of Doctor Brown's antibiotic therapy: http://www.roadback.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/studies.display/display_id/397.html
 I ordered the book.


The story about Dr. Brown's therapy in the link above is really quite the read. Dr. Brown discovered that a low dose antibiotic was effective even when tested with double blind studies done by The National Institute of Health. Effective enough where people have actually achieved remission on the antibioitics. Not everyone does, but many benefit some from the antibiotics in significant ways. We are dealing with debilitating diseases here. Diseases that leave people wheelchair bound. It seems worth a shot, especially when the treatment here is a low dose of minocycline. That's the same antibiotic that people often use for acne actually. This thereapy is not common practice though.


Quoting the article, "Not everyone was surprised. When Tom Brown had made his final television appearance on Good Morning America back in 1988, Joan Lunden said his approach to arthritis was "turning the medical world upside down." His answer was a quiet, "I'm trying to turn it rightside up." I have met several of Tom Brown's patients who have controlled their connective tissue disease with minocycline for decades, and the only other effect they ever noticed was that they almost never were bothered by the common cold."


Too bad this therapy was not mentioned to me by my rheumatologist. Hmmm...I wonder why. Really, I do wonder why! Nothing against anybody, I just really am curious.


Here is Karen's story: http://www.roadback.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/community.display/display_id/267.html


To sum up Karen's story, she was working in a factory where a handful of people came down with rare autoimmune disorders. I believe one of them died, but possibly two of them. She personally was diagnosed with Lupus and Dermatomyocitis and gained remission while on the corticosteroids. But after a while her symptoms flared up, her symptoms became horrifically intense and she found herself in the hospital, not responding to the traditional treatment. That is what lead her to use alternate treatment, incorporating diet, supplements, and a low dose antibiotic. I also want to add that when I emailed her questioning her about her article she responded the very next day. She also wrote me a huge, compassionate email. She was so nice! I am very glad that she has been in remission for 5 years after her tough experience! I hope to follow in her direction.


I am possibly going to follow this form of treatment. Currently I am trying to get rid of a strep throat infection. That's a whole story in itself....
......
...
........anyways...
It's actually doing pretty well right  now, but it is an interesting story thus far.


One more study that I'd like to share here is what got me interested in Celiac Disease possibly being a cause to my disease. I found a research study from Quebec in which a woman with Dermatomyocitis gained remission on a gluten free diet.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2659927/


I remember finding this study I ran downstairs, showed it to my roommate, and began jumping up and down. lol Wouldn't you????!!! :))


Quoting the article, "After she was put on a strict gluten-free diet, both nutritional deficiencies and the dermatomyositis resolved... It is suggested that patients with newly diagnosed dermatomyositis be investigated for concomitant celiac disease even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms."


So all of this is pretty cool isn't it?? :p