So I've been eating at restaurants and such. I wanted to know how big of an impact that would make on my lab results. Well now I know, I do have some gluten in my system. It could also be from "gluten free" products. I guess you are putting a lot of trust into every company that you buy a product from.
For quite some time now I am going to be very careful with my health and see how it affects my labs. I am not going to eat any processed foods at all, even if they are gluten free. It's going to be a vegetable based diet with supplements. This is going to balance out my omega 3's and omega 6's. I want to see if I can get my gluten test down to a 1. I am feeling symptom free with the way I have been eating. But still yet my lab results do show some gluten damage. It's been very enjoyable eating out with everybody at restaurants the past few months, but I am going to clean things up for a while. I almost expect cross contamination at most restaurants. Interesting. I'll be back to discuss these lab results in more detail next entry.
Component
Latest Ref Rng 7/18/2012
IGA 7 = 23 % gluten impact on your immune system since at 30 would equal 100%.
IGG 5 = 16 % gluten impact on your small bowel lining since at 30 would equal 100%.
Component
Latest Ref Rng 7/18/2012
GLIADIN AB, IGG
<20 units 5
GLIADIN AB, IGA
<20 units 7
WBC
4.5 - 11.0 K/uL 7.2
RBC
3.8 - 5.1 M/uL 4.41
HEMOGLOBIN (HGB)
11.7 - 15.5 g/dL 14.2
HEMATOCRIT (HCT)
35.0 - 45.0 % 42.6
MEAN CELL VOLUME
81.0 - 100.0 fL 96.6
MEAN CELL HGB CONCENTRATION
32 - 36 g/dL 33.4
RBC DISTRIBUTION
11.6 - 14.8 13.8
GRANS, ELECTRONIC
40 - 70 % 74.8 (H)
LYMPHS, ELECTRONIC
22.0 - 44.0 % 15.8 (L)
MONOCYTES, ELECTRONIC
0 - 7.0 % 7.8 (H)
EOSINOPHILS, ELECTRONIC
0 - 5.0 % 1.4
BASOPHILS, ELECTRONIC
0 - 2 % 0.2
GRANS, ABSOLUTE
1.8 - 7.7 K/uL 5.3
LYMPHS, ABSOLUTE
1.0 - 4.8 K/uL 1.1
MONOS, ABSOLUTE
0 - 0.8 K/uL 0.6
EOS, ABSOLUTE
0 - 0.5 K/uL 0.1
BASO, ABSOLUTE
0 - 0.2 K/uL 0.0
PLATELET COUNT, MANUAL ENTER
150 - 400 K/uL 270
MEAN PLATELET VOLUME
7.5 - 11.2 fL 8.4
SODIUM
136 - 145 mmol/L 139
POTASSIUM
3.5 - 5.1 mmol/L 3.8
CHLORIDE
98 - 107 mmol/L 107
BUN
6.0 - 20.0 mg/dL 8
CREATININE SERUM
0.60 - 1.10 mg/dL 0.53 (L)
BILIRUBIN, TOTAL
<1.5 mg/dL 1.1
ALBUMIN
3.4 - 4.8 g/dL 4.1
PROTEIN, TOTAL
6.4 - 8.3 g/dL 7.5
AST
5 - 34 U/L 24
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE
38 - 126 U/L 80
CALCIUM
8.6 - 10.0 mg/dL 8.9
BUN/CREA RATIO
15
CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)
21 - 31 mmol/L 24
ALT
8 - 35 U/L 18
ESTIMATED GFR, NON AFRICAN AMER
>60 mL/min/1.73sqM >60
ESTIMATED GFR, AFRICAN AMERICAN
>60 mL/min/1.73sqM >60
ANION GAP
mmol/L 12
BILIRUBIN, DIRECT
<0.3 mg/dL 0.1
CHOLESTEROL
<200 mg/dL 129
TRIGLYCERIDES-TRIGE
<150 mg/dL 45
HDL CHOLESTEROL
>60.0 mg/dL 67
CHOLESTEROL, TOTAL/HDL
<4.5 1.9
LDL CHOLESTEROL, CALCULATED
0 - 99 mg/dL 53
NON-HDL CHOLESTEROL (CHOL-HDL)
<130 mg/dL 62
HEMOGLOBIN A1C
4.7 - 5.8 % 4.4 (L) Eat more often and more food
Estimated Average Glucose
80
MAGNESIUM
1.6 - 2.6 mg/dL 2.2
VITAMIN D 25 HYDROXY
30 - 100 ng/mL 42.1
C-REACTIVE PROTEIN
0.00 - 9.99 mg/L <0.20
TSH, HIGH-SENSITIVITY
0.550 - 4.780 uIU/mL 1.536
DHEA-SULFATE
35 - 430 ug/dL 304
IGA
70 - 400 mg/dL 255
SEDIMENTATION RATE AUTOMATED
0 - 19 mm/hr 9
ESTRADIOL, ENHANCED
4.4 - 49.2 pg/mL 113.1 (H) from soy proteins so work to remove
These are my lab results from quite a while ago... Fun to compare! At least I think so. haha...
Component
Latest Ref Rng 3/14/2011
WBC
4.5 - 11.0 K/uL 6.9
RBC
3.8 - 5.1 M/uL 3.80
Hemoglobin (HGB), MANUAL ENTER
11.7 - 15.5 g/dL 12.2
HEMATOCRIT (HCT), MANUAL ENTER
35.0 - 45.0 % 36.5
MEAN CELL VOLUME
81.0 - 100.0 fL 96.0
MEAN CELL HGB CONCENTRATION
32 - 36 g/dL 33.5
RBC DISTRIBUTION
11.6 - 14.8 13.9
GRANS, ELECTRONIC
40 - 70 % 77.3 (H)
LYMPHS, ELECTRONIC
22.0 - 44.0 % 14.2 (L)
MONOCYTES, ELECTRONIC
0 - 7.0 % 7.2 (H)
EOSINOPHILS, ELECTRONIC
0 - 5.0 % 0.9
BASOPHILS, ELECTRONIC
0 - 2 % 0.4
GRANS, ABSOLUTE
1.8 - 7.7 K/uL 5.3
LYMPHS, ABSOLUTE
1.0 - 4.8 K/uL 1.0
MONOS, ABSOLUTE
0 - 0.8 K/uL 0.5
EOS, ABSOLUTE
0 - 0.5 K/uL 0.1
BASO, ABSOLUTE
0 - 0.2 K/uL 0.0
PLATELET COUNT
150 - 400 K/uL 333
MEAN PLATELET VOLUME
7.5 - 11.2 fL 7.9
SODIUM
136 - 145 mmol/L 136
POTASSIUM
3.5 - 5.1 mmol/L 3.4 (L)
CHLORIDE
98 - 107 mmol/L 103
BUN
6.0 - 20.0 mg/dL 20
CREATININE SERUM
0.6 - 1.1 mg/dL 0.56 (L) This is fine
GLUCOSE, MANUAL ENTER
74 - 106 mg/dL 72 (L)
BILIRUBIN, TOTAL
<1.5 0.5
ALBUMIN
3.4 - 4.8 g/dL 3.4
PROTEIN, TOTAL
6.4 - 8.3 g/dL 6.9
AST
5 - 34 U/L 42 (H)
ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE
38 - 126 U/L 60
CALCIUM
8.6 - 10.0 mg/dL 8.7
OSMOLALITY (CALC)
275 - 295 mOsm/kg 286
BUN/CREA RATIO
36
CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)
21 - 31 mmol/L 25
ALT
8 - 35 U/L 37 (H)
ESTIMATED GFR, NON AFRICAN AMER
>60 . . .
ESTIMATED GFR, AFRICAN AMERICAN
>60 . . .
TOTAL PROTEIN-TP
6.4 - 8.3 g/dL 6.9
ALBUMIN-ALB
3.7 - 4.9 g/dL 3.3 (L)
ALPHA 1
0.2 - 0.4 g/dL 0.3
ALPHA 2
0.5 - 1.0 g/dL 0.8
BETA
0.5 - 1.1 g/dL 0.8
GAMMA
0.6 - 1.5 g/dL 1.7 (H)
SPE INTERPRETATION
There is a polyclonal hypergamma-proteinemia that may occur in chronic . . .
SPE REVIEWED BY #2:
Michael G. Bissell, MD
T3 UPTAKE
0.75 - 1.23 bind index 1.23
T4 TOTAL THYROXIN
4.5 - 10.9 ug/dL 5.5
FREE THYROXIN INDEX
4.2 - 13.0 ug/dL 6.8
TSH, HIGH-SENSITIVITY
0.550 - 4.780 uIU/mL 0.772
DQ alpha 1
01:02,05:01
DQ BETA 1
02:01,05:02
CELIAC GENE PAIRS PRESENT?
Yes
CELIAC ASSOC HLA INTERPRETATION
(NOTE) . . .
HGB-A1C
4.7 - 5.8 % 4.8
Estimated Average Glucose
91
GLIADIN AB, IGG
2.0 . . .
GLIADIN AB, IGA
3.3 . . .
MAGNESIUM,SERUM
1.6 - 2.6 mg/dL 2.2
PTH INTACT
14.0 - 72.0 pg/mL 45.7
VITAMIN D 25 HYDROXY
30 - 100 ng/mL 40.4
URIC ACID
2.3 - 6.6 mg/dL 4.5
C-REACTIVE PROTEIN
0.00 - 9.99 mg/L 4.61
ANTI MICROSOMAL ANTIBODY
<35.0 <10.0
T3
0.60 - 1.81 ng/mL 0.61
T3 FREE
2.3 - 4.2 pg/mL 2.1 (L)
T4 FREE
0.89 - 1.76 ng/dL 0.91
DHEA-SULFATE
35 - 430 ug/dL 205
ACTH
9.0 - 50.0 pg/mL 15.0
CORTISOL
3.09 - 22.40 ug/dL 12.15
IGA
70 - 400 mg/dL 399
IGE
7 - 135 IU/mL 332.0 (H)
SEDIMENTATION RATE
0 - 19 mm/hr 41 (H)
RHEUMATOID FACTOR
0 - 20 IU/mL <20
ANA, IFA
NEG POSITIVE (A)
ANA PATTERN
SPECKLED
ANA, QUANTITATIVE
1:1280 . . .
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Idea's Brewing: Thus the whole house has a coffee aroma.
Ok, soooo what to do with all of this information.
Lets just say if there was ever a good time to have an autoimmune disease it's now. lol
This blog of mine here really is not that unique, this information is getting to be very popular. I've found some other pretty awesome blogs that people have written. I need to friend those people on here. It's not about, "Hey I'm awesome, look how smart I am. I'm so great I cured my disease."
Well for one I didn't actually achieve what I've achieved thus far on my own...
I had a great doctor.
I had great family support.
I had great friend support.
I was emailing others with similar sickness who were helpful and responsive.
I found information from different people who shared it, a lot on the internet.
I read helpful books that others published.
I read the research, which I was guided to by my doctor who encouraged such things.
I attended lectures that my doctor taught.
...
.....and it goes on.
Of course I am proud of my persistance and my ability to gather information. Glad I was able to put it into action. But this whole process has been very intricate. Emotional, physical, internal, external.
There are a lot of research studies out there. I'm sure we need more, but good stuff is brewing in the medical field.
Gosh, you gotta love all of these health food stores popping up. Of course you just can't go into a health food store, load up your cart, and just expect that you are eating healthy. That's not how it works, but people are definitely more aware. :DD :))
Personally I'd like to become a tool. Just one other person who has had a crazy health experience and learned a lot. I'd like to help other people. Plus this is a life long thing here for me. Helping others will help myself. I mean there's no question about that one. Plus honestly, I enjoy talking about this stuff. If I have outlets for this passion then I can balance "work" with fun. There's more to my life than just autoimmune diseases and food. :p Who woulda thunk it?? :p
So I need to build up my credibility for one, which is just a fancy way of saying that I need to graduate. That's where my focus is going to be for quite some time now. Well in quite some time I mean until December. lol In particular September to December, which pans out to be about 3 and a half months. Of course nothing that I've leared through all of this is going to help my graduate. LOL I mean maybe a little bit, but I'm not going to be tested on this information. It'll help me in my future career endeavors, but yeah that's quite a while down the road.
Now something I can do is compile information and research about the omega 3 and 6 diet and try to get that implemented at Aultman Hospital. Perhaps patients with certain types of cancer that have been shown to be affected by the 3 and 6 diet will be required to leave the hospital with information on this type of diet. The same goes for heart patients and patients with autoimmune diseases. And also mental disorders such as bipolar disorder, skizophrenia, and depression. I mean if this happened it would feel like such a dream. But I need to compile these studies and see if number one if there is enough consistant information out there to convince a board and to actually work on patients. I'm pretty sure about this stuff because of myself, my doctor, and everything I've read...but I'm just as skeptical as the next person. I live my life constantly skeptical. I want to convince myself. I know it helped me, but I'd love to see mass amounts of research studies conviently compiled. I'm sure someone out there has already done this. For one my doctor has spent a lot of time on this. But actually getting the information to be used wide spread would be amazing, especially if it is just as effective as my doctor and many others claim it to be. How totally cool.
So this summer I'd like to work on compiling these studies.
But number one is the schooling. It seems like not much progress is possible in implementing the research without my degree. And why not get some credit in the world of academia with looking further into this research. Maybe I can take a different, cool perspective on studying the research in some thesis or something. It would be a lot of fun for me.
And heck who doesn't want to graduate, do something they're more passionate about, and as a biproduct make more money. I wanna do some traveling and such! lol I mean you have no idea...or you may if you were one of those people who took way too long to graduate. :p To my surprise there's a lot of us out there! :)
Wooo hoo, woo hoo...
Until next time my autoimmune reader buddies. :)
Lets just say if there was ever a good time to have an autoimmune disease it's now. lol
This blog of mine here really is not that unique, this information is getting to be very popular. I've found some other pretty awesome blogs that people have written. I need to friend those people on here. It's not about, "Hey I'm awesome, look how smart I am. I'm so great I cured my disease."
Well for one I didn't actually achieve what I've achieved thus far on my own...
I had a great doctor.
I had great family support.
I had great friend support.
I was emailing others with similar sickness who were helpful and responsive.
I found information from different people who shared it, a lot on the internet.
I read helpful books that others published.
I read the research, which I was guided to by my doctor who encouraged such things.
I attended lectures that my doctor taught.
...
.....and it goes on.
Of course I am proud of my persistance and my ability to gather information. Glad I was able to put it into action. But this whole process has been very intricate. Emotional, physical, internal, external.
There are a lot of research studies out there. I'm sure we need more, but good stuff is brewing in the medical field.
Gosh, you gotta love all of these health food stores popping up. Of course you just can't go into a health food store, load up your cart, and just expect that you are eating healthy. That's not how it works, but people are definitely more aware. :DD :))
Personally I'd like to become a tool. Just one other person who has had a crazy health experience and learned a lot. I'd like to help other people. Plus this is a life long thing here for me. Helping others will help myself. I mean there's no question about that one. Plus honestly, I enjoy talking about this stuff. If I have outlets for this passion then I can balance "work" with fun. There's more to my life than just autoimmune diseases and food. :p Who woulda thunk it?? :p
So I need to build up my credibility for one, which is just a fancy way of saying that I need to graduate. That's where my focus is going to be for quite some time now. Well in quite some time I mean until December. lol In particular September to December, which pans out to be about 3 and a half months. Of course nothing that I've leared through all of this is going to help my graduate. LOL I mean maybe a little bit, but I'm not going to be tested on this information. It'll help me in my future career endeavors, but yeah that's quite a while down the road.
Now something I can do is compile information and research about the omega 3 and 6 diet and try to get that implemented at Aultman Hospital. Perhaps patients with certain types of cancer that have been shown to be affected by the 3 and 6 diet will be required to leave the hospital with information on this type of diet. The same goes for heart patients and patients with autoimmune diseases. And also mental disorders such as bipolar disorder, skizophrenia, and depression. I mean if this happened it would feel like such a dream. But I need to compile these studies and see if number one if there is enough consistant information out there to convince a board and to actually work on patients. I'm pretty sure about this stuff because of myself, my doctor, and everything I've read...but I'm just as skeptical as the next person. I live my life constantly skeptical. I want to convince myself. I know it helped me, but I'd love to see mass amounts of research studies conviently compiled. I'm sure someone out there has already done this. For one my doctor has spent a lot of time on this. But actually getting the information to be used wide spread would be amazing, especially if it is just as effective as my doctor and many others claim it to be. How totally cool.
So this summer I'd like to work on compiling these studies.
But number one is the schooling. It seems like not much progress is possible in implementing the research without my degree. And why not get some credit in the world of academia with looking further into this research. Maybe I can take a different, cool perspective on studying the research in some thesis or something. It would be a lot of fun for me.
And heck who doesn't want to graduate, do something they're more passionate about, and as a biproduct make more money. I wanna do some traveling and such! lol I mean you have no idea...or you may if you were one of those people who took way too long to graduate. :p To my surprise there's a lot of us out there! :)
Wooo hoo, woo hoo...
Until next time my autoimmune reader buddies. :)
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
I Left Ya Hangin Didn't I?? Here's an update!
So the last post was a bit gloomy. That's quite alright because this blog is meant to capture all aspects of dealing with an illness. I'm keeping it real for you guys. ;)
I remember reading about different struggles of people with autoimmune diseases when I was at my complete worst. I remember reading a blog of a woman blown up looking disfigured and not even like herself from the corticosteroids that she was taking. Paraphrasing here but she said something to the affect of: "I used to be a beautiful girl, and now I resemble nothing of my former self. I never knew what it was like to not be beautiful. This disease has taken nearly everything." The medication can really have some crazy side affects. I really freaked myself out 2 years ago when I googled Lupus and a bunch of video's popped up of blown up disfigured looking woman. Of course I'm sure all of the worst cases end up on youtube. But that was actually my biggest motivator to search for alternative treatment. Me and my idealistic self, I frequently spouted to my grandmother. "I'd rather die than to have my dignity taken away from me. I'd rather die than be some blown up half alive person." After seeing those video's I burst into tears while sitting in one of the school computer labs. Nobody else was around! I called someone who I thought would understand, my guy friend who had mild autoimmune disease problems and had been going to a rheumatologist. He let me pour out all of my fears to him. It meant a lot. Of course this whole time I was SUPPOSED to be doing school work. lol Yeahhh...pretty hard to concentrate.
So illness can really be a tough thing to go through. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. With cancer one can obviously lose their hair and such. So of course this does not apply just to autoimmune diseases.
So I'm progressing with adjusting to not being a sick person anymore. My friend April said, wow Davea you are much happier than before. :)) I am! ...the adjustment takes time. I have my days where I get down about how crazy the situation was of course. I'm planning a water skiing trip with some friends. We're going to be staying on an island up near Toledo. Physical things like this that I can do now all add into my appreciation of how well I'm doing and the satisfaction that comes along with that.
So I'm doing MUCH MUCH better than before. I can even eat dairy again. I can eat packaged gluten free items as well. I cannot do soy. No soy and no gluten.
Why the quick healing hmmm?? I stopped eating frozen fruit. That was my big change. I previously read before that fruit is one of the last things that people can usually add back in. I was eating it before because I felt like I needed something to keep my sugar levels up. The beef and rice did not seem to be cutting it and at that time I could not to do vegetables. I was just trying anything I could.
I haven't had a day where I was feeling fatigued from something that I ate in about a month. Since I stopped eating soy and started mixing up my diet. I think that I actually had become intolerant to the rice because I had eaten it so much. I started to get sleepy when I eat it. It was necessary for me to eat the same food over and over for a while until I healed enough to be able to eat more food. It's a great feeling. I also occasionally eat at restaurants. I try no to do this too much because you never know about the cross contamination. I take more bank on a more expensive place being more careful with my food. Although they are really, really considerate at Chipotle. The one off of Howe in Akron is the one I am referring to.
I need to pay my doctor in Columbus a visit for a check up. I've been pretty busy and the drive is far. Also because I am doing so well nothing feels as pressing. But that does not mean one should not keep up with the Jone's of themselves?? :p Did that make sense?? haha.
Also with being able to eat like I can...I still need to be healthy with the occasional snacks and such! See when you're not super sick it takes a different kind of discipline to keep up the healthy. Although I always have more energy when I eat lots of vegetables. I mean somedays I'll eat like a couple pounds of brussel sprouts. lol. :)
I feel like my old self again. I also work out a lot now. I can run, do sit ups, and do push ups. I'm training for my national guard physical fitness test. I haven't had the opportunity to take one in 2 years! Very excited. They also took me off of my army profile. :DDD That's big news there.
Lots of good things happening. :)) I can't believe how far I've come. I can't believe that I've had this experience! Whose got 2 thumbs and is feeling very fortunate. This ginger over here. :))
More to come...
I remember reading about different struggles of people with autoimmune diseases when I was at my complete worst. I remember reading a blog of a woman blown up looking disfigured and not even like herself from the corticosteroids that she was taking. Paraphrasing here but she said something to the affect of: "I used to be a beautiful girl, and now I resemble nothing of my former self. I never knew what it was like to not be beautiful. This disease has taken nearly everything." The medication can really have some crazy side affects. I really freaked myself out 2 years ago when I googled Lupus and a bunch of video's popped up of blown up disfigured looking woman. Of course I'm sure all of the worst cases end up on youtube. But that was actually my biggest motivator to search for alternative treatment. Me and my idealistic self, I frequently spouted to my grandmother. "I'd rather die than to have my dignity taken away from me. I'd rather die than be some blown up half alive person." After seeing those video's I burst into tears while sitting in one of the school computer labs. Nobody else was around! I called someone who I thought would understand, my guy friend who had mild autoimmune disease problems and had been going to a rheumatologist. He let me pour out all of my fears to him. It meant a lot. Of course this whole time I was SUPPOSED to be doing school work. lol Yeahhh...pretty hard to concentrate.
So illness can really be a tough thing to go through. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. With cancer one can obviously lose their hair and such. So of course this does not apply just to autoimmune diseases.
So I'm progressing with adjusting to not being a sick person anymore. My friend April said, wow Davea you are much happier than before. :)) I am! ...the adjustment takes time. I have my days where I get down about how crazy the situation was of course. I'm planning a water skiing trip with some friends. We're going to be staying on an island up near Toledo. Physical things like this that I can do now all add into my appreciation of how well I'm doing and the satisfaction that comes along with that.
So I'm doing MUCH MUCH better than before. I can even eat dairy again. I can eat packaged gluten free items as well. I cannot do soy. No soy and no gluten.
Why the quick healing hmmm?? I stopped eating frozen fruit. That was my big change. I previously read before that fruit is one of the last things that people can usually add back in. I was eating it before because I felt like I needed something to keep my sugar levels up. The beef and rice did not seem to be cutting it and at that time I could not to do vegetables. I was just trying anything I could.
I haven't had a day where I was feeling fatigued from something that I ate in about a month. Since I stopped eating soy and started mixing up my diet. I think that I actually had become intolerant to the rice because I had eaten it so much. I started to get sleepy when I eat it. It was necessary for me to eat the same food over and over for a while until I healed enough to be able to eat more food. It's a great feeling. I also occasionally eat at restaurants. I try no to do this too much because you never know about the cross contamination. I take more bank on a more expensive place being more careful with my food. Although they are really, really considerate at Chipotle. The one off of Howe in Akron is the one I am referring to.
I need to pay my doctor in Columbus a visit for a check up. I've been pretty busy and the drive is far. Also because I am doing so well nothing feels as pressing. But that does not mean one should not keep up with the Jone's of themselves?? :p Did that make sense?? haha.
Also with being able to eat like I can...I still need to be healthy with the occasional snacks and such! See when you're not super sick it takes a different kind of discipline to keep up the healthy. Although I always have more energy when I eat lots of vegetables. I mean somedays I'll eat like a couple pounds of brussel sprouts. lol. :)
I feel like my old self again. I also work out a lot now. I can run, do sit ups, and do push ups. I'm training for my national guard physical fitness test. I haven't had the opportunity to take one in 2 years! Very excited. They also took me off of my army profile. :DDD That's big news there.
Lots of good things happening. :)) I can't believe how far I've come. I can't believe that I've had this experience! Whose got 2 thumbs and is feeling very fortunate. This ginger over here. :))
More to come...
Thursday, April 5, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, February 13, 2012
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."
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."
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Rheumatologist Told Me To Go Away, You Are Too Well! :D OK :))
Well last week I went to a traditional Rheumatologist to get checked out.
Regardless of my still high ANA they told me that they would not recommend putting me on the traditional medicine, corticosteroids or methlotrexate. And they don't really care to figure out why the ANA is high as long as I am symptom free. Hrm. Whatever happened to preventative medicine?
She said that a lot of people have a high ANA. Now I am not satisified with this answer. I want my ANA to be at a fantastic level. Or this, why do a lot of people have high ANA's? Just because it's common that does not mean it's ok. I will be able to knock down this ANA, but it is gonna take sometime to naturally get my body at the equilibrium that I want.
Really I am having just some minor joint stuff, which a lot of people have. And also, a lot of allergies.
I was very disturbed sitting in the waiting room of my Rheumatologist. There were A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE. And I am not talking about a lot of old people, I am talking about a lot people around their 30's. There was one guy my age using a cane. :( DAMNIT! Grrr....I seriously believe that just does not need to be the case! There was an older woman sitting in a wheelchair.
Do these people know how much diet can better their life and even get them off the medicine?? Give them their life back??
So I am siting in this doctors office and she almost seemed intimidated by me. I was polite, I did not walk in there as some know it all. I walked in saying nothing more than hi. I felt some pretty strange vibes from her and I think I made her nervous. The first thing she said to me in very panicked voice was, "You, you're in school, what are you in school for?" I said, "Nursing." And she didn't say anything after that. Yeah, I am not a med student, a mere nursing student. And actually I've had some struggles in nursing school, although I am due to graduate next semester currently I am a State Tested Nurses Aide. I do the dirty work!! Really, I do do the dirty work. Hopefully someone got my pun there!
I mean seriously you don't have to be a rocket scientist to do what I've done! I mean I'm not even close to being done, this is a life long thing, but what has happened here is definitely significant.
I seriously asked that doctor why she wanted to be a doctor?? I was not trying to be a jerk. I was curious. I did not ask it assuming anything. I said, "I know this is a tough field to be a doctor in, it's confusing, it's complicated, and you have to watch a lot of long term suffering." I told her that I felt very lucky with my progress and that if what I was doing was a bad idea that she should tell me. If she thought that I was making some terrible mistake, I really wanted to know her honest opinion. I mean this is an important question to ask, we are dealing with my life here. I take this all very seriously.
She told me, "No, you're not making a terrible mistake. Just keep eating right and exericising."
But! The last thing that she did say was that my blood test did not show that I was a Celiac. She said, you are not a Celiac. My IGg was low. But I still carry the gene. This obviously really bothered me. It bothered me for a few reasons.
A.) All of these doctor's diss my doctor without even reading up on any of the research he uses. They have no idea what is going over in his office. All they see is the word Holistic and they immediately write him off. In fact he is a pretty famous doctor, has tons of patients, has had a lot of his patients on the news, people come from out of the country to see him, and he teaches a ton of lectures. He doesn't want to give a faucet education. They write him off without even reading anything or without even putting any rational thought into the situation. Where's the progress???!
B.) It is not just my doctor that knows that Celiac Disease is very hard to diagnose. This is actually common knowledge about Celiac Disease. It can be silent! And I carry the friggin genes. I know that just because I carry the genes that the gene's may not be activated. But come on! Look at my symptoms and then my insane, immediate, improvement on a gluten free diet! They were most definitely activated.
C.) Ok I know doctors are not stupid! Seriously to go through all of that schooling you have to be pretty smart! I am not even sure that I am intelligent enough to be a doctor. I would need some serious math tutoring. Why don't these doctors keep up on all of the different options in their field? Even if they don't practice it. I know they are really busy, but some of them just don't seem interested enough or perhaps they are burnt out on their field. Not all of them, but some.
D.) Is all of this controversy over money? I mean I don't want to conclude that. I mean I was reading in The Arthritis Breakthrough that the rheumatology field is one of the biggest money makers in the field of medicine. If we can cure these people with diet and exercise what will happen to this field? I mean I know if everyone knew about this treatment that they might not follow it because it requires a ridiculous amount of discipline. This is too bad because if we could just clean up our food industry it would not require as much intense discipline that it currently requires. But the Antibiotic Therapy, now that doesn't require a lot of discipline. It is a pill. A cheap pill. Maybe that's why it's not used? I don't understand.
I truly believe that diet and exercise are just so beneficial and that it is not stressed enough. Everybody knows this already. I would never assume that it is too hard for someone to do. I think it is important that we expect more out of people than that. It is ok to fail a bazillion times, I did when I first started to change my diet. But you just keep trying again and again until you get it right. We're dealing with quality of life here! We're dealing with potentially debilitating illnesses.
I really hope that this blog proves useful. My whole point here is to compile information to give to people so they know all of their options. I am not trying to tell anybody what to do, just to think about how what one puts into their body affects them.
I just want people to think, that's all. When/if they get sick I want them to be smart about their illness. :))
Regardless of my still high ANA they told me that they would not recommend putting me on the traditional medicine, corticosteroids or methlotrexate. And they don't really care to figure out why the ANA is high as long as I am symptom free. Hrm. Whatever happened to preventative medicine?
She said that a lot of people have a high ANA. Now I am not satisified with this answer. I want my ANA to be at a fantastic level. Or this, why do a lot of people have high ANA's? Just because it's common that does not mean it's ok. I will be able to knock down this ANA, but it is gonna take sometime to naturally get my body at the equilibrium that I want.
Really I am having just some minor joint stuff, which a lot of people have. And also, a lot of allergies.
I was very disturbed sitting in the waiting room of my Rheumatologist. There were A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE. And I am not talking about a lot of old people, I am talking about a lot people around their 30's. There was one guy my age using a cane. :( DAMNIT! Grrr....I seriously believe that just does not need to be the case! There was an older woman sitting in a wheelchair.
Do these people know how much diet can better their life and even get them off the medicine?? Give them their life back??
So I am siting in this doctors office and she almost seemed intimidated by me. I was polite, I did not walk in there as some know it all. I walked in saying nothing more than hi. I felt some pretty strange vibes from her and I think I made her nervous. The first thing she said to me in very panicked voice was, "You, you're in school, what are you in school for?" I said, "Nursing." And she didn't say anything after that. Yeah, I am not a med student, a mere nursing student. And actually I've had some struggles in nursing school, although I am due to graduate next semester currently I am a State Tested Nurses Aide. I do the dirty work!! Really, I do do the dirty work. Hopefully someone got my pun there!
I mean seriously you don't have to be a rocket scientist to do what I've done! I mean I'm not even close to being done, this is a life long thing, but what has happened here is definitely significant.
I seriously asked that doctor why she wanted to be a doctor?? I was not trying to be a jerk. I was curious. I did not ask it assuming anything. I said, "I know this is a tough field to be a doctor in, it's confusing, it's complicated, and you have to watch a lot of long term suffering." I told her that I felt very lucky with my progress and that if what I was doing was a bad idea that she should tell me. If she thought that I was making some terrible mistake, I really wanted to know her honest opinion. I mean this is an important question to ask, we are dealing with my life here. I take this all very seriously.
She told me, "No, you're not making a terrible mistake. Just keep eating right and exericising."
But! The last thing that she did say was that my blood test did not show that I was a Celiac. She said, you are not a Celiac. My IGg was low. But I still carry the gene. This obviously really bothered me. It bothered me for a few reasons.
A.) All of these doctor's diss my doctor without even reading up on any of the research he uses. They have no idea what is going over in his office. All they see is the word Holistic and they immediately write him off. In fact he is a pretty famous doctor, has tons of patients, has had a lot of his patients on the news, people come from out of the country to see him, and he teaches a ton of lectures. He doesn't want to give a faucet education. They write him off without even reading anything or without even putting any rational thought into the situation. Where's the progress???!
B.) It is not just my doctor that knows that Celiac Disease is very hard to diagnose. This is actually common knowledge about Celiac Disease. It can be silent! And I carry the friggin genes. I know that just because I carry the genes that the gene's may not be activated. But come on! Look at my symptoms and then my insane, immediate, improvement on a gluten free diet! They were most definitely activated.
C.) Ok I know doctors are not stupid! Seriously to go through all of that schooling you have to be pretty smart! I am not even sure that I am intelligent enough to be a doctor. I would need some serious math tutoring. Why don't these doctors keep up on all of the different options in their field? Even if they don't practice it. I know they are really busy, but some of them just don't seem interested enough or perhaps they are burnt out on their field. Not all of them, but some.
D.) Is all of this controversy over money? I mean I don't want to conclude that. I mean I was reading in The Arthritis Breakthrough that the rheumatology field is one of the biggest money makers in the field of medicine. If we can cure these people with diet and exercise what will happen to this field? I mean I know if everyone knew about this treatment that they might not follow it because it requires a ridiculous amount of discipline. This is too bad because if we could just clean up our food industry it would not require as much intense discipline that it currently requires. But the Antibiotic Therapy, now that doesn't require a lot of discipline. It is a pill. A cheap pill. Maybe that's why it's not used? I don't understand.
I truly believe that diet and exercise are just so beneficial and that it is not stressed enough. Everybody knows this already. I would never assume that it is too hard for someone to do. I think it is important that we expect more out of people than that. It is ok to fail a bazillion times, I did when I first started to change my diet. But you just keep trying again and again until you get it right. We're dealing with quality of life here! We're dealing with potentially debilitating illnesses.
I really hope that this blog proves useful. My whole point here is to compile information to give to people so they know all of their options. I am not trying to tell anybody what to do, just to think about how what one puts into their body affects them.
I just want people to think, that's all. When/if they get sick I want them to be smart about their illness. :))
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