Between the EGD and actual, technical, diagnosis, it's kind of like free reign. The doctor told me I didn't have to start eating GF yet. Well, I didn't Friday (day after procedure) but I tried Saturday, and I really tried Sunday. And most of Monday, I did pretty good. How do I know that? Well, Monday afternoon came and I was feeling a clarity in my head that I didn't realize wasn't there until it was there. I also started reading more about this lifestyle and was getting really sad. "I'm never going to eat out again!!!!"
So what do I do? I tell Steven I want to eat out one more time. And not worry about what I was eating. We got Panda. You know what? It wasn't even that good! You know what else? I felt like a zombie about an hour later. And my stomach felt funky because I'm pretty sure I ate way too much.
I guess gluten free really is my life now. Here's to more energy and maybe a clean house?
Monday, February 25, 2019
Procedure Day
Procedure day came. I was to not eat anything after 11 pm the night before and nothing but clear liquids from then until 2 hours before I was supposed to check in. I chugged water all morning for 2 reasons: I was hungry. Every time I had a drink of water, I was able to trick my brain for a few minutes. I also knew I was going to be getting an IV, and I wanted to be plenty hydrated.
Steven came to the hospital with me. So did my minky blanket. I was grateful for both. I checked in and headed up the elevator to the GI department. I remember feeling extra tired. I think mostly because of the no food thing. While the nurse was checking me in, I could hear other nurses at the nurses station talking about food. It made me hungry. My nurse went out and told them they were making her patient hungry, but they didn't stop. (that may not really be important, but it's one of the things I remember from the visit that really was very short.)
The procedure was quick. They wheeled me in, turned me onto my side, gave me oxygen, put a bite guard in my mouth and then the nurse said she was going to put the medication in my IV. I literally don't remember anything after that. I was suddenly back in the room where Steven was waiting. (I found out later it was about 15 minutes.) I felt groggy, thirsty, and there was a TERRIBLE taste in my mouth. I asked for water, but that didn't make the taste go away, so I asked for cranberry juice. They also brought me some graham crackers. They were delicious, and it made the taste go away.
The doctor came to talk to Steven while I as still kind of waking up. He said that from what he saw, I most likely have Celiac Disease, but they'd do a biopsy of the samples taken to confirm. I'd have those results in 5-7 days. I asked when I had to start gluten free, and he said I could now, or wait till I got an official diagnosis.
The rest of the day, was just... groggy. We stopped at Port of Subs on the way home because I had heard a radio ad for them earlier in the day and I couldn't get it out of my mind. That was a very yummy sandwich. After that we went home, I fed the baby, and I took a 2 hour nap.
Steven came to the hospital with me. So did my minky blanket. I was grateful for both. I checked in and headed up the elevator to the GI department. I remember feeling extra tired. I think mostly because of the no food thing. While the nurse was checking me in, I could hear other nurses at the nurses station talking about food. It made me hungry. My nurse went out and told them they were making her patient hungry, but they didn't stop. (that may not really be important, but it's one of the things I remember from the visit that really was very short.)
The procedure was quick. They wheeled me in, turned me onto my side, gave me oxygen, put a bite guard in my mouth and then the nurse said she was going to put the medication in my IV. I literally don't remember anything after that. I was suddenly back in the room where Steven was waiting. (I found out later it was about 15 minutes.) I felt groggy, thirsty, and there was a TERRIBLE taste in my mouth. I asked for water, but that didn't make the taste go away, so I asked for cranberry juice. They also brought me some graham crackers. They were delicious, and it made the taste go away.
The doctor came to talk to Steven while I as still kind of waking up. He said that from what he saw, I most likely have Celiac Disease, but they'd do a biopsy of the samples taken to confirm. I'd have those results in 5-7 days. I asked when I had to start gluten free, and he said I could now, or wait till I got an official diagnosis.
The rest of the day, was just... groggy. We stopped at Port of Subs on the way home because I had heard a radio ad for them earlier in the day and I couldn't get it out of my mind. That was a very yummy sandwich. After that we went home, I fed the baby, and I took a 2 hour nap.
The Bucket List
As I thought about going GF (gluten free) I realized that maybe this is the push I need to be healthier. There are things you can eat that have gluten that are healthy... but those things were not the things on my bucket list. In other words; I just wanted to get in all my favorite junk food! Most of the things I eat that have gluten, also have more than their share of sugar.
A few things I wanted: CREPES! From the Crepery in Logan. We had NO plans to hit Logan any time soon, but my husband loves me lots. So we headed up there one day to get a crepe. It was SO good. And it left me wondering how hard a GF crepe would be to make.
Maddox rolls... well, the raspberry butter. Haha! I would venture to guess that the butter is gluten free, but the rolls are definitely not.
I really love Oreo Truffles with the lemon Oreo's.
There is this bakery near us that has DELICIOUS chicken salad sandwiches.
I wanted cheesecake, with a real graham cracker crust.
Basically, I wanted anything that was gluten-ey that was also probably not great for me (I mean besides the gluten).
I think I got most of it in, so I guess bring on the shackles.
A few things I wanted: CREPES! From the Crepery in Logan. We had NO plans to hit Logan any time soon, but my husband loves me lots. So we headed up there one day to get a crepe. It was SO good. And it left me wondering how hard a GF crepe would be to make.
I really love Oreo Truffles with the lemon Oreo's.
There is this bakery near us that has DELICIOUS chicken salad sandwiches.
I wanted cheesecake, with a real graham cracker crust.
Basically, I wanted anything that was gluten-ey that was also probably not great for me (I mean besides the gluten).
I think I got most of it in, so I guess bring on the shackles.
The GI Doctor
I called the GI office that my sister went to. I figured, hey why not.
Turns out GI doctors are extremely busy. They told me he was booked out like 3 months. Fortunately, there was the option of seeing an MA within a couple of weeks.
Everyone wanted to know my symptoms, and what had led me to come there. It felt so silly... "well, I've been super tired so my endo sent for Celiac tests and well... here I am."
The MA looked at my lab results and said that 99% of people with my numbers have the disease, but I'd need an EGD (upper GI endoscopy... or something like that).
At this point, I expressed concern about being sedated because I'm breastfeeding. I wanted to be sure I could go home and nurse my baby. The MA was kind and went out of the room (presumably) to ask the doctor about it. He came back and told me that they would just sedate me without the pain meds, as the sedation was safe, but the pain medication was not. I was cool with that. (I've had 3 babies without pain meds, I can do anything!)
They were also careful to tell me that I needed to continue to eat gluten because the test would not give the right result if I already was eating GF. (I knew this because I had heard it all from my sister who had just gone through this.)
We scheduled my EGD and I headed home, already forming a bucket list of gluten-laden items forming in my head.
Turns out GI doctors are extremely busy. They told me he was booked out like 3 months. Fortunately, there was the option of seeing an MA within a couple of weeks.
Everyone wanted to know my symptoms, and what had led me to come there. It felt so silly... "well, I've been super tired so my endo sent for Celiac tests and well... here I am."
The MA looked at my lab results and said that 99% of people with my numbers have the disease, but I'd need an EGD (upper GI endoscopy... or something like that).
At this point, I expressed concern about being sedated because I'm breastfeeding. I wanted to be sure I could go home and nurse my baby. The MA was kind and went out of the room (presumably) to ask the doctor about it. He came back and told me that they would just sedate me without the pain meds, as the sedation was safe, but the pain medication was not. I was cool with that. (I've had 3 babies without pain meds, I can do anything!)
They were also careful to tell me that I needed to continue to eat gluten because the test would not give the right result if I already was eating GF. (I knew this because I had heard it all from my sister who had just gone through this.)
We scheduled my EGD and I headed home, already forming a bucket list of gluten-laden items forming in my head.
The Begining
To begin my Celiac Disease journey, we need to go back to last June. My little sister had just returned home from a mission in Alabama, where she spent 18 months with digestive health issues no one could figure out. I am not sure I have all the details right, and they don't matter here much, so I won't delve into them. What's important is that she felt crappy (ha! no pun intended) for most of her mission, and it wasn't until she got home that someone thought to test her for Celiac Disease. The test was overwhelmingly positive. She started eating gluten free and has felt a lot better.
She mentioned to me that Celiac's is something that can be genetic, so I "better watch out!" Haha! I was like "well, I have no symptoms, so I'm pretty sure I'm safe."
I was not.
Fast forward to January. I have had thyroid issues since I got home from my mission... What is it with coming home and getting life-altering diagnoses?! Anyway, I was running out of my medication, and I needed to see a doctor. Trouble was, my most recent endocrinologist is usually booked 3 months out. Plus I wasn't really hooked on going to him. I looked for, and found, a new one. He recently moved his practice and is rebuilding his patient base, so I was able to get in to see him in a week. This guy is attentive and is really good at making sure you understand what's going on. After speaking with him (and me mentioning that my sister was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease) he decided to add into my lab order some labs to test for it. My numbers came back with ALL the markers. He said I'd need to see a GI doctor to get diagnosed. In the mean time, he prescribed me Synthroid (name brand!) because the generic option isn't guaranteed gluten free (I guess). First Celiac expense: thyroid medication that costs 3 times more than what I've been paying. Yay.
It's worth mentioning that I still felt I had absolutely no symptoms. When my endo said that I probably have Celiac Disease, I just said "but I have no symptoms!!" That's when I learned that fatigue is an extremely common symptom of having Celiac Disease. He also told me that since he wasn't a GI doctor, he wouldn't diagnose me.
She mentioned to me that Celiac's is something that can be genetic, so I "better watch out!" Haha! I was like "well, I have no symptoms, so I'm pretty sure I'm safe."
I was not.
Fast forward to January. I have had thyroid issues since I got home from my mission... What is it with coming home and getting life-altering diagnoses?! Anyway, I was running out of my medication, and I needed to see a doctor. Trouble was, my most recent endocrinologist is usually booked 3 months out. Plus I wasn't really hooked on going to him. I looked for, and found, a new one. He recently moved his practice and is rebuilding his patient base, so I was able to get in to see him in a week. This guy is attentive and is really good at making sure you understand what's going on. After speaking with him (and me mentioning that my sister was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease) he decided to add into my lab order some labs to test for it. My numbers came back with ALL the markers. He said I'd need to see a GI doctor to get diagnosed. In the mean time, he prescribed me Synthroid (name brand!) because the generic option isn't guaranteed gluten free (I guess). First Celiac expense: thyroid medication that costs 3 times more than what I've been paying. Yay.
It's worth mentioning that I still felt I had absolutely no symptoms. When my endo said that I probably have Celiac Disease, I just said "but I have no symptoms!!" That's when I learned that fatigue is an extremely common symptom of having Celiac Disease. He also told me that since he wasn't a GI doctor, he wouldn't diagnose me.
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