Check-In June 2009

[aklap]

Man, I am so far behind. I'm surprised no one started this post. Perhaps Check-In's need to take a rest?

Still battling a gout attack, it's been almost 3 weeks. I'm not a happy camper...

~

For those that may be new or lurking...Check-In is a place to introduce yourself, tell us how things have been going, whatever comes to mind. If you post your progress in the GF diet, you can use it as a gauge to see how you've progressed. You can check back over the months a get a snap shot of how things were...

The Check-In Time Tunnel

Here's what we were doing last year.
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[rpf1007]

Al- sorry you are suffering...that sounds crappy.

I was actually going to start the check-in...but didn't really have anything too exciting to say.

I did go to a wedding for 4 days out of town at the end of may...and I'm still paying for it big-time. My skin is so weird. I didn't actually feel sick or get sick (stomach-wise) which is great...but my skin became a mess. I think it is starting to resolve so hopefully soon. I ate mostly my own food too- with the exception of PF Chang's and the rehearsal dinner place which got strict instructions from me.

Otherwise I'm just pooped from work...so haven't been baking my own bread or anything recently. I really need to get back on that. My local store started carrying Schar, so I've gotten lazy about making my own.
_________________
Rachel

[forinajoy]

Hi all, I don't always do check-ins, but I always read what everyone is up to

June has been super busy...my oldest son got married on the 6th....and the wedding was beautiful...you can see pics on FB ...and I love my new DIL...a friend who has gluten intolerance and 3 children who are also gluten intolerant brought food for her family and Ina to the wedding...I provided a chocolate jelly roll cake from Shabtai-Gourmet....they enjoyed their meal...and nobody got sick...and I introduced them to a Shabtai-Gourmet treat.....(they are sold...lol)

Ina has had a rough time the last few months...she had a severe intestinal blockage and was hospitalized...then she had a milk reaction (the worst one in years) and just when she got over that, she had a gluten reaction...at first I thought it was a stomach virus, but it lasted for 10 days, with big D 8-10 times a day...so it quickly became obvious it was CD stuff.....she had her last day of diarrhea on the Thursday prior to the wedding...she was sooo miserable...and I felt so helpless.....she lost 7 lbs through all that....so her junior bridesmaid dress was falling off of her .....but at least she got to attend the wedding.....

we have 3 more weddings to attend this month and 1 in July and 1 in August...my older kiddos are at the age that all of their friends are getting married...Ina will probably not attend any of these weddings...so food won't be an issue.....

we are full swing into swim team and gymnastics for both of the kiddos left at home...Ina is involved in special olympics for both sports....she is, just this week, feeling good enough to really participate....it sure is good to see her smile again...I have sorely missed it....

I hope you get to feeling better Al...gout is not a fun way to spend the summer
_________________
Connie, mom to Ina, 14 y/o with CD

[Flygal]

Sorry to hear about your gout, Al. Hopefully you know what to do about it.

My month started off with a bang. I took my first GF motorcycle trip to Peoria with a group of lady friends for a Midwest Gathering (Women on Wheels). I was very careful (took my own cereal and ate salads and seafood). No problems. Whew!

I've been baking bread every second week. The first time it got moldy before it was gone. Now I cut the loaf in half and freeze half. Works pretty slick!

Had a meeting with the gals I'm riding (bikes of course) to Colorado with in August. Turns out one of the six ladies is also GF. Who would have thought. It's her first big ride also. At least we'll have each other when the rest of the group decides to go for pizza!!

Life is great in the prairie. We had a wild turkey hen "dusting" herself right outside of my living room window. Took lots of pictures. (Yes, I'll try to figure out how to upload one of these days.) I thought she was going to make a nest, but guess that happens earlier in spring. My garden plants (on the roof) are being eaten. I'm thinking chipmunks are the only critters that could get up there. There's a staircase at the back of the house. So far my peas, beans and lettuce have been mowed down. I put some mouse traps up there yesterday, but apparently my bait didn't interest them.

DH and I found some new Yellow Lady Slippers (wild orchids) next door at the field station. Exciting to wild flower lovers like us! I love to see all the new flowers as they emerge. I picked tons of asparagus during May, and the wild raspberries will be ripe in a few weeks. It looks like a bumper crop is coming. Thankfully, berries are one of the few fruits I can eat.

My quilting friends and I are starting a project for Quilts of Valor. The hope is to provide a patriotic quilt for every serviceman and woman injured during service to our country. Our guild hopes to make ten quilts. (People all over the country are working on this project.)

I can't believe the difference in my health since I went GF just a few months ago. I sleep soundly, no restless leg syndrome, no big D, no constipation, just feeling great! Wow. Wish I known years ago how great I would feel being GF.
_________________
Judy

[ostrich]

Don't worry, Al. It completely slipped my mind too. I hope you feel better soon!

June's pretty much been SSDD (Same S**t, Different Day). I got some bad news about my job the other day. It might not exist in the next couple of months. So now I'm in uber cheap, "batten down the hatches" mode. Hopefully they'll find another project for me to work on.

The only good things that have come from June so far are 1) no glutenings and 2) lack of hot weather. We're just now getting into hot weather. I'm going to miss leaving the doors and windows open.
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

[Deb]

I just got home today from a vacation in Michigan. Loved seeing my grandkids. They are all growing so much, the oldest all in 6th grade this next year. Time does fly, doesn't it?
_________________
You can't discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore!

[HadassahSukkot]

Hi, I'm doing about like Ostrich said.

I got glutened this month already... apparently the darned sunflower seeds that they offer at Chikfila.... have wheat starch. Somehow with my previous glutening I have trouble reading, and skipped that but remembered all the other ingredients. After pouring it over my salad, I thought "Oh no, read that again!" So I spent 15 minutes picking the crap off my salad (mom had brought it home for me and I hadn't eaten in over 3 hours), and then beat myself up for several hours.

That explains some of the bad attitude JD has given us, as well as me being so twitchy, irritable, and all that fun. Thankfully "Butterbean" seems to be ok, I have felt movement at least every night, and we have a checkup when I get home in a month. That's 3 months no checkup, but I have no OB I know or trust with our care here in the US. About all I know to do is go in to Sav-A-Life and talk to them for a checkup.

Jonathan had his first birthday and party on the 1st, and had a wonderful time. He picked at his cake and was being all nice with the icing, and would not dig in, even when we cut it. However, the other cake, he dug into. Go figure! LOL!

My husband came to visit for almost 2 weeks and was here for the birthday party and is back home now. . . and Jonathan has been talking up a storm ever since he left... And walking more, climbing onto and off of the couch, and up the steps. We have to block him off from areas and watch him like a hawk.

Gotta run, he won't sleep tonight apparently.
_________________

[nancw]

Baseball, hailstorms, tons of work (busy summer concert/event season - yippee!), gardening, dr. appts., swimming, yoga, playdates, girl's nights out...whew! I am so excited for vaca in 3 weeks!

Screwed up my knee from overuse and now have a Baker's cyst on the back of my knee. Something I am eating/or did eat has my gut in knots for the last 3 weeks. Not eager to re-examine my diet and strip it down, but that's the only way to figure it out. Dr. Lewey suggested I try to add back some of my least-offensive foods, but if my corn experimentation is any indication of how I react to foods I've removed, I'll just stick with what I'm doing now.
_________________
Nance

gluten, dairy, soy, rice, yeast and 99% grain-free

[celiacmaine-iac]

It has been a rather hectic 2 months here. Our quiet little 2 person household expanded to a 7 person one quite unexpectedly. Now there are 3 GF eaters and 4 NGF eaters at the table every night. There were a couple of glutenings in the confusion, but now everyone understands how to prevent CC and are following the safeguards I originally established after going GF.

I am finally almost recovered from a nasty fall I took after tripping over (believe it or not) a Lego. I haven't had to watch out for that kind of thing for a very long time.

DH and I celebrate our 36th anniversary on the 23rd. We are also expecting the arrival of grandchild number 9 (12 if you count the step-grandchildren, and we take grandchildren any way we can get them.) It looks like our latest blessing is going to make an early appearance. He is due July 16, but may actually arrive any day now according to my daughter's doc. It has been a very touch and go pregnancy, so we will all be very relieved when the little guy makes a safe entry into the world.

We have a HUGE garden going with about a zillion different heirloom tomato plants and tons of other stuff too. I'm hoping to do a lot of canning and freezing this summer.

Sorry to hear about your gout attack Al. I can honestly say that I know how you feel, since I have it too. I haven't had an acute attack for a while, but I remember very well how miserable it is. I hope you feel better soon.
_________________
Steph

[Pattrish]

Al...Do hope your gout will ease up soon. Hope you're drinking lots of water (out of real glass) to help flush out your system. Gout is painful!! (Like, duh...).


I feel so good, it's ridiculous! I seem to be continually improving since going GF. It's been a long process, but I'm thrilled. Going from someone who could barely move to having all this energy is absolutely amazing. I have other health issues, but being w/o gluten makes them all far more tolerable.

My husband and friends are all commenting on how I've changed. I even shampooed carpets this week. I know that sounds trivial, but it's not in my book...and I'm pushing 70.
_________________

[luvscowznh]

Sorry about the gout, Al! I hope you feel better soon!

We had my hubby's family visit last week. We went all GF in the house since I have been having issues lately. They were fine with it - even said they ate better food here than at home. (They eat out more than they cook at home...) They are west coasters and had trouble adjusting to east coast time. That was hard on me and Joe - trying to get a 10 month old to play quietly in the am is almost impossible! But, they were really great with the little guy and I even got to go to the loo without having to put him in his playpen or have him trying to climb on me. (WOOHOO)

Other than that, I am still recovering from some bad belly bugs and yeast over growth. I am limited to eating protein, dairy, cooked veggies and a cup of brown rice a day. At least I've been losing weight - I am now back to my pre-pregnancy weight and able to wear my clothes again. And I still have more food choices than some, so I try to remember that.

Joe is growing bigger and stronger every day. He is close to walking and is crawling around like a mad man. He's figured out how to open one of the baby gates - luckily it is the one to the playroom and NOT the stairs. He is WAY too smart sometimes! He is a happy baby most of the time, so that makes it easy to be home with him.

--Manda
_________________

[TenKLady]

Hope you're feeling better Al!

My dad had a major heart attack which blew a hole in his heart at the end of July last year. He had another heart attack in the ambulance on the way to the hospital and it was a miracle that he survived. He had a very new procedure done which patched the hole in his heart but there is a tear in the heart which is still leaking. After spending a month in the hospital, and then another month in rehab, he was allowed to go home. He lost a lot of weight which he didn't have to lose and was down to 89 lbs. at one point due to not being able to keep food down. He is now receiving tube feedings which are gluten free.

My mom doesn't drive so I have been driving them whereever they need to go. It has been very sad for me to watch my dad go from someone who did everything himself to being so weak. At least he seems to finally be stable.

Just when things were getting back to somewhat normal, we went to the petstore for birdseed and came out with a 14 week old black lab puppy that we adopted. She had been rescued from a kill shelter in Arkansas. She is keeping us very busy. I had to take her to an emercency pet clinic last night because we caught her chewing on a mushroom in the yard. She seems to be doing OK now.

Last weekend, we went to a CSA food fair and sampled many wonderful GF goodies. The highlight of the event for me was when I met Carol Fenster. She was so nice and I love her cookbooks. My daughter won a doorprise which was a box of black and white cookies from Shabtai Gourmet and they were delicious. I was able to purchase a bag of expandex and am curious to see what it does in my baked goods.

Well, that's all I have for now.

Laura