In other news. . .

I'll get the cute stuff out first: 

And now on to the other news:

In the fight to rid myself of some of my chronic ailments (headaches, joint and muscle pain, depression, anxiety, etc.) I took a cue from my aunt and have started a gluten-free diet.  My aunt discovered a year or 2 ago that she is gluten intolerant.  She had symptoms like restless-leg syndrome which I would have never associated with gluten.  Because I had such a wide range of symptoms I never thought to connect them all---I never thought they could all have a root cause.  But 5 weeks ago I decided I would give this a try after reviewing a list of symptoms.   Seeing as how I had most of the symptoms (minus the weight-loss unfortunately :-) ) I figured giving this a try would be a good idea.  Over the past 5 weeks my "gastrointestinal" symptoms have all cleared up, and I am really starting to feel better overall.  

Two weeks ago we went on vacation with some good friends.  We went to a restaurant and I thought my meal was going to be gluten free, but I didn't check closely enough.  I ate it, and almost instantly felt sick.  Pretty good confirmation that I am gluten-intolerant.  And I am so grateful.  It's difficult avoiding foods that I LOVE, like Italian food at restaurants, but thankfully there is a VERY wide variety of gluten-free cuisine and many of my favorite ethnicities of food are naturally gluten-free, like Indian and Thai food.  Even Mexican food, so long as I eat it with corn tortillas.  And because gluten-intolerance is finally being understood by doctors, there are a growing number of gluten-free alternatives available at grocery stores even in the small town of Salem.  

It feels good to have a better idea of what's wrong with my body.  

Before I forget, here is the list of some of the symptoms:

• Gastrointestinal symptoms: These are some of the “classic” — although not the most common — symptoms of celiac disease:
  • Abdominal pain and distension
  • Acid reflux
  • Bloating
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Gas and flatulence
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Weight loss or weight gain
• Nongastrointestinal symptoms: Interestingly, although gluten sensitivity and celiac disease affect the gut, most people’s symptoms are not gastrointestinal in nature. This partial list includes just some of the more than 250 symptoms not centered in the digestive tract.
  • Fatigue and weakness (due to iron-deficiency anemia)
  • Vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies
  • Headaches (including migraines)
  • Joint/bone pain
  • Depression, irritability, listlessness, and mood disorders
  • “Fuzzy brain” or an inability to concentrate
  • Infertility
  • Abnormal menstrual cycles
  • Respiratory problems
  • Canker sores (apthus ulcers)
  • Lactose intolerance
  • Bruising easily
  • Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
  • Muscle cramping