End of week 2 eating Gluten Free results..

Well I am two weeks into my gluten free challenge and here are my results so far,

Stomach pain gone after 3 days
Stomach cramping gone after 5 days.
Bloating and gas gone after 3 days.
Energy level started going up after 5 days.
Skin started to take on a healthier tone after one week.
Fullness in my ears started to feel better after a week and a half
Tinnitus has cut down to half as loud after two weeks.

Those are some pretty MAJOR changes in just a two week period of taking gluten out of my diet.
I have also tried very hard to stay with the 1500 mg level of sodium that the ear Doctor wants me at but that has been the biggest hurdle. Many foods that are GF free are a bit higher in sodium than some of the things I had been eating. But it;s not impossible. I seem to be hitting around 1700 mg of sodium and I feel if I can stay under 2000 a day I should be good. Especially if the GF free diet is helping in so many other areas.
I am pretty convinced I am Gluten Intolerant which has probably been causing inflammation in my body and such causing all these other health issues to spring off from it.
I strive to eat healthy and have most of my life. I have always used vitamins and searched out natural methods to get well since I was in my twenties. When I had my daughter I made all her food myself ,never bought a jar of baby food.(this was before you had those Organic baby foods available,but I still would have made my own.) Breast fed ,grew my own veggies, etc. Have always been very health aware and exercised.
So that is why I was so frustrated as to why I was continuing to get illnesses and feel terrible. You can only blame it on getting older and menopause for so long. So I kept searching. I was getting hives,I was getting pains off and on in my joints ,I was running a low white blood count,I was tired way more than I felt I should be,I started having the ear issues this last fall and than the diagnosis with Meniers.

I was researching, researching, researching everything like crazy to help this ear issue as many people have gone deaf or partially deaf from this disease. When the stomach problems started I felt I was getting smacked in the face with the one choice I felt in the back of my mind could be at least part of the solution. Eating Gluten Free.
Having Celiac disease in the family history should have made me aware that I could be Gluten intolerant if not full blown Celiac, but I was resistant.Plus I had had TWO negative tests for gluten sensitivity.
 It is not easy to avoid Gluten. It's EVERYWHERE in our foods. But at least I knew how to approach it and was no stranger as to how to do it since my daughter is Celiac.

I have been mainly sticking to my own cooking for the first two weeks but last night we went out to Red Robin and I had my first experience with dealing with a restaurant eating GF free. Red Robin is Gluten friendly. They have a few choices and they will go the extra mile in the kitchen to help you eat gluten free. So I ordered one of their hamburgers with avocado and the fixings on a lettuce wedge bun and a side salad. The wait person asked how sensitive was my issue,did they need to change gloves in the kitchen clean work area etc. I said yes. What the hell even if I wasn't that sensitive having them wear new gloves and clean the work area to make my food just sounded like a good idea in general.LOL! So out comes my meal.The hamburger is prepared wonderfully and there tucked right next to it on the same plate is my bowl of salad topped with several croutons!! What?? Didn't we just go over the whole I can't eat bread issue... They took it back an redid it and I was adamant they not just pluck off the croutons but make a new salad please.
They were very wonderful about all of it though ,so I was grateful. But it was a good example of the challenge people with special diet needs face when they go out. I really don't like making a big deal of my ordering. I don't like to be that "fussy" customer. I'm pretty laid back most of the time. But to feel good after I eat and continue on this path to getting healthy I guess I will be that person.
Two more weeks of my GF free challenge left and I can already tell I will be eating this way for the rest of my life. I am thankful that at least things are changing in this regard for people. More choices ,more options are out there.
NOW if we can only get the government to stop Monsanto from poisoning all of our food...

But I tested negative....

I'm starting the journey of eating Gluten Free this week. Have not had gluten since Saturday Jan 21st,2012. I have not tested positive for Gluten intolerance yet I am going down this road anyway.

Why!!??? you are asking yourself. Why would anyone do this without a valid reason too?? It is so hard to follow ect ect.

Simple answer is ,I've been sick. I've been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder of the inner ear, I also have had a low white blood count for several years, suffer from bloating and gas for months now. And than with the new year came a new symptom,stomach cramping and pains. So I'm thinking to myself,this whole thing is getting worse. Whatever is wrong with me is progressing and I'm getting more symptoms all the time. I feel tired and vaguely depressed allot also.

Well within 24 hours of eating GF free I have not had any stomach pains OR gas and bloating!! That right there told me something right away. Either I am Celiac (and have had false negatives with the testing) OR I am Gluten sensitive,which can still cause you much discomfort .
So far the ear is still an issue but I can already feel that I'm a bit more energetic. So I am very excited to see how I feel in a month!
 The hard part of this will be staying at 1500 mg of sodium like my ENT wants AND gluten free . It will mean cooking allot myself as eating out was hard to do with low sodium but will be even harder GF free. But you know what? feeling sick and tired all the time and watching your health deteriorate is worse.

Deadly carpet...?

So I went to get a massage today and seeing as I had not seen my massage therapist in a couple months I asked the usual "so how have you been?" Well I proceeded to hear how her daughter wound up in the hospital after the first of the year do to installation of
"Toxic Carpet". Her daughter had an extreme allergic reaction to the Formaldehyde that was in the carpet they had installed after the holidays. She couldn't see,her hands and feet swelled up and she had a hard time breathing. They rushed her to the hospital,where they did not find out for a couple days what the issue was. Thankfully,because she had an immediate reaction right after the installation they were able to determine the cause.
Much to my surprise and horror many adults and children have reactions to carpet all the time and never know it.
I came across the following article that will give you some insight as to how dangerous it can be for installers also. Frankly after hearing this story from my therapist and reading this I doubt I would put new carpet in any room in my house ever again..
http://www.inspiredliving.com/airpurification/a~toxic-carpets2.htm


well not without following the guidelines proposed here,

http://www.epa.gov/epp/pubs/carpets2.htm

I was happy to hear that they were able to get this young girl feeling better,although it has taken about a month to do so. And now it appears she is very hypersensitive to many smells and her breathing is still taxed.
So everyone please please be careful before having anything installed that is treated with formaldehyde or other chemicals. May be a good idea to stay elsewhere until it airs out or consider not even installing it where young children may crawl or play on it. A wood flooring with an area rug may be the best option.

Thanks and rants and stuff

First I need to thank the various bloggers  that I follow. You have all given me the energy to spiff up my home,organize my closets and just get my shit together with some really nice ideas. I am amazed at the stuff some of you seem to be able to do while raising families and working at careers. Hats off!

Secondly I will take this time to rant about the current gearing up of the political debate that will suck the freakin life out of all of us this year!!! I am already sick to death of the bullshit being flung at us once again and continuously. STOP!!!! I am not going to vote  for anyone that slanders ANY other candidate in a vain attempt to get my vote!! So from the looks of things I will probably be doing a write in vote... sigh.
Seriously I can't stand it anymore. Stick to what you stand for and show me that you REALLY can back up those views with some past voting history and deeds. If you can't back up your claims on the issues and I can find that you say one thing but,do another and your past voting record SUCKS!!! I am not going to vote for you,period!! Ok enough said about that.

Money saving pledge for this year. I will not eat out at a restaurant that I do not have a coupon for. I  will not eat out very often. I will do my homework by looking up the deals before heading to the grocery store. I will NOT let food go bad!!.

I will try to be more tolerant of dumbass people. This will take some work...

I will laugh often and be thankful everyday!!

Grandma?? Me?? Your damn right! :-)

Yep there is a baby in that picture! My very first grandchild to be more specific!! This is taken from a movie so you really can't get the full effect that this little one was moving all over the place!!! Due in July this little guy or girl will be welcomed with many open arms.

WOW!!!!

And another baby is also coming in July! The following ultrasound is of my Nephew Andrew and his wife Abby's baby! They are about a week and a half further along than the above baby. See how much more you can see in this Pic? Isn't it amazing how much they grow in just over a week?! Crazy.

So how blessed our family will be in this new year!

Am I political (part Two)

And then there is the climate and vaccines and all the crap in our foods! GMO’s ???What the hell??

 I seriously can’t keep up with EVERY flippin thing I am supposed to think and worry about. I donate money to help feed the homeless a few times a year and I volunteered my time for a local shelter this year. Whenever I do I lift my head and thank the heavens that I am not in that situation. In fact lately whenever I lay my head down in my OWN bed with a roof over me and my husband next to me, I give thanks.

I KNOW how lucky I am and I know how much worse things can be. That is what I think we all should know. That it can be you without food or without shelter. It REALLY REALLY can be.

If being political is caring and giving a shit about my country and this world, well, I guess I am. I wish we could all realize what we have been given. Look at the world! Isn’t it amazing? Why do we not think we need to care for it? It is our home, we all live here. I keep up the maintenance of my house, why not our Earth?

Humans have fought wars from the beginning of time. I honestly don’t think that will ever stop. I really do think that it is part of our nature. Oh I can hear some of you now...Oh no it’s not, blah blah blah. Really? Well I can’t remember a time when we haven’t had war somewhere on Earth, can you? There you go… .

I used to believe that we could end all wars if we would all just try. I do not believe that anymore. I seriously don’t think humans can be truly happy living peacefully. They need turmoil. They are territorial. Not so different from other animal species. We have just found more deadly ways to kill each other than we used to. Yes, there are some of us that are more peaceful than others. Usually there is a balance of good and bad. But what we are seeing now I fear is an unbalance in nature. A pretty severe one that threatens our very existence on this earth. The sad part is I am not sure we will be able to overcome the bad with the greedy attitude that has run rampant. From our politicians here to the drug lords in Mexico, greed and power are running wild.

Maybe it’s a crisis of faith? That is what some would say. I am in my 50’s. How long will I be blessed to live on this plane of existence? Who knows? I fear most for my child and her children. It’s increasingly scary out in the world. So many people just don’t value life. We NEED to teach our children compassion for others. They learn from example so we must give them some. I became more available to my community this year and that is a vow I will have to make for each year forward. Become charitable, become aware, and become involved in the area of which you live. If we can all do something, we really CAN make a difference. If we do these small things, we have all become political. Because being political is caring! It’s wanting EVERYONE to be safe and secure and happy.

Am I Political? (Part one)

One of my friends called me Ms. Politics this week. I laughed about it because if she thinks I’m political she should meet my brothers and my sister. I try to be politically aware. But I am far from as informed as I should be. I must confess that it all is confusing to me. Politics remind me of advertising, mostly bullshit to try to sell you something. I haven’t much faith in most all of the politicians that I listen to. And I am frankly shocked at how people with relatively low I’Q’s have even made it into the political arena. In a game where you need to be able to keep up and think fast or at least remember your notes we are being presented with people like Michelle Bachman and Rick Perry.

I got all excited last election and I got caught up in “the change” that was being offered us. I still feel that Obama tried to make some of the changes he talked about. But he turned out to be part of the same machine. I am convinced that it is the machine that is broken and needs fixing. Congress and the senate have shown all of us that the only thing they really know how to do is try to make each other look bad. Its’ all about chess moves to them. You (any president) try to get this done and we will block you so that you don’t look good. God forbid one party gets one over on the other. They have all forgotten that they work for “all” of us…oh wait it is I that have forgotten that they work for the highest bidders (banks, Big Pharma, ect ect) and us poor “people” don’t have the clout anymore to get their attention.

People have said to me “I just don’t “get” these occupy protesters. What is that all about? I don’t even know if they know why they are protesting.”  What? You don’t get it? I guess you must not know anyone that has lost their job to outsourcing, lost their home to the banks, have run out of unemployment after filling out like a gazillion job applications, graduated from college after working hard for a degree to not be able to find work and on and on. Been denied medical bennies because of a preexisting condition….Umm watched the banks get bailed out and still STICK it to us and drive all our property values into the toilet. People are just SICK and tired that’s what it’s all about. People don’t know what to do to be heard anymore. Who’s in charge of this Occupy movement people ask? Well let’s see, the people I guess. Anytime someone steps up to take charge they get shot, history has shown that. So how about we all just step up..Can they shoot us all? The police come out in full riot gear these days… when you come dressed for war well, damn, someone is going to get hurt I guess. Shameful.

I see so many people in my job. All different types of people. They come in for a small piece of relaxation. They talk, I listen. Four of my clients have lost loved ones to suicide this last year. All ages, from 28 to 58. One from a medication side effect (they are suing the pharmaceutical company, good luck with that, I wish them success) the other three from job loss, failed marriages, stress.  I share in my client’s joys and I share in their grief. The main thing that sticks out is they are all good people. They love their families they want to work and retire and feel safe and secure.  They are all stressing.

Neighborhood community organizations have popped up around Detroit in the last year. Detroit 300, It takes a village, ya’ll. They are trying to work with the police to make the city safer and get the community to work together to fight crime. This is a good thing. God knows Detroit has been raped to the point of extinction by its city government for the last 30 or so years. They have left that city barren. I know we will need to all have such organizations in all our neighborhoods soon if we are to survive.