Gluten Free...Me?

Picture is me (post gluten free) with my Dad in Colorado

What truly amazes me in this autism journey is how much I am constantly learning about myself. A little over a year ago we switched Aleks to her special diet which included taking all gluten out of her diet. Over the past year I've stumbled onto articles about gluten allergies/sensitivities and celiac disease being hereditary. It got me thinking, "Could I have some of the same food sensitivities that Aleks does?" Once again it was an interview with Jenny McCarthy that changed me and sent me to the doctor. For years I have suffered 'stomach problems.' I won't go into many details, but let's say I was constantly bloated, running to the bathroom and ate Tums like they were my favorite candy. Most nights I would lay in bed complaining, holding my stomach and saying something just isn't right. Then I'd have a meal and for some reason all would be fine and I convinced myself that I was fine. For some reason this year my stomach took a turn for the worse. I actually think it was getting worse last year, but honestly I had no time to deal with me since we had just found out about Aleks.

Fast forward to two months ago and I'm driving home from the station. I am exhausted, bloated and generally not feeling well. I remember going around the lake near our home wondering if I should pull over and sleep because I didn't know if I'd make it. I told Bill and he said I had to see the doctor. Instead of calling my OB/GYN I decided to call Aleks' doctor, Dr. Spore. I had been in to take Aleks a few weeks before and commented to her that I wasn't feeling well. She looked at me and said you don't look well. So that day, after almost falling asleep driving home, I made the appointment. On top of being exhausted with stomach issues I was also depressed and not dealing with coming off of Zoloft well at all. (Side note: I went on Zoloft a few weeks after finding out something was wrong with Aleks because I simply couldn't function. It was wonderful, did the job it was supposed to but for me the side effects were causing a few other problems. ) Dr. Spore ran the full food sensitivities/allergy testing done, a depression panel, urine, spit, etc. I won't share all the other stuff, but what I did find out from the food testing shocked me. My IgG test showed that I had gluten intolerance and egg intolerance higher than my daughter's! The cure, take out ALL gluten.

Let me say this, it is one thing to remove gluten from a 3/4 year old's diet. It is completely different when you're a 38 year old Midwestern girl who has grown up on homemade breads, cookies, buns and all things gluten rich, including BEER! It wasn't easy, but I kept looking to my daughter and realizing that if she could do this I could do this. Thanks to my husband, I even found gluten-free beer that I like. It's now been about 6 weeks on my gluten free diet and I feel like a different person. I'm not exhausted and I'm not holding my stomach in pain or running to the bathroom. In fact I'm now so accutely aware of gluten in foods that if I have it I now experience what Aleks does and the 'spacey' feeling she gets in her head. It usually takes just a bite and I'll look at Bill and say this has gluten in it. Going gluten free has been amazing in my life. If any of this rings a bell with you, get tested. I know it's a huge life changing event, but to feel well and be a healthy mom is the best thing I could do for my daughter.

xo

Melissa