Our Memorial Day fun
Our Garden that is growing like crazy!
Lizzy's Kindergarten Water Day
Lizzy's Kindergarten Graduation!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ben helping me make his favorite cookies, complete with step by step photos and recipeLizzy's dance recital
and life just keeps going. If I could just press pause until I figure things out! :)
There are some other things I would like to blog about here:
The incredible lessons I'm learning from my other blog "Much More Him". Like how I started out a fraidy-cat blogger thinking I was the most presumptuous person I knew but finally willing to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost to create that blog. The testimony it is instilling in me. How shocked I am at how many people visit that blog regularly and from where! Realizing there are so many other blogs like mine out there being written by other Latter-Day Saints and now the church is encouraging it and even creating 'how-to's" for those who want to join the blogging missionaries.
I want to document my self-diagnosis of Celiac Disease. I don't have any insurance or any money to pay for tests and doctors but I have known that my body hasn't been doing well - so much weight gain with no real reason behind it. Incredibly tired all day, every day, Needing naps every single day. Falling asleep exhausted, waking up exhausted. Not being able to think clearly. Lots of depressed days. INFERTILITY!! Numbness in my hands. Digestive problems you don't want to know about. :) The list goes on.
The sad part is, I have been feeling this way for more than just a little while, it has been a long while. I've been beating myself up, thinking that something was innately wrong with ME as a person. You know, like I'm lazy, no self-control, no self-mastery, not faithful enough, blah, blah, blah. But when the intense exhaustion and the constant weight gain started interrupting my whole life - maybe in the last few months - I have been praying for answers. The Holy Ghost has been helping me turn my perspective around. I have been able to see that my symptoms don't mean that something is wrong with ME but wrong with my body. My body is crying for help and the way that is happening is by the symptoms I have been exhibiting.
A quote by C.S. Lewis has been running through my mind constantly:
You do not HAVE a spirit. You ARE a spirit. You HAVE a body.
That is really deep. But think about it for a minute. It is so true. I have always been my spirit. My body is the new addition and my spirit's job is to take care of, train and prepare this mortal, imperfect body to live eternally. My imperfect body has been trying to get a message to me that it is not doing well. My spirit is beginning to listen.
Anyway, last Fast Sunday I finally fasted asking the Lord to guide me to what I can do to help my body. On Tuesday of that week, my WONDERFUL sister-in-law Laura Love (yes there is also a Laura Love) was sitting at home and felt very strongly that she needed to call me. What she didn't know is that I have been feeling very strongly for about a month now that I needed to discuss my health issues with her but didn't know why. Laura is living with Celiac Disease. We talked and she emailed me some great info and so I decided to give the Celiac diet a try for two weeks to see if I noticed any difference.
I do. In just two days, my energy levels increased dramatically. I am not making any diagnosis yet, but the evidence so far is pointing in that Celiac direction. Once someone is diagnosed, the only treatment is the diet so this may be the answer I have been seeking. We'll see.
Oh, so much more is on my brain - as usual! I'm a thinker. My brain doesn't turn off. But it is late and I want to go to bed. I'll try to play more catch up tomorrow. (we'll see - no promises!)
I have a good friend who just went thru this same thing! And talked about the symptoms and it was pretty much identical to me too!! I have horrible digestive issues too. With my friend they diagnosed it first as Celiac disease but then downgraded to an intolerance to Gluten. He follows the same diet and he has lost a lot of weight and is doing so much better. I suspect that at least it could be an intolerance to gluten but I have yet to try the diet. What are you doing for the diet? What foods have you cut out? Details!!
ReplyDeleteI will forward the info that my sister-in-law sent to me. Pretty much it is anyTHING that contains any form of wheat, rye or barley. Even some shampoo has wheat germ oil in it and must be avoided. You have to check every label because there are products out there that you would never even guess have wheat in them, but it's in there.
ReplyDeleteThis website http://www.celiac.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=34 gives a ton of info including all the symptoms, diet menus and tips. You can eat as many fruits and veggies as you like, just no bread or dough or pasta products. Other things as well.
Undiagnosed Celiac can lead to so many health problems and is closely related to thyroid, diabetes, Lupus, pancreatic problems. I think my mom had Celiac. As I read over the symptoms, it was obvious there was at least a great chance she did. She developed diabetes, had gallbladder problems and eventually died of pancreatic cancer.
BUT I want to say that the only reason I'm self-diagnosing is because we don't have insurance and medical tests are very expensive. You really should be tested BEFORE you start the diet because if you are already following the diet the test results may be incorrect. If I continue to notice a difference then I will stop the diet and see about getting the tests done.
Also, it is not necessarily a "diet", it is a new committed lifestyle because it can never be reversed.
I am willing to give it a try if it means my body will eventually feel better.
Have you had your thyroid checked? I thought I was just lazy and tired. I had dry skin and my hair was falling out also. My thyroid levels were so low so I have taken it for many years now.
ReplyDeleteHey Terri,
ReplyDeleteThyroid is my next guess because my mom had thyroid problems and now my sister does as well. But that requires money and a doctor and medicine. I'm going with the free self-diagnosis first until we can hopefully find some affordable health insurance.