I know that I’ve already posted a few entries, but I wanted to explain where I’ve been, and why I’m back.
Where I’ve Been
I took a three year hiatus from blogging. Why? The short answer is babies. I was extremely fatigued when I was pregnant with my first baby and didn’t have time to craft, try new recipes, or blog about either. Then I had a baby and was adjusting to life. When the baby was nine-months-old I got pregnant again. Now I have a two-year-old and a five-month old.
Why I’m Back
I’ve really missed having a creative outlet. I still make up knitting/crochet patterns (at a much slower rate) to share. I have also developed an issue with gluten. I was waiting for an official diagnosis before writing this post, but it doesn’t look like that is happening anytime soon.
I have been sick to my stomach daily since I was pregnant with my second baby. I’ve also had extreme fatigue and brain fog along with other symptoms (that’s a post for another time). I was seeing a doctor for some issues I was having with my adrenal glands and she tested me for celiac. The blood test came back positive. She was pretty sure I had it and didn’t trust intestinal biopsies since celiac often causes localized areas of damage in your intestines. If you don’t take a biopsy at the right location, you don’t see the disease. She suggested I stop eating gluten, and if I feel better, that is the answer.
I already had an endoscopy and colonoscopy scheduled, so I decided to just ask that doctor to take the biopsies. I got a letter two days ago that those biopsies did not show celiac, and I should come back to that doctor in two weeks.
I quit eating gluten the day of my endoscopy and colonoscopy almost two weeks ago. I’ve gotten sick once since then. Once! I had been getting sick multiple times a day. While I was bummed about not getting the official diagnoses in the mail (not that I want to have celiac…I want to know what is wrong) my husband pointed out that whether I actually have celiac or not, it doesn’t matter that much because it’s obvious that the gluten was making me sick and I should stick to eating gluten free.
Long story short, I also plan to document my gluten-free journey on the blog. I plan to share recipes and products that I like as well as experimenting with gluten free baking.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt and a few other grains. It’s commonly found in foods like cakes, cookies, pizza bases, pastries, bread and things you wouldn’t expect like soy sauce, ice tea, and candy. A gluten free diet is necessary for someone with Celiac Disease and recommended for someone with a gluten intolerance. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease when the villi of the small intestine is damaged every time they eat gluten.