Gluten Free! But for how long???

       

        Hello Friends! It's been a while, and thus I feel I should fill you in on some important information. I am currently living a Gluten Free (GF) Lifestyle! 10 days and counting! I am very excited about it thus far. Let me explain my situation...

        No, I have not been diagnosed with Celiac, or with any gluten intolerance, but I have lived with stomach pain for quite some time. Actually, very definitive stomach pain to be exact! I have had left abdominal pain for about 2+ years. Pain so specific, I could pin point right where it hurts if you cut me open! 

        According to my MD I am too young for diverticulitis. My Gynecologist had pointed out cysts on my right ovary, which have since resolved, leaving me to believe that they were not the cause of my pain. I also had a very uncomfortable ultra sound performed of my entire - and very full - bladder, and the results were inconclusive. I have not had any food allergy testing completed. Further, I have not seen a G.I. as my insurance requires me to have a referral before they will cover an appointment. 

       To add to all of that, I have a Cousin on my Dad's side who is living with Celiac, and an Aunt on my Mom's side who is living with Crohn's. As you can see, gluten intolerances are prevalent in my family on both sides. 

       Consequently, my MD has diagnosed me with the dreaded Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which required me to take 4 pills everyday to control it!!! (The diagnosis was back in February). 

       From about March to the middle of June, I had very few bouts with my stomach pain. As June progressed, I began to have that very specific left abdominal pain regularly. I decided to take action by cutting out Gluten. This isn't the first time I've tried GF - but it is the first time that I have made it into a Lifestyle. The first time I tried GF, it was more like a diet... that didn't last long at all - maybe 2 or 3 short weeks. And while I am only at day 10 right now, I fully intend to continue living my life Gluten Free for a long time! Although I have still experienced some left abdominal pain while doing GF, I feel energized and less bloated overall! 

        Because I have given up Wheat, Barley and Rye, I have had to adjust what I eat every single day (and believe me, I love my Gluten)! It's not as hard as I remember, but I do have my moments where I'd love to cave in to temptation. I am constantly thinking about how I can adjust things that contain flour to become gluten free. For example, instead of adding a spoonful or two of flour to my cornmeal for fried green tomatoes, I will just have to stick to plain cornmeal. (Maybe I can even throw half of my cornmeal into the food processor to grind it down finer.) Please understand, I am not the kind of girl who wants to turn my recipes and passion for cooking into diet propaganda, but clearly something needs to change. And thus in the process, you will be hearing about my GF thoughts, recipes and Lifestyle. Hope that's okay, and I hope you stick around to read more!

Thanks.