Who Needs Gluten

Did ya miss me?

2012-02-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

    It's been a little while since I posted. I have had sick kids. A one and two year old both with double ear infections equals exhausted parents! I got some rest and now it's time for mama to get back to raising awareness! My last one was pretty heavy so I think we need to get back to the fun and upbeat stuff!
   In today's economy society is trying to juggle time, money and life style. And for us Celiacs we have to juggle extra cost, extra time and the high possibility of our system being attacked by gluten. But really who doesn't enjoy going out to dinner or staying in and ordering a pizza? You do, well you did before you got diagnosed anyway. Well don't worry friends there is hope!
   I am still able to eat some of my favorite foods! I LOVE pizza and enchiladas. I have found some great recipes to make each and also a way to eat them out! We are frequent flyers to a little mexican place by our house. This is our favorite place to eat in town. We walk in and they know our names and have our orders memorized. I wouldn't want to let a food allergy cause me to give that up!
        Depending on what you like you can order it to suit your allergy. When I order enchiladas I make sure to let them know I want corn instead of flour because I am highly allergic. I don't know where you live but more and more pizza places have started carrying gluten free crusts for their Celiac customers. Gluten free food is getting better and better!

"You're too young for this"

2012-02-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

      "You're too young for this", they said over and over again as they talked to me about my x-rays. The Er Dr and the radiologist were asking so many questions. Which only raised my fear even more."Too young for what? For what? Just say it I thought" I had gone to the ER that day because I started vomiting blood and having trouble swallowing. I was already imagining the worst. So they were not helping my nerves. I was only twenty-three with a fourteen month old and two week old. My children were all I could think about.
   The Drs that night both seemed uncertain about what exactly was going on. They used words like "stricture", you know how I feel about those kinds of terms.They said "don't worry, you're young, that will be on your side.It's probably something like ulcers or a hernia. But we see something on the x-rays which indicates something more serious. If you were in your fifties or sixties we would automatically refer you to an oncologist. However,we are referring you to a gastroenterologist. Meanwhile you need to stay on a liquid diet"
   I saw the gastroenterologist within 2 weeks. Let me tell you by then I was so tired of liquids! My Dr went over my medical history, family history and my recent symptoms. He said he wanted to run some tests and do an EGD. He also believed there was a good chance its a gluten allergy. . But first he wanted to take a look at the x ray the Dr from the ER sent. He said it would be a few weeks before they could do the EGD. The Dr leaves and my mom, husband and I all sigh in relief.
    The Dr comes back and says" well you're already in town(we live an hr and a half away) and I saw something I'm concerned about and I'm sure you're tired of liquids. We really need to do this today. I will see you back this afternoon. I will go with you over to schedule your apt". And the relief I just feeling had quickly changed back to panic.
The next two and a half months were spent going to have the procedure redone. Doing blood work and waiting for biopsies.My Dr kept me on a gluten diet so that it would show up on tests On December 21st my throat closed up completely and I couldn't keep liquids down. They performed the procedure again and took more biopsies. During the EGD he finally saw something that looked like gluten. I was diagnosed that day.I know this isn't the happy and light material that I usually post. But I feel that this is important too. People with and without Celiac's need to realize the severity of this disease.

Gluten Gremlins

2012-01-31T19:57:00.000-08:00

   What? Is that even real? Did you make that up? As a matter of fact it is and I most certainly did. I prefer to use fun names instead of boring scary ones like "contamination". These pesky little gluten gremlins can be lurking in all kinds of inconspicuous places. Does your family enjoy toast and sandwiches with peanut butter or mayonnaise? That's a prime suspect! You spread it across regular bread and double dip! Dropping crumbs for the unsuspecting Celiac to ingest! Another common place for gluten gremlins to take refuge is on a salad. Example some name brand ranch dressings are gluten free. But some restaurant's make their own ranch, and they use a thickening agent made out of wheat. Or say you order a salad hold the croutons. Order comes out and guess what? Yep, they forgot. You of course send it back and don't mention why you ordered it that way to begin with. They just pick it off because you'll never know right? WRONG! You're sick that night and have no idea why. Well now you do. Are gluten gremlins sounding more real now? I hope so.
    After you start your gluten free diet you will soon realize just how bad your reaction is or isn't. Some people, like myself cannot handle trace amounts. So it's important to take the necessary steps to prevent it. Don't worry though I have a few pointers to help you out. Most important when shopping is double check labels. Something may not contain any gluten but may have been processed with it. Sometimes name brands are completely safe but store brands are not. Food isn't the only source of gluten either. Check your beauty supplies and your medicines. I have begun emailing companies to see which ones are Celiac friendly. Once I get my list together I will share my discoveries.
Hopefully everyone is feeling good after going off gluten and my blog is helping make this easier. I've tried very hard to simplify this as much as possible. If you have any questions feel free to ask! I would love to hear from you! You can also sign up to follow my blog. Until next time!

A recipe so good the cookie monster will go gluten free

2012-01-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
as much or as little chocolate chips as you want
Mix together and spoon dough onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 mins
Enjoy! See I told you gluten free could be easy and delicious!

Gluten? Is that German??

2012-01-29T16:42:00.000-08:00

    So obviously gluten allergies are still fairly new. It's not your standard allergy. It doesn't present itself the same as other food allergies. Every person can have a different onset, different symptoms, and tolerate varying degrees of gluten. And I'm sure you're wondering if people have asked me the above question. My answer is yes and more than once. I did get a good laugh each time. It opened the window to inform friends, family and complete strangers about this new aspect of my life.
     I want this blog to go in an exciting and informative direction from the start. I don't want it to be your regular boring information that you've read over and over. With so many medical terms and symptoms and just depressing news that makes this adjustment sound discouraging and overwhelming. Instead I want to motivate you to do what is needed for your health. Armed with information and tools to help you enjoy your food and feel great. While also carrying on with your normal activities.
     So many people don't change their habits because of money and lifestyle. Imagine eating as close to your normal as possible and only making small adjustments. While spending about the same amount of money and time. And the biggest reward of all FEELING AWESOME and being the best person you can. Which of course allows you to give the best of yourself to the ones who really matter most in your life!

A little about myself :)

2012-01-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

   Hello everyone! Thank you for visiting my blog! My name is Kyndalle Lindsey and I have Celiac Disease. The purpose of this blog is to increase awareness of the disease. I know going off gluten can be overwhelming at first. I hope this blog is encouraging for those who have been diagnosed and answers any questions you might have.
   Now to tell you about myself. I am twenty-five years old and I am from the Tulsa area. I am happily married and have been for five yrs. I am also lucky to be the mother of two beautiful baby girls. Lorelai, age two and Kyleigh age one. They are one year and three weeks apart. That's just one aspect of my crazy beautiful life.
     I was diagnosed with Celiac's Diseease on December 21,2010. And it has made such an impact in my life. It's hard to explain but I feel more myself off gluten. My life is ten thousand times better because I feel so much better. Before going off gluten I heard people say you will feel like a whole new person. And I now know exactly what they mean.
   There are so many people who are unaware of Celiac's Disease and the devastating consequences if left untreated. As someone who suffers from a gluten allergy I feel responsible to educate the community. Be sure to check back often because I will be telling you more about my journey off gluten, answering questions, giving advice, and sharing recipes.