The Medical Hits

So, my appt with the GI doc in Anchorage went well.  I got to visit with a good friend of mine from Ft Lewis, I got to shop (I ended up with TWO suitcases and a small carry-on bag of Christmas gifts for the kids... Aside from stocking stuffers, I'm DONE for my family! WOOT)

Anyway, I was chastised because I have not had my liver enzymes checked in several months.  He needs them ever 3 along with a CBC.  He was no concerned that my PCM found my bilirubin was high.  He seems to think that it's very common in white folk to have Gilbert's syndrome, and even he has the issue once in a while.  I go back in 6 months to get a scope done.  I doubt it will happen because he is in Anchorage.  He is a military doctor, and he is in a military hospital.  My husband will most likely be out of the military then.  But at least I can get notes and start with another doc... hopefully here in Fairbanks.

I had to go see my PCM today because she wanted to discuss my B-12.  So, because I have Crohn's, I don't absorb vitamins well.  And I have a B-12 deficiency.  I "get" to start next week on B-12 injections for a week, and while she's not sure of the next step, she did say that I will be having a B-12 injection once a month for.... ever.  Nice.  And since my B-12 was low, it *could have raised my bilirubin as well.

So, while my good Grok friend told me to not add a bunch of grain-ridden stuff to replace the gluten I'm trying to quit (and believe me when I say I have NOT done well this month), I did the opposite.  I got gluten free pancake mix.  I think I can use that to make some gravy when I do the roast this weekend.  I bought some rice cakes for a snack because I'm a fatty and like to stuff my face.  And I got Kix cereal.  I found that even CHEERIOS has wheat, so I read the label on the Kix twice.  Cereal is ingrained in my brain from growing up.  It takes time to re-learn how to eat.

Apparently there is only one way to truly say if someone has Celiac's disease.  The blood test helps because if you have the markers, you most likely have it, but even if you don't have the markers in your blood, you can still have it and they determine this by doing an upper GI scope and taking a biopsy.  I have not had the biopsy done, so he can't label me with Celiacs because my blood work was good.  However, given my past with my attempt at grain free, he believes I may have, if not Celiac's, at least a sensitivity to it.  He just wanted to know if I was going to continue because patients like me who play with diet can help other Crohn's patients in the long run.  Of course, I'd like to see the Federal Gov't get their heads out of the sand and realize that grains, especially wheat, are bad mojo for folks.

I start a new job (YAY!) next week, when the background check comes back clear.  Um, I haven't even had a speeding ticket, and have been pulled over only twice.  So that's a no-brainer.  I'm hoping that since I will be packing my own lunch and at a desk WORKING, I won't be stuffing my face out of boredom.  I can also pack a healthy lunch.  Meats, eggs, salads, fruits, carrots.  I'm looking forward to a lunch meat "sandwich" with Romaine lettuce as the "bread".

I know this is long, but just another thought.  PCM today said she lost 10 lbs by cutting out the Pepsi Throwback and drinking Pepsi Max.  While I respect that she lost 10 lbs, and if I cut out the Throwbacks, I'm sure I'd lose weight, too, I refuse to drink the aspartame-filled junk that comes in the form of "diet" pop.  So, I'll keep drinking my Throwbacks and adjust my caloric intake accordingly.  Most likely by eating more meat.

Struggling

Did you know that trying to go gluten free is damn near impossible when you like foods that aren't good for human consumption?  I have the hardest time finding things I like.

I'm still trying to go grain free, yes, but I thought going off gluten to start would be best.  So I've tried to cut out all I could.  I did stop eating morning "candy" (AKA, cereal).  The reason being is that even Cheerios (supposed to be oats) has wheat flour.  I've tried to stay away from breads as a whole.  But, I did have some cake at birthday boy 1's party yesterday, and today birthday boy 2 had cheese cake.  I could have eaten just the cheesy portion but I figured I had cake yesterday so a few graham crackers (yup, wheat in them) isn't going to kill me.  I'll have to start over, again, tomorrow.

I'm a bit disillusioned at our foods in our country.  High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in light yogurt (or even corn starch in some weird Greek yogurt my kids had today).  HFCS in marshmallows.  Wheat or some form of it in nearly everything.  Even fruit snacks have HFCS.  Corn fed cows are FAT cows, and I don't want the FAT.

So, I'm trying.  I've never been much of a foodie.  I like pasta, I like pizza, but these things are made with grain.  And as I sit here typing, my gut is crying at me again.  I give it another 5 minutes and I'll be on the potty again, for the 4th time in the last hour.

I'm not going to lie, though.  When I go to Anchorage this month to see my doctor, I'm going to be stopping at Arby's.  It's kind of counter productive, but I just love me some of that roast beef and cheddar.  Maybe I can eat it without a bun.  Though I'd have to do that in the terminal of the airport because it's kind of messy otherwise.

So, anyway.  There it is.  In black and white.  I know what I need to do.  But getting there on a ramen noodle budget is hard.  It burns me that a bag of chips is cheaper than a bag of apples.  Or that a bag of candy is cheaper than a bag of grapes.  Processed crap is cheaper than buying fresh.  It bugs me.  And the US needs to stop.  Otherwise our children are going to grow up fat with a plethora of gut problems.

End rant.