Huge thank you to Sara, two steps forward and one step back

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 1:19 pm

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Sara for some advice she's given in some previous posts. I visited my elderly parents for the holidays. One thing good about it was that it was a gluten free holiday as my mother is a diagnosed celiac and I'm 2nd generation with gluten issues. The visit went well but I was "doing, doing, doing" the whole week. I stayed at my sisters empty condo one mile down the road but had most of my meals with my folks. Towards the end of the visit I decided to get carry out dinner from a restaurant for myself. Huge mistake. It was cold, windy and I was exhausted and starving and with no backup food in the condo. So I go to the restaurant to get my carryout, should have ordered fish, chicken or steak, but no stupid me I order broiled shimp with risotto. I did not ask how anything was prepared. I've made risotto in the past and most times it is made with chicken broth so I thought it would be safe. As soon as I started eating I could tell it had a lot of cream in the risotto. Well...stupid me....I ate the whole plate. About 3-4 hours later I had a grinding headache and was vomiting all night. I kind of got freaked out but it did not feel like a CC thing for me as throughout the last 10 months I've never had the grinding headache or vomiting that some of the members experience.

So...using Sara as my beacon of guidance as she has posted another times that sometimes you get sick but it is unrelated to MC. I kept telling myself pretty much all night to stay positive and that this feels not so much like a CC thing but rather either the flu, food poisoning or a reaction to cream. The next morning I still had the grinding headache so I took two tylenols that the board recommends. By noon, the headache was gone and with the exception of being somewhat tired I felt like my old self.

I want to thank Sara for keeping my mind in a positive place all night. Also the take away for me is I learned big time that you have to have "the conversation" at restaurants. The second take away for me is that I need to carry some "emergency kind of food" in my purse so that I at least have a snack so that I'm not so hungry in which I make bad decisions.

Best wishes to everyone and thanks for all of the support! Brandy

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 1:25 pm

Great post Brandy!

I am glad you got through that successfully! Funny to say, but I hope it was a bad shrimp rather than CC that attacked you!

DebE13 · Post by **DebE13** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 2:20 pm

Brandy- you're not alone in bad choices over the holidays.

I thought I was doing ok at the family party- I only ate roast beef from Arbys' and garlic potatoes. I was proud of myself that I didn't even think of tasting my favorite crab/pasta salad, a little cake and some of the other holiday goodies. I looked at the pasta salad and felt a headache and the cake made me think of the upset stomach I would get. Either the broth that the roast beef was in did me in or the butter from the garlic potatoes- took me two days to feel better.

It was nice though, because my Mom had dates and pecans on a separate tray with me in mind. It was nice snacking food. My Christmas stocking had assorted mixed nuts, dried fruit, and other deb friendly products instead of the usual candies that I used to get. Leave it to mom and dad to go out of their way to put a smile on my face.

I'm waiting for my EnteroLab tests but think I already have my answer after this eating blunder. I've complained of severe nausea, upset stomach, headache, eye burning/pain, and the general feeling of malaise after I eat EVERY meal since this past spring. The doctors have never really addressed these complaints but I've been GF/DF for a little over a month and there has been what I considered a very mild improvement but now I have no doubt that it is the food causing this since it all returned in full force after this dinner. The food diary has proven to be helpful. I can't wait to fine tune exactly what I need eliminate to get even better results.

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 3:04 pm

Hi Deb,

Keep us posted on your Enterolab results! I haven't been tested yet.

PS. I also got a fruit stocking from my boyfriend. He asked me two months ago what he could do in lieu of the candy stocking that he generally does. I told him I wanted a fruit stocking with the "exotic fruits" that one never buys for oneself. I got a kiwi, a persimmon, an apricot and more. I love, love, love my fruit stocking so much that I think for gifts this year I'm going to give small fruit baskets.

PPS. I also like your mother's idea of the fruit and nut tray. Brandy

humbird753 · Post by **humbird753** » Sun Jan 01, 2012 3:32 pm

I am glad to year you're recovering from "that dinner." But as Sara told you, it's not always the MC. I haven't done Enterolab testing yet, but am sure I will fairly soon. Just like for you, it will be nice to know what foods I am intolerant to, rather than the guessing I've been doing.

A happy and healthy new year to you....

Paula

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Mon Jan 02, 2012 9:09 pm

I got Starbursts in my stocking for Christmas. Yay! I guess it's just such a challenge to stay well when you're out of town and eating in strange places--so many of us got sick over the holidays. Even though it was not a voluntary challenge, I considered my gluten experience an educational one (as in, "why I never want to eat this stuff again!"). I will have an ally when I visit my DH's family, since his niece is GF and her mom is really good about fixing stuff we both can eat. Between the two of us, it should be a good visit foodwise.