Feel free to discuss any topic of general interest, so long as nothing you post here is likely to be interpreted as insulting, and/or inflammatory, nor clearly designed to provoke any individual or group. Please be considerate of others feelings, and they will be considerate of yours.
On Friday I ate at Pei Wei and ordered my ususal GF sweet and sour chicken with brown rice. I have never had a problem in the past. When I placed my order she repeated back "Sweet and Sour . . . " but didn't say GF, so I reminded her. She had already printed the ticket for the kitchen and went back and told them. When my order arrived it didn't have the GF tag that is usually on the plate. My gut feeling said to question them but I was in a hurry so I didn't do that. Big mistake and I have been paying the price since then.
Whenever I don't trust my gut instict I regret it. Not that there is ever a good time to get glutened but this was a particularly bad weekend as my son and I ran our first 5K on Sunday. I pushed myself and did fine but I was very achy and and had a headache, not to mention dealing with D and a little bit of dehydration. A little better today but still not 100%.
Getting glutened is such a humbling experience. I can go months and months without any symptoms and then WHAM, one bite of food and I am sick for days. Lesson learned though, even when I am in a hurry I need to take the time to ask the right questions.
Mary Beth
"If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
I'm sorry to hear this. You know, people look forward to eating in a restaurant. It's supposed to be a treat. The least they can do is get it right. I hope you feel better soon.
I was careless and stupid a couple of times this week and paid a hefty price. First I took several gulps of a Vitenamese bubble drink thinking it was just crushed ice and fruit with tapioca balls...I always used to get the lychee or guanabana which are white. Then I tried my aunt's avocado drink and noticed it looked rather milky...turns out they are made with condensed milk and half and half!! The belly grew to pregnant proportions within minutes, but the D took several hours to start. Three days later, I bought Good Belly probiotic drinks at Whole Foods thinking I needed to start trying probiotics again. The label said vegetarian, dairy-free, etc. It's like a fruit juice, just slightly cloudy. Well, after massive, bubbly, horrible, unmistakable gluten D, I read the label...oat flower and barley malt. AARGH!! So stupid!!
Now I'm experiencing the worst case of PMS. My only settings are screaming or crying. If I don't get my period soon there's no telling what I'll do. PMS symptoms were always helped by carbs and dark chocolate, but nothing is helping now. I wonder if the prior glutening is to blame?
Thanks for posting that. It is so true. So easy to get zapped if we let our guard down, and sometimes it difficult not to....especially in social and/or hurried situations.
And for my birthday dinner last night, hubby suggested meeting at a sushi restaurant where we'd eaten before and had GF soy sauce. I took my overtired kids to my son's baseball game, wrestled them off the playground afterwards to meet Dad for dinner, waited half an hour for Dad to arrive late, and just before he walked in with flowers and a card in hand, the waitress told me they don't carry GF soy sauce, that it must have been another customer's when I had it there in the past. She offered me light soy sauce. I totally lost it and left the restaurant in tears, saying I'd go get my own from home. Hubby ran out after me to say they found the GF soy sauce, but it was too late. Tears were flowing, I was pissed at the world, and I went home. We skipped the GF/DF/SY cupcakes and Bard's beer he bought for a little bday celebration. He put the kids to bed, and I sulked. Now onto mother's day. Another day of last-minute, half-assed obligatory cards and flowers from kids and a dad who really don't appreciate what they have in a caregiver and uncompensated maid.
Mary Beth I am sorry you had a bad run with getting gluttened. I have no idea how you ran a 5k race even with out the contamination, I have found that with the mc and Crohns that I just do not have the energy anymore.
Along the line of dietary contamination, while in Brisbane before heading to visit with Gabes I had shopped and bought the ingredients for making a ginger garlic shrimp dish. It was great but gave me problems and I could not figure out why. Gabes emailed me this week that the ginger and garlic I bought in squeeze tubes has xanthan gum in them... I did not even check the ingredients... I assumed they were ok.... Oh well lesson learned.
What a bummer! Why does this always seem to happen at the most inconvenient time?? But congrats to you and your son on the 5K race.
Thanks for reminding us that we must ALWAYS be vigilant and listen to our intuition. It is especially humbling for us oldtimers to still be getting glutened after all of this time, but it happens nonetheless despite our best efforts..
Joe, Interesting. I can't do xanthan or guar gum either.
Z,
I'll bet all moms can relate to your comments - especially about wanting to quit. May your mother's day be not nearly as miserable as you think it will.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
I agree with Polly - that's a bummer for sure! I hope you're both feeling much better very soon.
Hugs,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
The fatigue may not be due to the MC and/or Crohn's, (assuming that your symptoms are generally under control, otherwise) - it might be connected with the Imuran:
Results
The onset of severe fatigue was related to the introduction of azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine, rapid relief was experienced on its withdrawal in all patients, and fatigue rapidly occurred on rechallenge. The speed of onset was rapid in two patients and in the context of gradual withdrawal of moderate steroid dose, but recurred rapidly on rechallenge when not on steroids.
Conclusions
Marked fatigue is a previously unrecognized adverse effect of thiopurines. It does not appear to be drug-specific. Its onset might be masked by concurrent steroid therapy
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thanks everyone! Yes, it was a rough go with the running but I was determined to finish. I am NOT a runner but I was hell-bent on doing this with my son and finishing without stopping. My son put me to shame but I was quite proud of him - he finished first in his age division and came in 10th overall. I think the only award I would qualify for was the Most Overheated
The gurgling is easing up today and the headache and body aches are gone. Lesson learned . . . I blame myself as much as I blame Pei Wei. Vigilance is the name of the game when dealing with food sensitivities.
Mary Beth
"If you believe it will work out, you'll see opportunities. If you believe it won't you will see obstacles." - Dr. Wayne Dyer
Wow, so sorry to hear about getting glutened - that really is a bummer. It is so difficult to dine out with all of the food intolerances we are dealing with. Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better today and you finished a 5K! That's incredible. I'm having trouble considering a long walk right now so the fact that you got out there and ran in the Texas heat and finished is amazing not to mention the fact that you felt like crap the whole time (pun intended:). Thanks for reminding all of us that we can never be too careful when dining out.
You must be bursting with pride over your son's accomplishment! Those are some pretty impressive stats!
Kelly
Believe deep down in your heart that you are destined to do great things~ Joe Paterno
Tex the fatigue issues started long before the Imuran actually that was one of the early symptoms that happened as the D got started about 15 months ago before the colonoscopy.
Wow, Mary Beth - I'm so sorry that happened. It's good to hear that you're already recovering. I am awestruck that you ran. I'm not a runner, either, so double-triple appreciate doing something that's not your favorite while 'under the influence' of gluten. Congratulations to your son.
About blaming yourself - I feel that way (not so much blame as "the real responsibility here is always mine") about the minor upset I had with restaurant food last week. I am writing them an email, because we did talk about the food - and honestly, if it wasn't gluten or dairy, I'd sure like to know what it was. I'm being really nice, but they'd better be nice back ;)
Zizzle, I'm so so so sorry. I do believe the PMS is worse because of the gluten. When I first got sick, I had a reprise of menopausal symptoms like I haven't seen in years. Maybe time of the month even makes you more sensitive to smaller amounts of ingredients. For sure the natural hormone fluctuations affect immunity in other ways. A friend of mine calls this moment 'I would kill you if I could stop crying long enough.'
And happy belated birthday - I hope the toughest moment of this year is now behind you.
Mary Beth - hat off to you for not letting MC stand in the way of your goals!!! Congratulations to both you and your son - you have good reason to be proud of each other. Your story reminds me of watching the NYC marathon one year, and seeing one of the leading contestants (believe it was Greta Weiss) cross the finish line with diarrhea drizzling down her legs. Fortunately, you made it without incident!!!
Zizzle - can totally relate to you horrible PMS - that's one thing getting older is kind to us women about :). Hang in there - better days are ahead.
Joe wrote:Tex the fatigue issues started long before the Imuran actually that was one of the early symptoms that happened as the D got started about 15 months ago before the colonoscopy.
Yes I know, Joe, that happened to me, also. But for me, (and presumably, all of the rest of us), once we got our GI issues under control, the fatigue faded away, and stayed away, (unless we had a relapse). If you don't believe that it's due to the Imuran, then there must be another reason why the fatigue is so persistent.
Many members have pointed out that one of the best parts of reaching remission, is realizing that we feel better, and have more energy, than we've had in 20 years or more. Maybe you just need a little more time to get there, (or maybe it's due to jet lag, from all the globe-hopping).
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
Not that there is ever a good time to get glutened but this was a particularly bad weekend as my son and I ran our first 5K on Sunday. I pushed myself and did fine but I was very achy and and had a headache, not to mention dealing with D and a little bit of dehydration. A little better today but still not 100%. 
It is so difficult to dine out with all of the food intolerances we are dealing with. Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better today and you finished a 5K! That's incredible. I'm having trouble considering a long walk right now so the fact that you got out there and ran in the Texas heat and finished is amazing not to mention the fact that you felt like crap the whole time (pun intended:). Thanks for reminding all of us that we can never be too careful when dining out.
Those are some pretty impressive stats!
