Update on a newbie

[Dana Lee]

Three months have gone by already since I was diagnosed with MC. The Entocort made me feel like I could eat anything again! I made a few changes - cut out dairy - toyed with some GF foods while on the Entocort. I ordered Tex's book and read it cover to cover. (Thank you, TEX!) I read posts and searched for topics on this forum. Weaning myself off the Entocort wasn't that hard - I must be in remission! I was eating a few GF foods and I was a lot more knowledgable because I had read Tex's book. And then it happened, another flare where I spent a few work days in the ladies room. I sheepishly called my digestive disease doctor and he put me on 9mg of Budesonide a day.

What have I learned? There isn't a quick fix and if I want my life back there are dietary changes I need to make now while on the Budesonide and make them permanent until I can reach a point where I'm actually in remission. And then, only then, slowly introduce foods back into my diet.

Armed with some GF recipes and my readers I went shopping at Sprouts (Southlake, TX). Recalling the pain of the stomach cramps and pushing my stubbornness aside I started reading labels. This isn't so hard! And wow, there are a lot of GF, soy and wheat free foods available. Glutino pretzels are yummy! Love Cinnamon Wheat Chex and almond milk!

This forum and Tex's book have helped me so much! THANK YOU! I just wish I hadn't been so stubborn and had "applied" my new found information into practice. And I'm hoping my newbie update might inspire someone to stay the course.

[Leah]

I guess you've learned your lesson! Budesonide is NOT a cure. It sounds like you are on the right track this time.... and I also hope that other newbies read this post! It's a hard thing to wrap your head around at first.
Thanks for the update. oh, and by the way, cinnamon chex is made from rice, NOT WHEAT silly :) I love them too, but I mix them with corn chex because a whole bowl of them are too sweet for me.

Thanks for posting an update. Hope you go into and STAY in remission soon
Leah

[tex]

Hi Dana,

Thanks for the update. I hope that you have smooth sailing with your treatment from here on.

Tex

[Dana Lee]

Leah - LOL! They are sooo good! And Tex, I can't thank you enough!

[jgivens]

Dana,
Good luck on your new way of eating. The thing that finally made sense to me (not that most of it didn't make sense) was Tex's argument about why one would not want to give up eating something that was absolutely toxic to them and caused all kinds of discomfort as well as further damage. Between his argument that it was insanity to continue to eat things that were causing us damage and the horrible D I was having, I was glad to finally give in and not eat dairy. Gluten was easy for me, but dairy is still something that I think about with fond memories--especially extra sharp cheddar. I cannot drink any kind of milk except hemp (which is "okay") because of my allergies to tree nuts and I don't like the way rice raises one's glucose levels.

I understand that stubborn refusal you mention to give something up though, because it is like my security blanket. It is what I know--but when it becomes painful, it makes it a whole lot easier to give it up. It is also helpful to know that there are lots of other people facing the same struggle and hundreds more who will have the problem in the next few years. Our food system is damaged and we--the ones with the delicate guts who raise the alarm--are just a warning signal of what is to come.

[Dana Lee]

Jane,
Thank you for your words of encouragement! I so agree with you and Tex's argument about why would we want to keep eating food that is toxic and hurts us? I thought going through thyroid cancer was tough. Changing my way of eating/thinking about food has been much tougher. Like you said it's a security blanket - it's all we know.

Our fabulous PTA provided lunch for us today at school. I walked into the teacher's lounge to grab a water and looked at all the food and said to myself, "It's just food." Someone asked me why I wasn't eating. I didn't know what to say? Do you have any ideas for a comeback when someone asks you why you aren't eating? I usually make a joke and tell them the ladies in the front office don't want me to spend the afternoon in the bathroom.

I'm so grateful for this forum! I don't feel all alone battling this disease.

[Leah]

Dana, When I have to address a whole bunch of people about this I usually say that I have too many "food allergies" to try to guess what's in everything. Most people understand the word allergy- even though it's not really what we have. I don't know if they believe me or not though. Because I am thin and fit ( I am a personal trainer), most assume I just don't want to eat fattening things. Whatever. Can't worry about what people think. Those close to me know the real reason :)

Leah

[jgivens]

Leah's correct--it really is nobody's business and after awhile you may get so that you don't care what they think. I say that I have a chronic disease that causes a whole lot of food sensitivities and I am still working on just which ones are bad for me. It is no fun, but it is what I have to do. If they continue to badger me, I refuse to "play". Most of my friends are in the health profession or are clergy. One group usually gets it right away, the latter group, is so busy taking care of people who are in crisis (including themselves at times!) that they seldom ask!

I have one friend who I can joke about it with. (She is a biology teacher). Sometimes she calls and asks if I would like to go out and try to eat in a restaurant or if I have "a date with my gruel" for the evening. She totally gets it. If we don't joke about it, it is waaaaay too serious.