Apr 28, 2010

Housekeeping

So I just realized that it was four years ago today (Gregorian calendar) that I converted to Judaism under Reform auspices. It's been just about four months since I converted under Orthodox auspices. Four seems to be the number of the day. To read about my experience four years ago, click here. To be honest, I have nothing to say at this point about the four-year anniversary of my Reform conversion, probably because my brain is fried!

I called the UConn Health Center today to schedule an appointment with a new doctor to get a Gluten Test for Celiacs or sensitivity. I realized that the nuts I've been eating all week have soy (read: wheat) in them, so that sucks. Comments on my last post lead me to believe that I should tough it out and get the test before going Gluten Free, and the depressing thing about this is that I have been feeling moderately better, but I've been feeling more exhausted than normal; it usually hits around 9 p.m. each night. It could be the last few weeks of school wearing me out, but who's to say. So I'm torn. I'm going to carry on with my meat-free efforts and eat as little gluten as possible (no bagels or bread for me), but I'm not going to get anal about it because I'm worried about never knowing whether it's the cause of my intestinal badness.

Sigh. I just want to feel better, get a little healthy in the process, and fit comfortably in my wedding dress in a month. I think I need a hug.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm sure your intended will supply the hugs!

As for the gluten thing - well, I remember when I stopped with the gluten that my body went through a few (ahem) issues whilst I was essentially detoxifying it. So your tiredness *may* be to do with that as well as the last throes of school getting to you.

At the end of the day, it depends on how hung up you are on knowing exactly what the issue is, or just feeling better. My comment about the gluten-testing was really to tell you that if you were going down that route, not to have a dietary clear-out beforehand, otherwise the test (that I assume you are paying for somehow) will be a waste of time.

rachel

ByTheBay said...

Soy has nothing to do with wheat, is not even remotely related. People with gluten intolerance can eat soy products. Other things people get confused about are the "glutens" in grains such as rice and corn - they are NOT the same gluten protein (gliadin) that people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease can't eat, but sometimes food will say " corn gluten" and people freak out unnecessarily. You truly only have to avoid wheat, barley, rye, cross-contaminated oats (which is most of them) and spelt if you have celiac or gluten issues. And if you don't have celiac, it may be you just have a wheat allergy in which case you'll be fine with everything I listed except wheat itself (a much easier scenario). The only thing that you have to worry about with soy is that some soy sauce has wheat in it. Tofu, soy protein, soy milk, wehat-free soy sauce, etc are fine.

This is why it's so important to educate yourself about a gluten-free diet... There's probably way more foods you can eat than you think! I know so many people who deny themselves things because they just don't know what they are allowd to eat (hmm... sounds like the way I kept kosher at first! haha)

You won't get a positive test result without eating gluten up until the point of the test, but the amount of gluten you need to be eating is the equivalent of 2 slice of bread a day, I think - so a bowl of wheat-based cereal and a piece of bread should do it, or a single bagel or what-have-you. If your test is negative you can ask for a genetic test to see if you have the genes for celiac - you can't diagnose celiac that way because people can have the genes without having the disease, but you can know for sure you DON'T have it if you don't have the genes.

This stuff is frustrating, I know. I've been there. (Hugs). You will look lovely on your wedding day. Most importantly, buy a wedding dress that FITS YOU! :) Have a good shabbes.

Chaviva Gordon-Bennett said...

@ShavuaTov I opted for a blood test. We'll see what happens :D

@ByTheBay The Soy sauce, actually, did have wheat, the ingredients next to "Soy Sauce" in the parentheses said "(wheat, soy, ....)," so there *was* gluten in it. I think the problem is that a lot of soy products HAVE wheat in them, not that they are all gluteny, like you said. I've been educating myself massively over the past week, so a lot of what you said I know already. The oat thing mystifies me, too. It seems to be an ever-changing debate. Luckily, Bob's Red Mill sells Gluten-Free Oats :)

I went to the doctor today for bloodwork. He said to start on some heavy fiber supplement (yogurt or otherwise) and a probiotic (I already take one type) and I'll hear from him earlier next week. He suggested IBS, and said things like Prozac actually can treat the symptoms of IBS! Weird. If all else fails, I'll head to a GI.

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