Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Gluten-free & Dairy-free

The title of this post might make you cringe.  Don't worry... I totally understand the reaction.

So, I think I have talked about what has been going on with me and my health in previous posts, but I will give a summary anyways.  I got pretty sick with an infection after having emergency surgery in November to remove a foot and a half of my intestine.  Scary stuff.  So I am just going to be honest- if you get grossed out easily by bodily functions you should probably not read the next part of this post.  After staying in the hospital for 13 days after that surgery- I have no more modesty. I mean... It was me in the robe with the back opened and you know I probably flashed everybody at some point during the days when my doctor forced me to walk the halls because even when you tie that thing it doesn't stay shut. (me and my cankles were bringing sexy back at that hospital) ANYways... after all this surgery craziness I was having diarrhea like 6 times a day. 6 times a day! Yes, it is as painful as it sounds.  SO, they blamed it all on the IV antibiotics so I just prayed that the infection would go away soon so that I could stop the antibiotics.  Praise that the antibiotics ended the Wednesday before Christmas- best Christmas present ever.  BUT the diarrhea did not slow down much at all.  Long story short... we were concerned about all the rapid weight loss that happened due to the diarrhea so went to a intestinal specialist that thinks it is bacteria growing in my intestine and gave me some wonderful drugs to clean it out and try to reset my digestive tract. I had lost 33 pounds and got down to 113 in 8 weeks.  Let me tell you... I know some of you might be thinking 'I wish I was 113'.  No you don't.  I didn't look healthy, my arms look pathetic, my hip bones stick out, and when I sit down in a wooden chair I can feel my butt bones and it is actually painful.While I am on this 30 day antibiotic that is doing this... I am supposed to be eating gluten free and dairy free and they think it will slow down the diarrhea.  I was kind of upset about it at first since I am against dieting but I had to change my perspective: I am not on this diet for weight purposes, I am on it so that I will be more comfortable and have a better quality of life. 

So I started the gluten-free and dairy-free diet.  I felt so much better!!!  My body felt better and it did help with the diarrhea.  Most of all my tummy wasn't hurting and cramping as much.  I ate TONS of fruit, eggs, chicken, and salads.  Rice chips are not bad, my husband even enjoyed eating them.  We tried almond milk and really liked it.  Now I can start adding gluten and dairy back into my diet in small amounts, but we have decided that we may try to keep some of these foods around in our diet long term. 

You are what you eat.  Most gluten-free and dairy-free foods are not processed and when I eat a lot of processed foods my body feels very sluggish.  I really like the way my body feels after eating these types of food.  My energy went up and I was able to put some weight back on.  Right now I am about 120. 

I just wanted to share this with you.  You could challenge yourself to try it for 1-3 days and see if you could tell a difference in the way your body feels. 

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