Costochondritis- Celiac Q & A

This is my 100th post....wow.

That deserves an electric slide with a pop and lock to finish it off- dance.

To those new to the blog, welcome- I've just been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, the reason for my Costochondritis. To my normal peeps, may I just say thank you with all my heart to everyone who has been celebrating with me! It has warmed my heart soooooooo much. You all are such a life line to me. Seriously, I have lots of luv for you people, no lie. That's right, I said luv. Cause I'm attached to all you crazy cats. That's how I roll. All attached and stuff.

So the past week has been a wee bit NUUUUTs! My mom had her last surgery from her breast cancer battle and she's doing amazing. Cancer free looks good on her. And so do her new boobies! You knew I was gunna TMI on you. I can't stop it. So I've been with her a lot and loving it. Soooo...I won't lie, I've been unbelievably excited about the new Celiac diagnoses. And going gluten free is wild. I have slowly...okay, whom I kidding, I've been like a gigantor tornado trying to make sure everything that remotely comes near my body is gluten free. I have the food down, then yesterday I started checking the gluten content on all my vitamins, thyroid meds , makeup, shampoos, laundry detergent, leave in conditioners, hairsprays, hand soaps etc...so I've been on the phone for like 10 years so far, calling all the manufacturers, making sure that what's on my body is gluten free. I thought I was going gluten free...yeah...no...not so much. I feel a little jaded- lol-...because I was SHOCKED at how I'm practically bathing in gluten every day. One of my vitamins has gluten, my hairspray- (ewww- I'm INHALING it!? lol.), my lipstick, my mascara...AHHHH!!!! ....and the list goes on. This is encouraging- so folks, I have yet to make it one full day without putting it on my person. And I thought I was all gluten free already. oops.

I tried to cook something gluten free and well....I still have to work on what a square is. chuckle.


Alrighty then, let's get to business, here are some Q & A from my comment section, here we go!

Did you have an endoscopy? My G.I specialist suspected all my issues were coming from my stomach and wanted to do a endoscopy to check my small intestines. I showed up for the procedure at the hospital, the smell just blew me over, and I went down hill from here- hives, shaking, panic, a full blown PTSD episode and all. Glorious. My fault for not going to this hospital before hand and walking through and letting my body adjust before the procedure. So no...no endoscopy for me....soooo we went a different route.

How did you come to the diagnoses of Celiac? So here's the delio- when the 90 year old Dr. in chaps-lol- Michelle!!...told me he thought I had Celiac, I started rocking out the gluten free diet (or so I thought!). This meant that my gastro doctor could not do any normal Celiac tests on me unless I wanted to go back and do a "gluten challenge" for a month. I most certainly did not, I had started to feel better and there was no looking back. So this is how I was diagnosed:

1. My blood was packed with protein.
2. After 5 weeks of being mostly gluten free, I started having heart palpitations, so we did a blood test to check my thyroid 2 weeks ago- and it confirmed that my meds were waaay too strong due to my body beginning to heal without gluten in it- super cool. (Heart Palps are one major symptom to thyroid meds being too strong- and since the only change I'd made was the gluten, I requested that it be tested....no, that's a lie- I called and sorta demanded it...in a nice but- I've had this crap for way too long and my heart is skipping beats, run his test now...sort of voice.).
   
3. Then we did a blood test that showed I was experiencing malapsorbtion- a marker for Celiac. If you are consuming gluten, you can do a stool test for this.
   
4. And last, we did Genetic testing, the test I was waiting on. Mine came back positive, positive, positive. I can back with the strongest DNA combination for Celiac disease that you can have. Holla!
5. So with those results and my symptoms, the conclusion was Celiac. ta-da!
   

Are there other ways to conclude Celiac? Sure, absolutely. I did the best I could with where I am in my life. I wish I could have done the endoscopy. But it's all good. Other Celiac and more traditional tests can be checked out HERE.

Do you feel better being off gluten?
Crap yes- I feel better! Healed, No. But one day at a time. Here is what I have slowly noticed:

• My headaches are GONE. (Insert booty shake victory dance here)
• I can wake up easier. While on heavy gluten, I can easily sleep 14 hours a day. If you suffer from fatigue or mood swings, maybe getting checked would be a good option.
• My insomnia is gone
• I think I'm a Celiac who's stomach hates Citric Acid- steering clear
• My nails are starting to grow
  
• My back pain /tightness is releasing more and more each day
• My right neck/shoulder pain is getting less and less
  
• My stabbing attacks have almost stopped and my breathing is getting better and better. My pain is about 25% less than it was 6 weeks ago. Am I nervous it won't all together go away? Yes. Si. For Shizzle . I totally am. But I can't focus on that, I have to focus on the task at hand: Target gluten. Slay Gluten. Then run like mad from the SOB... So yes, I still have Costo and I have no idea how long it will it will hang around. I'll keep you posted.
• TMI ALERT, PEOPLE! I'm not constipated anymore if I stay away from dairy and gluten, and I don't have diarrhea any more due to staying away from canola and palm oil. Here's the deal...can't believe I'm going to say this.Ugg. The next time you visit the loo, check out your ...(you know)...and if it's soft, fluffy, light brown, and one long tube-ish , and you have this little experience once or preferably 2 or 3x a day, chances are your digestive system is SUPER happy with you! But if you are constipated, have diarrhea-ish/ or stringy/ or pile-ish poo etc...then yes, getting checked for Celiac could be a good thing. Mercy,I want to wash my hands just writing about it. AHHH!!!

So what do you eat now? Well, Since my tummy is so jacked up, I'm not drinking cokes, or eating gluten, dairy, soy, corn, or any oils. Not until my stomach is healed. I hoping to add corn, soy, oil, and possibly dairy back into my diet after 6 months to a year. So currently I'm eating a pretty plain all organic diet:

• Homemade toubule Salad- I substitute water or applesauce for oil
• Red Beans
• Black Beans
• Brown Rice Cakes
• Veggies
• Lundberg Brown Rice
• Mary's quina Pretzels- the sea salt ones
• Chocolate Chips- Yum!
• Sweet Potatoes
• Apples
• Bananas
• Blueberries

How does it feel to have this answer? Weird, amazing, overwhelming, peaceful...and just right. I feel like a I just met a weird brother I never knew I had, ya know? But one that I want to shake with excitement...and then make him go square dancing with me and tell everyone we are related. Even though he's ugly and awkward and I'm pissed off at him, I'm proud to finally know him. I also feel a little guilty. I know there are so many amazing people out there waiting for their good news of healing. It's so strange to go from, "I'm a girl with Costo" to " I have Celiac." I'm still in shock. But I feel really blessed, and eternally grateful to God for this gift. After walking through the past 3 1/2 years, living the anti-gluten life will be my honor. And I know in my heart that I will never feel bad for myself for being a gluten freak, cause this kind of freakishness is totally welcome. Bring it on!

If you'd like to check out another great chick who has costo and Celiac as well- you can follow Alyssa's healing journey at Young and Going Gluten Free.

What did you do when I found out? Well...my hubby and I quietly celebrated all day on Friday. He brought me roses, very sweet....and then I got money and went shopping!! haha! It was awesome! I love shopping by myself and never do it anymore...I mean...am I going to ice my ribs in bed in a comatose state while in a new pair of hot jeans before I drag my exhausted self to the granny stroll? Nada. But maybe one day....so did I buy a pair of super sexy unneeded pair of hot jeans and a romper that is OH SO CUTE??!- You bet I did!! I went crazy. lol. I even bought lipstick. What?! Then my hubby rubbed my feet Friday night and we watched a chick flick. It was such a quiet, but really joyful and peaceful day. I was in awe and shock all day. And you know I strolled extra saucy during my granny stroll..uh huh!

Are you going to do a Celiac blog? You know it!! It's in the works.

Alright folks- wanted to add a few random links where folks are chatting about Costo and Celiac:
Chatty Link 1
Chatty Link 2
Chatty Link 3
Super Long but AWESOME Link 4
Chatty Link 5
Random person with Costo and Celiac

Here's a website with more Celiac info and both GI and non-GI symptoms of Celiac

And remember, I'm not saying that everyone with Costo has Celiac. What I AM saying is that it's one more option to check out: if you notice your costo gets worse after you eat...or your attacks happen sometimes when you aren't lifting anything at all (sign of delayed gluten reaction) or just chilling, get yourself checked for Celiac. If you're looking to get tested on your own, cause your doctor is a knuckle head, these are some great tests in the USA:

My Celiac ID
The University of Chicago Celiac Testing Center

Well, that wraps up this post. Let me know what I can answer- or if I can help in any way. Much luv and prayers to everyone. May you feel the hope seeping through this blog to you, and the peace of God leading you to towards healing.