My Celiac Story!

Welcome to the first blog in my adventures in the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Let me start with my brief health history. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease back in 2007. I had the lovely biopsy which confirmed what I was dreading. Celiac Disease. Personally I loved all sorts of food, junk food, fast food, chocolate, but nothing more than sugars and CARBS. LOTS of carbs, especially pastry. I cried in my doctors office and told him he can forget chocolate, I will never give it up. At this time I was a single mom of a soon to be 5 year old, and didn't really care to cook. In fact my idea of cooking was either something packaged or Mc Donald's, or my frequent Domino's.

The frustration of learning how to cook, gluten free was alot for me to take in, but I had no choice, a girls gotta eat. So I learned, after a while I found I had quite a knack in the kitchen and found it to be a real stress relief. I drastically changed my outlook on food and developed a great relationship with it. Yes I said I had a relationship with food, it's important to really know what you are eating, and how its made and all the health benefits it brings. I was finally feeling great.

Fast forward a few years and two more kids later. I was soo into this gluten free cooking that I had been tweaking recipes to a gf version that all my "regular" family and friends enjoyed, and creating new ones to my likeness, that I had decided, all I want was to open a gf bakery. I have oodles of great recipes in a book just waiting to make me..---..well we need not continue that fantasy.

For the last year now, I started getting my old "before celiac was diagnosed" symptoms. Bloated, stomach cramps were getting worse (they never went away after my celiac diagnosis), diarrhea often. I couldn't put my finger on it. At first I chopped it up to stress, after all I did just have my third baby. by the time Christmas of 2011 rolled around I was feeling horrible and sick ALL the time. I couldn't make or keep plans because 9.9 times out of 10, I was sick. I figured I must have had cross contamination with gluten, I was certain!

January, all 3 kids and myself got the flu..for 8 days. I was left weak.  Early February, I had a massive head cold that last nearly 3 weeks. I was so drained by this time. End of February we were hit with the flu AGAIN! a couple days later all my kids were better but I was getting worse, I figured the flu was really taken it outta me this time, so I better eat more chicken soup with potatoes, lots of potatoes. Oh and some rice bowls too, that'd help. Anyways, by day 8, with no energy, convinced I was dying, looked anorexic, no color, dizzy spells and even water gave me the runs, my mom dragged me to the doctor. I had an appointment with the gastro the next morning. I had lost more than 10 lbs. I was now 5 ft 7 in, weighing 102lbs.

Anyhoo, after 3 more blood tests and stool tests all coming out fine, I had come across a website (www.crohnsboy.com) and that's where I heard of the SCD diet. Everything started making sense, especially why I kept getting sicker, from the second round of the flu, after all I was poisoning myself with potatoes not even knowing it.

I have been on this miracle diet for 3 weeks now, my weight is up to 107 lbs, and maintaining (which for me is huge, normally it takes months to gain 1 lb). I no longer have stomach cramps, they were gone by day 2. While I have given into cravings 3 times now, the last time, was THE LAST TIME. I felt awful, and its not worth it anymore. So while the gf bakery is no longer, I have a new challenge and that is tweaking and creating delicious SCD recipes.