bonnie blue

Good morning friends,
Well I am all done with my three rounds of cocktails, can I get a Woo Hoo!!!  I am scheduled for the removal of my stomach on January 27th, so basically I have 23 days to eat all I want to eat, of course no gluten, lol.  The doctors are so pleased with my progress and actually think I will have an easier time with the surgery and the new diet because I already know what my body can and cannot handle, what will cause the big D, make me sick, etc.....  So thank you Celiac Disease!!!!!
Now dont get me wrong I know that this will not be easy, but I do feel pretty good going into this, I can look at this two ways, I am getting my stomach removed, ummmm ya that is not going to be fun, or I can look at it as I am getting rid of the organ that has the cancer so that I can move on and live my life, there will be major dietary changes but heck we have all been through that!!
It's kinda funny people say to me well at least you wont have Celiac Disease anymore, ummmm ya I will, I just laugh it off.  People dont understand I dont mind having Celiac, its the Cancer that pisses me off, lol.  
There are certain things I miss, you bet, but on the other hand I never feel like I am missing out on good food, I eat great food everyday!!!  
So I just want to say to everyone we have Celiac Disease, Celiac Disease does not have us!!!  
Oh and to let you know I got the cutest little blond wig and I am rockin that new hair, you know they do say blondes have more fun  
Have a wonderful day everyone, thanks again for all the support and hugs, take care  

Good morning my dear friends.  It has been awhile since I updated but my first round of cocktails (chemo) was pretty rough.  But I made it through, and getting ready for my 2nd round on the 7th. Just a couple of days ago I lost my hair, it was very strange just started coming out by the handfuls, I did cry a little but then I figured look you can get all depressed our look on the bright side, when I get up in the morning it only takes me 5 seconds to fix my "hair" I just put on a hat!!!  And I also don't have to shave my legs anymore, Woo Hoo!!!  So I am doing well I am meditating and doing Yoga everyday, and I am actually eating really well.  I will continue the good fight and please know how much I appreciate all your support, sending out big hugs to all, have a wonderful weekend!!  

Just an update, home finally.  The cancer is in the early stages and has not spread to any other parts of my body.  I will have two months of chemo, then surgery to remove my stomach, they will make me a new stomach from my small intestine, then after I have healed from the surgery two more months of chemo.  The doctors are very optimistic about a full recovery.  I did find out from the doctor today that they will not do any radiation, because of the Celiac disease, they told me it would be too hard on my body, because radiation causes the Big D, wow you learn something new everyday.  I go into my surgeon on Friday so they can put in a port in my chest for the chemo, and then the chemo will start next Tuesday.  I am in a very positive mind set at this point, and I will beat this cancer!
Thank you all so much for your support, this forum is like my second home, thank you again and I will keep in touch.

Oh hell ya I saw that, and had a complete freak out, and turned the channel, and I will never watch the show again.  You know it is hard enough to get some people to believe in our gluten free lifestyle and this is our only way to stay healthy.  Wow still cant believe they likened us to an eating disorder, these are clueless insensitive people. Ok rant is over  

It makes perfect sense to me.  When first diagnosed we tried to be a household with gluten products still in the home. But I still had my own toaster, butter, pans, etc....Everytime someone would eat bread, crackers, etc....I kind of freaked out.  My doctor did prescribe some anti-anxiety meds, which did help but left me feeling out of it.  So after the doctor said go completely gluten free in the house, it made a world of difference.  I think because what can hurt us is so readily available everywhere it makes it really scary for us. Something that really helped me was meditation and yoga. I am so glad you are feeling better, I know that sometimes it can be scary after feeling so bad for so long, just stay positive, keep thinking about how great you feel and that you will not let this define you.
Take care and stay positive  

Sending you good thoughts, I hope all goes well for you, and I hope you enjoy your vacation.

Today is a good day, today at our local festival I entered my gluten free chocolate cream pie, and you wanna know what.......I took first place!!! I just had to share this with people that understand the frustrations of gluten free baking, finding tricks that work for you, and then success!!!  This has been one heck of a journey, and not everyday is this great, but everyday I come on to this forum, read other peoples stories, ask for advice, or just feel comfort from people who know exactly what this truthfully feels like.  So dear friends I wanted to share this little triumph, everyone have a great weekend!

Sunny, you are not a wimp!!!  I know exactly what you are going through, I was diagnosed last September and I still kept on working, with that whole I am "Superwoman" mentality, however my body had other plans, I did have a few sick days when first being diagnosed, then ended up in the hospital in December, when my husband came home and found me on the floor passed out.  I was basically trying to do everything I did before without letting my body heal, so after another trip to the ER in January my doctor said that's it, your are done until we can get you better.  And yes I am still off work, do I feel guilty at times, you bet I do, but after being sick for so long, I have come to the conclusion that my health and well being are what I need to concentrate on.  For so many years I have been sick and to think in a short time I could feel 100% is unrealistic.  
I am very lucky to work for an organization who is holding my job for me, and a fantastic family who supports everything I do.  As my husband said, I am worth more then the paycheck I bring home.  Wishing you the best of luck and alot of hugs as you move forward on your journey to good health.  

Thank you Thank you to all that have responded.  You have made me again realize I am not in this alone.  I think alot of the emotional strain right now is that I have always been the "baker girl", in fact Sundays were the days I made homemade bread, cookies, brownies, you name it I baked it.  And I have already tried many recipes and shared them with family and friends with great reviews, but nothing will ever take the place of my mom's homemade bread recipe, So with the wonderful support of my new Celiac family here, my amazing husband, wonderful daughters, my sweet grandson, and my friends, I will keep goin, just taking it one day at a time.  Every day I feel better, I am on the road to good health again and thats all that matters.  

I have had that happen at work too!!!  They order pizza, donuts, cookies etc....  and then say oh were sorry, I just smile and shrug go into my office and eat my fruit.  Or have you ever had someone say "oh you can have a little, it wont hurt you,"  ummm ok.  Oh well, I guess this comes with the territory, I am glad we both have husbands who care or this situation would be unbearable.  Take care.  

As I posted last week, my niece's wedding was this past weekend.  I decided since only being newly diagnosed that I would bring my own food.  First event was the rehearsal dinner on Friday night, I made myself delicious soup and gluten-free cookie for dessert, so yummy!!!  Then Saturday the big day, I was a little nervous however the caterer was very nice when I explained my situation, (even though he really didnt know about Celiac.) I prepared gluten-free penne pasta with a light tomato sauce, fruit salad, and a decadent chocolate chunk cookie for dessert.  One of my good friends knowing that I was feeling out of place decided that she would also eat with me so that I didnt feel so alone. So here we came to the table with our seperate meals out to our table, we did get some strange looks from people but didnt care at all as our food smelled so good.  The best part of the evening is that the food from the caterer wasnt all that great my dad and husband both said the meat and potatoes were very dry tasting, so they ended up eating some of my food!!!  
So to sum it all up I had a delicious healthy meal, I felt great, and the best part was that I got to dance with my handsome husband and enjoy the evening.  Thank you to everyone who gave and advice and support.    

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement, this site is wonderful!!!  It is like finding a new family who understands you when no one else will.