armetta's Blog

I was born with both lungs collapsed and had pneumonia several times in childhood, then advanced to a lifetime of bouts of bronchitis. Because I was a skinny child, my parents decided that pure cream would put weight on me, little knowing that fat cells are formed in the first two years of life. Boy, do I have the fat cells LOL. The blister rash on my hands started as a child which I inherited from my Dad. Sometimes the blisters and itch would last just a week and then leave. I was always sick with something or another. My Dad moved a lot for Boeing and worked on missles. So, I attended 17 schools, including a short time at College. During High School, my Dad was diagnosed with Porphyria and became a test subject at the University of Washington. There is no doubt that I got this disease from him. He died at age 52, undiagnosed with celiac disease. He had the projectile vomiting and sitting on the toilet at the same time. In High School I got the reputation of being a hypocondriac which I carried with me all through life. That stigma made me handle the pain longer then most people would have. I used to get sick in my senior year and would go home and then within several hours the pain would leave. We moved near to Cape Canaveral when I was 19 and the pain started one day at a new job I had just gotten. I just kept telling myself it was all in my head. When I got home I would not let my parents call a doctor as I had no insurance. Two days later, my Dad called a doctor, who ACTUALLY came to the house. Sure was different then. LOL They operated the next day and took out my right ovary, appendix and two oranges and one grapefruit - all were precancerous. There were many hospital stays and some surgery's over the next many years.25+ years ago I was dianosed with Fibrositis, now called Fibromyalgia. By, the way, a gluten-free diet took most of the pain away and that has been a nice side affect of this diet. I also have Osteoarthritis and had two artifical joints put in my large toes - also many years ago. I was diagnosed with hypo thyroid and IBS. Had surgeries for detached retina (bad fall down some stairs), torn rotater cuff (raquet ball), same fall detached my Uturus and that had to be reattached. Had a rare pneumonia five years ago that required lung surgery and a minor heart problem showed up during the same time. Of course diagnosed with Reflux and severe heart burn. Took SO many pills a day for those two alone. A few other minor surgeries along the way. At my age, I can't remember yesterday, let alone that many years. Also have asthma and it sometimes becomes severe with my food allergies and food intolerance. Use a nebulizer several times a day.Many years ago, I started getting what I would call "mini flu's". They could last several hours or just a day. I would throw up until the dry heaves would start. Nauseated and many times D time in the bathroom. Also had to live with the C bathroom problem. The throwing up was the worst and the most frequent. I had so many barium tests and all they did was reinforce the hypochondriac diagnosis (quietly, of course). Had MRI's and CAT scans during those years. Of course they threw the label at me of IBS. We used to go out to dinner locally at that time and of course in a small town you know the owner, etc. of the restaurent your eating at. Of, course I would be stupid and order rich food and then proceed to go upstairs to the bathroom and lose it all. Come back to the table, where my husband would have my coffee waiting. Bob (the owner) would always ask what it was about his cooking that made me do that. LOL.I also had a horrible temper during all those years. Since I have been gluten-free, my temper is almost gone. The only time I lose it is when a problem arises when I am very tired. It is very short duration and just very bad rudeness.Over two years ago, I started to drop weight. This for someone who spent her adult life going from a size 14 to an 18 and really working at it to even stay in that range. Used a treadmill 5 days a week and had an 8' long weight system. Part of the basement was set up for a gym for me (this was before retirement to Arizona).So, when the weight starting to come off by leaps and bounds - anything over 5 pounds a month without hard work - was leaps and bounds, I decided a doctor was in order. Here comes the frustration.(To be continued) I am really tired.