Introduction

[Huggenkiss27]

This looks like the place to introduce myself before I start posting all over the place and people are wondering who I am. My name is Amanda, 28, currently living in Houston, Texas. I do environmental work in the gas and oil industry. I got my undergrad in watershed science at colorado state and along with working full time I am getting my Masters at Texas A&M. I've got a great supportive boyfriend and we've got two dogs that are on grain-free diets because my golden retriever is allergic. I love outdoor activities like camping and hiking so I'm trying to figure out how I ended up in Houston

I have had health "problems" for the last 15 years or so. As I'm sure most are familiar with I'd say the typical Celiac type symptoms. When I was 20 I was tested for Celiac, among other things, and was told by my awful doctor that I just had the most severe case of IBS he'd ever seen and I just had to deal with it. His suggestion was to take 2 immodium before every meal. I was heart broken and ended up gaining about 75 pounds by the time I was 23 and graduated college. After college I took a job in a very small mountain town and had a complete life style change. There was no fast food and everyone ate very healthy. I wanted to lose all the excess weight so unknowningly I went almost gluten free and I felt better. I lost 80 pounds and felt great. Then I got transferred to Houston about a year and a half ago. The lifestyle here is very very different. Lots of eating out and meeting for drinks. Slowly I started feeling awful again and spending more and more time in the bathroom plus I've put on about 20 pounds. I just wasn't feeling good either; tired, headaches, body hurts, crabby, mouth sores, and the weirdest mucous production that I don't even want to get into. Then a few months ago I started having awful stomach pains. I went to the doctor and after rounds and rounds of tests, poking, and prodings here I am- not 100% sure I have or don't have celiac but on a wheat/gluten free diet. It's been about 2 weeks now and I'm already noticing a difference in my bathroom habits and stomach pains. My boyfriend and I live together and he is VERY supportive. We're moving at the beginning of August and the new house will be gluten free. Over the weekend he went though the pantry and fridge to seperate all the gluten containing food out to make sure he eats it all so we don't have to trash it when we move.

Thanks for taking the time to read and I look forward to surfing the forums, learning a lot, asking questions, and getting to know you all here!

[kareng]

Welcome!

Glad you are finding something that helps. I hope they did the Celiac blood work before you went gluten-free?

My son will be a sophomore at CSU this year! He loves it. However, he and his friends are devastated by the High Park Fire damage. All the favorite CSU handouts for biking, hiking and camping are destroyed. Some of his friend that stayed or live nearby have gone to fight the fires. He is stuck here in Kansas City.

In your new place, vacuum out the drawers. Then wipe good with a wet paper towel. Crumbs have a way of dropping into the not quite closed drawers.

[deltron80]

Welcome to the forums!

[Huggenkiss27]

They did do the bloodwork and it came back negative. I went gluten free right after my endoscopy/coloscopy because I figured that was as clean as my guts will get! I get the results back from my biopsies this Thursday. Thanks for the advice on the cupboards; I didn't even think about that!

The High Park fire is awful. I grew up in the Loveland/Fort Collins area and have many friends who have also felt the effects of the fire. My brother will go out with the fire crews but right now they are so short handed that when he goes to the offices there isn't even anyone to assist him to get on a crew!

Welcome!

Glad you are finding something that helps. I hope they did the Celiac blood work before you went gluten-free?

My son will be a sophomore at CSU this year! He loves it. However, he and his friends are devastated by the High Park Fire damage. All the favorite CSU handouts for biking, hiking and camping are destroyed. Some of his friend that stayed or live nearby have gone to fight the fires. He is stuck here in Kansas City.

In your new place, vacuum out the drawers. Then wipe good with a wet paper towel. Crumbs have a way of dropping into the not quite closed drawers.