Wheat FREE - Moving on along!

Just about a week and a half into the wheat free again thing and things are going well.  We aren't 100% wheat free yet - more like 80%, but I'll take that!  One night, my son really wanted Chinese.  Sesame Chicken, to be exact.  My guess is the breading on the chicken was wheat based.  Then, last night, he really wanted Wataburger.  I could have said NO either, or both times, but I've learned from the last attempts at suddenly pulling him 100% wheat free.  I have found it best to allow 'cheat days' every now and then.  It helps him realize how much and how often he can have something with processed wheat in it and how it makes him feel.  


A bonus to the change - I actually spent LESS on food!


Now, if only we can get his sleep schedule back on track!

Wheat FREE - working on day 5!

Well, the son survived a stay at a friend's house still wheat free!  Having cooked 2 whole chickens yesterday, tonight is as 'simple' as throwing together a side or two.  


He's feeling better and my clothes are already fitting better.  This will be a win-win...provided I can keep up with the cooking requirements of feeding a teen boy!

Wheat FREE - Made it to day two!

Left on his own, he still managed to tackle another day wheat free!  This week will be a little more challenging as he will be hanging with friends on and off all weekend.  Fingers crossed!

Wheat FREE - Finally, one full day!

Driving home from work today, I was tired.  It would have been really easy to pull into Whataburger and order dinner.  However - BUNS - and I don't think the kiddo would be too excited about a bunless Whataburger.  So I sucked it up, drove home and cooked dinner.  Day #3 of wheat free dinners, I might add.  Then came the question -

Me: "Son, what did you eat today?"

Son: "Um.."

Son:  "..a banana, an apple and some leftovers."

>SCORE<  NO WHEAT!

I can mark today on the calendar as his (once again) first wheat free day!

Um, sigh...

My dear teen son has been home sick the past few days (again).  It seems he consumed too much wheat over the holidays and his system, once again, turned on him.  So, here's part of what went down yesterday when I got home from the office:

Me:  Hey son, how are you feeling?
Son:  Not much better.  What's for dinner?  Oh, never mind.  I forgot you had a chicken in the crock pot.
Me:  What time did you get up?
Son:  About 2 (that would be p.m. for those curious).
Me:  What have you had to eat today?
Son:  Pop Tarts
Me:  Um, son, you aren't supposed to eat the Pop Tarts.
Son:  Why?
Me:  Um, what are they made out of?
Son:  Uh...I don't...oh...really?  They have wheat in them?  (heavy sigh)

Obviously lots of work to do here!  First, I need to remove (again) all of the wheat products from the house (except for the basic flour as I owe a few friends a cake before I toss that out).  That way, he will know whatever is in the house is safe for him.  Then, I need to get really serious about finding foods he can eat (at home and out), educating him on what to look for and teaching him how to cook.

Trying to change eating habits for a 17 year old has been - well - challenging to say the least!

Dear Neighbors, I'll be bringing over a box of food tomorrow.

Almost 2 out of 3 will have to do

Breakfast was 'served' before I left the house - a packet of Emergen-C in water, a probiotic with a cup of water and instant oatmeal.  What did I notice while microwaving the oatmeal?  this brand contained milk.  *sigh*  Then it was back to bed for him and off to the office for me.  


He was on his own for lunch.  How did he do?  Chicken Salad and crackers.  Yep, crackers - as in wheat.  *sigh*


He wasn't hungry for dinner, but at least wasn't feeling as nauseous as yesterday.  When he eventually wanted food, he wanted...Ramen Noodles.  Yep, wheat.  *sigh* Add in some Powerade and another vitamin packet.


Yep, this is going to be a long road, but it has to be of a design he can live with.  So we proceed at his pace so it will be something he sticks with.


As for me, it's time I get back on a healthier road as well!

Recovering - Day 1...AGAIN

When I first learned of my son's wheat sensitivity, I did just as my prior post said.  I went through my entire kitchen and got rid of EVERYTHING I could find that had wheat in it.  I brought 2 BIG boxes of food items over to my neighbor's house.  We avoided eating out.  We attempted to find replacement things for what was tossed.  Now that was an adventure!


The 'important' items to replace were bread and macaroni and cheese.  Well, we tripped across some of both that even my dogs wouldn't eat!  Seriously!  They would sniff it and walk away.  He was very discouraged.


Finally, we found replacements that were semi okay.  Then he wanted to 'try' an occasional wheat item.  The doctors couldn't tell us exactly how much wheat or what kind would be too much for his system.  Some do okay with the occasional, while others have to avoid 99% of it. Soon, the occasional became more frequent.  He seemed to be somewhat okay for a while.  Now he is absolutely miserable again.  He will catch every bug or virus that travels anywhere near our block and then have an awful time ridding himself of it.  His immune system - between all of this and many rounds of antibiotics over the summer for another issue - has been severely compromised.  


He has only made it through one full day of school this week (and he only goes 1/2 day).  This morning was the absolute final straw for me.  He woke me about 0330 to tell me he was feeling absolutely awful again (still).  His stomach was burning so bad that he couldn't sleep.


He is 17 and about to go off to college - if he can ever feel well enough to get through high school!  I have got to find what works for him and it has to be something he can learn and take with him.  Today we start again!


The plan for day 1:  no wheat and simple, bland foods - plenty of water to help flush his system, vitamins and rest


Day 1 is never the problem...

"just" wheat sensitive

We got my son's test results back a while ago - no Celiac!  


~WHEW~ 


That means he is 'simply' wheat sensitive.  


No big deal, right?  Just avoid wheat.  Okay, here we go:

• toss out all your bread
• toss out the crackers and a lot of chips
• toss out the cookies
• toss out most of your cereals 
• toss out the Kraft Mac/Cheese and all other pasta

How are you doing so far?  You're not done yet.

• toss out any soups that have noodles, that includes Ramen noodles
• toss out the pancakes and waffles
• toss out the frozen pizzas, burritos, corn dogs, chicken nuggets
• toss out the gravy - even the homemade if it is using regular flour
• toss out all home baked goods that use the regular enriched flour or even wheat flour

Are you still with me?  One more big one.

• toss out most fast food and eating out in general without first checking which restaurant offers which foods that are okay for you to consume

Okay, that covers most of the big items.  There are many more with wheat tucked away in them that one wouldn't even think of until you have to hunt it down.  We'll get to those later.

So, how are you doing with all of this?  Imagine being 17, male and adding this to being lactose intolerant.  I don't think the word 'simple' applies here at all!

However, he is sick of being sick and tired of being constantly tired.  This is the hand we have been dealt and it is time we learn to play it to the best of our ability!

What - EXACTLY - are we dealing with?

From 21 Oct 2011

What - EXACTLY - are we dealing with?

My son had his follow up with his surgeon yesterday.  He came out saying the doctor said it was still healing, but should have already healed.  According to him, it should take 4 - 6 weeks to heal after surgery.  It's been 3 months.  My son wasn't exactly thrilled about the doctor's comment of maybe having to go in, reopen the area and stitch it to promote healing.  Neither was I.  My question - why wasn't his body healing properly.  My momstinct told me something was going on inside of his body keeping it from healing properly.

Then, about midnight - as that is when my son always seems ready to talk - he woke me up with his concerns.  He had been doing some research and his "wheat sensitivity" could possibly keep him from joining the service.  He's not 100% sure that's what he wants to do, but he does know he wants to study defensive/mechanical engineering and work on military issues.  From his body language, what he wasn't saying, and the fact he couldn't sleep, I knew all of this was really weighing on him.  I told him we would find out exactly what he had, so he could have the information he needed to move forward.  "Okay, mom, good night."

As soon as the doctor's office opened, I called to make an appointment for blood work - more blood work.  Unfortunately, our GP was out, but a nurse I trusted recommended one of the NPs since I was mostly needing someone to order the blood work.  She was awesome!  We now have an additional member to our team "Let's get Zack healed!"  We agreed that we needed to see if there was something blocking the healing ability of his body AND we needed to verify if his wheat issue was an allergy, sensitivity, wheat only, all gluten or full blow Celiac's disease.  She talked with us for a good amount of time and said she would be happy to work with us to figure this stuff out and get him moving forward.  Our team is now me, my son, our general physician, our AK Chiropractor and our new friend, the NP.  I am truly thankful I have them to bounce our questions off of - some they know the answers to and some lead us all to a bit more research!

Blood work has been done.  Results will be in next week.  Until then, we get back to kicking processed wheat out of his diet.   We know that's the minimum this 'adventure' will require.

Wheat? Really?

Wheat? Really?

So, as my kids got older and I got 'smarter', I decided to switch us all to wheat products.  Those were so much better than the processed white bread and pasta we had been shoveling down our throats, right?  All the while I worked to feed my family a healthier diet, I was slowly making my son sicker.  Geez - talk about a guilt trip!

I went home after that call from the doctor and grabbed a box.  I was determined to get rid of the wheat in my house.  Little did I realize then that my pantry would be almost empty!  Out when the cereal, the cookies, the pretzels.  Toss the pasta, the macaroni and cheese and the snack bars.  Don't forget the bread, cake mixes and tortillas.  Creamed soup - see ya!  Processed wheat has found its way into just about everything.

I toted a HUGE box and a few bags over to my neighbor's house.  The kids were thrilled.  However, the young boy has autism.  His Ohma started mentioning some of the things she had been reading and now I think they are working on changing their eating habits as well.

Once the pantry was empty, I realized this may be a bit trickier than I originally thought.  I grabbed my purse and out the door I went to do my least favorite thing - grocery shop.  First, I tried my regular store.  That was frustrating!  Then I headed over to Whole Foods - almost as frustrating and definitely more expensive.  I did pick up a few things to try.  What an experience!  The bread we tried...well, not even the dogs were interested!  The fake mac/cheese - OMG, it was NASTY!  I was so very discouraged.  Eventually, I found a few replacement things that were edible.  That was the beginning.

Health - My son's story (nutshell version)

Health - My son's story

Several years ago, my son started complaining of feeling like he was going to throw up – a lot.  Once it became clear it wasn’t a simple bug of sorts, we went to the doctor.  Our physician was thorough and believed what he was saying, but could find nothing wrong.  Time passed and we were back at the doctor.  After some additional tests, it was determined he had a ‘slight’ case of acid reflux – take these meds as needed.  Time passed with good days and bad days. Eventually, he stopped the meds.

By the time he was in middle school, there were complaints of headaches and stomach aches.  Back to the doctor we went.  The doctor could find nothing wrong, so the questions began – is he doing okay in school, is there anything going on at home…?  He was doing great in school.  Grades were good, no peer issues.  Things were fine at home as well.  We were looking in from all angles, but finding nothing.

As the headaches and stomach aches continued, his mood started to drop and he became easily distracted.  At the advice of our family physician, he started an anti-depressant and I took him to a counselor.  We worked on some of the attention issues and some minor things, but nothing came out that explained the moods or the headaches and/or stomach aches.  Once again, we stopped the meds.

The headaches turned into migraines – a day here, a day there.  Then they increased.  He would miss days of school at a time.  Several more doctor appointments led to trying several migraine medications.  Most didn’t work at all. One would give him some relief only to have the pain return within a few days. When days turned into a week or more at a time, we took a trip to the neurologist. Lots of questionnaires, an MRI, and other tests and examinations later and I was told my son had a beautiful brain.  No abnormalities that explained the migraines. He was missing so much school, that I eventually pulled him out during 8^th grade and enrolled him in an online home schooling program.

One day, I mentioned to my chiropractor the migraines he was having.  She told me she treated children as well and asked if I’d be willing to bring him in to see if she could help.  YES!  He was in so much pain he was willing to try anything at this point.  Though not 100%, he felt much better after just the first appointment.  I was thrilled and figured we had it all figured out.  As the migraines became less intense, shorter in duration and fewer and further between, his mood – obviously – improved.  He was still complaining of the stomach aches, but those weren’t nearly as bad as the migraines – yet.

We both felt confident he was well enough to go back into the public school system for his Freshman year.  He still missed a good amount of days, but since he had doctor notes for much of the time missed and he had made up all of his work, the district gave him an exemption.  The days he didn’t have notes for were more stomach related.

As these days increased, we finally talked about going to the doctor once again. By this time, he had a new general physician (I decided it was about time for him to see a male doctor since he was getting older).  At first, there didn’t seem to be anything overly wrong.  As they talked, the doctor noted him mentioning eating fast food more frequently.  The times seemed to coincide with his stomach pains, so they discussed cutting back on that.  As time went on, it was a toss up on any given day if he would feel somewhat okay, have bouts of diarrhea, or days of painful constipation.  Enough was enough and back to the doctor we went.  This time, the doctor was a bit more concerned and did some tests. 

That visit led us to a specialist.  She took some x-rays and found he was severely impacted.  Take this, drink that, come back.  He did as instructed, missing more days of school.  Several more appointments and instructions later and she deemed him “well” again.  Though his bowel activity was somewhat more normal, he was still complaining of the stomach pain. 

By this time, we were fighting the public school due to his absence level again. After much research prayer and tinkering with my monthly budget, I pulled him out and enrolled him in a private academy.  He was able to work at home and only go on campus for testing.  Due to the issues with the public school, he was a semester behind.  This got us through the remainder of his Sophomore year.

A bit more financial re-arranging and he started his Junior year at the same private academy, but on-site.  It’s a mastery program, so school is only four hours a day.  Since he was having stomach issues again, I was hoping this would be the better option.  Unfortunately, he had days that even four hours was impossible.  We were both at our wits end. 

Mid-school year, he noticed a spot that seemed to be getting more irritated. Thinking it may be sweat related, he tried powder.  Then he tried ointment. Finally, he told me it didn’t seem to be healing.  Back to the doctor we went.  At first, the doctor thought it to be staph – antibiotics.  The next appointment revealed no change and the doctor recommended treating it for strep while we waiting on the results of a culture – a different antibiotic.  Awful side effects meant switching to yet another antibiotic.  Culture results led to a combination of two antibiotics. When none yielded any results, we were sent to a dermatologist.  A biopsy confirmed a few things it wasn’t – whew!  But not what it WAS.  Try this cream – nada.

I finally called our general physician and asked for blood work to be done, including an allergy test.  BINGO!  The doctor was almost excited when he personally called with the results.  My son showed a sensitivity (not allergy) to wheat, peanut, soy and mold.  I was actually driving when I got the call and pulled over to take this in and ask some questions.

While we will never know if this was the root cause of this unhealing spot that eventually had to be surgically taken care of, we were both certain it was the likely cause of his stomach ailments – WHEAT!