Could It Be?

My Mom called last night and left a voice mail. In it she shared the idea that, perhaps, my issues of the gut could be celiac disease. Last night I looked it up as well as a few of the other big gut issues (read: Crohn's Disease, Colitis, Ulcerative Colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBD, etc.). Of all of them, it seemed most likely, based on the symptoms lists, that I might have IBS. Without the money for a diagnosis, I figured, "What the hay! I'll see if Mom's on to something anyway!"

Perhaps I should give a little back info now. I've been experiencing some MAJOR anxiety these last couple weeks. I was worried that I was entering PPD (it can start immediately after a baby's birth, all the way through 6 months post-partum). I was feeling SUPER depressed and having ALL kinds of death-thoughs. I mean, seriously depressing thoughts! I felt sure that the red spots that have been increasingly numurous, all over my body!, were cancer eating away at me, unbeknownst to me and that I would die and leave my family without a Mama. And that's just the easiest stuff to write out! I've been having a rough time, to say the least.

Now, it is possible, I suppose, that today could just be a blip. A sort of cosmic joke, "Oh, you think you have it all figured out, DO YA? Well, here's one on YOU!" That's entirely possible, though I pray that is NOT the case.

But today I haven't had any anxiety. I've felt my normal... no BETTER than MY normal!!! The only difference between yesterday and today is that I did NOT have honey nut cereal for breakfast. Instead, I made oatmeal with apples. I did NOT have a sandwhich for lunch. I had some potatoes (actually it was leftover warm potato salad Jess made on his last day off: YUM!). And then for dinner I had a rice stir fry instead of something else with wheat/gluten in it. I feel more awake, less belly-achey, and MUCH less depressed/anxiety ridden than I've felt in a LONG time!!!! And the coup de gras... the only poop I've pooped was solid!!! Okay, so you may think that's a bit much, but if you're someone like I've been, poop is a pretty big issue! It's a JOY to have a solid movement! And to be able to FART!!!! YIPPEEE!!! ^_^ No, SERIOUSLY! I haven't had to run to the toilet just to fart!!! Okay, so when I'm preggie I can usually pass the stinky gas without a bathroom visit, but it's been such a long time since I've done it without concern otherwise!

If this is it, it makes SO much sense why I was having SUCH physical problems after Kat was born. We were almost exclusively living off our food storage... grinding our wheat to make bread and everything else! And I had SUCH problems. Oh, I hope this is it!!!

Needless to say, I'm going to continue this experiment. And along with it comes a new list of blogs I'm gathering. If this really is a thing for me to deal with, I have to make quite a few changes. I'll need to add on more non-wheat items to our Food Storage, learn how to bake without wheat, and figure out if I am SUPER sensitive or just a bit (some people can't eat oats that have been processed around gluten)... so much to do. Of course, I'm just going to continue on with the experiment at first, but there's no harm in learning more... especially since I think Kat and Tea might have gluten sensitivities, too!

THANK YOU MOM!!! You are an awesome Mom with a true Mother's heart: endlessly concerned with her children's welfare. I hope to emulate your awesome example!