Friday, December 23, 2011

Will I Ever Eat Gluten Again?

'Twas the day before Christmas Eve, and all through the kitchen.....


smells of sugar cookies were swarming....

and Gina's dad was bitchin'.



The cookies were sugar, "but they weren't made the right way" .




A cookie cutter wasn't used, but to Diann and Gina it was "ok"!




Gina was happy that the recipe was quick....



and meanwhile she wondered if the wheat made her sick.



She'd been tested for Celiac two weeks before.....



and she wondered if she'd be able to eat holiday sugar cookies anymore.



She'd already given up so many foods.....

on the day before Christmas Eve, Gina wanted some good news.



At 6pm that eve, the doc gave a ring.

The news was so good, it made Gina sing!



The results were negative and she was alright.

She could have her sugar cookie, and enjoy her holiday night.



But of course for Gina, moderation is always key.

But boy was that cookie tasty, and her Christmas results the best gift that could be!




So, the results were all negative. My tTG-IgA blood test was negative, and my iron and vitamin D levels were all normal (a sign of Celiac is often low vitamin D and/or iron levels). And since my doctor was smart, he also measured my total IgA levels at the same time he measured my tTG-IgA, to make sure I wasn't one of the few people who doesn't make any IgA antibodies (this can result in a false negative). My doctor did end up recommending a low gluten diet, as he said my symptoms were indicative of gluten "Sensitivity", but that's just fine because with the low FODMAPs diet I am pretty much already following a low gluten diet. No big deal.

If you have questions, feel free to ask. But meanwhile, enjoy your holiday everyone!



This is last year's Christmas photo. I felt like I needed to add a Christmas tree to this post :)

14 comments :

  1. Yay!! That is such good news. Now go enjoy some more cookies!

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  2. The best Christmas poem....EVER!!! Made me laugh! Congrats...you enjoy those cookies! Merry Xmas!

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  3. Fun Post GIna! I'm really looking forward to seeing a lot more research on {and approved testing methods} for gluten-sensititivty in the next several years. Dr. Fasano who does so much research in this area says he follows a "low gluten" diet even though he is not celiac, and believes everyone would benefit health wise from a low gluten diet. Enjoy your cookies :-)

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  4. Such a fun post. And so good to hear Gina! That is the perfect news to receive over the holidays.

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  5. hahahahah amazing post! hahahaha i'm still giggling that was such a great rhyme! i'm so happy for you that you can eat those sugar cooks! and i bet there's plenty more ahead of you this weekend!! xoxoxoxo

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  6. Love love that picture of you and Nick! So glad to hear there will still be sugar cookies in your future!

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  7. Yay, good news just in time for the holiday. Of course cutting out some offending foods as a result of FODMAPs can skew the results as you said, if you are already eliminating those and not overdoing it otherwise (right, moderation!) you should be good to go and symptom (or almost) free.

    Cute little holiday poem! Have a Merry Christmas!

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  8. It's a Christmas miracle! Seriously though I'm glad you don't have celiac disease, my son's girlfriend suffers from it and it's kind of a challenge to find things we can serve her since there are so many hidden sources of gluten.

    Have you done a post that lists some gluten-free choices that I could refer to?

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  9. Loving the poem throughout this post! I was imagining it as a rap haha :) such good news!

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  10. YAY! That's wonderful news! Cheers!

    Merry Christmas to you and Nick and all of your loved ones! :)

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  11. Just found your blog, and good for you! I was tested for celiac as well, but the test was inconclusive because my total immunoglobulins were too low! Boo. Now I'm being tested for the celiac gene, and I hope I get to enjoy cookies, too! :)

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  12. Hooray for your great news!! SO happy for you!! Enjoy the beautiful cookies - you deserve the celebration! :-)

    LOVE your adorable poem!! :-)

    Thank you so much for your wonderfully kind, understanding comment on my post... I'm so comforted to know I'm not the only one who struggles with the work-life balance. Thank you for encouraging me and sharing your own experiences! *hugs* Merry Christmas!!

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  13. Yay! So glad to hear it. I'm indulging in traditional cookies too. =)

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  14. Great news!!! Loved the poem!

    Hope you and your family had a great holiday!

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