Red Robin...YUMM!

I am not sure if I have mentioned this on here yet....but I absolutely love Red Robin restaurants! We unfortunately don't have one in Bloomington, but there is one in Davenport and we frequent it when we are in the Quad Cities visiting family and friends. They have a HUGE gluten free menu and the food is fantastic. Love it love it LOVE IT! They have awesome, unlimited french fries with your meal which is just AWESOME...I love french fries!!!

We had dinner at a Red Robin last night...in Raleigh, NC! We are here right now visiting Jeremy's parents' new home...it is awesome! We are having a great time and it is fun to have a little weekend getaway adventure. Jeremy's mom has been here since the beginning of January and is very excited to have guests.

My favorite entree there now (post gluten-free diet...previously I loved the whiskey river BBQ chicken wrap and chicken tortilla soup...sigh!!) is the Royal Red Robin burger...a burger with a fried egg on top! Sounds crazy, but it is soooo delicious! It is a great substitute for a bun, if you will!

Have a great day!

Traveling...

Well, we are leaving for North Carolina TOMORROW...and return Monday. It will be my first trip to the "unknown" post gluten free diet (of course we have traveled over the past three months...but just to family/friends' homes! This is far! It requires an airplane!)! I hope I don't starve! ;) We are visiting Jeremy's parents' new house out there...and Mrs. B (the elder! ;)) informed me that she stocked up on rice pasta...so starving doesn't sound quite imminent. GOOD! I am a cranky gal if I don't eat!! :) I'll bring lots of Larabars and hope to be all good.

Honestly, I think I am more worried about our kitten, Izzy...we are leaving her all alone for the 4 days we are gone! Poor thing...

SUCCESS!

WOW...the pizza was phenomenal! Really! About a year ago Jeremy made it his mission to perfect his own recipe for a home-made Chicago-style pizza (a good friend of his gave him a deep-dish pizza stone for a wedding gift, along with a Chicago-style pizza recipe book, a big pizza cutter, and some Parmesan/pepper shakers). More recently he took it upon himself to attempt a gluten-free version...totally his idea. WOW, I guess this guy must really love me for some reason! ;) He made the dough for the crust last night and left it in the fridge overnight to rise...and then prepared the rest of the pizza today. The sauce and cheese were both the best they've ever been on his attempts, too! It was amazing. Words cannot describe it, really. Gosh, you don't really appreciate something until you can't have it...and then get it back!

I have the best husband...ever!!
Here is the blessed thing before cutting in...

A little pumped! (wow, what a flattering pic! HAHA!)

Jeremy cutting the beautiful masterpiece

Love in pizza form!

{contented sigh}

AMAZING! The crust was a bit of a funky color (made with a blend of gluten free flours; I think the funky color came from the sorghum flour)...you can't tell in this pic, but it took on a greenish/greyish hue at some points! HA! Oh well, it tasted PHENOMENAL...seriously. This was some of the best gluten-free food I've eaten in my 3+ months of eating gluten free!!! Way to go, babe!

PIZZA?!

Jeremy just took our dinner out of the oven...a home-made gluten-free CHICAGO STYLE pizza! I will give a full report after dinner! SO excited!

3 months!

WOW!! It's been three months...90+ days....1/4 of a year.....since I "gave up" gluten! I can hardly believe it's been that long! Even though, in the grand scheme of a lifetime, it's really not that long...it still feels like some kind of big feat, a milestone reached if you will. :)

I mean, I survived lots of big events during this time....my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve....talk about a rotten time to not be able to eat typical gluten-ous treats with everyone else!!!

And I did it! I still haven't cheated...not knowingly, anyway! Anyway, cheating unknowingly isn't really cheating, is it? I'd consider it more of an accident if it happened. If I was going to cheat, I would make it COUNT....we're not just counting getting incidental gluten from cross-contamination or something! We're talking, bread bowl from panera.....garlic bread sticks from anywhere....broccoli cheese soup from chili's. Yeah, cheating has crossed my mind more than just a few times ;).

I tried these for the first time today:

They are awesome! I purchased them yesterday at Naturally Yours here in Bloomington. They are actually quite tasty! As I've said many times, one of my biggest woes has been finding gluten free bread-type products that TASTE tolerable...and maybe even good. Well, these weren't just tolerable...they really tasted rather good! I wrapped up some Boar's Head sliced deli turkey (Boar's Head products are gluten free, all-natural, and DELICIOUS...available at Kroger here in Bloomington), cheddar cheese, and hummus in one of these bad boys and tossed it in the toaster oven with a little more cheese on top. I baked it for 5 minutes, then broiled it for a few minutes to melt the cheese on top and to get the tortilla kind of crispy...it was great! I ate it for lunch today and honestly enjoyed it. Sweet!

I hope they are good cold...we'll see. I would like to be able to bring them to work in my lunches. (I am not a fan of using microwaves, and we don't have a toaster oven at work!)

Have a wonderful week, all!

Not happy...and I think it's my own fault

I've been using my Celiac disease as an excuse....

I have been bitter. I had to give up wheat/rye/barley, etc., so why should I have to give up anything else? I've been using my Celiac disease as an excuse to eat whatever I want, as long as it is gluten free. Truthfully, I haven't cheated...at least, I haven't cheated by (knowingly) eating anything that contains gluten. However, not to sound cliche, I've been cheating myself.

For most of my adult life (considering post-high school as adult), I have done a fairly good job of eating healthily, exercising, and generally taking care of myself. I have stayed relatively thin and can honestly say there are times (but not recently) when I have felt genuinely happy with the way I looked.

Not anymore, though. While I haven't exactly "let myself go" (I think that's a bit harsh), I definitely have started to let a lot of things slide.

I allow "regular" potato/corn tortilla chips in the house...in fact, I have even been the one to purchase them on occasion! Formerly, if we were going to have chips in the house, they were to be of the baked variety. Well, over the past few weeks we have had multiple bags of regular fried chips in the house...and I have mowed down on them. We've had two cartons of (regular, full-fat (although all-natural and organic! ;))ice cream in the house over the past month or so. It doesn't last long around here, either. I have been generous with our favorite Land O'Lakes butter that I pour on my popcorn (hey, it's an easy gluten-free meal or snack) or slather on my baked potato (the latter was tonight's dinner). I come home for lunch on most work days because I want to prepare a hot meal but I am trying not to use the microwave...but then I end up snacking and grazing through the fridge and eating more than I should at lunch. I've ordered an Alfredo dish at a restaurant and at nearly the entire huge portion (gasp!). I order coffee drinks with whipped cream (I read somewhere that Starbucks' whipped cream adds over 10 grams of fat...SCREAM!). And,to top it off,....I've made excuses that keep me away from the gym some evenings.

Sure I have to skip the bread basket at restaurants. But does that really make up for eating a fatty Alfredo-drenched entree or dressing-doused Caesar salad?! Sure I have to avoid the break room at work that is often filled with donuts, cookies, or brownies. But does that excuse snacking on chocolate, potato chips, or buttery popcorn every afternoon, telling myself "Hey, it's gluten free!"

This stops now.

This isn't about new years' resolutions.

This isn't about getting skinny (well, I'd be lying if I didn't think this would be a perk! I have a bikini to fit into on our trip to AZ in 2 months!).

This is about ceasing to dwell on the things I CAN'T have and beginning to be more thankful for the things I CAN have.

This is about an end to the pity party...I am nipping this in the bud. I am not going to let myself become someone who allows herself to drown feelings in food. Sure, my life seems to revolve around food now...and so be it. However, my choices are going to be more healthy.

~Breakfast will occur within a half hour of waking up.
~Water intake will increase (I've slacked on this since graduate school. Lately I've succumbed to sugary juices, rationalizing the fact that they are FULL of sugar by telling myself, "But it's all-natural fruit sugar!" Right. It's STILL SUGAR!!!). This means I need to get a good water bottle...one that's not putting harmful chemicals into my water, too, I guess!
~Consumption of fresh fruits/veggies will increase
~No more excuses for skipping the gym.

Sure, this sounds all good and nice and warm and fuzzy...but will it stick?

Grilled Cheese....the quest continues!

Well, I bought a loaf of "white sandwich bread" made by Kinnikinnick (purchased from Naturally Yours) the other day (main ingredients include rice flour and tapioca flour). It was six dollars for a rather small loaf consisting of thin, small square slices. Honestly, I wasn't too hopeful...
Today when I came home on lunch break, I tried to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Really, it wasn't terrible. It wasn't the grilled cheese sandwich I was craving, but it wasn't terrible. Honestly, next time I think I will make some tomato soup to go with it and it might help mask the taste/texture.
The bread has to stay in the freezer, which is somewhat of a pain. I understand that it will help it last longer (especially considering the fact that it will take me forever to consume the entire loaf, small as it may be)...but it's hard to separate the pieces without microwave thawing (and lately I'm on a microwave hating kick...but that's another story entirely!).
Small steps!!! It wasn't a complete success, but it wasn't an utter failure, either! :)

WIMP!

Last night we had dinner at J Buck's, a nice restaurant here in town, with Sarah, Chuck, Alec, and my brother Dan and his girlfriend Laura. I was really looking forward to a nice night out, but unfortunately I had a darn stomachache after eating my grilled chicken and "smashed" potatoes. I know it's really my own fault. I am a wimp! I wasn't absolutely clear with the waiter about all of the details (cross contamination on the grill, with utensils, etc)...and I am sure that's why it happened :(. I need to get more assertive! It's MY health, after all!

It was frustrating...I hate making a scene or causing problems...I know it shouldn't be a huge, obnoxious issue, but it sure feels like one! Anything that makes you feel "different" from anyone else, especially your friends, is really irritating. We ordered around 8pm, and it wasn't terribly busy, but I still felt bad taking a lot of time from the waiter to explain my diet. I told him I couldn't have wheat or gluten and asked him to check for me to see if the grilled chicken sandwich (sans bun of course!) and french fries would be ok for me. He checked, and told me the french fries weren't because they were lightly breaded, but that the smashed potatoes and some other sides would be ok as substitutes. That was really good of him to check and find out. Still not enough, though.

It was fun to spend time with friends, but it was annoying to have to deal with the side effects of cross contamination (including a lovely trip to the restaurant bathroom before we were done).

Sigh.

I just want a NORMAL day...one in which I don't have to talk about Celiac disease and my "problem". I am tired of living a life ruled by food.

Some days are really pretty easy, others are irritating and difficult. Yesterday was one of the latter!

Thanks, Jami!

Jeremy and I went over to our friends Adam and Jami's home for dinner tonight so that the boys could watch the national championship college football game and so we girls could sit and chat ;). Our friends Chuck and Alec also went over...so the boys had a good time of eating Jami's great food, drinking beer, yelling at the game and each other, and being general perverted men together ;).

Jami made chili....which was awesome! She even made TWO pots...she made one "regular" or as she typically would...and one gluten free! It was so thoughtful...and quite delicious, too! We even brought home a bunch of leftovers...probably enough for 4 more servings or 2 dinners for the two of us! How wonderful!

She also baked me a big gluten-free chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting! It is really yummy...and sooo thoughtful! I got to bring it home, too. WOW!

Yahoo for great friends and fun nights away from home :)

On labels and anger

It's weird having a label. I am a "Celiac" (well, until proven otherwise). It's strange. I guess I shouldn't let that define WHO I am, though. It's hard, though, when it's basically part of my every waking thought. It comes out in many conversations. I don't try to hide it, it's really nothing to be ashamed of. Sure the symptoms were/are disgusting, but it wasn't anything I could help, was it? If it is really genetic, then it's just the way I was made...Wait, WHY?

Which leads me to anger. Yesterday I found myself getting very angry. Jeremy just cracked a joke (as he often does!)...he was upset that we didn't have any "normal" noodles because he wanted macaroni and cheese (he worked late and wanted something to eat when he got home). I said, "You could have some rice noodles, they are actually quite good." Jeremy said, "If God wanted me to eat rice noodles, I'd be the one who had Celiac disease!"...he really meant nothing by this. He tries his darnedest to say off-the-wall things to catch me off guard or get under my skin (not in a mean way!)....and this one just made me mad! Not at him, at the situation. WHY do I have this?! Sure it's not the worst thing ever, I could have it FAR worse; many people are dealing with medical issues I can't even fathom. But, I am a selfish person (aren't we all, at times?!) and it was a ME moment. Why do I have to deal with this, why can't I eat normal food and enjoy PIZZA and GRILLED CHEESE? Why do my friends and family members get to run around doing whatever they please in regard to food?! Ok, really, I don't think like this most of the time. I know it's not rational or reasonable, really. Things happen for a reason, but we don't necessarily understand or know the reason immediately. I just need to accept that.

I am a Celiac...and I will be fine! I WILL get healthy this year, I WILL get the genetic test, I WILL have a healthy pregnancy (God-willing!) in the not-so-distant future.

AND, I love my husband...even when he makes silly comments...;)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, I bought a great book over Christmas break...The Gluten-Free Bible by Jax Peters Lowell. Jax writes with a great wit and wonderful candor. I need to be more like her!
"The good news is, you're not dead. Not only are you not dead, you don't have anything that could be even remotely construed as fatal or life threatening, unless you cheat constantly, and you aren't going to do that, are you? Even better, your condition can be managed quite nicely without drugs, frequent doctor visits, and expensive hospital stays, nor does it require that you suffer any more bad news than you have already gotten....
The bad news? Well, you knew there'd be some. If you want to avoid some long-term complications, you've ordered your last pizza with everything on it. You've eaten your last cheeseburger on a sesame seed bun, buttered your last croissant, and bought your last frozen dinner, ice-cream come, slice of apple pie. The bad news is that from now on you have to think about every bit of food you put in your mouth. No more aimless grazing, nibbling, or grabbing something, anything, when you're hungry. You've got to plan meals and snacks and restaurant dinners. The bad news is that you are on a diet that allows no slack, one that will test your resolve and turn even the meekest among us into a serial killer (which, in your case, is spelled cereal)."--The Gluten-Free Bible; Jax Peters Lowell

Silly Shirt

So my chiropractor, Ryan, told me about this shirt today....

Yeah, I probably need this! ;)

(in case you can't tell, that's the Pillsbury Dough Boy and the caption "gluten for punishment"....get it?!) ;) HAHA!!!

Lovin' me some Flat Top Grill!

Flat Top Grill is a new somewhat-obsession of mine! On Saturday, December 6th I met up with an Augustana professor/friend, Kathy Jakielski, for some chatting and Christmas shopping in Peoria. When deciding where in the area to eat, on a whim, I suggested Flat Top Grill. I have been there in the past (it's a make-your-own-stir fry place) and enjoyed it...and for some reason remembered that they had RICE NOODLES and probably lots of things I'd be able to eat! Well, sure enough...they did! Tons of veggies, meats, rice, rice noodles, and sauces that I can eat! I can eat practically everything there...except the yellow noodles, most of the sauces (they have many, but I can only have 4-5 of them), and the BREAD ( :( Their bread is awesome...a greasy pancake-like thing...YUM!). Well, it was a yummy dinner...and I knew I'd be back...frequently!

Well, Jeremy found out that around Christmas time they had a special...buy $30 worth of gift certificates and receive $20 free. WHAT?! Well, my stocking from him came stuffed with $50 worth of gift certificates from Flat Top (so $50 worth of food there for only $30!!). Also, Jeremy's brother Jon gave me some gift certificates, too, so I had a total of $80 (that we personally only spent $30 on) for Flat Top from Christmas! WOO HOO!

Tonight we ate at Flat Top here in Bloomington with Jeremy's good friend Adam and his wife Ann. I suppose I should say OUR friends Adam and Ann! :) It was delicious!!! I loved it. One of my favorite things is the pineapple in the stir fry...I LOVE hot fruit. I know that might be kinda weird...but I really do!

Jeremy even enjoyed his meal tonight! :) He isn't the biggest fan of Flat Top, and isn't the biggest fan of vegetables in general ;). Well, he filled up his stir fry bowl with just POTATOES, CHEESE, carrots (to feel good about himself? ;) ) and some black-bean garlic sauce...and then had a big huge bowl of beef added to it. Well, he ended up really liking it :). That's a good thing...because we'll most likely be back. When he went up to the line for his second trip, he skipped the carrots ;), and had only POTATOES, TONS OF CHEESE, some black-bean garlic sauce, and tons of beef once again. He liked the second bowl even more. Sigh. ;)

YAHOO for being able to eat nearly everything on the menu...they even have a signal for allergies...you put a special white stick in your bowl to show that you would like your meal cooked in a separate clean wok instead of on the huge flat top grill with the rest of everyones' stir frys...so you won't get cross contamination during the cooking process! It's great!

I love Flat Top Grill!

Oh, and I should mention, too, that we had a great time with our friends! They moved to Brooklyn in August, so we don't have the opportunity to see them much :). They both have parents still here in Bloomington, though, so they have multiple reasons to visit :)

FOUR THINGS...to be thankful for (yesterday's thoughts)

I spoke with my mom on the phone yesterday and shared with her the following three wonderful things that had taken place yesterday, for which I was very thankful!

1) HUMMUS: A friend from the Peoria Easter Seals office, Stephanie (a PT) sent me a facebook message on Friday saying that she was going to be passing through Bloomington tomorrow (which was Saturday) on her way back home to Peoria and wondered if she could stop by and give me a present. Totally unexpected and fun! So, we made plans to meet up for a few minutes in the Sam's Club parking lot (per my suggestion, since it wasn't far off of the highway and she was eager to return home!) where she gave me her present...A few months ago over lunch at work (when I was still at the Peoria office), we had gotten into a conversation about hummus and how much we both liked it. She told me about her favorite two places in Chicago that have homemade hummus that she LOVES (she is originally from the Chicago area and still has family there). Well, for some reason she decided she would bring some to me...so I could have a nice little gluten-free snack, as she put it! How sweet was that?! I tried it as soon as I got home, of course...and it was DELICIOUS!!! That stuff is awesome. I was floored by her kindness...I love random stuff like that! It was such an encouragement to me...and a reminder that I need to turn around and show others kindness like Stephanie did to me!

2) BREAD: My friend Catherine called me yesterday afternoon shortly after I picked up the hummus from Stephanie...as I was running some errands about town. Catherine has a friend, Starla, who has Celiac Disease...and has known she has it for like 10 years (so she is an expert! ;) ). Well, Catherine told me that she had been thinking about me and my plight to find bread so that I could once again enjoy a grilled cheese sandwich...well, Catherine told met hat she had spoken with Starla about where to find some decent/delicious bread. Starla told her that her favorite bread can be found at Whole Foods (a grocery store in the Chicago area) in the freezer section...and that the first time she discovered it, she ate the whole loaf in about a week, it was just THAT good! Awesome!! I can't wait to try it. So, yahoo for another great friend and the great kindness and great help she showed to me :)

3) BOOKS: I had a book to return to Barnes and Noble, so I went there yesterday, returned the book, and perused around for another to get in its place. I found...The Gluten Free Bible...check THIS out for a book review! This book is truly awesome! There are tons of topics...from initial diagnosis, to cheating, to pregnancy, to recipes, to suggestions of doctors! I LOVE this book and spent a good amount of time yesterday looking through it. I can't wait to read it all! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone living a wheat-free/gluten-free life!! I am so thankful I found it...I love good, new books...and especially ones that pertain to my life and can offer help to me! :)

4) CHILI'S: This last thing to be thankful for happened later last night, and post the conversation with my mom...but of course is worth noting! See the previous post for a full description :)

Have a wonderful day!

Chili's

Jeremy and I LOVE Chili's...in fact, our first date was to the Chili's in Davenport, IA (near Augustana, where we were both attending school). We typically go to Chili's at least once per month...but we hadn't been in about 3 months, since before I started the gluten-free diet! Chili's does have a gluten-free menu, we just hadn't had the chance to try it out yet. Well, Jeremy got a gift card to Chili's in his stocking from his parents, so we decided to go on a date last night to Chili's!

I was sooo excited, because I had looked at the gluten-free menu beforehand and knew they had baked potato soup that was gluten free! I was so pumped to have a "real" soup that I could eat! I ordered the soup and a chicken Caesar salad. The soup was AWESOME!! The salad came out with a visible crouton on it, and maybe more hidden croutons...so I sent it back. I explained that I couldn't eat anything that had touched wheat, so it wouldn't work just to pick it out. I felt bad, but they were nice to me about it. A manager even came out and apologized to me. I thought that was very nice. The second time it came out it had clearly been entirely re-made...and it was fantastic!

All in all, I was VERY satisfied with my experience at Chili's and would definitely return! :) It was very encouraging to me!! It's great to know that something that was a part of our life pre-gluten-free menu doesn't have to be entirely eliminated from our lives...just modified. Sure I can't order mozzarella sticks (what we ordered as an appetizer on our first date...and Jeremy was "impressed" because I wasn't a wimpy eater and ate HALF of the cheese sticks...what was I thinking?! :))....or the turkey sandwich and broccoli cheese soup (the entree I ordered on our first date and on many visits thereafter...Chili's broccoli cheese soup is my favorite EVER!!), nor can I order the fajitas (we often would order the "fajitas for two" entree)...but I can be completely satisfied with the baked potato soup and Caesar salad...plus there are some other things that look good that I will try on subsequent visits!

YAHOO for CHILI'S!!!! :)

Dreaming and other musings

First, I have been DREAMING about gluten again. Really. It's fairly unsettling and quite annoying. Last night, for example, I dreamt about being at some big conference or convention or something of the sort and of course at lunchtime when they wheeled out the big buffet line of sandwiches and such there was nothing I could eat. For some reason, in my dream state, I "knew" the only thing I could eat was a hamburger bun (wait...bread? What?) with some cheese and lettuce on it. So, I ate it...pissed. When I woke up I realized how stupid that dream was. First of all, when I am in those situations (which I have been a number of times over the past 2 and a half months), I pack my own food. Second of all, I am pretty sure...even if I was able to eat anything on that buffet, it wouldn't have been a HAMBURGER BUN! Whatever.

Second, I am still on a quest...to find a perfect gluten-free grilled cheese sandwich and gluten free pizza. These are my two biggest cravings. When we went to Trader Joe's in Chicago in November, I purchased some gluten free French rolls and attempted to make a pseudo grilled cheese sandwich in our toaster oven. Yeah, it didn't work. It was decent, but the bread was far to sweet and dense to really work out. One of the first Sunday evenings of my new "diet", I made a gluten-free pepperoni pizza using a Chebe brand pizza crust. It was decent...and I would probably try it again...but it wasn't the pizza perfection I was looking for. What do I REALLY want?! Just Pizza Hut, really! Jeremy and I DID discover, though, that Lou Malnati's in Chicago makes gluten-free crustless pizza. That is DEFINITELY on our list of things to go try...sooner rather than later!!! :)

Third, Christmas (in both the gluten-free realm and just the "in general" realm) was awesome! Jeremy got me 3 gifts (in addition to a few others) that will be a great help to me. Check out the Triumph Dining website. Even in all of my perusing of the internet and other resources, I never once came across this website! Jeremy somehow found it and ordered 3 products for me: a restaurant guide, a grocery shopping guide, and some handy-dandy dining cards that explain the gluten-free diet in a variety of languages. You are supposed to hand them to the waiter/waitress and explain them and then ask them to share the information with the chef and others who will be preparing your food. Awesome! He is SO thoughtful and I LOVE these gifts! What great resources to own!

Fourth, I've decided to pursue genetic testing for Celiac Disease, most likely through The University of Chicago. Here is information taken directly from their website.

"What is genetic testing and who can benefit from it?
There is a blood test or cheek swab test kit available to determine whether or not an at risk individual carries the genes responsible for the development of celiac disease. These genes are located on the HLA-class II complex and are called DQ2 and DQ8. Each case of celiac disease has been found to show these so-called "haplotypes"; therefore, a negative gene test indicates that celiac disease cannot develop in that individual.
There are two main reasons for using the genetic test when evaluating an individual for celiac disease. The first case is to "rule out" celiac disease, which is a medical term that indicates an individual does not possess a necessary risk factor for the development of celiac disease, genetic predisposition. Without this factor, it is impossible that the individual with a negative gene test will develop celiac disease in the future. People who test negative for the gene would not be required to have regular antibody screening for the remainder of their lives. For example, the children of an adult with celiac disease could have the gene test. The results would allow the parent to know which children need close monitoring.
In individuals with symptoms who have not had a biopsy to diagnose celiac disease, but have been on the gluten-free diet for a significant period of time, the gene test is often the only way to determine if symptoms could possibly be related to celiac disease. For a person who faces this situation, a negative gene test would indicate that symptoms are not the a result of celiac disease. A positive gene test, however, does not diagnose the disease but increases the likelihood that it is present."

I also learned through some additional reading that Celiac Disease, gluten intollerance, and wheat allergies manifest themselves in people by very similar symptoms. Since I never had the biopsy...even though my doctor REALLY believes I have Celiac Disease, we don't know...not beyond the shadow of a doubt. Naturally, I am not satisfied with this. Yes, I feel TONS better while on this gluten free diet...but I want to be sure that what is going on with me is truly Celiac Disease.

So, there you have it...my thoughts as of late. On another note...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! As far as resolutions go, I decided I should have a Celiac Disease/gluten-free living resolution for myself...my resolution relates to my fourth comment above: I resolve to undergo genetic testing for Celiac Disease at some point early on this calendar year in order to TAKE OWNERSHIP of my health and what is going on....and as a way to ensure I am doing everything I can (both for myself and my furture children) to be the healthiest person I can be.