I have to admit, not long after I was diagnosed with celiac disease and processed the initial things, I worried about Thanksgiving and how I wouldn't be able to eat much at all. I worried further when my aunt said she was going to host this year. If we weren't having it in our kitchen, we couldn't control how things are cooked. And I couldn't very well ask her to cook things gluten-free just for me. (Well, I could, but I'm the type of person who would never ask anyone to make special accommodations just for me when there are so many other people involved who don't need it.)
But I am very pleased to say I had 2 platefuls of great food!
I did ask my aunt and uncle beforehand how the turkey would be cooked, just so I would know ahead of time if I would be able to eat it or not and what food I should bring for myself. They decided to cook two small turkeys, making one smoked and one deep fried, which was in a clean fryer with clean oil and completely safe. So that was great! I was able to have some of each turkey. Mashed potatoes were ok, of course, but without gravy, and we had a really delicious cranberry relish with oranges and apples and nuts and chocolate, all chopped. And then I brought my own croissant rolls from a GF store, which were actually quite good. Add some salad, and I had a full plate. I was so pleased, and the only thing that was specifically GF was my bread.
My mom volunteered to do dessert, so she could make them so I could have them. She got all GF pie crusts, and made 2 different kinds of pumpkin pie that I could have, plus an apple pie.
I was so happy that celiac disease didn't ruin my Thanksgiving. I will never let this disease control my life.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Friday, November 26, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Birthday meals and lessons learned
Saturday was my birthday, so for my meal I chose a Brazilian steakhouse. It was great to be able to eat most of the same things as everyone else and not have to choose from a limited section of the menu. They even brought me flan for my birthday and they checked to make sure it was gluten-free- it was! So that was a really great meal. My mom also made me a homemade cake that I could eat.
Yesterday I went to the city to see a show. We ate and had a short amount of time after to get to the theater. We decided that it would be faster to walk the 10 or so blocks than go get the car, drive there, drive around looking for a parking deck, and walk out and into the theater. We had to walk quickly, and I pushed myself more than I knew I should, without a doubt, walking quickly. By the time we got there I almost fell a couple times because my knees were collapsing under me.
But the seats were fantastic and I didn't have anyone in front of me, so I was at least able to stretch out my legs during the show, which helped while I was in lots of pain. When it was time to leave, I was convinced to just try to walk instead of having to spend money on a cab, and that we could take it slow. That walk back was the longest walk of my life, and I was to the point of tears several times. My knees hurt so bad and were so hot, and they were like jelly underneath me. Thankfully I wear braces on both of them, which helped give me a little extra support, and I walked bending my knees as little as possible, as I always do when they start to give out on me. This was much past that point, though. I was just so bad off and in so much pain.
Today has been excruciating, because I'm always hit extremely hard the next day as well. And it didn't help that it stormed all during today, because we all know what that means: extra inflammation. Right now as I'm typing this tonight, my knees and legs are of course on fire and almost unbearably painful.
It's extremely frustrating to have things like this happen. At the same time, I'm trying to focus on the positive that at least the show was amazing. I'll try to not push myself well past the point I know I can anymore. The consequences are unbearable.
I do now know with certainty that the nerve block has completely worn off- no doubt about it.
Yesterday I went to the city to see a show. We ate and had a short amount of time after to get to the theater. We decided that it would be faster to walk the 10 or so blocks than go get the car, drive there, drive around looking for a parking deck, and walk out and into the theater. We had to walk quickly, and I pushed myself more than I knew I should, without a doubt, walking quickly. By the time we got there I almost fell a couple times because my knees were collapsing under me.
But the seats were fantastic and I didn't have anyone in front of me, so I was at least able to stretch out my legs during the show, which helped while I was in lots of pain. When it was time to leave, I was convinced to just try to walk instead of having to spend money on a cab, and that we could take it slow. That walk back was the longest walk of my life, and I was to the point of tears several times. My knees hurt so bad and were so hot, and they were like jelly underneath me. Thankfully I wear braces on both of them, which helped give me a little extra support, and I walked bending my knees as little as possible, as I always do when they start to give out on me. This was much past that point, though. I was just so bad off and in so much pain.
Today has been excruciating, because I'm always hit extremely hard the next day as well. And it didn't help that it stormed all during today, because we all know what that means: extra inflammation. Right now as I'm typing this tonight, my knees and legs are of course on fire and almost unbearably painful.
It's extremely frustrating to have things like this happen. At the same time, I'm trying to focus on the positive that at least the show was amazing. I'll try to not push myself well past the point I know I can anymore. The consequences are unbearable.
I do now know with certainty that the nerve block has completely worn off- no doubt about it.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Updates
I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile, I've just been busy. Here are some updates.
All is the same, basically, on the celiac front. I went to a restaurant called BD's last week that I have visited before many times and love, and I am so glad I can continue eating there now. I highly recommend it to anyone, including celiacs, because it's a delicious Mongolian Barbecue meal, and they have an allergy zone so you don't have to be worried about cross contamination! They have rice noodles, and list which sauces are GF. It's so great :D
For my birthday meal on Saturday, I chose a local Brazilian steakhouse. I've never been to this particular one before, but it has good reviews online. And I contacted them to make sure the seasonings on the meat are GF, which they are. So it'll be a nice meal that I can eat, and I love going to Brazilian steakhouses because I went to Brazil in 2004 and that was the kind of meals I ate there, so it reminds me very much of being in Brazil.
So far the plans for Thanksgiving are going good. We're celebrating at my aunt's house, and the way she's cooking the turkey is fine for me. I'm also bringing pumpkin pie which we're making homemade and GF, and we're picking up GF rolls for me too. So there should be enough I can have for a meal :)
I saw my pain management doctor last week, and she thinks it's good that the first nerve block worked for 5 hours, so I'm having another one tomorrow morning, and hopefully this one will last longer. She also doubled my dose of gabapentin (from 300 mg 2x a day to 400 mg 3x a day) and I haven't had any problems with side effects from that, which is good. The increased dose might actually even be helping my pain a little bit! It's hard to tell right now if it's the meds working or I'm just on a stretch of good days. I guess time will tell.
I'm going to start looking into meeting with my university's disability office. I keep missing or being late to my first class since I can only park in the closest lot due to the pain, and that lot is so packed that you have to keep circling around waiting for people to leave, and hoping you're in the right place at the right time to get a spot.
I really need to wear gloves any time I go out now that the weather's colder, I think. My hands are super sensitive to the cold. I had mild frostbite in my fingers and toes a couple years ago, and I think that could increase my risk of the RSD spreading to them?? I don't know, I'm definitely no expert. But I want to take as many precautions as I can.
Oh and I told my doctor about my left foot that keeps getting hot, many times a day. She took note of it, and said it's a symptom. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this doesn't mean spreading to my foot.
All is the same, basically, on the celiac front. I went to a restaurant called BD's last week that I have visited before many times and love, and I am so glad I can continue eating there now. I highly recommend it to anyone, including celiacs, because it's a delicious Mongolian Barbecue meal, and they have an allergy zone so you don't have to be worried about cross contamination! They have rice noodles, and list which sauces are GF. It's so great :D
For my birthday meal on Saturday, I chose a local Brazilian steakhouse. I've never been to this particular one before, but it has good reviews online. And I contacted them to make sure the seasonings on the meat are GF, which they are. So it'll be a nice meal that I can eat, and I love going to Brazilian steakhouses because I went to Brazil in 2004 and that was the kind of meals I ate there, so it reminds me very much of being in Brazil.
So far the plans for Thanksgiving are going good. We're celebrating at my aunt's house, and the way she's cooking the turkey is fine for me. I'm also bringing pumpkin pie which we're making homemade and GF, and we're picking up GF rolls for me too. So there should be enough I can have for a meal :)
I saw my pain management doctor last week, and she thinks it's good that the first nerve block worked for 5 hours, so I'm having another one tomorrow morning, and hopefully this one will last longer. She also doubled my dose of gabapentin (from 300 mg 2x a day to 400 mg 3x a day) and I haven't had any problems with side effects from that, which is good. The increased dose might actually even be helping my pain a little bit! It's hard to tell right now if it's the meds working or I'm just on a stretch of good days. I guess time will tell.
I'm going to start looking into meeting with my university's disability office. I keep missing or being late to my first class since I can only park in the closest lot due to the pain, and that lot is so packed that you have to keep circling around waiting for people to leave, and hoping you're in the right place at the right time to get a spot.
I really need to wear gloves any time I go out now that the weather's colder, I think. My hands are super sensitive to the cold. I had mild frostbite in my fingers and toes a couple years ago, and I think that could increase my risk of the RSD spreading to them?? I don't know, I'm definitely no expert. But I want to take as many precautions as I can.
Oh and I told my doctor about my left foot that keeps getting hot, many times a day. She took note of it, and said it's a symptom. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this doesn't mean spreading to my foot.
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Food I Eat
I needed a couple more credit hours this semester so I decided to enroll in an online nutrition class. Today I finished a 6 page paper that was a nutritional analysis of what I eat. In doing so, I realized how dramatically my eating habits changed since going off of gluten in April. Before, I was like the rest of America, eating a lot of processed foods. I would eat meals on the run, and therefore had a lot of items on hand that I could just throw into the microwave and it would be ready. Yet now I can't eat most processed foods, because most contain gluten. I've been forced to make my meals from scratch. It was an adjustment at first, because it takes a lot more time, but I consider the almost necessity to eat healthier a blessing of celiac disease. It is really good to know every ingredient that goes into my food and have it all be fresh rather than eating a mess of processed ingredients, however tasty they might be. I also find myself feeling more satisfied and snacking a lot less.
Because of this change, when recording what I eat, I noticed that I am consistently under the recommended calorie intake, and usually come in at about 1500. Because of this, I am also lower than the guidelines of every category on the MyPyramid. Yet I feel so much better about the food that I put into myself than I ever have. Some of the things I used to eat don't even look good anymore. (Some of them, I'm still eying the Totino's pizza rolls in the freezer and those do look pretty good...). But really, I realized writing that paper that I'm very happy with my eating habits and what I put into my body, and I am proud to be able to say that.
Because of this change, when recording what I eat, I noticed that I am consistently under the recommended calorie intake, and usually come in at about 1500. Because of this, I am also lower than the guidelines of every category on the MyPyramid. Yet I feel so much better about the food that I put into myself than I ever have. Some of the things I used to eat don't even look good anymore. (Some of them, I'm still eying the Totino's pizza rolls in the freezer and those do look pretty good...). But really, I realized writing that paper that I'm very happy with my eating habits and what I put into my body, and I am proud to be able to say that.
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