Thursday, March 20, 2008

Going... Going... (Gluten) Gone!

J has been having stomach problems off and on for a couple of years... At one point last spring it got so bad that he ended up in the ER for several hours where he narrowly avoided an (unnecessary!) appendectomy. Recently I was reading this post written by my bloggy friend, Christy and a dim light bulb went on...

Then two nights ago we went out for Mexican food and J ended up throwing up his entire meal (lots of tortilla chips, and a burrito) when we got home. Hmmm- lots of wheat gluten in his meal... The light bulb is getting brighter.

Last night we went out for Chinese (it's been a busy week!) and J felt OK (he ate fried rice, chicken, and an egg roll). Little to no gluten there- the light bulb is increasing in wattage.

Today J only worked a 1/2 day and we went to Panera for lunch before picking up kids from school... J had a 1/2 sandwich & soup combo- and in the car leaving the restaurant was feeling bloated and sick again. Lots of gluten in that meal (panini, croutons on soup, plus a baguette on the side!).

On the way home we started talking about the foods that have made him feel sick recently- pasta, some yogurts, pizza, some of the Lean Cuisine frozen meals, and the above... Recent foods that seem to be OK include oatmeal, fruits and veggies, meat, and rice. So after we picked up all the kids and arrived back home, I started Googling and the light bulb is now at full wattage- I think we may have a winner people!

So we're going to try cutting out gluten in J's diet to see if he does better. Tonight we're having chicken piccata (the piccata sauce is gluten free according to Trader Joe's website) over rice (instead of pasta) and roasted sweet potatoes. We'll see how he feels after dinner...



LeeAnn

4 comments:

Missy said...

Oooooo, take him to your dr and get him tested for celiac!!

By the way, frazzle dazzle, you won the mixed tape giveaway like, a week ago. Send me your deets.

hockeygirl said...

Yeah, he should be tested for Celiac disease. That would suck though. Gluten is practically in everything! All the good stuff at least!

Amanda said...

I hope you guys get this figured out!!

LeeAnn, thank you so much for your prayers. I couldn't imagine having a baby in the NICU right after birth. I've had to deal w/Ella going through a lot, but my heart just breaks for my cousin. She went into the hospital so excited and it turned out to be the scariest day of her life. I learned today that one of the nurses there that's worked there for 28 years said she has never seen them do a C-section as fast as they did one on my cousin. They had her in the OR and ready to cut in 4 minutes. She did have an epi - unfortunately she still felt it :( That's when they put her to sleep. Rylie is doing well on her own and with prayers and hope I KNOW that she is going to be just fine. Your prayers are so greatly appreciated.

The story of your son was so touching! I wish I was with my cousin right now so I could read it to her. She is, however, doped up on morphine - poor thing. Thank you once again!!

Anonymous said...

Some of the comments and emails I've received from people who have Celiac have said that it got worse as they got older, so he should definitely be tested! and if not celiac, then maybe a wheat allergy? I hope you get it figured out! There are some really good cookbooks and blogs out there, I don't think he'll end up feeling like he's missing much since there's almost always a gluten-free alternative!