| Thursday, January 31, 2008 |
| Sharing |
To be honest, when I started this blog my intentions were for it to be only food based. Sharing personal information about yourself is never that easy. Well, after many months of searching for personal information about gastrointestinal problems I discovered there needs to be more than just the medical symptoms and treatments out there. I know it is not the most pleasant thing to talk about or hear about, but it is comforting to know when there are others out there that share common problems and who could possibly recommend some non-medical solutions. Now, don't misunderstand me, this blog is still about food...it is about how the foods we eat effect our bodies. I am a foodie that has always focused on nutrition and how what we eat really does effect how we feel. If you have any food allergy or intolerance this is extremely evident if you eat the wrong thing! You will suffer for weeks! I believe that we all some level of intolerance to the foods we eat, it just boils down to how our body reacts to digesting that food. Ok, so I will go into more detail in many more posts, but I thought that I would share that I have been silent here a lot lately due the hectic pace that I have been living for the past couple of months. I still cook/bake all the time, but depending on the situations around here...I may not have time to photograph the fruits of my labor. I have also been cooking a lot of bland things (I will elaborate later). I have dealt with "tummy troubles" (doesn't that make it sound so cute?) for many years. I was lactose intolerant as an infant and as I grew up, it was not as bad. From what I have read in the past, this is completely normal. After I had my first baby (Jay) my body started to change. I would blame him...but he is just too darn cute! I knew that things were changing for me because I had hard time getting the second baby (Max) here. He was hard work, but he happens to be just as cute as the first one, so I can't blame him either! Right after I had Max I started to experience digestion problems. I had no idea what to do. I lost so much weight and was constantly in the bathroom. As anyone with kids knows...this is exhausting on its own. Then throw in the feeling of having your insides turned out and you are pretty much running on empty. After many years of feeling like a gross freak and not knowing what was going on...I started to do some research. I then was told by my GI doctor to eliminate everything from my diet and start from scratch. That was fun! After many weeks of rice, fruits and vegetables I started working things back in. This lead to the discovery of the dreaded lactose intolerance! Now, being the frozen yogurt lover that I am, this was painful! I will tell you that I have learned to deal with it. It has taken many years to get to the point where I understand that while I can't necessarily mimic everything I miss, I have found a new appreciation for other foods. A lot of people I know think I only eat like a "freak" because I tend to focus on "clean" foods when I am not home. (By clean I mean mostly fresh or I know it well!) I feel fortunate that I am old enough to understand all of this. Now, the reason that I started this little ramble...my youngest son, Max, is having stomach problems. I feel very overwhelmed again and very frustrated. Hopefully, his road will not be as hard and long as mine was.
I wanted to share this because there is not a lot of this kind of information out there. I will continue to share when I get more, but for now we are doing the proper tests and starting the elimination route.Labels: ramble |
posted by Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen @ 6:05 PM  |
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| 8 Comments: |
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Sarena, thank you for sharing this personal information - as someone who suffers from Crohn's Disease, I can certainly relate. Although, I must say, that since I have switched to eating a high-raw vegan diet, I am practically symptom-free (I don't mean this to sound like raw-foodist propaganda at all - I'm simply telling the truth). One book that has provided great insight about this issue, and has helped me tremendously, is "Self Healing Colitis & Crohn's" by David Klein (available at Amazon.com)
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Thank you for sharing. I think a lot of people have a personal relationship with food. There are a lot of bloggers out there talking about food cause it affects them in different ways.
I totally understand the "tummy issues". I have IBS and my fiance is lactose intolerant. We love food.
I hope you figure out your son's allergy quickly. But neither of you is alone in your diagnosis's. At my grocery store I can buy lactose free milk, non dairy sour cream. There are cookies made with no diary or wheat. Leading a diary free life is becoming easier.
I applaud your "clean" living. I certainly don't think you are a freak.
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I too was going to suggest the Klein book. I have a couple of friends with serious GI problems that have gotten a lot from that book. The elimination diet is a hard place to go, but it does help. I've been there before with allergies and I think it gives you a lasting appreciation and awareness for what different foods does to and for your body.
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While I can't make any suggestions, I did want to say I'm happy that you were able to share this with the readers of your site.
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Please don't think you're a freak for being lactose intolerant. Much research has been done which shows that approximately 80% of the worldwide population is latose intolerant to some degree. That would make us dairy consumers the freaks.
Don't get me wrong, you're still a freak. It's about the company you keep, not the food you eat.
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Liz-thank you for sharing. I had no idea. I appreciate the suggestion for reading! I will look into it.
Linda-I really appreciate your comments. It is comforting to not feel alone in this!
Emilie-I will definitely look into getting that book. I appreciate the suggestion!
Vegan Blog Tracker-thank you for your comments!
Peeree3-I could not agree with you more, but I think giving up the company I keep would be way harder than giving up dairy!
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coming from someone who also has a case of it, lactose intolerance can be really tough to deal with, but you are proof alone that it can be conquered! good for you! - and I hope that Max's "tummy troubles" go away! poor little guy!
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Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen
Home: Atlanta, GA, United States
About Me: Lactose Challenged
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Sarena, thank you for sharing this personal information - as someone who suffers from Crohn's Disease, I can certainly relate. Although, I must say, that since I have switched to eating a high-raw vegan diet, I am practically symptom-free (I don't mean this to sound like raw-foodist propaganda at all - I'm simply telling the truth). One book that has provided great insight about this issue, and has helped me tremendously, is "Self Healing Colitis & Crohn's" by David Klein (available at Amazon.com)