Curse you stomach!

As many of you know I've been battling pretty severe stomach issues since April... some of you have even had the unfortunate experience of being around me when the pain occurs, my sincerest apologies.

I've been to the doctor and learned nothing (mostly because she refuses to call me back... ahem). And as I'm losing my good insurance on Nov 30th its not worth the battle at this point. Except for today. Today is Thanksgiving, a day where food brings us all together with the friends and family we are so grateful for (or at least for the stories they give us). I had every intention of going to a good friend's house, his mom is a fabulous cook, the family is great fun, what better day could I have? I had some yogurt this morning because I know its not a good idea to fast, as it got closer to time for me to head out the worse and worse I started to feel. I had to call and beg off because of the massive stomach spasms that took over my body.... stomach why do you hate me?!?

So, now that I've missed Thanksgiving (and I am hopeful that my friend's mother will send me leftovers) I've spent some time looking into what this may be. I started by making a list of what problems occur and what things are causing it. My mother has recently been diagnosed with IBS and because of that I'm at a higher risk. Also, I've lost close to 20lbs since the end of Aug without trying, and while I can stand to lose some weight, I'd rather be in control. Given everything I've tried, what the Dr said before she stopped talking to me, I've decided it's time to go gluten free.

Or as close to it as I can. For those of you who have no idea what gluten is, its the stuff that holds food together. Its wheat, rye, barley, oatmeal, and the hops in beer. I'm not looking forward to this unless it makes me feel better. Trust me you don't want to hurt the way I do on a daily basis. I figure I'll give it a try for the next few weeks and see if I feel better, if I do then I've figured it out, if I don't.... well then I get to eat pizza, po'boys, and brownies again. Oh yeah, this also means I have to figure out how to cook....