An Explanation

I've made reference to my allergies and food issues in my blog, but I've never explained what is going on.

I have been coughing for almost 20 years. I coughed so hard people would ask me if they could be of assistance. My bladder was shot and I couldn't sing anymore-something I love more than even sewing! I've been to doctors, here and in other cities. Nobody seemed to have an answer. My lungs were clear and I didn't have any horrible disease. I did have really bad acid reflux, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, so they finally did surgery for the acid reflux. It helped about 30-40%, but I still coughed when I ate, and other times, too, which made me wonder about food allergies. I've had multiple allergies since I was a baby, but no doctor made the connection or even seemed to care enough to pursue that avenue. I was really at the end of my rope. I was totally over the medical community! I kept giving it to God, and just kept telling Him that I knew He had the answer.

About two months ago, I was doing some surfing on the Internet, looking for more craft and sewing blogs to read. I found a couple of blogs that not only talked about crafts, but about the fact that they had problems with gluten. A light came on! I decided that I didn't need a doctor's guidance to give up gluten for a while. Anything was worth a try!

To my amazement, I started coughing less! I quit having diarrhea, and my heartburn completely went away. I figured I was on to something, so after my trip I went to see my GP, a wonderful lady who had been as frustrated as I was, trying to figure this out. When I told her how much better I felt and asked for the RAST blood allergy test, she jumped right on the bandwagon and immediately ordered the test.

The results were astounding! The celiac tests came back negative, but I'm allergic to all the stuff that has gluten, plus a whole lot more. Avoiding the gluten meant I was avoiding some of my allergens! It's easier to keep track of what I'm NOT allergic to than what I am allergic to. Avoiding eating foods I'm allergic to has been a real test. There are very few grains I can have, and most of the stuff I like to eat like garlic and marinara sauce are completely off limits.

I've started losing a little weight, partly because I'm hungry about 50% of the time, and partly because I'm not feeding myself things that are bad for me.

After not being able to sing for a long time, I can finally sing in church again! My voice does not seem to have any permanent damage, and it's getting better and better.

I give all the credit to God, He was the one who led me to the clues that brought the answer. He is good and always takes care of us. I don't know why the food allergy thing didn't come up sooner, but that's God's timing. Maybe I wasn't ready to hear it before, and maybe I wouldn't have been so willing to totally revamp my diet before now. Whatever the reason, I give Him glory for taking care of me!

Sorry for such a long post, but when one has good news it needs to be told! Stay tuned for updates and some ideas I have about dealing with my immune system.