gluten?

I've decided to try a new approach. With my next visit with Dr. Lacey coming up on Jan. 23, I figured I'd spend this upcoming weekend attempting a gluten-free diet in addition to the food and stress journal I started on Monday.

From the research I've done on gluten-free diets, while difficult, it is definitely something I think I can handle. When Hubs and I did our Paleo diet over the summer that seemed more strict. With the gluten-free diet I'll be able to eat some grains in addition to the food I ate while doing Paleo. However, those grains need to be gluten-free, which can be difficult to find.

I stopped at the grocery store last night to pick up some gluten-free pasta, and after scouring the shelves in the pasta aisle for 10 minutes, I realized everything I was going to need was going to be in the miniscule gluten-free section of the store. Five tiny little shelves, no wider than I am, filled with gluten-free products that I had no idea if they would be good or not. I bought some penne and a bag of gluten-free crackers (hey, I need a snack to try too!). The penne was ok. It would have been better if I didn't cook it as long. But in terms of taste, it tasted like regular, ol' noodles. Less cooking time would have made it taste more like the right consistency, I think.

I've been finding some gluten-free cooking blogs, have been emailing an old friend from high school for tips on a gluten-free diet, and my wonderful mom bought me some gluten-free cookbooks that I am eager to try. :)

I'll keep you posted how things are going!

horrible, no good, very bad day

When you have a bad day, like a "horrible, no good, very bad day," usually the only thing you want to do is stay in a "horrible, no good, very bad" mood. But when you have a pug puppy whose nickname is "tongue and tail," he totally ruins that. He licks your tears when you cry, he follows you around endlessly, and he'll sit next to you on the floor, just to be near you.


And when you have a husband as goofy as mine, he won't let you mope around, either. He wipes the mascara off your face, holds you when you cry, quotes ridiculous movies, gets you a beer, and then after accidentally spilling said beer all over your table, he tricks you into smiling and then laughing about it.


And then somehow, when you see your mischievious, yet happy pug, hug your goofy, yet wonderful husband, and glance around your messy, yet beautiful home...the "horrible, no good, very bad" day seems not to matter so much and the "horrible, no good, very bad" mood you're in seems pretty pointless. :)

Dexter's surgery

Well, it happened. Mommy and Daddy forced me to grow up. I had something called "surgery" but I don't know what it is or what happened.

Daddy put me in the car and drove me to the vet one morning. Mommy wasn't there to hold me, so I had to sit in the back strapped into the seat. I do not like riding in cars! Not one bit. I yell and I yell, but Mommy and Daddy never listen.

Then Daddy walks me into the vet office and leaves without me! I barked for him to stay with me, but he didn't. I was very sad. I remember the vet tech girls shaving one of my front legs and then sticking something sharp and pointy in there, but then I took a long nap. When I woke up, I realized I felt a little woozy, my nails were shorter, and I was missing a few things down below. Nothing hurt, though. I was just starving and I wasn't allowed to eat. :(

After an eternity, the vet lady let me out of a crate to take me out to pee. Well, I could hear Mommy and Daddy were in the office, so I acted like I didn't have to pee so I could come inside and see them quicker. When they finally let me see Mommy, I ran to her and was very excited. Mommy was very excited, too. However, I think I was more excited because I peed all over the floor and Mommy's pea coat. Mommy didn't even seem mad! Daddy kept making jokes about Mommy's coat, calling it a "pee coat." Don't quit your day job, Dad. ;-)

Mommy and Daddy brought me home and inspected me. They kept watching to see if I would lick my stitches but I didn't. That would be gross! They put some ice cubes in a bowl for me to lick since I still wasn't allowed to have food or a lot of water. I kept trying to play with them, but they wouldn't play back. And then I was kept in my crate for awhile since I was not allowed to run around. I followed them up and down the stairs a few times before they could do that, though!

Mommy and Daddy got dressed up all fancy and left me alone in my crate for a few hours. When they came back, they found a few surprises in my crate. I had a few accidents. The vet told Mommy that there was a chance I wouldn't go potty for 24 to 36 hours, but I did, anyway. Daddy cleaned my crate and Mommy gave me some more ice cubes to lick.

Mommy and Daddy still won't let me run around, but I always manage to outsmart them and zoom around the kitchen and run up the steps with them chasing me. It's my favorite game!

I'm hoping in a few days my parents will ease off of me and find something else to worry about! I'm fine! :)

new year, new me, new us

2012 will be different. I promise.

"You were born to be so much more than someone who writes down safe little goals on a list of paper. Let this be the year you return to yourself. Let this be the year you heed your heart. Let this be the year you hunt, chase and dive into what you really love. Choose to listen to your heart and obey it with your intelligence. Choose to experience a life on fire."

~ Tama Kieves, This Time I Dance!

love sonnet xvii

Love Sonnet XVII by Pablo Neruda

I do not love you as if you were a salt rose, or topaz
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
So I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

working diagnosis

I met with Dr. Lacey this morning. He ordered another outpatient test. I am going to swallow a capsule that has a tiny camera in it that will move through my entire small intestine. Apparently during the endoscopy, colonoscopy, and that weird barium Xray they didn't see any of the small intestine, or just not enough of it to make a solid diagnosis.

So on Dec. 22 I can only have clear liquids, and then on Dec. 23 I go to the hospital to have this done. They are just going to stick electrodes all over my stomach and the front part of my body, and then I wear a vest and have to attach a battery pack on my pants or shirt or something. (Weirdly enough, I am not allowed to go to a bank while wearing this. They had one patient go to the bank and the cops were called! lol) Then I will swallow the camera pill and go about my normal day. The doctor will tell me after I'm all hooked up when I should return back to the hospital, probably between 3-4 pm. The camera capsule will just pass through my body and get flushed.

This camera will take 3,000+ pictures. They are looking for any tears, ulcers, inflammation, etc. that might be in the small intestine. So right now my "working diagnosis" is Crohn's Disease of the Small Bowel. It differs from regular Crohn's in that my colon is not involved at all. The doctor said that was a little unusual, but not unheard of or anything.

I asked him if they do this camera capsule and everything comes back normal, then what? He thinks they are going to find something in the small intestine, but if not, it is probably just IBS. If it is just IBS, he said we can discuss my options as far as diet, stress level, etc. He also said he'd be able to write me another prescription to help slow my digestive system down.

I'll keep you posted as to what they find, if anything.

electricity is a wonderful thing

Hi guys, Hebs here. So if you're wondering why you haven't heard from us lately...it is because we've been without power! We had a snowstorm which gave us a good 10 inches of snow and no electricty or heat for about 4 days. So those weekend plans in my previous post were completely shot. :(

My brother, who lives in Arizona said the weather there was 90 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Thanks for rubbing it in!

However, Dexter did get to enjoy some time at my parents, Grammy and Pappy's house. My dad and Dex formed a special bond, that both days when I walked in the door home from work, Dex would bark and growl at me. Hmm. Not purely coincidental, I'm sure! Dexter also got regular walks around the block with his Pappy and even a trip to the store! No carrier, no one to hold him, just Dexter freely walking around the car seats and my dad's lap. He better have enjoyed that time, because now that he's back with just us, I'm far too neurotic to let that happen!

I have a bunch of pictures to post from Jess and Brian's Halloween party, Dexter in the leaves, and now Dexter in the snow. Hoping to do that over the weekend! :)

I hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous Fall weather! I know I am!