Today has been 6 weeks of being totally gluten free and 11 weeks of being gluten-light, which is what I call only eating a single meal with gluten each day.
I can report a couple of things, one, it was much easier than I thought. Two, that the rash I was hoping to eradicate is indeed gone on me, Ben and Chan. Jake, who ate gluten every chance he got, still has his full rash and his was the worst to begin with. But, it's his body, he knows how to get rid of it if he's willing to change his diet.
I can also report that as of today, I am not longer toeing the line on the GF lifestyle. I realized this after driving 80 miles in a van with no air conditioning to pay $22 for 2 loaves of bread and a box of 4 gluten free veggie burgers to take camping for the 5 of us Because I refused to pay $16 for 8 burgers, so I guess someone is eating grilled cheese. This was my THIRD stop to look for the bread, it was freezer burned and about 25% ice crystals at both Kroger's so I ended up at Earth Fare where I bought shelf-stable bread that was exactly the same texture as Styrofoam. 12 slices for SIX dollars.
i don't plan to run out and buy Ramen and have that 5 days out of the week, but I am done with the special driving and effort and hassle. We were nearly GF on the pasta just buying rice pasta at the Asian market, I rarely eat bread anyway, GF cornbread mix is affordable (and easy to get), so I can keep getting that. But I am not going to stress and buy $8 veggie burgers to avoid wheat when it's the LAST ingredient in the $3 box we like more anyway.
So, GF experiment is over after next week, I won't go off the wagon until we are through the $$$ stock I have on hand. If we lived in a town where running around was not as big a deal or if someone was really allergic, it would be different. But I feel like I am making a huge effort and spending too much time and money for a minor sensitivity. I am not sleeping better, did not lose any weight, I don't feel less depressed or moody, my stomach hurts just as much and as often as usual, so it did not 'fix' any of the prime issues I was hopeful about.
I bought more freon for the van, I will juice her back up next week. Since we are not going anywhere for a few days, there was no need to mess with it now. It's going to pour rain and then turn cold. If there is a leak and it's not just still low (though I had it checked and he said it held pressure fine so I think it's still just low) then there's no need to let it sit out there in the yard and fritter away.
