My Doctor's Visit

[fidgiegirl]

I finally got in to see an integrative health M.D. that I read about in Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine. I first read about her in August (!) and just now had an appointment.

I will spare you all my maladies but suffice it to say that on the surface they would all appear to be disconnected and individual but I always felt in my gut that were related. Well, finally I have met an M.D. who thinks the same thing. We will be looking at things properly and thoroughly, not just individually, and not just throwing medicine at it, but looking at dietary/nutrition solutions. I got no prescriptions today except for Vitamin D and a different probiotic. I am very happy to finally have been heard and not dismissed. The doc I have been seeing listens to me but doesn't subscribe to this philosophy so nothing is getting better. New doc even mentioned digestive enzymes, which was what I went in asking about the first time I ever went to a GI specialist about my issues - five years ago!

Nothing has changed yet, but I have a good feeling about it. Hopefully I will be right! Keep your fingers crossed :)

[Rosemary]

Yaay! I hope you find the root cause of your problems. It is so good to find a Dr who listens and has different ideas that aren't invasive or medication-oriented. It made a huge difference in my case, anyway.

[Stella]

That is great Kelli! Not feeling listened to is my biggest pet peeve with doctors. I'm glad you found someone you are comfortable with. That is such a blessing!

[frugal-one]

Validation is wonderful! Congrats!

[danna]

Kelli hope this works for you....too often doctors will not look at a bunch of different symptoms and try to see if
they are connected and far often they are.

[fidgiegirl]

Thanks, all. Now I have to knock it off with binging on cookies. Well, not technically binging, but a daily cookie. Doc mentioned cutting down or cutting out wheat (are you surprised, Rosemary ;) - it's what you've been saying all along!!) and so I am kind of having what I feel is a "last hurrah." But that's stupid if it's making me feel icky!!! I'm having blood drawn at some point and not eliminating wheat until after that. But I still don't need a huge bakery cookie every day - not for my weight, not for my wellness, and not for my pocketbook. So take that, self.

[Rosemary]

Deciding to start and starting are the most difficult steps. Once you really make up your mind, it's easy. I can say this because I've had to do it multiple times. :|(

I had the blood test for celiac disease several years ago and it was all clear - but I clearly do have some sensitivity to wheat. It makes me chronically congested. (Unfortunately, this hasn't been enough to keep me off it during the holidays, and I am feeling it now, and stopping it again).

A few things that work for me:
- it's easiest if everyone in the house cuts out the foods you're eliminating, at least for a while. Then you never see them in the kitchen. And who knows, the other members of the family might feel better, too.

- if there are foods that you want to eliminate but will still be in the house, put them in a location where you won't see them, such as in a bin in the bottom of the pantry. Even better if the pantry is in the basement.

- make a list of the things you can eat. Plan ahead how to plug the 'holes' in your diet. With wheat-free, I find it better to eat differently than to try eating the GF breads, which aren't that healthy anyway.

[Anne Lee]

I've been moving to a "homemade treats when at home" rule. This allows me to get ice cream and special treats when out but limits the amount of treats to the ones I'm willing to actually make. Perhaps to help you transition, you could bake a few small cookies whenever you have the oven on and eat just one of those a day.

[iris lily]

Are the bakery cookies REALLY that good? Perhaps they are, you may be patronizing a better bakery than what's around here.

But here, in the end, they are not worth the calories.

[danna]

Rosemary...chronic congested is also a symptom of yeast overgrowth...leaky gut...and a few other names
DS kept being given allgery pills forever but, still had the sympoms of allergies but testing said none (of course they kept giving him the pills without looking any further)
The diet is hard but, well worth a try. Often starts after having too many antibotics.

[Rosemary]

Thanks, Danna, for the reminder. I have read about that. But my chronic congestion completely cleared when I did the allergy elim diet this summer - and didn't resurface until after I reintroduced wheat & sugar.