But it's time to talk about a not so comical pain that plagues me everyday. Headaches, joint pain, fatigue. About a year ago I was terrified that I might actually have rheumatoid arthritis. The odd joint in my foot is so rare, the possible symptoms it could inspire are really unknown. For so long I've labeled everything as a repercussion of my sore feet.
But I am slowly starting to see that might not be the case. In the past, my legs always ached, the muscles were sore and tight, I blamed my feet. But after joining a gym and using a foam roller for the first time, the soreness was gone. Who knew that the pain in my legs could be cured from stretching the outer myofascial tissue. The tension headaches I was getting everyday were significantly alleviated with massage therapy (hallelujah!), but I do still wake up with severe stiffness, especially in my neck, joint pain, and a different kind of headache. All in all, it feels like I have been struck by a large moving vehicle.
Throughout my entire life I was always bloated and had gastrointestinal issues. I won't go into details here (because that's gross). But essentially, every morning when I woke up, my stomach was bloated like a balloon. It would take hours for this to go away, and eating was uncomfortable. My manager at Starbucks suggested I try cutting dairy out of my diet, and holy moly, it worked! So for that last year I have self diagnosed myself as having a minor lactose intolerance. I still eat the occasional cheese or sour cream, but nothing compared to what I was consuming before.
Also within the last year I have learned that I have PCOS, a hormonal condition that has led to temporary infertility. My doctor said there is a medication I can go on when Charlie and I are ready to have kids, but until then, free birth control I guess...
And still my body aches. I wake up in a fog. And until yesterday morning, I have not had a clue as to why. But on Thursday night, I had an early dinner of homemade (by my mom) chicken noodle soup, with a crusty baguette on the side. I'm always happy when she makes dairy free meals. I felt great, went to bed. The next morning when I woke up, my stomach was like a balloon. I retraced my steps, I didn't have any dairy the previous day. My stomach was in pain. As I sat at my desk at work, my upper intestine felt so bloated that the pain radiated in my chest, giving me heart burn. I drank some hot water, but at 5 o'clock that night, the bloating and pain had not subsided.
And so I Google the thing I have never wanted to learn about, gluten intolerance symptoms. Let me quote them for you... I have put in bold all the one's I am experiencing.
- Weight loss or weight gain
- Nutritional deficiencies due to malabsorption e.g. low iron levels
- Gastro-intestinal problems (bloating, pain, gas, constipation, diarrhea)
- Fat in the stools (due to poor digestion)
- Aching joints
- Depression
- Eczema
- Head aches
- Exhaustion
- Irritability and behavioural changes
- Infertility, irregular menstrual cycle and miscarriage
A light has been turned on in mind, a possible end to my pain and exhaustion. I am not putting all my eggs in this basket. But seeing as my mother and grandmother are also sensitive to gluten (although they do not eat GF), my hopes are high. I am starting today with gluten free eating. I will be keeping a food journal and I will try to keep this blog updated as to whether or not I am seeing a big difference. If anyone one of you had any advice or recipes, I would love to hear them.
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