GF - affected people everywhere!

Wow, February is a short month, but despite that, I didn't anticipate letting the entire month slip by without a post. I do so well for a while...and then always seem to slide.

Last month was difficult for me - I have been fighting an infection that expresses itself as much worse than chapped lips. If you see me on a regular basis, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't see me on a regular basis, this is likely why I haven't called, emailed or returned any of your calls. Sorry about that.

I finally managed to get to my doctor in the middle of a flare-up and am now medicated to take care of the infection - it has been a week, and I am definitely feeling improved. Unfortunately, I ended up throwing up and feeling flu-ish yesterday and ended up coming home. I'll be staying home/working from home (a little bit) today and will hopefully will be back at work tomorrow.

It's been a long run and I've been tired and cranky for quite some time...I'm looking forward to feeling like myself again.

On another note, I have been amazed at the number of people around me who are discovering they too may have a problem with wheat/gluten. Perhaps it is just because I don't eat it anymore that I am so much more aware, or perhaps that's why people ask me about it, but since 2008 began, I have spoken to three individuals with completely different medical symptoms, all of whom suspected wheat.

The first was a family friend who is constantly sick and always misdiagnosed. She has had oodles of medical tests, been told at various times that she had IBS, diverticulitis and more...all to no avail. They told her to try not eating gluten, so I sent her a bunch of recipes and links. I haven't heard if it has helped her, but I'm happy to be an information source in case wheat is her problem.

The second is a friend of my sisters who has been off work with pain, bloating and a variety of other symptoms for months. She too has been tested for a variety of diseases, including biggies such as Crohn's, and after coming back negative for test after test, they have told her not to eat gluten and sent her for a Celiac's test. I hope she finds out something definitive soon.

Finally, a friend of mine who never remembers feeling "healthy" ate only MY FOOD(read Gluten-Free) for about 4 days (as I fed her and sent her home with fresh made goodies and that's all she ate) and when she came back to my house, I could instantaneously see a difference in her face, and her complexion. Never had I seen it look so bright, and her eyes so alert as they were that day. Even more exciting, she claimed to feel "healthy" despite some emotional family news. She told me then, that she normally suffers from bloating and stomach issues, but also hadn't felt those symptoms over the past few days. I promptly packed her up a bag of GF-goodness, full of cereal, rice crackers, baking etc and the next time I saw her, she still looked great. I loaded her up again and have my fingers crossed that perhaps all her years of suffering are simply a food intolerance/allergy.

For perspective regarding the change in her face/complexion, scroll down on this post over at glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com - I immediately thought of it when I saw my friend.

I'm going to try and post that pizza recipe I have been raving about sometime today, but we will see.