things here at camp chaos have been busy... we celebrated dave's birthday with friends and our gluten free betty crocker cake mixes. Celebrated the famous Palisade Peaches from our farmer's market with a Peach Crisp... and a Granny Smith Apple Crisp for a bit of variety. I enjoy peaches but can't wait until it's time to pick apples! I had done some research for my crisp and devised a recipe. I have never had a problem with Oats and decided to go with my old quaker standby instead of searching for GF oats.... that was a mistake! It was a mild reaction but I still noticed and pawned the leftovers off on others.
Then last night we wandered the market trying to come up with lunch plans for the week and all I could think about were chocolate covered frozen bananas. I'm so picky that I can't buy the pre made box from the store... I have to make them. My patience wore thin as I melted chocolate (TWICE!) and I ended up with two decent looking banana pops and 6 that looked horrid but still taste ok. My melted chocolate became hard quickly and I was only able to coat two banana pops nicely before the chocolate got lumpy. I was irrationally mad about my failed banana pops.... ok i'm actually mad about other things and taking them out on my bananas.
I wasn't ever really diagnosed.
Last November when I started to realize what was causing my symptoms (the ones I realized were issues... and now looking back there are so many others that I didn't notice... who would have thought my joint pain would go away?) I quit wheat for four days and felt great. I reintroduced it and the sore throat, headaches and fugue came back. I did what anyone would do... I avoided what made me sick and eventually made it to the doctors. I "wheat loaded" right before going to the doctor so they could see what it was doing to me. However I never dreamed that it was anything but an allergy/intolerance. They took blood and ran it for a food allergy and also for celiac. My test came back as a negative for celiac but now I wonder.... was it a false negative? It was a good chunk of time that I had avoided wheat before going to the doctor. I gave up wheat then learned more about gluten and cut 99% of that out too (I'm not always careful) So many of my symptoms line up... I'm now having trouble tolerating dairy... I don't want to give that up too but I don't want to feel horrid either. Do I need to give that up or just cut back? Am I having problems because of something else?
I went back to the doctor and relayed my concerns. I came armed with my theories and books. I told her what was going on and how I was feeling. I want to know if I am just having some "food issues" or if I have a real disease. She told me that if I am having an issue with a food then I should just give up that food... but it's not that easy. GF, wheat free, dairy free.... none of these are "easy" and while I know that my health has improved I have a need to know. Why could I eat Ben and Jerry's last month but now can't tolerate a bit of chese melted over veggies? I don't miss Milk. I've never really liked milk and didn't mind going to to a vanilla soymilk for cereal and baking. I do love ice cream.... I do love cheese... I can give those up if needed but I need to know if I have to. She's referred me to a gastroenterologist and I'm waiting for information from them... I live in a small mountain town and nothing is close or easy to get to... for some reason I really want a true diagnosis... I need to know are things just peachy the way they are or am I going bananas?
Last week we took a "quick" trip up to Denver (7 hours away) to visit friends and see Jason Mraz at Red Rocks. Our friends live in Summit County and Megs had been watching the paper for some gf options. No photos to show (which proves how good it was) but we had a great breakfast at Kula's Cafe in Dillon. (Can't find a website but check them out at 119 La Bonte St Suite 208 Dillion, CO 970.513.8336... they take call in's too if you happen to be traveling on I-70) These guys rock! It may have been my excitement for my first french toast order in almost a year but this place was good! The staff was very attentive and even highlighted the GF order. I went back in to get a hot chocolate later and made sure to thank them for the attention... turns out 2 of the staff had wheat/gluten issues and understood what it meant to the gf world to take good care of people.
I would love to see a gluten free beer festival in Telluride Town Park. All Gluten Free Food vendors... that's another thing I had to give up at Telluride Town Park festivals- food. There is sooo little that is safe for me to eat that I often pack food or eat ice cream (until my reccent dairy revolt!) 
I used to eat my daily dose of dumplings from the Two Sisters Pantry but the dumplings and soy sauce would kill any festival fun...I'll stick to my gf telluride festival daydreams. It's a lot easier to smile through the mud and rain when I am not reacting... plus the rainshade could become realy small with 7 other people and a gluten-kate! 
