A lot has happened lately. We've had our normal April chaos filled with our children's activities. There were Easter egg hunts and wildlife classes and Storytimes at the library along with our homeschooling. We also added dance competitions which was overall a fantastic experience for all of us. Someday I'll get around to writing about how to be a "simple dance mom" (yes, it can be a thing! We have a lot of awesome dance moms at our school). On top of all of that though we've had what can only be described as "dietary nightmares."
My children both deal with blood anomalies that cause them to be lacking in certain blood cells. Their symptoms manifest slightly differently, but there are a lot of overlaps, so whatever treatment we do for one, we generally do for the other. One of the worst symptoms we have dealt with over the last year has been chronic joint pain. It affected their sleep, and it was really affecting their dancing. The activity that brought them so much joy was causing a lot of agony after each class. As a result, their doctor (who is a fabulous pediatrician who specializes in immunodeficiency) put them on a gluten-free diet. While people with immunodeficiencies don't usually have celiac disease, their digestive systems see gluten as an "invader," so their symptoms are very similar. We also had to eliminate several food additives and we have to limit their eating out at restaurants to ensure they are on a nutrient-rich diet. On top of all that, we had to start a new immunotherapy regimen.This started a huge shift in our cooking and feeding routines.
I switched over to gluten-free flour. We stopped buying pre-packaged foods except for gluten-free granola bars for when we travel and the occasional gluten-free pizza for a treat. I already bake a lot, so at first we didn't think it would be a huge shift. There was some trial and error with the first few batches of muffins, but I eventually got the hang of it. All of the joint pains seemed to be disappearing, and both kids were resting better at night. We thought life could be basically simple and normal.
Not quite.
After about a week, we noticed both kids were becoming overly emotional. This is usually a warning sign for me, so I kept waiting for them to get sick, but they didn't. Then they started to have upset tummies. Since I'd just survived a horrific stomach virus and infection, I assumed they had finally succumbed, but they never got that bad. They just had constant slightly upset bellies. So I did what any mom (who used to be a librarian) would do. I started researching what the problem could be.
It turns out that in people who are "sensitive" (a term I have heard so many times over the years), there can be a reaction to the xantham gum that is used in gluten-free flours. It can cause inflammation in the digestive system and interrupt normal digestive processes. Gluten-free flours also have a carbohydrate to fiber ratio which can majorly disrupt blood sugar levels which was probably to blame for all of the emotional outbursts.
So here we are, back at square one. Right now I've pulled all varieties of flour out of the kids' diets, and they are running around constantly hungry. They stuff themselves with fruits and vegetables and organic chicken all day long, but it never seems to be enough, and I have to shop 2 or 3 times a week because they are going through so much food.
And that's why I haven't written in a month. I haven't had spare moments to write down the dozens of blogs I have circling in my head. Most of my moments have either been spent preparing food, dealing with tummy aches, or trying to keep up with our daily routines to minimize immune responses (more on that one later). But I'm going to keep trying. And maybe we will eventually get this whole dietary regimen sorted out and life can be normal. I have so much I want to share about organizing and decluttering and homeschooling and life in general. Because most of our routines are simple and wonderful and without them, I probably would have drowned in housework over the last month. So stay with me and keep watching.
