The Horrid Happenings of the 6th of July

Today we had to take Raven to the hospital first thing in the morning for more blood tests/stool samples...
Well, naturally they kept us waiting for nearly two hours while "something unexpected was happening in the treatment room." Eventurally after some pestering they agreed to take him into the quieter 'children's waiting room' to do the test. All this time he was anxious and upset because he remembered how they bled him last time (pushing the blood out his veins because "he just wasn't a good bleeder."
I asked him if he wanted mum or dad to take him in to hold his hand? He asked for me... well, long, tiring, stress filled 10 minuted was never to be had by anyone (OK but it wasn't very nice)... while I and two nurses restrained him they gave him a 'finger prick blood test' and took out about thirty drops (plus all the ones the nurses wore) as he thrashed around shouting 'stop, just stop" whilst the nurses pushed blood out of his finger over and over again. Even my diabetic mother who does the finger prick blood test 3 times a day said that was cruel, one prick hurts enough but to continue to push blood out?
Needless to say he wouldn't co-operate with other sampling and tests, and we still have to get that stool sample into them ASAP (I'm writing this on the tail end of his birthday).
I asked them why the finger prick test, they said it normally was done for tests to do with muscles mostly, then later volunteered it also is used to study certain enzymes. I am in the dark as to what they are searching for here.... I'm really concerned now.
Dante is still waiting to hear back about his stool sample, but they haven't failed to send us a bill for it.
And so the anxious wait goes on...

Pizza again... and Raven

Finally happy with pizza! I brought ready made pizza bases from the Gluten Free Shop in Moonah. It was Life Style Bakery: Basil and Garlic. Definately use these from now on! YUMMO! There was two of these size, so not the feed the hordes, but one pizza is definately enough for an adult.
Poor Raven has stopped eating most things, he says he feels sick from eating nearly everything, and going by his bloat and lethargy/paleness I'm not surprised!
He has another appointment to bleed him take more tests before his next appointment at the hospital to see the paed. We're narrowing in but he's suffering for it, sadly, and if he eats the guts out of his sandwhiches and leaves his bread, will this botch his results? We'll see I guess. I feel for the little man, poor guy!

Raven and Dante, a bit of Labyrinth

Just a small post here.
I'm so annoyed at our GP, it took about 18 months from when he decided Raven needed observation and yesterday's phone call from the Paed at the hospital. He's tested a strong positive to an autoimmune disease. He's needing to do more tests to get an exact diagnosis. This is all under the month we finally got in to see him and all the screwing around GP did before referring him. Obviously suspecting Coeliac's Disease, I certainly don't want him to have something worse and yes, came as a shock.

I was expecting it, but it still comes as a complete shock. It totally meant I couldn't concentrate on the lessons I was currently doing with the children, I was really upset.

I'm annoyed at my GP for wasting time with Raven... I'm more annoyed about how he's handling Dante. He said to us if he's still got the big D after settling down after Flagyl, he'd get the blood screening tests done for Coeliacs. Dante is bleeding from the bottom and he tells us he wants to put him onto another form of antibiotics, he's just not sure which ones and he might have an answer next week and he doesn't want to the do the blood tests til after that.

I know and see how Dante is suffering. He's lost a whole lot of weight it's frightening. He's started to avoid eating. He has black circles under his eyes and he appears pale often. This is not right, and the advice I've recieved from other people is go to another GP and fast! I'm swayed. I wonder if I can sway Andrew too, he's already annoyed about the way he's handled my anti-depressant/forced weaning. Neither Monika and I are ready, but he is trying to push me to stop. I've decided not to on the grounds neither of us want to, and I'd rather go off anti-depressants than give up breastfeeding just because my GP finds it unnatural and unnecessary.

Then there is Labyrinth. She's begun to see a psychiatrist for her behavioural issues. He's only taken her background so far, but through the extensive research I've found on the net, it seems she could have coeliac disease too, just manifesting it completely differently and without the gastrointestinal symptoms. The ones that fit are: pyschosocial underdevelopment, her insatiable appetite, fatigue, depression, frustration, low self esteem, anger, academic problems. Obviously it could be pointing to another problem entirely, but its hard to know at this stage, the psychiatrist seems pretty good and he is aware that I believe it may be organic in origin.

As for myself, no change. I've got the flu but that's about it. Brain fogs and memory problems plague my life.

Gluten Free Choc Chip Cookies & update

This is the Gluten Free version of the Choc Chip Cookie recipe on my Quasior's HomeSchool Blog! It ends up being nicer than the gluten version, maybe a bit drier but they still melt in the mouth, or maybe it's just been so long ago I can't remember the difference. Anyway its a step by step recipe:

Gluten Free Choc Chip Cookies

Step 1: Cut up 125 grams of butter (nuttlex or butter substitute should be OK for the dairy intolerant) into squares so they'll melt fast in the microwave. (Easy to double/quadrupile/multiply recipe accordingly). They will probably be done in 30 secs.
Step 2: Add into the melted butter 1/2 cup of soft brown sugar and whisk lots. Then add a whisked up 1 egg into the mixture (should be cool enough by now). When it looks like syrupy caramel like above its good.
Step 2: Into another bowl have 3/4 cup each of Orgran All purpose flour/Self Raising Flour, nicely mixed.
Step 3: Gradually add wet mix to dry until it resembles next photo.

Step 4: Fold into mixture your Gluten Free Choc Chips or choc chip substitutes. It will look like below photo.
Step 5: Gently roll the mix into balls that are then gently pushed onto the tray so they look like these below. (Yes, its a pizza tray... I like it because of the widdle holes the warm air can move up through).
Step 6: Put in a non-fan forced oven at 180 C and bake for 10-12 minutes. This is important. The softer and more melty in your mouth you want is you take it out earlier. For example, these two cookies look the same on the upside. If you want a softer buscuit take out a full 2 minutes earlier.

On the underside of the cookies reveals the difference. The darker golden brown means its crunchier and drier, the lighter colour is still cooked its just softer and more moist. Its personal preference really. I prefer the lighter colour or next to no colour.

Again, if your preferences are like my mothers, then you'll want to leave them in for another 4 or so minutes. They should have a good go at breaking teeth at that stage. Her buscuits are frightfully heavy and dense. Some are the equivilent to small rocks. And she eats them. In saying that, she makes very nice slices, biscotti and truffles, only the biscotti is safe from gluten however.

The update is not so good actually. I've been stunted in my quest to lose weight, and my depression is a problem. I've got sleep issues. I've got joint pain. I've got bloating and pain. Lots of these I can pin on two reasons: Gluten sneaking in and/or an unidentified dietry sensitivity, and my anti-depressant/breastfeeding issues. Oh, that and it's winter. I have bad times during winter = want to stay away from people and stay rugged up and in bed all the time. I must be related to bears. (I know that is double meaning and I mean it)!

In other family concerns: Raven has finally been consulted by the paed at the RHH. He seems to feel he has both constipation and diahrea at the same time. He put him through the tests, stool and blood, and will be looking at possible markers for Coeliac Disease amongst a myriad of other possibilites. He won't find any nasty parasites though, not after being put through the rigours of Flagyl quite recently. He finds it concerning that there are such marked levels of intense growth in short periods and large periods of no or slow growth. We won't find out the results until mid way through July.

Dante still has the big D after the Flagyl incident. Monika has had constant D since the Flagyl too. Kai is silent, and Labyrinth always says she's fine (although her behaviour/attention span needs attention so she's going to a psychiatrist soon... but what if it's a digestive concern only manifesting in behavioural type symptoms?)

I'll update as I need to or add in recipes soon. I've been doing some baking/cooking so I'll at least add recipes.

Horrid Flagyl and GF Pizza

Pretty happy with the Pizza recipe and tonights was a great result. Just using the Orgran pre-mix Pizza/Pastry box.

Flagyl is causing problems already. We started Friday, gotta last until Friday next. I have the big D, as does Dante, Andrew and Raven, not to mention bloats and cramps and other unpleasantness. NOT looking forward to the continuation of this nasty drug. I am so over the Big D, let me tell you!

We've Begun...

It's the horrible anti-biotic week - we are all taking Flagyl because Dante had Entomeba Protozoan in his stool sample. The doctor will still screen for Coeliac's Disease though.

I've not been very well over the last few days. Just a flu and a bit of depression. Other than that I've been OK. Bit of Reflux which I thought was history so maybe a tiny bit of gluten snuck into the diet somewhere but didn't have me in fits of pain. Who knows? It's hard to tell at times.

I've certainly had energy today, putting in a garden bed. It was hot work but it certainly was achievable, and instead of being stuffed for the rest of the day I've been quite busy, not fatigued at all. I can feel it in my muscles which is a good thing! I have bursitus in my left shoulder so it copped it a bit. I'm still doing physio to get it back to some semblance of normalcy.

I'm not sure what I weigh at the moment either. I weighed the children the other day though, and Dante is still on the thinner side, but Raven seems to have put some weight on (or the incredibly bloating his tummy had - it was tight and painful for him. - Honestly it is so normal for him to be feeling that way that he doesn't seem to know much different. Poor bugger. He's got that appointment at the paeds coming up early June. It couldn't come fast enough for me.

Some good things though... I've been trying out different recipes for pancakes as I'm concerned about the cost of cereals (particularly when we got GF as a family). So I've tried the pre mixed versions of Organ and Freedom Foods. Andrew didn't like Orgran (Apple and Cinnamon mix, which I quite liked) and I didn't like Freedom Foods so I decided to check it out online. Well, some fantastic guy says he has a whole lot of pancake mix made up of a brand I don't much go on but I like the idea of it being made up and ready to go so it is just a matter of measuring X amount out and mixing in the wet ingredients. So, Andrew agreed and so now I am trying out different recipes.

Todays:
1/2 Cup Buckwheat
!/2 Cup All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (mostly maize)
1 tb GF Baking powder
1 egg
1/2 Cup Rice Milk
2 tb olive oil
ended up adding in another 1/2 Cup Buckwheat

blended it up and cooked on a medium heat. Incredibly light and fluffy and tasty, or so I thought. The children also loved it. Unfortunately Andrew decided he didn't so I'm going to give a different recipe a go. (I hope its just not his over refined personal tastes getting in the way, as I and my subjecting the children to various GF foods have developed ours.) I'm going a recipe including Quinoa flour next time. Yummy Quinoa... It's the main ingredient to my favourite breads. They stay fresh for up to 3 weeks, and don't have some of the problems that are inherent in many GF breads.
I'm also looking at baking breakfast cakes and rice or quinoa porridge too. I'm still considering alternative options to the sugar covered gluten containing ones.

Yeah, I'm guilty of being unable to eat in my allotted 100 Miles, Quinoa only grows in the Andes, and without rice where would my diet be??? I guess I'm doing the right thing and growing as much as I possible can though (or am attempting to).

Good with the not so good

So far it's been a huge benefit going Gluten Free. There are few problems associated with it, namely keeping regular (for heaven's sake though that's a huge change not having the big D for over a decade is an achievement). So, I've adopted rice bran into my diet. This has been a great help and although not perfect I feel that it is better than the alternatives.
I'm on anti-depressants that make me tired. I find it hard to struggle out of bed before 11 am in the mornings, NOT good when you consider my 5 children... and the B vitamins I have which is bringing my energy levels to near normal (if I remember them) is not nearly enough to combat a medication based issue. On top of this I don't sleep well, If I'm going to sleep like a log Monika will want to feed on and off all night. So, naturally this is a concern (and quite possibly not attributable to my CD condition/after affects.

The weather has been a deterrent to getting out of the house and going walking. (Slackness I know - but in the past if I got saturated I'd end up sick for a week). On the upside of this though, I no longer feel the cold like I used to. Putting this into perspective... during several months leading to and from winter I would be bone cold no matter what I wore, how many blankets were on or what heating was on. This was even the case during pregnancy where I would be so cold I would cuddle up to Andrew in the night and he'd tell me I'd woken him up because I felt like a block of ice. Here we are in the beginning of winter I am typing at my computer with a summer dress and feeling quite normal.

I'm reminded about how cold I probably would be because poor Dante suffers the cold like I used to before going GF. He's opposite in weight to me - underweight, but he's got the stomach pains and the big D constantly. I feel for him and we are all keen to get him diagnosed as quickly as possible, but things like finances and certain things are getting in the way... next week!

I'm also wishing I could be pregnant. My periods are back to what they should be but I'm not falling pregnant. Probably shouldn't even consider it but I love filling up my life with little uns. But maybe I am infertile permantly now, after all the months of nastiness. Not to mention Andrew has had half the snip. That's right- he had the snip but it was only half sucessful. All in all we used to be so fertile I'd look at him and fall pregnant... now we can't. I am certainly happy with my five prodigies, but can't help underneath to wish for more.

I guess here would be a good time to go another subject. We've been getting better and better with understanding how different flours work and how to mix it so it works. I've been cooking muffins and where I didn't like fruit mixed in before (prefering fresh or bottled) I don't mind it anymore. I still can't go dried fruits though, it just tastes/texture is so wrong to me. So that is a bit of an achievement. Andrew cooked me pancakes for my birthday brekkie yesterday, that was really yummy, light and fluffy - just perfect, even with the apple and cinnamon. I've also been experimenting with main meals. I do a satay sauce from scratch. Next time I make it I'll put the recipe/pic up. I make pizza/bread from scratch sometimes. I just love Quinoa bread that I buy pre-made and doesn't go stale any where near as quickly as most GF breads, actually, it rivals normal bread. I can't stand the taste or texture of cow's milk anymore. I'm a rice milk girl now (can't tolerate soy). I can have cheese/yogurt/chocolate in moderation, but really, I love goat and sheep cheeses and yogurts just as much. My palate has most definately changed and I think become enhanced due to my new diet. I'm happy. I'm also keen to learn new ways of doing things in the cooking/eating... it's far cheaper than buying it pre-done!

YAY for me. I now weigh 113 kg even with the lovely treats like birthday cake and extravagent brekkies for mother's day etc!