It has been a day of exciting developments

[lunabee34]

1. So, Josh has c diff. He's gonna go on ten days of meds to get rid of that, do another culture to make sure it's gone, and then probably reschedule the colonoscopy for a little later to try to get at the root of whatever causes the episodes he has that are not c diff. Very relieving to have a real, genuine answer for what's going on in this particular incident.

2. Had a follow-up with neuro. My blood pressure was back to normal again, and I'm relieved. I thought the last reading was probably an anomaly due to my extreme AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, but it's nice to have that confirmed. LOL The yoga is working (seriously, this is true; I am becoming a huge fan). He prescribed a drug for me to try to treat my exhaustion; he was very understanding that in the absence of a diagnosis, I need something to treat the symptoms. In fact, he brought this up before I even told him my fears that going back to work full time is going to be more than I can handle. Unfortunately, it looks like the drug has gluten in it, so I probably will not be able to take it. I have to call the manufacturer tomorrow to confirm.

3. Mom went to my cousin's wedding and got glutened. The caterer said her meal was gluten free, but it was contaminated, and she got really sick. Threw up for hours. Is still sick. Is horribly embarrassed. She told me that she will probably never eat another catered meal again. My heart just aches for her. Most of the time I can forget that I have celiac, but sometimes it really sucks how much this disease can constrain your life.

4. Courtesy of the ever-generous executrix:

I Am My Brother by John Lehmann

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this. Because this is not my area of study, I often didn't know the cast of characters Lehmann discusses, but I appreciate his firsthand accounts of living through the war in London, maintaining an artistic community, and striving as an artist/editor/publisher to encourage burgeoning talent. I also find the discussion of the role of the artist in society, particularly a wartime society, fascinating. I suspect this would be an even more enjoyable read for a 20th-century scholar.



View all my reviews

Comments

[misbegotten]

Oh, yay for a diagnosis! Boo to the actual germ, of course. And I feel so bad for your mom. She shouldn't be embarrassed, the caterer should be.

Are you doing any particular yoga? I tried a book and it didn't work for me.

[lunabee34]

My heart just hurt so much for her. I don't want her to feel trapped, you know.

Yes! I am doing Yoga Burn Monthly, Month One: Restorative Yoga. It's four DVDs, one for each week, with three or four different sessions on each one. It's not cardio at all. It's only about flexibility and stretching. It's very gentle and is mostly laying on the floor or seated on the floor.

[misbegotten]

That sounds cool. I have problems doing yoga on the floor because the dogs want to help, but I'm looking at a DVD that has yoga on a chair!

[lunabee34]

Ahahhahahaaa. I can imagine that would be an impediment. Sometimes Fiona wants to help, and I have to get her to move. LOL

[princessofgeeks]

Thank you so much for the update. So glad you are getting some answers.

My hair will be on fire for the next ten days but after that would love to talk again.

[lunabee34]

Me too! I have had enough of inexplicable medical issues for a lifetime. LOL

Let me know when you're free, and we'll set it up.

[china_shop]

Oh, that's such good news about Josh -- I hope the meds kick in really quickly! And yay for your neuro! (Fingers crossed you can get a replacement non-gluteny drug, if your current one isn't.)

Argh, so sorry about your mom! D: D: D: (Did she let the catering company know?)

Why even are bodies? *huuuuugs*

[lunabee34]

It is gluten free! I'm excited.

She didn't get sick until they were driving back from the venue to my uncle's house where they were staying. I'm not sure if my cousins spoke with the caterer or not. :(

[musesfool]

I'm sorry about your mom's experience, but glad Josh got a diagnosis! I hope there's a gf version of the drug you were prescribed.

[lunabee34]

Thank you!!

I contacted the manufacturer, and it is gluten free!

[musesfool]

\o/

[independence1776]

I'm so glad Josh got a diagnosis for this episode!

I'm sorry about your mother's glutening. I really wish people would pay attention to cross-contamination.

[lunabee34]

Me too! I hope that the medicine will work quickly; I know c diff can sometimes prove a bit intractable.

I felt so bad for mom. I think this is going to make her much more wary of traveling. :(

[amejisuto]

Wow. I had to look up C diff. That's some serious-sounding stuff. I hope the meds help with that. Tell him I'm thinking of him.

I'm sorry your new meds have gluten and that your Mom got glutened. That just sucks. I can't imagine having to be so careful. You guys are awesome for dealing with that. I'll keep your Mom in my mind too!

[lunabee34]

Thank you so much, sweetie. I rally appreciate it.

I called the drug manufacturer, and it does not have gluten. Yay!

[amejisuto]

Yay! That's awesome! Yay for new meds that might help!

[tabaqui]

Wow! I have never heard of 'c diff' - sounds completely horrible! I'm glad he got an answer, though.

Glad also your doc realizes that you need to treat your symptoms for quality of life.

And omg, your poor mum! I hope she starts feeling better soon, that is just terrible.

*hugs*

[lunabee34]

*hugs*

Thank you.

I felt so terrible for mom. She's getting better more quickly this time, though, so it's clear that it was just contamination rather than being served something with gluten in it on purpose. *sigh*

[umadoshi]

I'm glad Josh has a diagnosis, horrendous though it is. I hope the meds you're each getting help massively.

And oh, your poor mom! :(

[lunabee34]

*hugs*

I hope so, too! Thank you.

[wendelah1]

C Diff. Huh. I assume he's using a separate washroom now since it's contagious?

If the medication does have gluten, could a compounding pharmacy make a gluten-free version?

[lunabee34]

I called the drug manufacturer, and it doesn't have gluten! Yay!

The kids have their own bathroom, but Josh and I do share. It's been three weeks, and nobody has gotten it. I have gone through with bleach wipes on everything, and we're all being really careful. *crosses fingers*

[torachan]

Huh. I've never heard of c diff before (just googled it). Glad it's something treatable and hope they can figure out what else is going on.

I didn't know drugs could have gluten in them!

[lunabee34]

They can. It is so maddening. And unlike food, they are not required to be labeled with gluten (or any potential allergen). So I have to check every medicine I take to see if it has one of the potential ingredients where gluten hides (like starch; it can be from corn or from wheat).

*hugs*

[executrix]

Re C.diff: euww, yuck! But at least it's containable in reasonable time.

[lunabee34]

Yes! I am hoping he will respond to the medicine and that it will clear up quickly.

*hugs*

[author_by_night]

Mom went to my cousin's wedding and got glutened. The caterer said her meal was gluten free, but it was contaminated, and she got really sick.

Oh, that makes me upset. I hope your cousin gives the caterer hell. I imagine there are FDA clauses against doing what they did, but maybe that's just me being idealistic.

I'm sorry you still don't have a better understanding of what's wrong, but I'm glad you have a doctor you can work with. *Hugs*

[lunabee34]

*hugs*

I hope they did, too. If the caterer can't deliver a truly gluten free meal, they should just say that. And nobody would get mad. But if you say it's gluten free, it really needs to be gluten free.

Thank you so much. I have been really happy with this doc.

[nyctanthes]

Oh, what yoga!?!?!

[lunabee34]

It's Yoga Burn Monthly, Month One: Restorative Yoga. It's almost entirely seated or on the back or all fours. Very gentle, just stretching. I don't know what type or style of yoga it is.

[nyctanthes]

The good kind! Doing yoga on the back is so awesome. I do it all the time and it's very good for my nervous system *and* the more obvious parts of my body.

[lunabee34]

It really is! And the wonderful thing is that I am really noticing an increase in my flexibility. And my chill. LOL

[havocthecat]

Oh, ouch, c diff is nasty stuff. My dad caught that once in the hospital and I remember having to wear plastic gowns in and scrub my hands down every time I went in and out of the room. I'm so sorry Josh caught it! But I hope he's better now, and I hope you get a chance to track down the root cause of his problems.

As to your mom getting gluten-contaminated food, it's so hard to get a caterer who can handle that without contamination. It's a shame you can't just order your own dinner and bring it in. ETA: Or your mom can't, which is what I meant to say!

[lunabee34]

It is a really nasty bug. He totally got it because he was on that antibiotic. It just killed off all the good gut stuff and let the bad stuff flourish.

I knew what you meant! :) I just feel bad for mom. But it's clear that it was contaminated rather than made with actual gluten ingredients because she's getting better pretty quickly. I'm glad for that. The caterer should just say they can't do gluten free. That's a perfectly acceptable answer.

[corvidology]

Glad to hear that Josh got a real diagnosis and treatment options.

I'm sorry to hear that the recommended drug might have gluten in it. I'm always amazed by just what's lurking in some medications.

[lunabee34]

Me too!

I called the drug manufacturer, and it is gluten free. So I took my first dose today. *crosses fingers*