willowisp | Health Update

As I'd hinted in a recent post, my digestive system hasn't been happy recently. I've barely left the house due to fears of what would happen if one of my attacks came up, since I often barely get to the bathroom on time even when I'm near one as an attack comes on.

I went to our GP on Monday, and it turns out my HA1C was very bad -- almost as bad as when I was first diagnosed. His take was that the diabetes was causing all of my intestinal distress, and if I got it under control, everything would get better. I believe, in this case, that he is wrong. When my egg and wheat allergies flared up in 2002, my blood sugar and depression both went through the roof, and it was later determined that such would happen if I had suddenly stopped taking the meds -- which is more or less what happens when your body flushes everything as soon as you ingest it. Fortunately he did give me a referral to a specialist.

The RN and the specialist apparently agreed with me, and I had blood drawn earlier this week. I also need to take in some samples of various bodily stuff. My worst attack came after eating a very dairy-heavy dinner, so we decided I should try going off of dairy. The improvement was so vast that I will have serious trouble believing that it wasn't playing a role. Unfortunately the first possible breathalyzer test for lactose intolerance was August 26th; when I said ok, "first available", that turned out to be August 25th.

I know that wheat allergies and Celiac, though often occurring simultaneously, are not the same thing. I'm not so sure if dairy/lactose is the same way. They have some new tests they can run for Celiac now; antibodies to look for, and given my symptoms they are testing me for it again. It is not unheard of for a wheat allergy to morph into gluten intolerance, and both wheat allergies and Celiac run in the maternal side of my family. In fact, the relatives I never even knew I had; Marin and one of her twin daughters, Tautra, are allergic. The other twin, Joel (pronounced Joelle) is Celiac.

In other news, my blood sugar has been excellent since my attacks stopped happening every time I swallowed anything more than water. I went to an eye doctor today for my annual diabetes exam, and there are no signs of my eyes being the worse for wear due to diabetes. He did determine, however, that I'm nearsighted and can wear glasses if I want to. My right eye is 20/50; my left 20/30. I pick up the glasses next week; not being able to read street signs aggravates my problems with getting lost.

That's about all for now. I may have some of the details incorrect or incomplete, but pretty much I think I've got the synopsis correct. Now to wait and see what the various allergy testing unearths.