Today is about random thoughts and weekend stuff.

My sister’s friend’s dad just got diagnosed with Celiac disease – blood work and biopsy. He has decided he is uninterested in following the diet because it is too hard. He has lost 30lbs in 2 months, which is pretty dramatic weight loss. The gluten free diet is a life changing and socially isolating diet. It is damn hard and almost impossible to do correctly. But you gotta try. You owe it to your family and yourself to try to stay healthy and live as long as you can. Would you refuse medicine if someone told you it would cure your celiac? Probably not, but changing your diet is too hard? I think of food as less costly than medicine, but will (and have) welcome medicine when it becomes available. But we aren’t quite there yet – so eat a gluten free diet and stay alive until the medicine is available and we can eat gluten again. Medicines are on the horizon. We just gotta get there, so hang on.

Bowel movements – mine have become normal? Soft, well-shaped, and easily passed bowel movements have become more commonplace. Before, I had diarrhea every day, multiple times a day. Now, they are perfect and satisfying. I had forgotten this is how I used to poo and didn’t realize how far things had gotten out of whack.

I ran into someone I had not seen in probably six months. She knows I’m in the Nexvax trial. She looked at me and said, “Oh my goodness, you look so healthy. Your skin is almost glowing.” I guarantee I’m not pregnant, so this was good news. Before the trial started, I was sick. I was sick all the time. I haven’t had a cold this year. I don’t look quite as bloated. I don’t look unhealthy anymore. Maybe this Nexvax stuff is working.

Friday night selling Girl Scout cookies, I ran across a guy who has Celiac. He said he couldn’t buy cookies because he had celiac disease. So, I started chatting with him and telling him about the Toffeetastic gluten free Girl Scout cookie. He said he was diagnosed over 10 years ago. I thought about this later and how that happened. First off, he was a man – most people diagnosed with Celiac are women. Second, he was probably in his 50’s – so, diagnosed in his 40’s – again, unusual. Third, diagnosed 10 years ago – just on the cusp before celiac was commonly diagnosed. I wish I had more time to learn his story, but I was helping sell Girl Scout cookies. I always feel special when I meet other people with celiac disease and want to learn everything I can about them because we are such unicorns. So, if you are reading this, let me know and I want to learn more.

I was thinking of doing a grocery challenge in the next week or so. I’m going to spend $100 for five gluten free dinners dinners for a family of four. So, $20 per meal – would you all be interested in seeing how I do this? I spend an additional $50 on lunches and breakfasts.