And the testing goes on...

Yep that's right, more tests for me. In the middle of March I'm having a Manometry study and a 24 hour Ph Impedance Monitoring study. I get to test out the latest in tube-down-nose fashion wear. So glamorous! And what is the reason for my VIP treatment? My Gerd-iness is potentially in question and my acid reflux is certainly in question. I am on a fairly high does of acid reducers right now and they, along with lifestyle changes, aren't enough to control my rampant symptoms. Hopefully this will give us a clearer answer.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I'll start with a little update on my condition. I had a gastric emptying study done on Monday, because I've been feeling bloated, but it came back normal. I'm going back to my GI doctor in February to see what else we can do. I may have found one piece of the puzzle already, I found out I'm lactose intolerant. I don't think is very bad because I can eat cultured dairy without noticing side effects, although I'll be looking closer now, and it may get better when I get a normal level of probiotics in my intestines. Two doses of antibiotics (one for pneumonia and one for bronchitis) in the past six months have killed off most of the probiotic population.

And now on to the main event! We all love cookies, right? Now, we can love cookies worry-free. These are a bit denser than ordinary cookies, but I think it works with a stick-to-your-ribs kind of cookie like oatmeal raisin cookies. Also, I would recommend making these cookies only when you have some time on your hands because they have to sit for an hour, or two, or overnight.

I found out my blender works better than I thought so be expecting smoothie recipes very soon!

Oatmeal Cookies adapted from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies

2 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup white flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup applesauce

1 stick of unsalted butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt (optional. I usually leave out salt)

1 large egg

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup raisins

Place the oats in a small bowl and sprinkle with water. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and mix together throughly with a whisk or fork.

Melt butter and stir in the sugar, vanilla, and salt (if using). Add egg and stir briskly. Stir in applesauce. Stir in the flour mixture just until all of the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in walnuts, raisins, and oats. Let dough stand for at least 1 but preferably 2 hours or (better still) overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

For large cookies, scoop about 2 level tablespoons of dough and place the cookies about 3 inches apart on the ungreased or lined pans, For small cookies, scoop 1 level tablespoon of dough. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes for large cookies, 10 to 12 minutes for small cookies, or until the cookies are golden brown on top. For unlined pans, use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack; for lined pans, set the pans or just the liners on the rack. cool cookies completely before storing or stacking. May be kept in an airtight container for several days.

GERD Flair Up

Originally posted on September 20th, 2011

Valkyrie is a Guide Dogs for the Blind puppy in training whom I'm currently raising.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I got Valkyrie I was so busy with her that I didn't watch what I ate and I have been paying dearly for it this week. I've been trying to avoid gluten, cow dairy, white rice, white sugar (mostly), and as usual excess fat. This is as hard as it sounds, so I've decided I need a plan for the next time this happens. This will include a special folder with recipes that fit those requirements, freezing foods, and finding products that are useful. Two useful products I've found just recently are Gluteno pretzels, a great snack that is gluten and dairy free, and Newman's Own makes cookies that are also gluten and dairy free.

Yesterday and today I've been feeling better so I think I'm getting back to normal.

And as always I've had great support to get through the hard times.

Free cuddles from a sleeping puppy.

Free cuddles from two doggies; that's even better. :P

Lesson in eating that GERD is trying to teach me

Originally posted on June 21st, 2011

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was eating breakfast this morning and reflecting on how I eat now compared with 6 months ago and was really surprised at what I found. Some of this is advise I picked up from what few website and books are dedicated to GERD and some of it I learned by doing.
The first is: Take your vitamins. I don't feel bad when I don't take them, but I feel better when I do.
#2: If there is something specific that you want, eat it because you won't stop eating until you find that flavor. This becomes more significant when your stomach has shrunk to the size of a runty grapefruit, but it's good advise for everyone.
#3: EAT SLOWLY. There's really not much more that needs to be said on this one.
#4: When you eat, just eat. I don't remember where I picked up this great piece of advise but I'm glad I did. The theory behind it is that you don't feel satisfied if you haven't taken to time to really look at, taste and consciously know your eating. Using myself as an example, I have a habit of eating while watching TV which is unsatisfying because I am not focused on what I'm eating or what I'm watching so I feel I haven't done either.
#5: It's okay to put things back. I'm a member of the clean your plate brigade, I don't know how that happened because my mother was too smart to resort to the old "eat everything on your plate or you don't get dessert" line. She knows dessert is important. But it happened, so now (with my stomach the size of a grapefruit) if my eyes are bigger than my stomach I'm learning, all be it slowly, that I don't have to stretch my stomach to fit my eyes.
I'm sure this list will get longer as time goes on.

Preparing for my EGD.

Originally published on May 21st, 2011

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Next Thursday I finally have an appointment that will help make a definite diagnosis of GERD. The procedure is called an Endoscopy also called and EGD. They put a flexible tube with a camera on it down my throat and look at my esophagus and maybe stomach and duodenum. As far as I know they're looking for signs of damage in my esophagus from stomach acid refluxing. Sounds fun right? I'm glad that I'll be half way sedated. I have two problems with this procedure besides the obvious, the obvious being that there will be a tube down my throat. One; Half the time this test in inconclusive. Even if there are no signs of damage in the esophagus doesn't mean that the patient doesn't have GERD. Two; it's so counter intuitive that I have to damage my esophagus more to find out whether I'm damaging my esophagus.

GERD the Disease

Originally posted on April 24th, 2011. 

At this point I was pretty sure I had GERD, but I hadn't had any tests done to confirm it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know about you, but when I first heard Gastric Reflux was a disease I almost laughed. How could it be a disease? It's only heartburn right? Maybe a chronic problem or disorder at worst. Well, I'm not laughing now. Welcome to the dark side, not that there is a light side, of GERD. 

The side where you start crying because the last 15 days you've been in pain whether you ate the things that are supposed to cause you problems or not. The side where you wake up wheezing in the middle of the night because you ate after 8 o' clock so your stomach wasn't completely empty when you laid down, and for some reason GERD exacerbates asthma. The side where you made some delicious cookies with out thinking and now they sit there on the counter starring at you, begging for you to eat them. And even though you know it's going to cause you problems you give in to their pleas, because you used to be able to do that before you had GERD. The side where yesterday you were able to eat something that is on the 'bad for you' list and felt fine and today your eating exclusively on the 'good for you' list and feel awful. The side where you haven't had a completely pain free day in the last 4 months.

There is also the public perception of GERD, at least the one I've seen. Where whenever you actually tell someone you have GERD the moment the word reflux comes out of your mouth you know their thinking "Oh that's just heartburn. Everyone has that, it's no bit deal" because that's what you would think. You also think that only older people get reflux so what am I doing with it when I'm not even 20 yet? There's also barely anything written about GERD and even less that is useful to an actual sufferer. I've only found one book so far that's dedicated the the subject and I was surprised even to find that. It would be nice to find a GERD support group or have a GERD awareness week.

On reflection of all that, GERD is truly a disease and not one to be brushed off. 

(not that I'm suggesting that any of you would do that)

Digestive Disease Humor

Originally posted on May 10th, 2011

I'm really proud of this post. I think it strikes the right balance between seriousness and humor.

The part about pregnant, nursing, or may become pregnant is just because it's attached to all pharmaceutical commercials (or it seems like it), and should not be taken as anything more.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while. A weight loss commercial for digestive diseases! What? Your not sold? Its in poor taste? Your probably right...but I'm going to do it anyway.

*In a classic announcers voice* Have all those other weight loss diets let you down? Ever thought "If only there was something more I could try"? Well now there is! Try Digestive Diseases they're guaranteed to work and keep working for a long time! No one knows how you get most digestive diseases or how to get rid of them, so be sure you want one before you order! Digestive Diseases may cause loss of appetite, pain, nausea or vomiting, but its ok because that the way their supposed to work!

*don't get a digestive disease of you are nursing, pregnant, may become pregnant, or want to live an easy life. Side effects may include: trouble sleeping, irritation, depression, lethargy, lack of patience, and shopping. It is advised that you get your recommended dose of hugs while having a digestive disease. 

So call for your free trial today!

My first visit to the Gastroenterologist

Originally posted on April 20th, 2011.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I went to the  stomach doctor  last week and she thinks that my pain has either been from a mis functioning gall bladder, not likely, or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), very likely. The symptom's for GERD are pretty much the same a regular acid reflux only all the time, and it's caused by the muscle seal that closes off the stomach from the esophagus isn't closing all the way. I'm planning on doing more testing to rule out my gall bladder, and confirm the GERD. In the mean time I'm learning a new way to eat that seems to help me feel better. I am now not, or not supposed to, be eating fats, good and bad, citrus, caffeine, tomatoes, and mint. I did really well staying on the diet last week, than I was at the convention center all day over the weekend watching the fencing tournament and we ran out of Caroline friendly food so it slid for a few days, and now I'm finding it hard to get back in to it. Has anyone had that problem before? On the upside I've been losing a pound a day since Sunday, probably because I haven't been eating much. The down side of not eating much is that I have no energy.  Now that we have food in the house that I can eat again I'm sure my weight will slow down to a more healthy rate, but it was fun.

I thought I was better

Originally posted on February 4th, 2011

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also a week or so ago I mentioned I felt awful, well that's pretty much gone now. The acid reducers seem to have worked after all, which means it probably was an ulcer in my duodenum or elsewhere in the upper GI tract (sorry about all the jargon, mums in nursing school now and she seems to be rubbing off). Anyway, I'm quite glad that ordeal is over.

Discouraged

For the next week or so I'm going to be putting up old blog posts from my other blog that I think are relevant here.

This first post is from before I knew I had GERD.
Originally posted on January 24th, 2011

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am throughly discouraged. I've been sick for about 2 months now, I've tried not eating milk or gluten, and I'm on a double dose of acid reducers, and I still feel awful! The only options I feel I have left is to go to a gastroenterologist and see what they have to say or go to a fellow called Paul Rosen that my friend recommended who will take my life apart. I don't like either of those options and more importantly I don't think either one will work. And even if they do it's going to be at least six weeks before I show any signs of improvement. I can't waste that much time!

   At first I though this would be annoying but we could figure it our fairly fast or it would resolve itself. It's two months later now with no end in sight and it's having an enormous impact on my life; I don't want to and see no point to going to school, A trip I was excited about taking to go see some of my friends in Seattle this weekend I'm canceling because it's more trouble than it's worth, and I'm breaking down in tears at least three times a week, which is throughly embarrassing and, more to the point, not like me.

   I'm just stuck, and I don't know what to do, and I don't see myself having any sort of future, certainly not one I like. And I'm really afraid, I don't want to be this uncomfortable forever and it feels awfully like the bad old days.

   I have two term projects to work on this weekend plus application stuff and I just don't know how I'm going to do it.