Here is a quick recap of what has been going on:
I am taking a Facebook vacation. I love my friends, but the negativity and stupidity is starting to get to me. I need positive energy around me to heal properly, and I am not finding it there. This one loves X and hates Y, this one loves Y and hates X and Z and anyone that doesn't agree is a moron, which causes the first one to argue that X is the best and #2 is an idiot, and so on. There is enough hate in the world, I don't need it there too. I love a good intelligent debate, but not over nonsensical bull crap. "I know you are but what am I?" is not a good intelligent debate, and that is what it seems to be reduced to. So, goodbye Facebook. Perhaps we shall meet again somewhere smarter.
(If you keep tabs on this blog through FB, you will want to subscribe to the emails. This will be the last post that will show up there until I decide to return. Just look to the right and you'll see the subscribe box. I don't spam, and neither does Weebly. The only time you'll get something is if I post something.)
The meds are working somewhat, but I still have that disconnected druggy feeling, so I'm not sure what to do. I've cut the Cymbalta to every other day and my head is a bit clearer, but it doesn't manage the pain and swelling as well that way. Seeing the doc in a couple of weeks, maybe he'll have an alternative.
Work has been weird - busy one day, ghost town the next. This past week has been devoted to getting ready for inventory. It happens quarterly, but this is the big end of fiscal year wrap up, and my first time doing it solo, so everything has to be perfect. Working a lot sucks when you don't feel your best.
I had an incident that solidified my thought that maybe I'm celiac after all. I went shopping on Wednesday and picked up a new yogurt product that I saw advertised. The brand name is Muller, with the dot thingies over the U (I think it's called an umlaut) The ad makes it seem very European, a little exotic and really interesting. Well, it's made by Quaker Oats, right here in the good old US of A. They have a three product lines with great looking flavors, all of which are carried by Publix - Corner (yogurt in a square container with a corner container of topping - a la Fage, which has been doing it so well for decades.), Greek Corner, and FrutUp (yogurt on the bottom, a "fruit mousse" on top.) The last one is the one I picked, in five flavors (they were $1 each on sale). It's a 150g cup of lowfat yogurt with a "fruit mousse" on top. More of a lightly set gelatin than a mousse, it has texture that shows that it is actually made with fruit. I tried the blueberry first. Lightly sweet, with a great natural blueberry flavor and a nice texture, I dug through it and into the yogurt. Sweeter and smoother than I'm used to since I'm a Greek girl all the way, it was more like a custard than a yogurt. It has a well balanced sweetness and vanilla flavor, not too fake tasting either. All in all, it was really yummy and a great dessert or sweet treat. I was pretty excited, until about 40 minutes later. My stomach started to hurt like I had been punched. My hands and feet swelled and turned bright red. The intense aching started all over. I ran to my dear friend Wendy who has been celiac for over a decade, and she gasped. Seems my face was also swollen and bright red. She knew immediately what had happened, that I had eaten wheat. For the life of me I couldn't think of what could have poisoned me, and I was a bit scared and confused, then I dug that yogurt container out of the garbage. Sure enough, "contains: wheat". She gave me a couple of Glutenease, a probiotic supplement that helps digest the gluten protein and get it out of the system faster. I finished up work as quick as possible and got my butt home. Why on earth is there wheat in yogurt you may ask? Artificial flavors, natural flavors and maltodextrin. They all can contain wheat. What a moron I am, not reading the label on a new product. But it does confirm without a shadow of a doubt that I can't do it anymore.
The visit with the family was perfect. A lovely bunch of people, I feel like I've known them forever, and really can't wait to see them again. New furniture, a sparkling clean house, a wonderful new family... I am a very happy, lucky woman.