My in-laws are coming over today. It's my sister-in-law's birthday so I offered to make lunch and have everyone over. That will be 12 people in our 1,000sq ft apartment...I'm already getting anxious about how this will go. I am making a meatloaf (gluten-free), mashed potatoes, green beans, and my famous cheddar biscuits (not gluten-free but I have a substitute for Micah). I also made a cake and gluten-free brownies.
The transition to gluten-free has been fairly easy, it's just been difficult finding foods that Micah will actually eat. He's always been a picky eater. His diet mainly consisted of chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and cheese sticks. We were never super picky about his diet because we were just happy if he ate anything! He would go a whole day eating nothing more than a few crackers or a string cheese. Well it turns out he was like that because his tummy hurt. He never really acted like it hurt, he has always been active and happy. But last year when the vomiting started we knew something was wrong. After MONTHS of me taking him to the doctors, I finally asked if they could refer him to a GI specialist. Finally we went to Little Rock to the Children's Hospital, and guess what? They actually listened to me. They ran a bunch of tests and a biopsy of his stomach and it turns out he had Celiac's disease. They gave us pictures of the inside of his stomach, it was so damaged...his stomach and small intestine were so damaged he wasn't absorbing any nutrients he needed (that's why he is so small).
Now we have been gluten-free for several weeks and have already noticed a change. He is running around and laughing more. He is talking more. He hasn't thrown up either. It's amazing. It was such a relief to find out what was wrong, but I am still overwhelmed with knowing that he will have to deal with this for the rest of his life. He will never be able to eat cake at birthday parties. He will never be able to eat at a restaurant without having to ask for a special menu. When he starts school he will never be able to swap lunches with other kids. And what happens when he starts school and they do parties? Will his teacher warn the other parents to not bring foods with gluten or will Micah just have to go without? This will never go away. You do not outgrow Celiac's disease...
But whatever happens, I must remember that it could be worse. Celiac's disease is manageable...
It could be a lot worse...
Your lunch menu sounds SO good! Will you share your GF brownie and meat loaf recipes??
ReplyDeleteFor the brownies I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Brownie Mix. And for meatloaf I make my own breadcrumbs using a loaf of rice bread, it's super dry and crumbles easily. I just season it with salt, pepper, and garlic and it tastes just like regular bread crumbs that you buy. I just use a regular meatloaf recipe...meat, egg, and breadcrumbs and I smoosh it all together and throw it in a pan. I do put a special sauce on top, it might sound gross at first but it is delicious! It's ketchup (maybe 1/4 cup) mustard (maybe 2 tbs) and brown sugar (maybe 3 tbs)...add more to taste. It's really yummy, I promise!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you guys finally have gotten everything figured out!
ReplyDeleteEver since you guys found out what was wrong with him I can't stop seeing how much stuff advertises as gluten-free. It seems like more and more people are getting away from gluten, so I bet as time goes on things will get easier and easier!