I have been strictly gluten-free now for over six months. Not a grain of gluten, not a crumb of bread, not a noodle of pasta, not a crust of pizza, not a spoonful of couscous, not a whiff of malt, nothing. I feel no difference whatsoever except a deep longing for tortellini. I haven’t broken the autoimmune diet that the Good Doctor put me on over a month ago except I still cheat with oats and sugar (actual and fake sugar), but that’s it. And I probably eat more condiments than she would like (Veganaise, salad dressing etc.). And I probably eat more red meat and oil-soaked chicken than she would like (I ordered a steak and grilled chicken from a local restaurant last night and split them with my husband. Lots of greasy meat. YUM). But, seriously, there are only so many salads a girl can eat. Oh, and I feel no difference whatsoever except a deep longing for popcorn.

This is the fifth day of no supplements. I have been taking vitamins, just no borage oil, alpha lipoic acid etc. I decided to give myself a week off to see if they were contributing to my headache. No such luck so far. My head threatens to explode all day, every day. Yesterday I took 500mg of tylenol and a half a Solpadeine (250mg of tylenol and some codeine). They didn’t seem to help my head and my breathing was tight all day, so now I am paranoid that the Solpadeine, like the Norco, depresses my respiration. I must figure out a pain killer option ASAP.

So, I’ll start back on all the supplements on Tuesday. I’ll do it until the end of the year. That is my commitment. Definitely until Thanksgiving. And I’ll continue this diet until the end of time, what do I care? At least the diet doesn’t cause a rash or my chest to close or my tongue to swell… I don’t think it does, anyway. It probably contributes to the depression, though!

When do I start the Chinese Herbs? He says it is a six month to a year commitment… Ugh.