Week 2

7 days with NOT ONE SINGLE INFRACTION!!!! Yeah!!! I seriously can't even believe it!! I lucked out because she was ok with having different pretzels than the other kids at Little Gym, and I was planning to provide snack for her preschool class, but my big girl ended up getting sick on Tuesday, and she was sooooo sick the rest of the week. :( It was seriously so horrible. I have never seen her like this. Her little brother had what we are assuming is the same virus last week, but he had 3 days of a fever and was done. She was 4-5 days, and her fever got REALLY high at times... she was almost to 106 at one point, at which I got her in the tub immediately, finally convinced her to take some ibuprofen, and thank God it came down. She had gagged on her medicine and thrown-up a couple of days before this, so it was a big struggle getting her to take any more medicine after that, but eventually I was able to convince her when she really needed it. If you could have seen this poor girl, oh my gosh, it was enough to make you cry. My sweet girl who barely sits still and bounces around all day, needs melatonin to go to sleep at night, etc... she would barely move for HOURS on end, and fell asleep on the couch during the day THREE different times over the course of the week. She was just so miserable. I can't tell you the relief I felt when she woke up on Sunday morning fever-free! I think the dr. was even starting to worry a little, as she called first thing on Sunday morning to check on her.

So anyway, things are back to normal around here. One thing I want to clarify regarding a previous post... I know I said this diet can be a giant pain in the ass... and it CAN be... events, parties, pretty much anywhere that someone else is having something she can't have. And yes, if I'm being completely honest, I kinda-sorta hope she doesn't have intolerances/allergies to gluten and casein, because it can be such a giant pain in the ass... but I also kinda-sorta hope it's that simple. I just don't think it is. I have seen ZERO withdrawal and ZERO changes in her behavior. Nothing. But... I know it can sometimes be a while. Doc wants us to give it a couple of months, so we will. I am VERY interested in seeing what test results come back as far as vitamin and mineral deficiencies, other food allergies, etc. I know several people who have seen great results with supplements and giving the body what it is lacking, or fixing what is off-balance, so I'm anxious to get to that part.

As far as the rest of the family, we are not exactly GFCF. For the most part, I would say we are, but we are not being strict with ourselves or our son. We don't eat anything in front of her that she can't have, I am trying to make all of our meals GFCF, but if my husband grabs take-out one night for us after the kids go to bed, or if our son is at his grandparents' house without our daughter, for instance, we are not forcing it. It's just becoming too hard, and what's important right now is that SHE is GFCF. That's the way that I'm looking at it right now. I'm afraid if it becomes too difficult that I will bail, and right now I can manage it this way, so I think that is what is in everyone's best interest. The goal is to see if GFCF works for our daughter, so that is what I'm focusing on. I'm figuring out ways to try to make her favorite things, and I have to say- it's not always working. The pizza I made yesterday from scratch... well, not totally from scratch, as I did use a brand of GFCF pizza crust mix... didn't turn out great. It was just ok. Our son LOVED it, or maybe he was just really hungry. My husband and I ate it... our daughter had one or two bites. The substitute products just don't taste as good, period. And that's fine for, and pretty easily tolerated by an adult, but a 4 year-old... not so much. I'm having better luck just giving her the yummy fruits and veggies that she's always loved.

I will say one thing about this experience so far:  any future party or event that we have, I will always try to provide common allergen-free options- i.e. simple fruit salad, tossed salad without dressing, etc. And for any larger future events, I will always ask about special dietary needs. This has just been such an eye-opener for me. My mother-in-law has life-threatening food allergies, and my sister-in-law is gluten-intolerant, so you would think I would have already been more sensitive to this. I've tried, but I haven't always been great at it. I'm pretty sure I will be better at it now. Just like anything else, you don't really understand until you are put in someone else's shoes.