Life with a Flare

There is never a dull moment in my life, although I would not mind one. The latest chapter in the saga of "Joan's Body Doesn't Work" my stomach symptoms did not go away like I thought they head. As the pain and vomiting continued it was clear they had no intentions of going away so my GI ordered a gastric emptying scan. What that entailed was eating radio active eggs and then lying on an x-ray table for 2 hours (Which my joints did not appreciate) while it took pictures of my abdomen every few minutes to see how fast my stomach is digesting food. At least I got to watch MU during the scan. I find the fact I get a sticker for radiation exposure ironic. A few days later my GI called with the results, apparently my stomach is not emptying fast enough. She thinks it was caused by the infection I had and will go away in 8 weeks (even less at this point since that was a few weeks ago). She prescribed a medication called erythromycin which I take about 15 minutes

Since being diagnosed with Celiac in December leaving my dorm has taken more preparation than it used to. Every meal and snack has to be carefully planned out., each restaurant research, all snacks packed. So going to Celiac Education Day at CHOP was quite a treat, I only had to bring my cell phone and wallet with me. For the first time since being diagnosed with Celiac I didn't have to worry about it, irony at its finest. The day was amazing. I got to play with adorable children, one three year old informed me that she had Celiac and a wheat allergy, and was very excited to learn that I have Celiac as well. Even more exiting I could eat everything! There was a ton of samples! There were a few things that stuck out for me. First of course were Sweet Note Bagels . As a Jew who grew up right out side NYC, bagels play an important role in my life. Between finding out I probably had Celiac and the final blood test the two things I got while in NYC was a bagel and a black and white