Falling off the gluten free wagon

Ok, I will admit...I didn't believe what people said...that when I got glutened after going gluten free that it would be worse than before. Now I believe!

The last few days have been tough ones. Some glutening was intentional, as we celebrated our 5 year anniversary Friday and Bryan's 35th birthday last night. It all started on Thursday, when I gave into a craving for a bagel. I felt tired and the pain in my toes returned, but other than that, I was ok. This, plus adding the fact that the Saturday before, when we celebrated Joey's Confirmation and Communion, we ate at Olive Garden and I sampled (two bites max!) some of my gluten favorites. I had taken Imodium before the meal and had felt ok so I thought by Thursday that the bagel would do zero damage. Either God was letting me off the hook easy or it was the quiet before the storm.

On Friday, we went to the place we got married - Corte Bella Country Club. Their menu is limited and finding gluten free options was tough. I chose the grilled chicken and hoped that the sauce was ok to eat. But I guess what I did before? I ordered the clam chowder without thinking. And I enjoyed it! Know what I did after that? I ate not 1, but 2 dinner rolls! And they were glorious!!  I looked like an addict getting a fix.

By Saturday, we went to Dave & Busters, and I didn't have a chance to re-read their gluten free menu online before ordering. I went with the Balsamic Chicken with Bruschetta. Sounds ok, right? Well...I ate some of the nachos appetizer beforehand without thinking. Know what I did next? Took 2 bites of Joey's pretzel dogs without thinking.

Are you following the trend here? I did so much without thinking! And this was after meeting with a dietician Friday, who was also Italian and from NY and was following a gluten free diet. If she could've seen me last night, she would've been so ashamed.

So after dinner, we started playing games and I started feeling tired. My legs felt like rubber. As time went passed, pain started shooting into my legs and my toes (my toes feel a lot of my glutened pain). As I tried to hang in there for my guys, the pain in my belly started and got worse fast. And I was getting more bloated with every passing minute! By the time the card was spent, tickets were cashed in, and Joey had his monkey glasses on, we were ready for the 25 minute drive home. You would've thought I was in labor by the moans and tears. I barely made it to the bathroom and once I got there, I stayed there for a half hour. My legs were weak and I was instantly dehydrated. I woke up this morning and was still a little sick, and now I feel like I'm recovering from a stomach flu.

Guess what? Not only do my toes hurt, but my feet are back to being frozen (P.S. I live in AZ and the temperature is in the 90's today).

Never again! I will be more diligent about staying on the gluten free wagon, putting my health and feeling good before getting a quick fix.