Oh my gosh how the last month has completely flown by! As of today, I am officially 30 days gluten-free which is very exciting! I am feeling so much better already and I know that the road ahead holds many wonderful, positive things!
I did get glutened somewhere about a week ago. Somehow. I went back and analyzed everything I ate. Reread package labels. Remembered how I used my own cooking things. Still can't for the life of me figure out where the bastard got into my system! I do believe that it was a very minor exposure, probably as a result of cross contamination somewhere, despite my best efforts to avoid it. I really don't even need to describe it to most of you. As much as it was very frustrating to get sick again just as I was starting to feel better, I'm glad that the consequences of the exposure have only lasted me a few days. I know there are lots of people who are down for weeks afterward! Anyways, picking back up and moving forward is the key!
Tomorrow morning I leave for my first trip out of the country since my diagnosis. It's definitely a bit nerve wracking as I'm not 100% sure what to expect. However, I have been a good girl and sat down to do my research! Though we will be doing a tour through the highlands, we are going to also be spending a couple of days in Edinburgh which is supposed to have some excellent gluten-friendly options! A friend of mine who is doing some work in England this summer mentioned that the UK seems to be much more gluten-friendly than our beef-loving, oil-crazy province of Alberta. So it's nice to know that I'm not going head first into the deep end altogether!
Just in case, I've packed myself a whole box of Vega One meal bars, a whole box of Larabars, a package of Vega Smoothie mix with my shaker, and a handful of uncontaminated instant oatmeal packets for early mornings and when our tour bus stops off somewhere too risky to eat at. I definitely don't have to worry about starving while I'm away! Not only am I prepared for munchies and breakfasts, I also have some supplies to help me survive if despite all precautions I do get glutened. In my gluten-exposure emergency kit, I have probiotics, digestive enzymes, ginger candies, mint and ginger tea-bags, and a tub of Vega electrolyte hydrator... you know... for replenishing your electrolytes after a gluten-induced diarrhea fest. I figured that last one might be especially important because of the whole health-care/insurance thingy. For those of you who don't know, when you buy travel insurance for your vacation, your insurance won't cover you for pre-existing conditions. So basically, if I get hit by a bus or get a blood clot or something my insurance will pay for me to get medical care. If, however, I suffer from severe dehydration or something like that as a result of a bad day with Celiac Disease... I am forced to pay for my medical expenses out of pocket! Now fortunately, from what I understand, it's not exactly common to need emergency medical attention for CD. However, I like to be prepared and since dehydration is the only thing I can thing of that might happen, imma be ready!
And that's really all I have to talk about today. Sorry, no recipes or divine food photos to share! I will be gone for the next 10 days but plan to take lots of pictures and notes so that I can pass along the very best tips possible for gluten-free travel in Scotland!
Au revoir!
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