Day One - On a long unsure Path - Gluten Free

Needless to say the day after Thanksgiving with all the Glutenous leftovers in the house is probably not the easiest day to start, but I got my results from Entrolab on Monday and Nutritionist agreed that Gluten Free is what I need to do.
How did I get to this point? Here is a little about me and my history. Since I was in High school I have had digestion issues (Now 38). So, for a little over 20 years I have had bouts of constipation, followed by painful Diarrhea. Sometimes I would lose 5-7 lbs. during an episode, which lasted from 20 minutes to an hour and a half. Also, I have had bloating and painful cramps and gas. I was tested for all sorts of things in high school. I had upper and lower GIs and everything came back normal.
I was hospitalized once when I was 27 but after about of the same tests they released me and said they do not know what happened but I am fine. Needless to say I was not fine but I carried on.
I had my first child at 29. I got Pre-eclampsia while pregnant and was hospitalized at 30 weeks and was forced to induce at 31 weeks. My son was fine and I recovered quickly.
About six months after my son was born my I was diagnosed with Graves’s disease. I had my thyroid partially removed and have been on varying doses of Synthroid since.
I had my second child at 31 and was able to carry full term. Since the birth of my second son my digestion woes have not gotten any better and I have been getting more and more tired. Within the last year and a half I have been down right exhausted and sleep seems to not have any correlation. I could sleep 11 hours and wake up and within two hours be unable to function I was so tired.
This summer I was diagnosed with Lupus and Sjogren's and was started on Plaquenil. Although this partially explained my fatigue the Rheumatologist had no suggestions on how to combat the fatigue. I asked about diet and other supplements but all she said was not really, look it up on the internet.
I decided to go to a Nutritionist that works with some oncologist so I had faith that he really knew what he was talking about. I waited almost two months for the appointment and my husband and I drove 2 1/2 hours to see him. I brought the last six months of blood work with me (Which was a serious amount of blood work, my GP for my originally ANA and Sjogren's, my first two Rheumatologist test results, and the Gastroenterologist test) He discussed my history and reviewed all my blood work. He suggested I was having a problem on a cellular level creating energy and told me to start taking two supplements. He also discussed the connection between Lupus and Gluten. He suggested I get gene tested for Celiac and Gluten sensitivity. He explained that the blood test for gluten would not give an accurate result because of the Plaquenil. I started the supplement and it has given me some more energy.
As I stated I got the results from Entrolab on Monday. Results state "gene analysis reveals that you have one of the main genes that predisposes to gluten sensitivity and celiac sprue" and "You also have a non-celiac gene predisposing to gluten sensitivity". Although this might not seem like a positive result to you, I have been suffering for a long time and Celiac and Lupus and Sjogren's are all Auto-immune diseases, so it makes sense.
Since Monday, I have read two books on going Gluten Free and looked at countless websites. I have spoken to my husband, my kids, brother and mom about the big change I am making. Although this seems like a some what daunting task most things I read said I should have a fairly quick response to going Gluten Free.
I woke up this morning and thought wow can I do this! Then I remembered that I cooked a huge Thanksgiving meal yesterday. I read every single package and was surprised that I could eat the Turkey, Corn, Peas, Cranberry Sauce, Gravy, and Mashed Potatoes. I started my day off by having left overs. They were excellent and I did not feel deprived by not eating the stuffing or rolls.
I am going to try and focus on the things I already eat and enjoy that are Gluten Free!

Well I went out tonight with my husband to dinner at Outback Steak House and I asked for the Gluten Free Menu. The Waiter was very helpful and said he would make darn sure it was Gluten Free for me. Dinner was great.
Then my husband and I went to a friend’s house to play some cards. People ordered in food when it got late and I admit to having been slightly jealous when the Thanksgiving Pies were heated and served, but I had prepared myself with a Larabar so I held fast. I did not want all those extra calories anyway!
Day one a success!