Avoiding gluten has produced amazing results. Yes, my hip feels a bit better, but the amazing part is that so do the rest of my joints, those aching joints for which I have been taking 800mg of ibuprofen twice a day for years and a few months ago had to up the dosage to three times a day. (Diagram THAT sentence, sucka.)
Apparently I have a gluten sensitivity. Let me tell you, no one was more surprised than I was at the results I am getting. Yeah, I had read here and there about how gluten and wheat (and red meat and dairy and sugar and soda and pretty much everything tasty) was bad for us, but yowza, now I am a Gluten-Avoidance Convert. I'm not fanatical about it (fanaticism and 100% avoidance does not seem to be necessary for me, thank FSM); I have the occasional burger or sandwich, although I might only eat the bottom half of the bun. A frozen pizza last weekend, Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese once -- as long as I only consume minimal wheat/gluten with the occasional splurge I'm fine.
My thanks again to Chris, who sent me a lovely, detailed email of which brands of GF products she finds to be worthwhile and where to buy them in the Twin Cities*. Chris = hero.
Life is good.
Smokey's back surgery has been pushed back from June 25 to the third week of July. The VA hospital called last week to say that they had goofed on the scheduling, the surgeon who would operate... would not be in on June 25. WTF? So now everything is pushed back. Good thing I'm having some luck with the GF diet, or I'd be chewing nails by the time it is my turn for surgery.
* We were in Minneapolis on Saturday for a belated Mother's Day/Younger Son Birthday and Father's Day/early Smokey birthday dinner at YS's apartment. Before we went we made a very productive stop at the Wedge Coop in Chris's neighborhood. Awesome selection of GF stuff throughout the store, not just a puny section like at my local supermarket. I stocked up, youbetcha.
