Thanks! I appreciate all the positive comments. It has been a really interesting few weeks. I have continued to get much sicker with the gluten in my diet, including a blistering rash on my legs... but the doctor said it was good that I didn't stop the gluten a few weeks ago or the tests might not have shown what they needed to. I have been gluten free now for two days... truly gluten free now that I understand what it really means. Little did I know that even some of my medications had gluten in them and I have been taking them everyday for months.
I am starting to feel much better already, but I know it will take a few weeks for my body to really start the healing process. I am just so glad I know exactly what is happening now. Sadly, I had a bad doctor to begin with or they could have diagnosed this in July and saved my kidneys from 7 more months of damage. Not much to do but hope that they come back to a degree that I can live healthy for the next many years. I am grateful that I was McDougalling during those past months because I think it may have stopped whatever damage was happening. I had cut back quite a bit on wheat until the past few weeks.
I have a journey ahead, for sure, but one that I am excited about now. Ironic, but when you go through the scare of cancer and kidney transplant... Celiac Disease seems very minor.
Thanks so much for all the words of encouragement.
Debbie, I didn't keep my blog. It was too hard to keep up with two, so I just kept the caringbridge blog and maybe I will try and post here more often.