Kristin's Story

My journey to become truly gluten free started in Fall 2008. I was in my second year of teaching high school, and had put on quite a bit of weight since graduating college. I attributed this to the high stress level of my job, lack of time to exercise, and frequent eating out. While all of those things definitely did not help, they were not the root cause of my weight-gain woes. In November of '08, I started developing an itchy rash on my legs that would come and go each day - it would be present in the morning and then gone by lunchtime. I didn't think much of it, and was too stubborn to go to the doctor until the rash got much worse - traveling up my legs to my waistline, and eventually to my arms. My first visit was to the dermatologist, where I was wrongly diagnosed with Eczema. After several weeks of applying high priced lotion before bed and every morning, my rash was continuing to get worse, now appearing on my legs, arms, torso, back, and even some mornings on my face. 

The rash on my back. Gross, I know.

A month after visiting the dermatologist, I chose to visit an allergist. This allergist did not run any tests, but instead put me on a very high dosage of an antihistamine. The antihistamine masked the rash, and it was kept at bay as long as I took the pills. I was on this medication for 10 - 12 months. 


Meanwhile, I was getting very frustrated with my weight gain. There is a history of thyroid imbalance in my family, so I consulted a family practitioner specializing in thyroid and hormone imbalance. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism as well as low progesterone. More pills. These medications did not cause me to lose any weight or increase my energy level. 


I also had digestive problems and frequent bathroom visits almost every time I ate. While I assumed this was just a part of my genetic make-up and there was nothing I could do about it, it was frustrating (not to mention embarrassing) to take emergency trips to the bathroom at nice restaurants and at other peoples' homes. When I was in college, I was told this was Irritable Bowel Syndrome and there was nothing I could really do to make it better. Awesome.


In the Summer of 2009, I was at my wit's end. I still had this rash, only kept away by the huge dose of antihistamine that I took twice a day. I was 40 pounds heavier than I was in college, and my thyroid was completely messed up. At 24 years old, I was progesterone deficient. And, although I had dealt with it my entire life, I got sick almost every time I ate.


By the Grace of God, my wonderful mother suggested I get tested for food allergies. I asked my thyroid doctor about this, and although he thought it would have nothing to do with my thyroid, he agreed to test me. I received the Ig-G Gliadin blood test, which tests how your blood reacts to the gluten in your body on that particular day. This test is very unreliable and often produces false negatives, but luckily I received a positive. I finally had some information. It was so freeing to know that maybe, just maybe, something was causing all of these strange things that were happening to me.


In July 2009, I went Gluten Free - no wheat, barley, rye, or oats. This helped somewhat, and I was getting sick less frequently than ever before. However, I still had strange reactions to "gluten-free approved" foods. This included my lips swelling, heart palpitations, and more emergency bathroom trips. By October, I was again discouraged. I was gluten-free but was still sick. My thyroid doctor didn't know much about gluten, and I felt so lost. On a whim, I searched online for a gluten-free specialist in my area and was lucky enough to find Doctor Peter Osborne at Town Center Wellness. After the best doctor's appointment of my entire life, I finally understood more than ever before what was happening to my body. Doctor Osborne explained the necessity to cut out ALL grains - including quinoa, corn, rice, millet, and other "gluten-free" grains. All grains contain variations of the protein of gluten found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats. I have been completely grain free, as well as dedicated to organic food and soy free food, since November of 2009. Within the month, I started to lose weight, about 5 - 10 pounds per month. I was able to stop my thyroid medication by January. I also gradually decreased my antihistamine over the course of 2 months until I was completely medication-free AND rash-free in February 2010. By Summer 2010, I had lost 40 pounds.


I am so grateful to be grain-free, soy-free, and organic. This lifestyle change has been such a blessing. It is my hope to share with you what I learn about healthy living and eating!

March 2009

April 2011 - I like carrots!