RIP Aunt Jemima

After the first trimester, a pregnant lady should start to feel a little better. That's how it was in R's first pregnancy, but it has not been the case for this pregnancy. When people ask me how R is feeling, I have to say that she's not doing so hot. She's continued to have some serious tummy troubles for the whole 2nd trimester. Horrible pains, five times in five weeks.

After a while, she started wondering if it might be something she was eating. In the past, we have suspected she has had issues with a few foods (Ccocolate: not so good; lettuce: don't overdose on it). Well, she wasn't eating either of these things. Then R's mom came up with a possible diagnosis.

R's mom has a friend who has some striking similarities to R. She had stomach problems. She also had abnormal iron balance, which is interesting. This lady was eventually diagnosed with gluten intolerance, called Celiac Disease. Until last week when I learned that such people are called Celiacs, I referred to it them as "unlucky", or "those people who can't ever eat anything."

R and her mom became particularly suspicious about the Celiac hypothesis, since R's grandpa was just recently diagnosed with the disease. R decided to consult with her midwives, who were somewhat dismissive at first, but became increasingly convinced of "The Hypothesis" as R laid out the evidence. After first consulting with our dentist over a souvlaki dinner, R met with our doctor to get a requisition for a blood test. The blood test results came back today.

Unlucky.

I guess we'll now be one of those families that can't ever eat anything.

Well, there are tons and tons of great things that we can still eat (including buckwheat!), but there is a whole world of readily consumable foods that we can't eat. Basically, R has been suddenly yanked out of the Great North American Fast Food Culture. Well, she would have been -- had she liked any of that stuff to start with. She joked that her grandpa has appeared somewhat disappointed as he's been "deprived" of his favourites, but she really hasn't lost many of her real favourites. She's a fruit and vegetables lover, and those are still on the table.

Although R has had hints of Celiac symptoms previous to pregnancy, it seems like pregnancy was the trigger. It could disappear as soon as it appeared. R has her fingers crossed for that, but she has to deal with it for at least the next few months, and prepare for the possibility that Celiac is here to stay.

Despite the optimistic attitude, we must mourn our loss.
No more Kraft Dinner
No more Little Caesars $5 pizza
No more Submarine Sandwiches
No more Aunt Jemima Instant Waffle Mix

RIP Aunt Jemima