The Gallbladder Saga (and how I ended up on GAPS)

Back in September of last year, I had a gall bladder attack. The next day, my chiropractor referred me to a naturopath, I did the cleanse she recommended, started taking some digestive enzymes, and went along my merry way assuming all would be well. Until I had another attack...and another...and another...and so on. Though I did have some improvement in that my attacks were less frequent, less severe, and shorter, after experimenting with diet and supplements (and repeating the cleanse 5 times) and continuing to have attacks, my naturopath recommended that I visit a licensed doctor.

I knew a conventionally-minded MD would probably just want to remove my gallbladder and that wasn't the route I wanted to go unless a life-threatening emergency presented itself. Yes, attacks are very painful, in some ways more-so than unmedicated childbirth. But, I'm convinced that in most cases the gallbladder is not the underlying issue and removing it may (or may not!) help with symptoms, but you'll be left still with a very compromised digestive system, which it was gets you to the place of gallbladder attacks in the first place. After a lot of research and phone calls, I found a DO [what is an osteopathic doctor?] about an hour and a half from me who was able to fit me in the following week. That was in November.


Now it's March and I'm still not completely better, though I am doing much better than I was. I am eating some fat with every meal (olive oil and avocados) and after taking a close look at my diet while I kept my fat intake very consistent for a month, we finally figured out that it was the type of carbohydrates I was eating rather than the type of fats that trigger my symptoms. This was not something I had expected!

With that piece of information, we were able to conclude what I stated before: my gallbladder is not the problem, but rather a compromised and dysfunctional digestive system that can't digest more complex starches. Those starches, in turn, sit in my stomach so that when I eat fat, my body needs extra bile to digest it because all the enzymes are being used to digest the starches, and then my biliary system goes into panic mode and I have an attack.

So, what next?

Enter: The GAPS Diet.

At my doctor's encouragement, I officially started the GAPS Diet today. Because I'm still nursing, I'm skipping the introduction and going straight to full GAPS, which is basically a diet consisting of lots of meat stock, meat (in my case lean chicken and turkey for now), vegetables, fermented foods, and after the first few weeks, fruit and honey, and then eventually fermented dairy products. No grains, no sweet potatoes or potatoes, no sugar/sucanat/maple syrup/etc, no beans except for lentils and navy beans. For 1.5 to 2 years. Challenging? Yes. But worth it if it works.

I have a whole host of autoimmune diseases in my family, and the more research I do, the more firmly I believe that autoimmune issues begin in the gut. Hopefully in addition to taking care of the problem I've been dealing with over the past six months, this GAPS diet journey will help me to avoid those.

For the curious, I'm not planning to put my family on this diet for now. My husband absolutely does not want to do it, and my children aren't showing any real signs of needing it right now. Hopefully it says that way. Thankfully, while I enjoy really good food, I don't mind terribly much eating the same thing several days in a row, so I plan to stay sane while cooking two sets of meals by making myself large batches of things and eating them over and over again. 

I think I'll keep a journal of sorts on here about the process, largely for my own records, but also because I know I enjoy reading that sort of thing on other people's blogs. So, if you care to stick along for the ride, you're more than welcome!

Katie's 5th Birthday Letter

This is late! My sweet Katie turned 5 on February 26. But, better late than never, I suppose! :)

Dear Katie,

Five seems like such a big age--and yet here we are, on your fifth birthday. Time sure has flown since you emerged out of my womb and into this big world. You were the answer to my prayers and the fulfillment of my life-long dream to become a mama. As much as I loved you then, how much more do I love you now!

You are such a sweet girl, Miss Katie. I am touched by the way you love your brothers and help me take care of them (even though they do drive you completely batty at times!). You are becoming a willing helper to me around the house, which I really do appreciate! As I've struggled with some health issues in recent months, you have been so sweet and understanding, and showed a lot of maturity.

We started your formal schooling this school year and I think we've both really enjoyed it so far--even though some days you say it isn't fun anymore (like when you'd much prefer to be playing outside). You have recently caught on to reading and are doing great with small, simple books. Since you're my firstborn and my home school guinea pig, I find this progress very encouraging! When we started school, you absolutely despised handwriting, but over the weeks, you've worked at it and improved so much, and you don't complain about it nearly as much as you used to.

In addition to your reading easy readers, you have grown to love listening to me read chapter books, which I have really enjoyed after years of reading lots and lots of picture books! We've made our way through the first nine books in the Boxcar Children, three books in the Imagination Station series, and several other books as well. Pretty much every time we finish, you beg me to read, "just one more chapter!" You are also usually disappointed when we actually finish a book because you don't want it to be over. I think this is really cute.

Thanks to your Aunt Hannah's influence on you, for which I am very thankful, you have become extremely interested in art over the past several months. You are on your way to becoming quite the little artist, always drawing pictures and making cards for people you love. I may need to come up with a budget category for paper the way you go through it, but that's alright. It's worth it--especially if you end up teaching me to be an artist like you've promised. ;)

In addition to your love of art, you really have a love of all things beautiful. You save every lovely thing you come across and use it for a decoration on your night stand. Few things make you happier than fresh flowers and things that sparkle.

Almost all of your pretend play involves princesses in some way. You spend most of your time in dress-up clothes and always have an elaborate plot going on. Baby dolls almost always make their way into your playtime as well. Even though your playing preferences are decidedly girly, you manage to involve your brothers most of the time without emasculating them in any way. They are usually your princes or knights--and they frequently make appearances as bad guys as well.

As you've gotten older, you've also began to form some friendships with other girls at church. Most of them are older than you are, but you manage to fit right in with them and have a lot of fun together. This process as been really sweet for me to watch. You're not the least bit shy around other children and are quick to make new kids feel welcome.

Probably my favorite part of the last year has been the clear evidence I've seen of the Lord working in your life. You're so tender and quick to reform you behavior when I rebuke you with God's word. You are quick to apologize when you do something wrong, and you're full of questions about God and His word.

I pray that the Lord will continue to work in your heart and bring you to faith and repentance even as a young child that you may live all your days out in service to Him.

You are such a blessing to me, Katie, and I love you so, so much.

Happy birthday!

Love,
Mama