Long time no post!

Things are going much better! I have not updated in awhile, but many many health updates. First of all, Julia is doing amazingly well:)) She celebrated her 2nd birthday and is a joy! She is singing, dancing and playing up a storm. Mommy has been back to work officially one year this month. It is so hard to be away from her, and daycare is a wonderful but hard option. It's wonderful because we love her school, her teachers and her playtime and exposure to friends, and so many things she is learning. But Mommy misses her so much! I cry about once a month, or so, when I pull away from the parking lot. But all in all, it's good to be working too, having grown-up time and bringing in a little do-re-mi as we say.
We treasure the time home that much more, it feels like!
Anyway, my health...interesting....the neverending saga.
Well I have an official diagnosis (besides the Mitral Valve Prolapse, which isn't such a huge deal)...it is Celiac Disease!
I was bloodtest positive as well as biopsy positive as well. The whole story is, I had had this longstanding issue with my nerve endings, always feeling tingly and numb, itchiness under my skin--an itch that literally couldn't be scratched, frequent stomachaches, tense muscles, restless leg syndrome, weight that clung to me for dear life---couldn't drop weight, tired all the time. Well I was finally diagnosed from my general MD with fibromyalgia, and given some drug to take. I was grateful to have a diagnosis. I was somewhat familiar with the illness, and it sounded plausible to me. Well I started the drug, and I think 3 days in, was having some very unpleasant side effects. I started Googling homeopathic remedies for fibromyalgia, and read tons online about going Gluten Free. I had no idea what gluten was.
I threw it out there on facebook, and learned from a friend, that fibromyalgia is often a misdiagnosis for Celiac. That I should try going Gluten Free and see how I felt. Well I looked into it, and it sounded like a way to cut the weight too, so why not. Literally, within 2 days or so, my restless legs STOPPED. I thought....whoa. Maybe I do have this. Maybe there's something to this. So easy as pie, I asked my doctor to test me for it, she said sure, why not? She ran the blood panel, and about 5 days later called me back, that I had a positive Celiac panel. Whoa! I diagnosed myself!
I relentlessly pursued this diagnosis, from six weeks postpartum, I knew something was wrong. I mean I was sick right afterwards with Postpartum HELLP Syndrome, but so many things lingered.
So that was October, and now I am officially six months gluten free.
Is it easy? Hell to the no.
I will post again about it more specifically. But it is now a way of life, and I have a lot of my health back on track. I sleep better, I lost 12 pounds, and I don't have the tingling and the restless legs, and constant stomachaches, oh, and more energy!
I do think there are some theories out there about what came first, the Preeclampsia, or the AutoImmune Disorder? I don't know. But in my opinion, my pregnancy unearthed this condition in me, I do not believe I have had it for life.....

Interesting stuff. I hope it helps someone out there in internet blog land:)