Saturday Rob and I hired our babysitter and headed out on the town for a little car shopping. There were several that we saw, one that was a "ok"... This car buying stuff is very tough! Each vehicle we saw and test drove had one like and dislike from the last. We didn't actually purchase anything but the day brought lots of information about pricing and features so we are a little more prepared for when we do find the perfect one.
This weekend, we were very successful in selling cars! If Rob ever needs a new gig - maybe that's what we'll look into! He decided to post his '94 Ford Ranger on Craigs List and by gollie - it sold the same night! Good bye Fordzilla. We are really on our way to a new vehicle!  Rob was seen last Friday and had a biopsy of his stomach tested for a couple reasons. They were unsure if he had H. pylori or Celiac Sprue. We received the results today and he has Celiac Disease. This is his body reacting to wheat components.
He will be meeting with his doctor on Friday for a follow up and additional medical treatments. So for now, we are hitting up our Natural Food section and Trader Joes for some alternatives for Rob. Here's some information about Celiac: Celiac sprue, also known as celiac disease, gluten-sensitive enteropathy, and gluten-induced enteropathy, is a chronic disease of the digestive tract that interferes with the digestion and absorption of nutrients from food. People with celiac sprue cannot tolerate gluten, a protein commonly found in wheat, rye, barley, and to some degree, oats. When affected individuals ingest foods containing gluten, the lining (mucosa) of the intestine becomes damaged due to the body's immune reaction. Because the lining of the intestine contains essentialenzymes for digestion and absorption, its destruction leads to malabsorption, a difficulty in absorption of food and essential nutrients. As result, celiac sprue is often considered a malabsorption disorder. Persons with celiac sprue experience improvement in the condition when on a strict, gluten-free diet and relapse when dietary gluten is reintroduced. With treatment, celiac sprue is rarely fatal. However, untreated and unrecognized celiac disease may slightly increase the risk of developing intestinal lymphoma, a form ofcancer. Celiac sprue is a genetic disease; the genes for this condition may be transmitted to some family members and not to others. Sometimes the disease is triggered, or becomes apparent for the first time, after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress. Females are slightly more affected than males. Although celiac sprue can manifest at any age, the detection of this disease usually peaks at 8-12 months and in the third to fourth decade of life. This is exactly what happened in Rob's case. |     ArchivesSeptember 2012 "She's the one all the boys loved because she lit up the room, and she's the one all the girls hated for the very same reason."
" a smile confuses an approaching frown." |