A BUMP IN THE ROAD
Mike Packham
December 30, 2007
Just when you think life is rolling along on a steady course, there always seems to be a bump to shake you up a bit. Well, I got bumped.
A couple of months ago I went to the doctor for a routine checkup. You know how we old guys have to keep an eye on those major problems of colon, prostate, cholesterol, etc. I’ve got the thyroid deficiency that showed up a couple of years ago that needs annual blood tests. And then there’s the sleep apnea and receding gums (boy, I really am falling apart!).
Everything looked fine, although as he did his poking he said, “Your liver seems to be a little enlarged. We’d better check that. It might be caused by a tumor.” So he added yet another blood test. The lab tech could hardly handle all the little vials she needed to fill.
When the nurse called with the results, all of them looked fine except the liver test. “The doctor wants you to go in for an ultrasound to see if there’s some reason for the elevated liver function, and I’m to schedule you to see a specialist.”
In to Humana Quack to have goo smeared on my tummy and a massage by what looked like a computer mouse. The screen was a jumble of grey images, but the tech seemed to know what she was seeing.
The results came back in time for the specialist’s visit—Dr. Poole, the same man who did my colonoscopy a few years ago (not that I’d remembered him!). “Your ultrasound shows everything to be just fine. Your liver is normal. Dr. Julien maybe just isn’t used to examining patients as fit as you are. There’s just not much fat there, so I can feel it pretty well. There’s something causing the elevated function, though, so let’s do some more tests to try and pinpoint it. In the meantime go off ALL your supplements and all over-the-counter meds—all except your thyroid pill.” MORE vials of blood—even Dracula would have been challenged to match it.
What a change from popping all kinds of vitamins and minerals three times a day! He did okay the whey powder for my shakes and one other pill that I take.
“Dr. Poole would like to schedule you for an EGD,” came the call a week later from his nurse. “Your blood work came back positive for Celiac Sprue.”
“Would you mind repeating that, and tell me what it is and how to spell it?”
EGD is an endoscopy, a procedure with a tube down my throat to look around and to take a biopsy of my small intestine. Celiac is a disease that damages the small intestine.
“Dr. Poole wants to confirm the diagnosis and see how extensive the damage is.” She scheduled a return trip to Humana Quack two days after Christmas (last Thursday). I went down to the computer to do a little research.
There was plenty of information, but nothing I wanted to hear—Celiac Sprue, caused by eating gluten! Why, I’d just posted my great whole-wheat bread recipe and even urged using the EXTRA gluten the recipe called for. Over the next couple of days, I tapered off the wheat a little, but I avoided the real decision to go cold turkey. Maybe it’s good enough to just use LESS. I fixed homemade noodles for spaghetti on the 26th thinking it might be my last time.
Roger drove me to the hospital. They took me right in, had me strip to the waist and put on a hospital gown, and asked me lots of questions to get them off any legal hooks. “I just need to start an IV,” she said, jabbing a needle into the back of my hand. It took all my effort to keep the hand still as she fished around, like she was stirring a pot. “Hmm, I can’t seem to get that into the right place.”
“You’re telling me!” I mentally groaned as she almost got kicked. And I’m the one with the veins popping out of this thin, low-body-fat skin! She called in another nurse who inserted it just fine higher up my arm. She wheeled me out and down the hall to another room with the gadgets.
Dr. Poole came in. “Got any questions?”
“Lots. So do I really need to stop eating wheat?” “Yes.”
“Not even a little?” “No.”
“What about a ‘free day’ once a month or so?” “Nope. Any gluten at all will trigger the immune system to produce the T-cells that will destroy the filia in your small intestine. No wheat, rye, barley or even oats because of the chance of contamination.”
“Will I get better?” “No. It’s permanent. But if you don’t eat gluten you won’t have any of the negative symptoms like malnutrition, stomach cramps, or increased chances of cancer.”
“So what’s the connection between my liver and this?” “Celiac could have caused the elevated liver functions, but you were back to normal on this most recent blood work.”
“Did I do something to get this? To trigger it?” “Trigger? Research is not really clear on that. We know it’s a gene that you inherited and one that you will pass on to your children, but not everybody with the gene will develop the disease. Sometimes stress or pregnancy or some other shock to the system brings it on. But most of the time it just starts.”
Sensing my overload, he turned to the nurse by my IV. “Let’s start with 80.”
And that’s the last I remember. I woke up back in the first room. “So is it over?” I mumbled to the nurse. “Yes. We just wheeled you back. The doctor will come see you in a few minutes. He’s doing another procedure right now. We’ll keep you here for a half hour or so to be sure you are okay.”
I was fine and feeling pretty bored when Dr. Poole came in. “Here are the pictures of what I saw.” He gave me a paper with a half dozen digital prints of reddish orange pink shapes. “There’s some inflammation, as you can see here.” He pointed. “The little snips I took will tell us more. The lab will be done with them in a couple of weeks. You’re lucky that we caught it so early. Usually people are in pretty bad shape before they get it diagnosed.”
“You’re sure I have it?” “No question—the antibodies that showed up in the blood prove that. You’re already scheduled for another set of blood tests next week to confirm that the liver is fine. I’m thinking one of your supplements might have been irritating it. Once we see that you are fine, you can start adding them back in one at a time and we’ll monitor it every couple of months. But from now on, it’s gluten-free eating.”
Roger came and picked me up. I hadn’t eaten anything since the night before, so I was starving. The half-loaf of whole wheat bread beckoned to me, but “no big deal,” I thought. “I’ve got lots of carb options.”
But it turned out not to be so simple. Oh, the meal planning was no problem, but I ached inside. For a two or three days I couldn’t make myself do anything. All I wanted to do was lay around, watch TV, eat Christmas candy, mope. And every time I’d go in to fix a meal I had to force myself to cook. It was like I was depressed. Like someone had died. A friend was missing. I couldn’t shake it.
We got up Saturday with no particular plans. I didn’t want to go run. I didn’t want to exercise or go to the gym. Nothing. Then it dawned on me. End of the month and we hadn’t been to the temple. “So you want to go into the temple?”
We ate a quick breakfast and got ready. In all my moping, I had done some more reading—GF (gluten-free) recipes. Lots of strange new words—garfava, sorghum, quinoa, buckwheat, arrowroot, amaranth, teff, spelt, triticale, kamut, tapioca starch, xanthan gum. We’d be in Ogden. I bet the lady at Kitchen Kneads could tell me more.
And so she could. “That’s an ancient grain. That’s for a binder. That’s a flour that will give a lighter texture. That’s another binder. That’s an old kind of wheat that hasn’t been genetically manipulated so much. That’s another grain—really small kernels,” and on it went through my whole list. “We’ve got a whole section over here for our GF customers. We’re even getting information and recipes together for a baking class for you all soon.”
We walked out with a trunk load of stuff to try—beans of all kinds to mill, new flours and powders to mix in. Ideas. And a little hope.
The temple session gave me even more of a lift. I even put my own name on the prayer roll—not because of the disease, that’s just “one of those things.” But the ache in my heart—that’s what I needed to have healed.
Later that night I drove back into Ogden to meet Roger at Nathan and Sarah’s. Roger had borrowed their car for the holiday, and I went in to bring him home. They listened to my story. It was therapeutic to get it off my chest. They mourned with me and offered condolences. I came home and started baking—I needed something to eat for the sacrament. Angela Scothern takes her own little piece of rice cake. She has to even drink her own water. Now, that makes my problem seem smaller right there.
Grind up some brown rice, some buckwheat. Look up several recipes. None seem right. Just start tossing stuff into a mixing bowl. Rice flour, buckwheat flour, potato starch, gelatin, powdered milk Splenda baking powder, soda, egg, water, milk, olive oil, apricot puree, homemade yogurt. Stir. Spoon into greased muffin cups. Bake.
I went down stairs to practice for Music and the Spoken Word until the buzzer rang.
“Hey, these look great.” And they tasted fine—light, not too crumbly, a nutty flavor. Mom and Roger both liked them, too. No sense of deprivation. No having to be satisfied with something yucky. Just some good, healthful muffins.
Okay. We’re on our way. I can do this. It’s just a bump in the road. It shook me for a bit, but we’re still going. The path ahead is clear again. I have a great traveling companion and plenty of people on the road to keep me company. We’re good.
Comments from family members:
You are a brave man and I look up to you a lot for your great attitude through adversity. I think that you are very well prepared to confront this challenge head-on. I've always admired your discipline in your eating habits, and perhaps your "training" in this area over the last few years has prepared you to handle everything well. I have full confidence that you will do just that, and that everything will be just fine. Know that you are in our prayers.
-Nick
Thanks for sharing dad. I'm so sorry you have to change your diet. I'm glad that you'll still be able to be in good health. It could be a lot worse!! What if they said no meat??
I heard they are going to try and make it mandatory to list 'this product does' or 'does not' contain gluten' on all food labels. It really is a common issue.
There are thousands of gluten free cookbooks out there. I am confident that with a little research and trial and error, you'll be back to your old self with some new ingredients. It'll be okay.
Love you!
-Adele
Good luck making the changes. If anyone can do it, you can.
Jaren and Julie
Wow, what a blow! I'm grateful you are such a creative cook! You'll take on this new challenge, and learn a lot--maybe even be able to help others through this! We'll keep you in our prayers, and may your transition to "GF" be a smooth one! All our love!!!
Marilyn