Bingo!

Well, an interesting week....  Things are generally going well, and I am overall doing pretty good, but I a couple of times I hit the wall of pain recently and have had some minor lingering issues.  I decided to start writing down what I was eating with a key code of symptoms after which I would evaluate at the following meal time.  With a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being best, I was hovering between 3 and 4 for most things.  One thing I had eaten was some tortillas chips and, while I didn't have pain, I had a definite reaction.  They were a gluten free brand, so that wasn't it.  Hadn't felt well after eating some Mexican food as well.  Hmmm....  That leaves corn.

Off to Google last night for several hours of research.  Well, what do you know!   Corn is a common binding in medications.  It is also used in asthma inhalers.  Light bulb moment!  This explains a lot.  As I looked into it more, I find that corn truly is everywhere and in the most unexpected places.  I thought going gluten free was overwhelming, but this is like Mount Everest.  At the same time I feel like, "I've found it!"  Yes, I think gluten is still an issue, too, because I have see a change.  This morning my cheeks and nose are a nice shade of normal skin color instead of red, in spite of a tummy reaction to some salad dressing in a local restaurant yesterday which was probably the corn.  

So, along with this discovery, I am making an appeal to my family for some help.  There are going to be quite a few things in my pantry that I can't use any more (Goodbye, Celestial Seasonings tea.  I am going to miss you so much!! ), so I need to be able to pass them on.  I will publish a list after I get things sorted.  If you can use anything or know of someone who could, please let me know.  

The journey continues....