We made soy-free mac and cheese the other night, and have been eating leftovers for dinner. I've been super good with soy; no cheats. And today my pain is back, so bad that I've dug out the pain medicine again.
I was afraid this would happen, but I never said it out loud because I didn't want to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Back when I first read that soy can aggravate endometriosis symptoms, the same article cited wheats and all other grains as another potential detriment.
I love bread. Love it. So when I went soy-free I held onto my grains. And we've had a good run. But after three successive days with a serving of whole-grain macaroni and cheese, the pain has returned. And there are no other suspects.
So tomorrow is my birthday, and Brint is baking me a soy-free birthday cake, and that will be the last wheat I eat for at least 30 days. We're traveling to see family soon, so it will be difficult to forgo all grain-containing foods on the road, but I'm going to do it. 30 days, and then I'll have one meal with one serving of a grain (to be determined at a later date) and I'll see how it affects me. If I feel those familiar muscles cramp up again, I'll know.
This approach is a suggestion from the book Endometriosis: A Key to Healing Through Nutrition by Dian Shepperson Mills and Dr. Michael Vernon. I found an interview of Dian on endometriosis.org where she highlights the wheat intolerance of endo sufferers. The book is currently out of stock on Amazon, but I'll be snapping it up as soon as I can.
So here's to 2012, and another candle on my birthday cake, and to fighting endometriosis. I will win; pain-free life has been too wonderful to give up now. Soy was so difficult to eliminate due to its prevalence in our food industry that I have no doubt I can successfully eliminate wheat as well.
