Yesterday I finished my "hell week." Normally I wouldn't be so dramatic (ok, that's a lie, I'm always dramatic, just I try not to be on public websites...), but this week warrants it's title. First, Monday was day one of my elimination diet. I had to eliminate at least 32 foods, but really it was more than that, because I was only allowed to eat 122 foods off of a list my doctor so graciously supplied me with. At first it didn't seem too bad, I could eat a lot of meat, some vegetables, some fruits, I was set. But then I delved deeper. Every time we pulled out a recipe there was something on it I couldn't eat. And then, all of a sudden, I realized I couldn't eat potatoes. And potatoes were in EVERY gluten free flour product out there. The more I started to plan, the more I wanted cry. And on top of that, Monday and Tuesday I worked fifteen hours each. That's seven in the morning to ten at night. Straight. I had to plan all of my meals ahead of time, and make sure that anything I tried to snack on was "allowed."

Wednesday I only worked 10 hours, but by Wednesday night I was exhausted and starving. Also, I was PMSing, so I was crying about everything. It wasn't fun. I just kept thinking about how I was leaving for school in a week and I could barely manage to get out of bed let alone make myself food. I was going to starve. So I sat down and cried in self pity. Then I went to bed at 8:30 (after a huge blow out with my parents, who I'm sorry to say, get the brunt of all of my moods) and woke up a tad bit more chipper, and went back to work. I was still hungry, but had managed to get into a routine of getting the right amount of food in me that would energize and satisfy, at least for a few hours. I got though Friday and Saturday ok, snacking on almonds and finally finding a chocolate that didn't have any milk fat in it and still tasted good. I also cut back on the amount of intense hours I worked.

Then Sunday rolled in. We had a family dinner and I became more and more depressed when I couldn't join in on the cheese and crackers (I ate tortilla chips and guacamole without lime and tomato... yup, just the avocado mashed up) or have a glass of champagne to toast my parent's thirtieth wedding anniversary. And as much as I ate the chicken, sweet potato, summer squash, and asparagus, I still didn't feel satisfied. I felt nauseous and tired and extremely cranky.

Monday morning (yesterday) I woke up with a fever and the cough that I had been fighting off for a month now and grown more... disgusting. I was achy and miserable, and headed straight to the doctor.

The doctor, like most, found nothing specifically the matter, except for my fever and cough. My lungs were clear, there were no sores on my throat, my nose and ears were clear. Yep, nothing wrong with me. Except I had a fever and cough. I was sent home.

I have to stop right now because I hate the way I'm writing. I'm not writing this to make anyone feel bad, because lately all I've been hearing is "oh, poor Anna." I'm writing this because it's an experience to completely revamp your daily diet, so I'm just sharing mine with you. But I may still sound a little cranky because, well I am cranky, but that's what not having my regular meals does to me. Also I can be a huge pill when it's that time of month, but I'm working on that too.

So anyway, today I am feeling a bit better. My mother, the saint that she is, made me a huge vat of oatmeal to have every morning this week, and I have loads of almond butter and jam for snacks, and I just toasted up some almonds - which thank God I can eat, because I would just about give up on this whole quest thing without them.

Also, I have a lot of meat. We have our ground beef of course, and all natural organic turkey and chicken at my disposal. Mom says its a good thing I gave up on that whole vegetarian thing, because if I had become die hard there really wouldn't have been anything left for me to eat. Just rice and almonds. And then think how miserable I would be! Always thinking of the silver lining...

Technically I have five more days of this, but my doctor wants me to feel 100% before I start reintroducing foods so I can be sure if I have a reaction or not. That's a little tricky with this little germ that has infected me and caused this fever. Hopefully with the way I'm eating it's starving it out! But then I'll be able to start adding the eliminated 32 foods into my diet. I must admit I'll probably start with wine (brewer's yeast is on my list). Priorities. And then dairy, then eggs, then potatoes. Those are my real priorities. I have to do this day by day, and if I have a reaction to something I have to skip a day before I introduce something else. So it will be a fun filled fall semester! I'm investing in a large cooler for my car and I'm looking for a fun lunch box that doesn't make me look like a first grader, so I can bring my meals to school since I am on campus or at work from 9 to 8 every day.

Seriously, this is going to be an adventure!