Month: August 2023

The More Things Change…

It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. 

This is the lesson I learned on New Years Day of Y2K.

Y2K is the abbreviation for the Year 2000. It referred to computer problems expected when the 1999 changed to 2000.

Nothing of note happened that day around the world. 

However, where I lived a truck drove into the electrical plant and shut off everyone’s power.

This was before most people had mobile phones, so I was convinced that power outage was worldwide. I jumped into my Cutlass Supreme and started it up.

A Cutlass Supreme was a midsize car produced by Oldsmobile from the mid 60’s to mid 90’s.

So, back to the story…

Uh, Oldsmobile was a 20th century automobile brand which produced over 35 million cars. 

Anyway, I drove off to see if things were impacted beyond my street. 

I quickly drove into the Kmart parking lot. 

Uh, well, Kmart was an American chain of department stores. 

However, the lights were already off and the doors were locked.

So, I drove across the street because I saw a car at the Blockbuster Video.

Um, Blockbuster was a video rental store chain which ceased operations in 2014.

You know, they had VHS and DVD rentals

Yeah, VHS stands for Video Home System which plays movies on large black cassettes.

So, anyway…uh, DVD stood for Digital Video Disc. It ended up replacing the VHS tape.

Anyway, since the power was out, I went home and ate my leftover tacos from Chi-Chi’s.

ChiChi’s was a Mexican food restaurant chain in the 80’s and 90’s.

I washed them down with a bottle of Fruitopia.

Fruitopia was a beverage of “fruit integration” which went away in the early 2000’s.

Finally, the electricity came back on, so I kicked back and watched Freaks and Geeks.

Freak and Geeks was a one season show about a 1980’s high school which launched the careers of Seth Rogen, James Franco, Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, and Busy Phillips. Even though it was incredibly popular, it was canceled after one season. But I’m not bitter.

Ok, whatever. I guess things really have changed a lot.

*Photo courtesy of Florian Klauer

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Our Battle Against Gluten

Last year, my wife noticed she had a skin condition. When it didn’t clear up, she saw a doctor. In fact, over the next three months, she visited six doctors, some multiple times, including two dermatologists. One said she had dry skin. Another said she had contact dermatitis. A third was certain it was shingles. Finally, Doctor #7, aka Dermatologist #3, ran a series of tests because he suspected she had Celiac disease.

Celiac is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the ingestion of gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley) leads to damage in the small intestine. In other words, when my wife eats gluten, her body goes on the offensive against itself and mounts a serious immune response which attacks and damages her small intestine. 

Dermatologist #3 said, “It might be Celiac disease. Stop eating gluten.” Then, in drop the mic fashion, he left the room. 

There was no applause.

“That’s it?” my wife asked the nurse. “Is there any information that will help me be gluten-free?”

She shrugged and replied, “Don’t eat gluten.”

How insightful. 😑

The next week, Dermatologist #3’s assistant called my wife and said, “It’s confirmed. You have Celiac disease. So, stop eating gluten and start taking iron pills. 

Even though we expected it, my wife didn’t expect such an abrupt call. She asked the nurse if she could send the information about the diagnosis and further instructions over the hospital portal so she could read over it thoroughly. Later that day, she received the following message over the portal: 

“You have Celiac disease. Take iron pills.”

Doctor #7 then referred Kathy to a rheumatologist (Doctor #8). He confirmed her diagnosis and said, “Act like you have an extreme allergy. Rid your home of gluten. You can’t even smell bread.”

Back at home, I went through our kitchen to rid it of gluten. I carried a big box of glutenized items to my office. Apparently, we were living in Gluten Central. 

But no more. We now live in a gluten-free home.

Some people have said to me, “You can have gluten in your home. She just can’t eat it.” That’s true, but since it’s just the two of us, we’ve found it easier just to be gluten free at home. I don’t want her to have to read labels at home before she eats. 

We’ve learned a lot over the last year. My wife took an online course, visited specialists, we both met with counselors, and we even went on a cruise designed for people with Celiac (check it out at www.celiaccruise.com. It was great.) 

Living with Celiac has been a huge shift in our lives. Do I miss gluten at home? Sure, but I’m getting used to it. 

And she’s worth it. 

Every bit. 

*Image courtesy of Michiel Annaert

by Categories: Church and Christian Life, Devotion, Food, Health and Fitness, UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment