Decaffeinated Me

I have a long history with stomach issues. They come and go, sometimes to the point where I think I can eat anything and everything without consequence. Sometimes it’s the opposite extreme where I feel sick daily without any obvious link to  my diet or other circumstances.

I have been to a few doctors about this, and I know that dairy and artificial sweeteners are triggers for me, but I know that it’s more than that. I saw one doctor several years ago. After running a few tests, he suggested that I might have a gluten intolerance. He left me a message at home telling me to Google the diet for celiac disease, and to make another appointment to see him. I never went back to that doctor.

Recently though, I’ve been sick all the time. It’s annoying to me, and I’m sure annoying to the people around me who have to hear me complaining about not feeling well all the time. I found a new doctor who I like and she’s totally interested in finding the problem. She’s run some tests and is trying a new medication. After my last appointment she suggested I cut out all caffeine.

All of it? Even a cup of coffee in the morning?

All of it. Other than a raging headache that lasted for three days, I haven’t felt sick once in the past week and a half. I have felt sick at some point every day for the past four MONTHS, but with this one elimination I feel so much better, albeit a little more tired. I don’t think this is the miracle cure, but it is nice to know yet another trigger to avoid.

I miss caffeine, and I’ve had to talk myself out of coffee or soda DAILY for the past two weeks. I weigh the risks of a stomach ache against the benefit of staying awake all day, and even I realize how insane that sounds. I went without caffeine while pregnant and nursing both kids, and eventually I just adjusted. Incidentally, I always felt so much better while I was pregnant and nursing – hello aha moment!

Typically I drink water, soda and coffee and iced tea. Rarely juice or lemonade or anything else. HOWEVER, now that I can’t have soda (I realize that there are caffeine-free varieties, and I reserve the right to chance my mind on this one, but for now I don’t really see the point) and coffee and most teas, I’ll be tempted to replace them with something else because water is BORING. Healthy, and necessary, and I don’t need a lecture about not drinking my calories, but still boring.  Maybe this is the excuse I need to get a Soda Stream so I can start carbonating and flavoring my own water?