Week One Summed Up

We've officially made it through one week of gluten-free living.  My youngest has whined about the whole situation a bit and even promised to control himself (which he cannot do) if I please just let him eat bread.  He's been very reluctant to eat well this week.  He was a bread-o-holic.  As I stated in another blog post, he's been battling a head cold/sinus infection so his tastebuds are off and it wasn't the optimum time to start introducing all kinds of new flavors, textures, and products. 

What have I observed over this week?  His behavioral issues that I feel are related to gluten have dramatically improved.  There have been a few days we've dealt with some undesirable behavior, but he also had OTC medicine on those days that contained sodium benzoate so I know to chalk it up to that ingredient.  It's really frustrating that even products from Hyland's contain sodium benzoate. *sigh*

As for myself, I have noticed several positives ... First, I no longer have a bloated or heavy feeling in my stomach all the time.  I feel a lightness I haven't in a very long time.  Second, I no longer feel overwhelmingly sleepy each afternoon.  Every single afternoon at some point between 3pm and 4pm I would get so sleepy I would sometimes nod off or actually have to lie down and take a nap.  No more!  Third, I've lost 3.5lbs.  With the positives, there have also been negatives ... First, the pain in my left shoulder that I experienced when I used to eat beef, pork, or poultry is slowly creeping back.  It's not the intense, burning pain I endured before, but rather a dull aching.  I know I cannot eat as many meals consisting of meat as I have this past week.  I'm sure my spouse is thrilled to be eating as much meat as he pleases again, so he's kind of gone overboard with the meals he's prepared.  Second, I am being plagued with insomnia again every night.  I know this is a perimenopausal thing, so it may not be related to going gluten-free at all.  I had also hoped to see an improvement in my sinuses, but I'm still battling one of the most major infections I've ever had.  Pollen is extremely high here right now (our pond that is at least 1/3 acre in size is completely covered in green pollen) plus I know I have overdone it on cheese/dairy consumption this past week.  I never had my sinus issues clear up when I cut dairy previously, so I was hoping being gluten-free would provide me some much needed relief.  I know I need to make a bigger effort to keep dairy minimal as this journey continues.