I'm going to eat PASTA!

WTF, how is that exciting?

Well, I've been trying to be a good gluten-girl, and not eat any of it!  I swore off pasta before I ever got the band because of this:

It was a few years ago, and I was on strict Atkins for about 6-8 months. It was my dad's birthday, and he asked me to make my special Baked Ziti for him. I have a KILLER recipe, that uses a mix of provolone and sour cream instead of ricotta cheese, not sure why it blends together so well.....but yum!

Anyway, I decided that I was going to have some as well, so my husband dished it out for all of us, and since this was WELL pre-band, I would say my portion had to be a 6" square, and probably 2-1/2" thick. Without a doubt, it HAD to clock in at between 700-800 calories, minimum.

Anyway, I enjoyed the HELL out of that meal! Savored every bite, ate every crumb..... you get the idea. As we were sitting around the table, drinking coffee, I started to feel like CRAP. Not like I was going to vomit.... more like I got hit with the flu. I was suddenly really COLD, but I also started sweating. All my muscles started aching, as did my joints, my back, etc. I started feeling disconnected, like I had a fever..... then, I was EXHAUSTED. I could barely move. I had to go and lay on the couch, and although I could participate in conversation, I just laid there like a blob. My husband had to clean up the dinner dishes, because I just couldn't move. My parents left about an hour later, and I took that opportunity to go to bed. I went up to bed, and slept a horrible, listless, continually waking sleep. When I got up in the morning, I felt like I had been in a car wreck. Everything that ached the night before was screaming in pain. I had a headache like I had been on a drinking bender. I went to the bathroom, and had a poopy that smelled so wretched, that I actually *did* get sick, and yarked all over the floor. I took some tylenol, and went downstairs and threw myself on the couch. I started getting better that afternoon..... until I got on the scale, and realized a 10 pound GAIN overnight. I looked at my feet (retaining water, perhaps?) and they were SO SWOLLEN, you couldn't see my ankles at all. As a matter of fact, I was really swollen from the knees down.

It took 3 days to feel better, and 5 to get that nonsensical gain fixed.

I wondered then if I had a gluten problem? I had had similar reactions when eating pizza. Same flu like symptoms, same weight gain, same pain.

I had bloodwork drawn, and my IgA levels were out of bounds..... my OB was the one who had them done, and she was like "dude..... no more gluten, k?" (that's how we get along...... love her!)

So...... I gave up pizza. I gave up pasta. I never had another weirdo reaction like that again. Wondering if it's semolina wheat that is my problem?

ANYWAY...... after searching high and low for a pasta that's acceptable, I fell in love with Tinkyada pasta, and I'll be having Penne for dinner tonight! Will post the recipe if it's yummy!