What was it like before you came in to see us?
I was sick with a bad respiratory infection in February of 2008 and I couldn’t seem to get rid of a nagging lingering cough. I coughed mostly in the morning only. As time went by, the cough was definitely morning only and I would usually cough for about an hour. I just wasn’t feeling well. I couldn’t even describe it to the doctors. I had been an avid runner all year round and I couldn’t even think about exercise let alone run. It felt as though my body was inflamed, mostly in my lung area. So I went to an allergist first for the cough. After 4 separate visits including allergy testing and numerous breathing tests, he said it might be acid reflux. I was put on Nexium for one month. It did nothing. I’ve never had heartburn so I doubted that was the problem. Another one of my doctors told me to elevate the head of my bed to prevent acid reflux from accumulating in my lungs at night. Since the doctors could not hear wheezing in my lungs, they did not think it was lung-related. Next, I saw a lung specialist who conducted two more tests. One was a 90-minute breathing test that came back completely normal. The other was a CT scan of my lungs. Nothing showed either. He diagnosed the discomfort I was feeling in my back and lung area as costochondritis. This is an inflammation of the cartilage surrounding the heart and lungs. They don’t know what causes it and cannot know if and when it will go away. Meanwhile, I wasn’t getting better. This went on for a good year and finally, I saw Marty in late March of 2009.
How is it now?
100% better! Marty diagnosed intolerance to wheat. I immediately cut out all wheat and or gluten products. The next day and weeks after that I did not cough at all. I had a relapse recently and we figured out it was because I had eaten chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant near my house. Although the chips are made from corn, they could have been processed with wheat. Now I don’t take any chances. I stay away from any and all processed foods that could come into contact with wheat including watching labels for natural flavoring and such. Not knowing how strict I need to be, I opt for being as strict as possible. I have been a vegetarian for 20 years and most recently went completely vegan. Restricting my diet to only organic whole foods has not been a big deal for me. The benefits outweigh the bad. I got my life back and most important, I’m running again out on the Kettle Moraine trails with my beloved dogs.