I saw my doctor again today. He confirmed that it’d be beneficial to go off gluten for a bit to see if it helps. He said I don’t need to worry about seeing an allergist because sometimes their tests aren’t the most reliable. He just suggested that if going off gluten doesn’t work, then I should try going off of the major allergy causing foods, like dairy, nuts, soy, and eggs. He’s also referring me to a gastroenterologist to see what he thinks because there’s still a possibility I do have Celiac since my blood test was positive. He also said I could just have a sensitivity to gluten, which is much better than Celiac. It means that I’ll feel badly when I eat gluten, but gluten won’t cause the same kind of damage it does to people with Celiac. I could also have colitis or IBS. Hopefully, the gastroenterologist will be able to give me some answers.
As you can see, I have a few options to try. We’ll see how I feel after I give up some yummy foods. Now, it’s just a matter of stocking my house with gluten-free things. I’m going to go simple for the first little bit by just eating veggies, fruits, and lean meats. Then, if I notice that not eating gluten helps me feel better, I’ll add in the gluten-free carbs.
*****
My spring term class officially ended yesterday. I didn’t have a final exam; I just had to hand in a final paper worth a sixth of my grade. Depending on how I do on my paper, I’ll either have a low A or a high A-. I’m really happy with how well I did in this class. It definitely wasn’t the easiest class since it focused mostly on principles of literary theory, but I did learn a lot.
*****
My new class starts on Monday. My teacher is pissing me off more and more. The main reason is the assignment to read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy before class even starts. In her first e-mail, she told us we had until the end of the first week to get them done. In subsequent e-mails, all sent this week I might add, they now have to be read by Monday. I’ve only finished The Hobbit so far. I’ve been too busy with my current homework, new work schedule, and everything else life has thrown at me to spend the time I need to get the other books done. Luckily, I get to choose the book to focus on during the class so I’ll just choose The Hobbit. I still need to read the other three books because she said we might draw on them during the term for more information.
Finally, she signs every one of her e-mails as “Sister” blah blah. I know I’m going to BYU, but do teachers really have to go by Sister or Brother blah blah (unless they’re religion teachers, of course)? I had to send her an e-mail yesterday and I deliberately called her Prof. blah blah.
I’m actually considering dropping this class, not because of my teacher, but because I’ve just been so busy with everything that I’m a little stressed out right now. Plus, I’m a little overwhelmed with my new job. Starting a new job and a new accelerated class at the same time doesn’t seem like a good idea. The only problem with dropping my class is that I can’t take it in the fall because it conflicts with my other classes. The soonest I could take it is in the winter. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but it directly corresponds with the class I just took so I don’t want to let too much time pass by before I take it.
About Jenni Elyse
The first day of a new semester always seems the most stressful. When I was doing early morning janitorial and had 13+ hrs. for two days of the week, I thought I was going to die. After getting used to everything it really wasn’t all that bad. Maybe you can give the class some time? Start it and if you don’t like it then go to another class?
I don’t mind the Sister and Brother aspect of teachers. It was weird for me to get used to as first but it gets easier. They teachers tell you what they prefer and you go by it. I’ve even had teachers say to use their first names. xD
Maybe she doesn’t have a PhD so can’t officially go by “professor”? I get what you are saying though, that it is kind of weird to hear that title outside of the religion department. The only teacher I had that wasn’t “Dr. so and so” was a statistician who didn’t have a PhD. He just gave us a nickname to call him by (a play on his last name), but that felt weird to me, so I just called him “Dr. so and so” anyway, and so did some other students.
Good luck making your decision. It sounds like it might be good to take the class now, but only if you can swing it with your schedule and priorities. Only you will be able to determine that. I’m sure things will fall into place just fine.
Megan – It’s not that I’m not used to teachers going by sister or brother; it’s that I hate it. It makes me think she’s a pretentious holier-than-thou person who thinks of BYU as the “Lord’s” school. BYU isn’t the Lord’s school; it’s just a private school owned by the Church.
Ashley – Even without a PhD, she can still be called professor. She just can’t be called Dr. Any teacher can be called professor. But, if she doesn’t want to go by professor, then she could go by Mrs., Ms., or Miss. I think sister and brother should be reserved for religion teachers and church.
I agree Jenni, it bothers me too. Plus, there ARE non-member professors at BYU, believe it or not.
Ashley – Exactly! I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels like this. Sometimes I wonder if I’m about to piss off the resident population of Provo. Oh well, I guess.
“Sometimes I wonder if I’m about to piss off the resident population of Provo.”
You mean the resident evil?
Corey –
You know, it might be good to get some brown rice pasta and maybe gluten free bread or corn tortillas during your experiment. Tinkiyadi makes the best pasta and Glutino makes the best bread.
It’s easy to do without those staples for about a week or 2 before you start really wanting sandwiches or pasta or some other staple you used to have. I lived off rice, veggies, and some meat for about a month before I discovered all the gluten free products and all that time I really missed pasta and bread.
Good Luck!
I vote for sticking with the class. It’s only six weeks. You can do anything for six weeks! And you’ll be SOOOO happy to have it over and done with. You can do it!
Andrea – Thanks for the advice. Corey and I actually did buy some rice pasta, which we’ve had before.
Ashley – I’m not sure I agree. Six weeks is a long time, especially when you have a ton of writing and reading and hardly any time to do either. We’ll see.
I made a gluten-free cake, so you’d best eat it!
The “brother” and “sister” thing is a cultural thing here. I don’t think people do it because they’re trying to be holier-than-thou or preachy…I think they do it because it’s cultural. The mormon culture is very unique…the “brother” or “sister” is actually a way to level the field for respect. You don’t get more respect because you’re “doctor” or “Mrs. or “Ms.” or “Mr.” It allows a rather unexperienced and young fundraiser to meet with the CEO of a large company as equals. I know it seems kinda ridiculous, but she actually might be trying to make you guys feel more equal (or it was easier than trying to figure out what to call herself when she isn’t a dr. and she figured this would be the least offensive option.
Don’t judge her yet. She might just be an uber-nerd like yours truly who loves to read fantasy and devours it at the rate of a book per day. If you hate it after the first few classes, drop it. You may find that she’s actually a good teacher for what you want to know. You know how horribly things can come across in emails…
Can’t wait to hang out with you guys tonight!
Ali – I’ll definitely eat it! I’m excited to try it!
Yeah, I know it’s a cultural thing. It just bugs me with the teachers. I’m totally fine with people like Tyler calling himself Bro. Vigue because he works for the Church and he’s representing the Church. Teachers at BYU aren’t, in my opinion, unless they’re religion teachers. They just happen to work for BYU.
It’s good that you do have options. I’m glad that there is hope because there is nothing worse than unidentified pain…
And awesome on the grades! You always amaze me.
Aymee – It will be nice to figure out what’s going on.