[Rvbert0]

Anyone in West Virginia, specifically either Charleston or Morgantown?

[mamaw]

Hello

I know that Teebs is from W Va. I'm from north of Pittsburgh Pa.... .
Are you new to the group here? Any thing I can help you with I'd be glad too...

mamaw

[Mahee34]

I spent last year in Morgantown for graduate school...so if you need any help or have questions about the area, let me know!

[lenjac]

I'm in the Eastern PanHandle, Mineral county.

[Rvbert0]

Sorry guys, forgot about the forum. I'm still in Morgantown, and I've luckily been able to reintroduce some gluten products back into my life on occasion. I've found that Amazon is great with their free shipping, and bulk isn't as big a problem as it's not like I'm not going to eat it.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Hi, Rvberto,

I'm north of you, in Pittsburgh, but come down to Morgantown a few times a year for work.

If you are celiac, then you should know that studies have shown that even small amounts of gluten (1/16th of a piece of bread, for example) does cause intestinal damage even though the person might not feel any symptoms.

If you were diagnosed as gluten intolerant, you should be aware that in many cases, gluten intolerance is actually early-stage celiac; the only difference is that not enough villi damage has YET occurred to make the diagnosis easy.

In both cases, the immune system is triggered to attack YOU (joints, thyroid, pancreas, skin, etc., and, obviously, the intestines). So by eating even small amounts of gluten, you are very likely setting the stage for your immune system to attack.

I don't have obvious reactions to gluten, either. So, unlike most people here, I don't worry too much about cc, because I simply can't tell. But I don't purposely cheat, either. I had too many problems before going gluten-free, and I know too many people with irreversible damage, and too many people with fibromyalgia, RA, MS, lupus, etc., who say they feel so much worse after gluten, but never manage to stop eating it.

I've observed how bad it can get. My life is too valuable to me to risk wasting any of it on stupid gluten.

[Rvbert0]

Thanks for the tips... for me I was just diagnosed as having a mild intolerance, but never really manifested too many symptoms other than small bumps on my arms, and some bloating and stomach uncomfortableness if I ate pasta.

For me it's difficult completely eliminating gluten, as I'm in Graduate School and don't have the monetary ability to purchase all "gluten free" foods at the moment, but I've been doing pretty good.

[Crimson]

Rvbert0

I am also in Mineral County WV! I had to do a double take to make sure I read it right.
Greetings from the same area you are from!

[flourgirl]

Hi!!!! I'm from the Martinsburg area. I know what you mean about not having support groups. That's why I like this forum so....this is my support group . If you are having "bumps", or a rash, especially an itchy burning rash anywhere alongside your slight intolerance to pasta, you may want to make certain that it is not Celiac. Sounds to me like it may be. A biopsy would be a good idea.

You don't have to spend a fortune to eat gluten free. Many, many foods are naturally gluten-free. Eat plenty of fresh meats, fruits, veggies. What gets expensive are the pre-made snacks....or even the flours and other ingrediants to bake your own. But then again, baking your own is much less expensive than pre-made, whether it's gluten-free or not! Besides....the money spent of safe foods is much less costly than episodes of great illness...the chance of having to deal with the other immune diseases and associated illnesses, or the damage you could be doing to your body and subsequently your overall health in the long run. I'm middle aged....have had (have) many illnesses in my lifetime that I am certain could have been avoided if only....if only.....someone had known more about Celiac disease back then. You have choices that many of us never had....please consider and do all you can to be healthy.

No more soapbox! Hope you are feeling well, and finding more of us in WV!

[mamaw]

Hi
I'm going to be Charleston & Logan WV for a few days . Can anyone give me any ideas where to eat or shop while there?
thanks

mamaw

[minniejack]

Rvbert0, on Jan 6 2007, 09:23 PM, said:

Anyone in West Virginia, specifically either Charleston or Morgantown?

I'm from Wheeling and God literally gave me the word Gluten and I googled all of my son's symptoms that he has had for past 3 years and guess what? Gluten. (now try explaining to his local doctor and the guy up at Pittsburgh Children's how you discovered that gluten caused the problems)

Similar problems with my husband--my husband was actually put on a growth hormone 4 yrs ago because of low IGF-1 levels and a cholesterol drug to raise his good cholesterol levels.

My husband after looking at all of the info that I found out there (I used to be a medical librarian so I can really do some research ) looked at me and said that this is you too.

All 3 of us have gluten-free for 4 weeks and the results have been truly unbelievable. No more nightsweats for my son, his unbelievable temper tantrums, moodiness, anger, ADD, gone, gone, gone!!!!

Finally I am without a period for the 1st time in 14 years!!!!!! Eczema gone, mood swings gone, extreme lethargy gone....the list goes on....

I am even typing this while wearing finger nail polish--didn't realize that the brand I'd been using contained gluten and that's why it would not stick--changed and voila' magic!

Went to tell one of my daughter's friend's mom about how the sermon hit home for me and mentioned the word gluten...her oldest daughter (now 21) has to be Gluten-free Casein-free...she then told me of a whole foods Co-op that is here in Wheeling and of a teacher at Wheeling Park that is also gluten-free.

I'm starting to look at the whole state of WV and think to myself that the entire state should probably be gluten-free. Gluten is probably the underlying cause of all of the diabetes in the state.

[Zachnap]

I am from motown, but am unsure why you all feel alone just because you can't eat gluten. I think you guys are over-thinking the situation a bit.

[TrillumHunter]

My DH is from WV and we go up to see his family several times a year. I LOVE Drug Emporiums Healthy Heart marketplaces! They have great prices and selection compared to where I live. My mil is bringing me a case of Now rice flour, 3 lb bags next week. She's getting these for $2.99 a bag minus a case discount. They carry so many things I had never seen in a store before---Schar is one I can remember. I spent lots 'o cash there last time. But, I generally do lots of shopping in WV. The prices on everything are so much better.

I can't help much with the restaurants. I know they have both the northern and southern chains represented there. That's one benefit of being on the Mason-Dixon line! lol There is an active group at the Drug Emporium in Barboursville. Last time I was there, they had posters about there meetings.

HTH

[Bottom_Line]

I'm from the Weston/Glenville area. It can be a bit frustrating trying to stay gluten free. We don't have any speciality stores or whole foods or anything like that around here. But I've found this site really helpful with finding brand names that are gluten free. I know you can order gluten free stuff online, but we're kind of are on a rather tight budget and really need to watch what we spend. My dad thinks I've completely lost my mind. My mom was a little easier to be supportive of everything. My husband was 100 percent supportive of it all and his family as well.