Been Away From Forum For A While

[serenajane]

Hello all,

I am back checking in on the celiac forum. I was being good on the gluten free diet I had a couple of things by mistake later finding out I had ate something containing gluten. So after 8 mos being very cautious passing up cakes and all kinds of other delicious temptations the annual fair was in town and I decided that I was going to have a big cheat day. I can tell you that I had pizza, ice cream on a cone, and funnel cake. The ice cream and the funnel cake were great going down but I must tell you the pizza made me feel nauseated with each bite. I used to love pizza but before I was diagnosed celiac the last few years I was sensitive to pizza I went from in my early 20's being able to wipe out a large pizza with my husband to early 30's not even being able to finish one piece without feeling nauseated and not well in general.

I had thought about cheating only on thanksgiving and christmas each year.

BUT I think NOT! I had some chinese food that i order carefully to try an insure it will be gluten free. I stick with a fried rice that contains no ham or soy sauce. the last time I ate it i didn't feel the greatest that was a few weeks ago then I thought that I would give it another try as I really didn't really

know if that was the cause of me feeling poorly. I had the rice and chicken chow mein for dinner wednesday night and I had the left over rice for lunch yesterday just a chief salad for dinner. Then I noticed I was waking a lot last night bloating and lost of gas. This morning I had some of the worst stabbing pains thru out my gi tract. I thought it was worse than labor pains.

sorry to share but does anyone else have the problem of seeing undigested food after a bm. I have been having trouble losing weight and I just don't feel like I digest things very well at all??????

any

[kareng]

You have been diagnosed with Celiac so you aren't supposed to eat any gluten. Eating it causes destruction of your intestines. You need your intestines to digest your food. You will continue having digestive problems as long as you keep eating gluten containing things. A little Chow Mein is still eating gluten as most of those noodles are made from wheat and the sauces have soy sauce with wheat. We cannot eat a little or some every few months.

You can get or make gluten-free foods that can be quite yummy.

[serenajane]

You have been diagnosed with Celiac so you aren't supposed to eat any gluten. Eating it causes destruction of your intestines. You need your intestines to digest your food. You will continue having digestive problems as long as you keep eating gluten containing things. A little Chow Mein is still eating gluten as most of those noodles are made from wheat and the sauces have soy sauce with wheat. We cannot eat a little or some every few months.

You can get or make gluten-free foods that can be quite yummy.

I don't eat chow mein noodles I have everything made free of wheat and gluten when I have had chinese food.

I have been being very careful not to eat gluten laced things.

I don't know what got in to me about the fair but I convinced myself that I was giving myself a day off.

I am really pretty careful about what I eat. I mentioned the holidays but I wont eat anything that I shouldn't my sister in-law makes a great meal and she is careful about ingredient for me.

I can have potatoes, turkey, squash, gravy and I might even ask her to make a gluten free stuffing for me.

I really don't care about the pies either...

I didn't want you to think I go off the diet deep end all the time it was 1 time and I felt poorly enough to no better in the future.

[kareng]

I don't eat chow mein noodles I have everything made free of wheat and gluten when I have had chinese food.

I have been being very careful not to eat gluten laced things.

I don't know what got in to me about the fair but I convinced myself that I was giving myself a day off.

I am really pretty careful about what I eat. I mentioned the holidays but I wont eat anything that I shouldn't my sister in-law makes a great meal and she is careful about ingredient for me.

I can have potatoes, turkey, squash, gravy and I might even ask her to make a gluten free stuffing for me.

I really don't care about the pies either...

I didn't want you to think I go off the diet deep end all the time it was 1 time and I felt poorly enough to no better in the future.

You did say that you had Chicken Chow Mein. You probably need to think about cc. They may make your Chow Mein without the noodles but in the same pan they just made it with noodles and soy sauce. Your SIL may drain the potatoes in the same colander she used last night for regular pasta unless they are gluten-free at her house. You could also have a problem with some other ingredient like soy. Just some fun things to consider.

[Loey]

You did say that you had Chicken Chow Mein. You probably need to think about cc. They may make your Chow Mein without the noodles but in the same pan they just made it with noodles and soy sauce. Your SIL may drain the potatoes in the same colander she used last night for regular pasta unless they are gluten-free at her house. You could also have a problem with some other ingredient like soy. Just some fun things to consider.

As someone newly diagnosed but with no villi currently in my duodenal I agree with Kareng and would highly recommend not taking any chances. My celiac went undiagnosed for decades and now I have also been diagnosed with an ulcer. I eat a very limited diet and still don't feel well. Please take are of yourself and keep your future health in mind. We don't know what goes on in the kitchen when we eat out. I only trust one (Thai) restaurant in my town. I have my own pan and bottle of olive oil there. I know the ingredients he uses. I do carry a set of the Triumph Dining Cards with me for times I eat out with my family but right now I'm so sensitive I don't tempt fate.

Pasting the link for the dining cards below.

Please take care of yourself and realize that cheating on this diet doesn't have the same repercussions as cheating on regular "lose weight" diets.

Loey

P.S. Yes, I have seen undigested food in my BM but that was before I eliminated corn

Open Original Shared Link

[serenajane]

You did say that you had Chicken Chow Mein. You probably need to think about cc. They may make your Chow Mein without the noodles but in the same pan they just made it with noodles and soy sauce. Your SIL may drain the potatoes in the same colander she used last night for regular pasta unless they are gluten-free at her house. You could also have a problem with some other ingredient like soy. Just some fun things to consider.

chicken chow mein is like chop suey stirfry like no noodles chicken n veg in garlic sauce (lo mein has noodles)

[Skylark]

Chinese food is not really gluten-free unless they use a dedicated wok. Soy sauce and gluten is in the wok seasoning because woks are like cast iron - they're never really scrubbed out. That's probably why it's giving you trouble. About the only thing it's safe to order from a normal Chinese restaurant is steamed rice. Even the steamed veggies are sometimes cooked in the same trays as wheat dumplings. If there is a P.F. Chang in your area, they make gluten-free Chinese food and it's pretty good.

[SGWhiskers]

I understand the urge to have a cheat day. I had the same urges early on in my diagnosis and I think all of us wish for the unabandoned joy of gluten junkies at a fun event. You said this day of cheating changed your mind about wanting to cheat on holidays. That is good. Stick with that plan and remember how crummy you feel when you get gluten.

In reading the rest of your post, I get the sense that you are trying most of the time to the best of your knowledge to avoid obvious and even some hidden gluten. Good for you. It also seems that you are taking some risks that are probably leading to cross contamination or inadvertent gluten consumption. The fact that you are still having GI issues is highly suggestive of continued gluten consumption. (Even if it is accidental).

The previous posters are right to question your meals outside of the house. The are usually the most likely to be cross contaminated or have hidden gluten ingredients. Celiac does not react in proportion to the amount of gluten we eat. Once you cross the parts per million threshold for YOUR body (usually around 20ppm), Celiac sets off the full autoimmune reaction and does not care that you only had a dusting or cross contamination. It's similar to an invisible cold virus getting into your system and then compounding the effects for days.

It is great that your sister is supportive of your diet. Right now, you need to learn more about cross contamination issues and either bring your own food to her house or teach her about the finer details of cross contamination. You will find that by cutting all of these sources of possible cross contamination, you start to have more consistent and healthy GI patterns. If you can get down to what you are sure is ZERO cross contamination for 3 months, try reintroducing your best attempt at dining out or at eating with well trained relatives. You will see quickly if you can handle it or not. (If you are getting little bits of cross contamination every few days, it can make it hard to decipher what does or does not have cross contamination or hidden gluten).

And yes. When you are getting gluten and until your villi heal, it is common to have undigested food in your stool. The occassional corn kernel is normal for everyone though.

So, I'm glad you learned from your funnel cake day. I'm glad there will be no others. Now it is time to kick up the strictness of your diet a notch or two and get rid of that cross contamination and possible hidden gluten that is giving you regular GI problems.

[Loey]

I understand the urge to have a cheat day. I had the same urges early on in my diagnosis and I think all of us wish for the unabandoned joy of gluten junkies at a fun event. You said this day of cheating changed your mind about wanting to cheat on holidays. That is good. Stick with that plan and remember how crummy you feel when you get gluten.

In reading the rest of your post, I get the sense that you are trying most of the time to the best of your knowledge to avoid obvious and even some hidden gluten. Good for you. It also seems that you are taking some risks that are probably leading to cross contamination or inadvertent gluten consumption. The fact that you are still having GI issues is highly suggestive of continued gluten consumption. (Even if it is accidental).

The previous posters are right to question your meals outside of the house. The are usually the most likely to be cross contaminated or have hidden gluten ingredients. Celiac does not react in proportion to the amount of gluten we eat. Once you cross the parts per million threshold for YOUR body (usually around 20ppm), Celiac sets off the full autoimmune reaction and does not care that you only had a dusting or cross contamination. It's similar to an invisible cold virus getting into your system and then compounding the effects for days.

It is great that your sister is supportive of your diet. Right now, you need to learn more about cross contamination issues and either bring your own food to her house or teach her about the finer details of cross contamination. You will find that by cutting all of these sources of possible cross contamination, you start to have more consistent and healthy GI patterns. If you can get down to what you are sure is ZERO cross contamination for 3 months, try reintroducing your best attempt at dining out or at eating with well trained relatives. You will see quickly if you can handle it or not. (If you are getting little bits of cross contamination every few days, it can make it hard to decipher what does or does not have cross contamination or hidden gluten).

And yes. When you are getting gluten and until your villi heal, it is common to have undigested food in your stool. The occassional corn kernel is normal for everyone though.

So, I'm glad you learned from your funnel cake day. I'm glad there will be no others. Now it is time to kick up the strictness of your diet a notch or two and get rid of that cross contamination and possible hidden gluten that is giving you regular GI problems.

Unfortunately with Celiac I believe that we have to live with our dietary restrictions for the rest of our lives (please correct me if I'm wrong as I was only diagnosed in June).

I am EXTREMELY sensitive to many foods that are gluten free right now so I'm sticking t a diet of rice, veggies and eggs. If I stray from that I pay for it. I made gluten-free veggie lasagna for my husband and a friend of his last night and took a tiny taste. Between avoiding dairy and staying away from tomatoes (ulcer) I'm having a very painful day today. That's without even getting CC'd.

I don't allow anything in my house that contains gluten. if my son and husband have something at a restaurant that isn't gluten-free and they have leftovers ... oh well. Luckily they're both supportive. The bottom line is that we're fragile.

The good news is that we have this amazing forum with wise, supportive and kind people!

Loey

[serenajane]

I understand the urge to have a cheat day. I had the same urges early on in my diagnosis and I think all of us wish for the unabandoned joy of gluten junkies at a fun event. You said this day of cheating changed your mind about wanting to cheat on holidays. That is good. Stick with that plan and remember how crummy you feel when you get gluten.

In reading the rest of your post, I get the sense that you are trying most of the time to the best of your knowledge to avoid obvious and even some hidden gluten. Good for you. It also seems that you are taking some risks that are probably leading to cross contamination or inadvertent gluten consumption. The fact that you are still having GI issues is highly suggestive of continued gluten consumption. (Even if it is accidental).

The previous posters are right to question your meals outside of the house. The are usually the most likely to be cross contaminated or have hidden gluten ingredients. Celiac does not react in proportion to the amount of gluten we eat. Once you cross the parts per million threshold for YOUR body (usually around 20ppm), Celiac sets off the full autoimmune reaction and does not care that you only had a dusting or cross contamination. It's similar to an invisible cold virus getting into your system and then compounding the effects for days.

It is great that your sister is supportive of your diet. Right now, you need to learn more about cross contamination issues and either bring your own food to her house or teach her about the finer details of cross contamination. You will find that by cutting all of these sources of possible cross contamination, you start to have more consistent and healthy GI patterns. If you can get down to what you are sure is ZERO cross contamination for 3 months, try reintroducing your best attempt at dining out or at eating with well trained relatives. You will see quickly if you can handle it or not. (If you are getting little bits of cross contamination every few days, it can make it hard to decipher what does or does not have cross contamination or hidden gluten).

And yes. When you are getting gluten and until your villi heal, it is common to have undigested food in your stool. The occassional corn kernel is normal for everyone though.

So, I'm glad you learned from your funnel cake day. I'm glad there will be no others. Now it is time to kick up the strictness of your diet a notch or two and get rid of that cross contamination and possible hidden gluten that is giving you regular GI problems.

Thank you

I do try to avoid the gluten we have a no double dipping in the butter, peanut butter and other shared condiments in the house. My husband and son are very good about it. We try to have most meals at home and they are gluten free.

I think we are on our way to only having udis bread in the house as well my husband likes it and he isn't crazy about some of the gluten free things he has tried. I see more and more options in the stores now that are gluten free it is just the going out portion I will have to go to places that I know are cautious and have a dedicated area for gluten free items.

I just had a long conversation about Thanksgiving my sister in-law is very aware of hidden glutens

[serenajane]

Unfortunately with Celiac I believe that we have to live with our dietary restrictions for the rest of our lives (please correct me if I'm wrong as I was only diagnosed in June).

I am EXTREMELY sensitive to many foods that are gluten free right now so I'm sticking t a diet of rice, veggies and eggs. If I stray from that I pay for it. I made gluten-free veggie lasagna for my husband and a friend of his last night and took a tiny taste. Between avoiding dairy and staying away from tomatoes (ulcer) I'm having a very painful day today. That's without even getting CC'd.

I don't allow anything in my house that contains gluten. if my son and husband have something at a restaurant that isn't gluten-free and they have leftovers ... oh well. Luckily they're both supportive. The bottom line is that we're fragile.

The good news is that we have this amazing forum with wise, supportive and kind people!

Loey

I agree this is a great place and people are very kind and supportive. I was officially diagnosed in feb of this year.

for the first few months I didn't eat out at all and I started to fell a little better. I felt the brain fog lift.

It wasn't very responsible of me to have my fair day. but I did it and I learned that it didn't make me feel very good. I won't be doing it at the holidays I will bring my own stuffing and if I had to I could bring my own bird. luckily I don't have to.

when i was first thought to have celiac my doc first did blood levels only one of my levels came back elevated...

that was in 2007 I continued on eating normally.

I still didn't feel well so I went for the endoscopy and colonoscopy and I was diagnosed with celiac sprue.

I didn't have any little villi hairs left but my intestines appeared healthy and normal

my gi doc said that the only things I needed to avoid were things containing gluten ie wheat barley rye and contaminated oats.

your diet seems very restrictive do you have multiple diagnosis

[Loey]

I agree this is a great place and people are very kind and supportive. I was officially diagnosed in feb of this year.

for the first few months I didn't eat out at all and I started to fell a little better. I felt the brain fog lift.

It wasn't very responsible of me to have my fair day. but I did it and I learned that it didn't make me feel very good. I won't be doing it at the holidays I will bring my own stuffing and if I had to I could bring my own bird. luckily I don't have to.

when i was first thought to have celiac my doc first did blood levels only one of my levels came back elevated...

that was in 2007 I continued on eating normally.

I still didn't feel well so I went for the endoscopy and colonoscopy and I was diagnosed with celiac sprue.

I didn't have any little villi hairs left but my intestines appeared healthy and normal

my gi doc said that the only things I needed to avoid were things containing gluten ie wheat barley rye and contaminated oats.

your diet seems very restrictive do you have multiple diagnosis

OK, this is a long response so grab a cup of tea. I was diagnosed last June after being bedridden with severe D for 6 weeks after a round of Augmentin. My GP thought I had C-Dif. We were moving to a new town/state immediately after our son graduated from high school. My husband was commuting home over the weekend from our new home and in all honesty I didn't let him know the severity of my illness. He was putting in hard wood floors in our new house and was also working very hard at his new job (his company was bought by Pfizer and he needed to prove himself).

I made my doctors appointments and scheduled the necessary tests. Once I was REALLY sick I told him and he came home immediately and took a short family leave. At this point my GP sent me to see a GI and she had me take the gamut of tests. I tested for celiac with all of them. I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy (plus about 5 other tests) before we moved and I literally got my test results the night before we moved. She wanted me to have a capsule endoscopy as soon as I found a new GI in my new town.

My first priority was getting my son genetically tested before he left for college (thank God he was negative - one less thing to blame mom for). I told my new GI that my old GI wanted me to have the capsule endoscopy but he told me it wasn't necessary. He was quite dismissive and I felt he was not taking me seriously at all. I was doing all right when I first followed the gluten-free diet but about 5 weeks after we moved I had an intense flare and have been in severe pain for about 2 months. I finally put my foot down when in addition to the lower abdominal and back pain I started having pain vertically under my breastbone. He ordered the capsule endoscopy and lo and behold the day after the test he called me and told me I have an ulcer. He had a total 360 in his attitude and demeanor towards me. I had to wait 4 weeks to have the biopsy of my ulcer because i moved to a small town and he wanted to schedule a special anesthesiologist. I just had the biopsy a week ago and the findings of the test were:

Esophageal Hiatal Hernia

Scalloped Folds and absence of villi in the duodenal

Ulcer in the pre-pyloric region

Still waiting to hear what the biopsy showed.

I put myself on the elimination diet (with the advice and guidance of some of the wonderful people her) so I could rule out food allergies. I was eating gluten-free products but still had the pain. So right now I'm eating a very limited diet and will slowly add in items. I've found if I add in more than one item I don't know which one is causing me trouble so I rather be safe than sorry. The ulcer has it's own set of foods I can't eat.

The bottom line is that I'm willing to give up anything I need to in order to feel better. I've been unemployed way too long and that will run out soon (although I am looking into disability). I went back to college at 50 to become an elementary and special ed teacher (2nd career, then stay at home mom) and would like to be able to use those skills but right now it's not possible. I am going to tutor a dyslexic child for free because I want to give back.

OK, this post was WAY too long. Apologies if I caused anyone to have a headache.

Loey

[serenajane]

OK, this is a long response so grab a cup of tea. I was diagnosed last June after being bedridden with severe D for 6 weeks after a round of Augmentin. My GP thought I had C-Dif. We were moving to a new town/state immediately after our son graduated from high school. My husband was commuting home over the weekend from our new home and in all honesty I didn't let him know the severity of my illness. He was putting in hard wood floors in our new house and was also working very hard at his new job (his company was bought by Pfizer and he needed to prove himself).

I made my doctors appointments and scheduled the necessary tests. Once I was REALLY sick I told him and he came home immediately and took a short family leave. At this point my GP sent me to see a GI and she had me take the gamut of tests. I tested for celiac with all of them. I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy (plus about 5 other tests) before we moved and I literally got my test results the night before we moved. She wanted me to have a capsule endoscopy as soon as I found a new GI in my new town.

My first priority was getting my son genetically tested before he left for college (thank God he was negative - one less thing to blame mom for). I told my new GI that my old GI wanted me to have the capsule endoscopy but he told me it wasn't necessary. He was quite dismissive and I felt he was not taking me seriously at all. I was doing all right when I first followed the gluten-free diet but about 5 weeks after we moved I had an intense flare and have been in severe pain for about 2 months. I finally put my foot down when in addition to the lower abdominal and back pain I started having pain vertically under my breastbone. He ordered the capsule endoscopy and lo and behold the day after the test he called me and told me I have an ulcer. He had a total 360 in his attitude and demeanor towards me. I had to wait 4 weeks to have the biopsy of my ulcer because i moved to a small town and he wanted to schedule a special anesthesiologist. I just had the biopsy a week ago and the findings of the test were:

Esophageal Hiatal Hernia

Scalloped Folds and absence of villi in the duodenal

Ulcer in the pre-pyloric region

Still waiting to hear what the biopsy showed.

I put myself on the elimination diet (with the advice and guidance of some of the wonderful people her) so I could rule out food allergies. I was eating gluten-free products but still had the pain. So right now I'm eating a very limited diet and will slowly add in items. I've found if I add in more than one item I don't know which one is causing me trouble so I rather be safe than sorry. The ulcer has it's own set of foods I can't eat.

The bottom line is that I'm willing to give up anything I need to in order to feel better. I've been unemployed way too long and that will run out soon (although I am looking into disability). I went back to college at 50 to become an elementary and special ed teacher (2nd career, then stay at home mom) and would like to be able to use those skills but right now it's not possible. I am going to tutor a dyslexic child for free because I want to give back.

OK, this post was WAY too long. Apologies if I caused anyone to have a headache.

Loey

Wow sounds like you have been through it....

It is so awful to feel bad and then get the run around and feel bad for longer than needed.

I have been trying to find out what was wrong with me since around age 27 and I am 40

early on I had lots of bacteria testing and blood work the doctors passed it off as stress.

I feel like it is being noticed and tested for these days. I work in a salon and I hear so many people talk about being gluten free. It is amazing before my doctor told me that I might have celiac I had never heard of it before now labels are up all over the supermarket and it is talked about so often.

perhaps a cure will be in our future or a medication to help keep us from doing damage

best of luck to you :0)

[sandsurfgirl]

Ooh honey if I cheated like you did I would be in the hospital! If I get CC, I feel like walking death.

Okay, so you know we're all gonna give you an internet slap for cheating right? :lol:

You can make anything gluten free and there are plenty of great mixes out there. Betty Crocker gluten free is awesome. Kinnikinnick and Glutino have great baked goods. Gluten free pantry has great mixes.

You can make an all purpose flour mix using 2 parts sweet rice flour to one part potato starch or tapioca starch and use it one for one in baked goods recipes. Add 3/4 tsp of xanthan gum and it will be fine. I just made to die for pumpkin spice muffins that any gluten eater would gobble up.

There are gluten free graham crackers at Whole Foods. Get some marshmallows and chocolate and make them in the microwave.

So.... NO MORE CHEATING! You can have all the junk food you like as long as it's gluten free!

Oh yesterday I made amazing candies! I put marshmallows on a popsicle stick and dipped them in melted caramel (the kind for caramel apples.) Let them harden in fridge. Then dipped them in white melting chocolate. Then we decorated with chocolate chips and M&M's to make them into snowmen. ALL GLUTEN FREE.

Make sure that gravy is thickened with rice flour or whatever so you can eat it safely.

Okay consider yourself scolded! Feel free to send me a personal message if you ever want any more tips on how to "have your cake and eat it too."

[Loey]

Ooh honey if I cheated like you did I would be in the hospital! If I get CC, I feel like walking death.

Okay, so you know we're all gonna give you an internet slap for cheating right? :lol:

You can make anything gluten free and there are plenty of great mixes out there. Betty Crocker gluten free is awesome. Kinnikinnick and Glutino have great baked goods. Gluten free pantry has great mixes.

You can make an all purpose flour mix using 2 parts sweet rice flour to one part potato starch or tapioca starch and use it one for one in baked goods recipes. Add 3/4 tsp of xanthan gum and it will be fine. I just made to die for pumpkin spice muffins that any gluten eater would gobble up.

There are gluten free graham crackers at Whole Foods. Get some marshmallows and chocolate and make them in the microwave.

So.... NO MORE CHEATING! You can have all the junk food you like as long as it's gluten free!

Oh yesterday I made amazing candies! I put marshmallows on a popsicle stick and dipped them in melted caramel (the kind for caramel apples.) Let them harden in fridge. Then dipped them in white melting chocolate. Then we decorated with chocolate chips and M&M's to make them into snowmen. ALL GLUTEN FREE.

Make sure that gravy is thickened with rice flour or whatever so you can eat it safely.

Okay consider yourself scolded! Feel free to send me a personal message if you ever want any more tips on how to "have your cake and eat it too."

Great information!!! We all have to know what we're sensitive to. Unfortunately as I mentioned I'm sensitize to more than gluten right now. I rather give up food than be in pain and/or depressed. I'm cooking Thanksgiving and it will be gluten-free but I won't be able to eat everything I make for my husband and son (can't handle potatoes right now). I'm going to just be thankful that we're all together.

Loey

[SGWhiskers]

Unfortunately with Celiac I believe that we have to live with our dietary restrictions for the rest of our lives (please correct me if I'm wrong as I was only diagnosed in June).

Loey,

I didn't mean to imply that we could go gluten free for a while and then reintroduce gluten. What I was hoping to express was that until all the cross contamination is out of your diet for a good length of time, it might be difficult to identify accidental glutenings.

For example, until I went meat, veggies, rice/potatoes cooked at home in my gluten free house, I didn't realize how much cross contamination I had been getting before. Prior to that, I had been trying to order out and cook my husband's pasta at the same time as mine. I had been grilling my meat on the same grill as my hubby and teaching both myself and my husband about cross contamination. After that 3 months of meat/veggies/rice/potatoes, I was able to notice that being around pizza, changing my bird's food, and eating at gluten-free restaraunts during the dinner rush triggered symptoms. So did eating with my fingers after using a particular wet wipe and reintroducing the blush I should have gotten rid of.

My experience was that the learning curve is steep enough that my opinion is everyone should learn about gluten-free eating and CC then give a 3 month strict gluten-free home cooked meat and potatoes diet. Then try to start incorporating living gluten-free into having a life outside of home and teaching others about what your body needs to stay healthy. Prior to the 3 months of meat/potatoes/veggies, all my accidental glutenings just blended together.

[Loey]

Loey,

I didn't mean to imply that we could go gluten free for a while and then reintroduce gluten. What I was hoping to express was that until all the cross contamination is out of your diet for a good length of time, it might be difficult to identify accidental glutenings.

For example, until I went meat, veggies, rice/potatoes cooked at home in my gluten free house, I didn't realize how much cross contamination I had been getting before. Prior to that, I had been trying to order out and cook my husband's pasta at the same time as mine. I had been grilling my meat on the same grill as my hubby and teaching both myself and my husband about cross contamination. After that 3 months of meat/veggies/rice/potatoes, I was able to notice that being around pizza, changing my bird's food, and eating at gluten-free restaraunts during the dinner rush triggered symptoms. So did eating with my fingers after using a particular wet wipe and reintroducing the blush I should have gotten rid of.

My experience was that the learning curve is steep enough that my opinion is everyone should learn about gluten-free eating and CC then give a 3 month strict gluten-free home cooked meat and potatoes diet. Then try to start incorporating living gluten-free into having a life outside of home and teaching others about what your body needs to stay healthy. Prior to the 3 months of meat/potatoes/veggies, all my accidental glutenings just blended together.

I appreciate your insight and wisdom. I wholeheartedly agree with you. When I initially went gluten-free I was using products that were marked gluten-free but had ingredients in them that I was allergic to and due to the FDA not having stringent labeling rules I had a major flare. Right now I'm following a very strict diet (rice, veggies and eggs). Pretty much everything else causes me pain.I was also recently diagnosed with an ulcer so that brings another set of foods I can't tolerate. I can only use olive oil and I avoid dairy. I'm lucky that my husband eats gluten-free at home. We moved to a new town/state literally the day after I received my all of my test results so I started with all new cookware and appliances. I don't even allow non gluten-free leftovers in my house.

Thank you again for always being there with support and kindness.

Loey

[serenajane]

Ooh honey if I cheated like you did I would be in the hospital! If I get CC, I feel like walking death.

Okay, so you know we're all gonna give you an internet slap for cheating right? :lol:

You can make anything gluten free and there are plenty of great mixes out there. Betty Crocker gluten free is awesome. Kinnikinnick and Glutino have great baked goods. Gluten free pantry has great mixes.

You can make an all purpose flour mix using 2 parts sweet rice flour to one part potato starch or tapioca starch and use it one for one in baked goods recipes. Add 3/4 tsp of xanthan gum and it will be fine. I just made to die for pumpkin spice muffins that any gluten eater would gobble up.

There are gluten free graham crackers at Whole Foods. Get some marshmallows and chocolate and make them in the microwave.

So.... NO MORE CHEATING! You can have all the junk food you like as long as it's gluten free!

Oh yesterday I made amazing candies! I put marshmallows on a popsicle stick and dipped them in melted caramel (the kind for caramel apples.) Let them harden in fridge. Then dipped them in white melting chocolate. Then we decorated with chocolate chips and M&M's to make them into snowmen. ALL GLUTEN FREE.

Make sure that gravy is thickened with rice flour or whatever so you can eat it safely.

Okay consider yourself scolded! Feel free to send me a personal message if you ever want any more tips on how to "have your cake and eat it too."

Yes I have been scolded

I have been having some intense GI symptoms the last few days.

2 days in a row I had the same dinner

Day 1 I woke through out the night a lot then had several visits to bath room 5 am

seemed to feel better not to much pain thru the rest of first day

Day 2 I had same meal woke several times during night up again 5 am stabbing pains unable to use bath or go back to sleep. worked all day like that not fun.

later that night able to get some relief but still sensitive and gas pains

salad was my meal

spring mix lettuce, cucumber,carrot,dried cranberrries, golden raisins, feta cheese, gluten-free havarti cheese, gluten-free turkey and hidden valley ranch also gluten free

I found some new gluten free ready to use gravy at my local stop and shop

[serenajane]

You have been diagnosed with Celiac so you aren't supposed to eat any gluten. Eating it causes destruction of your intestines. You need your intestines to digest your food. You will continue having digestive problems as long as you keep eating gluten containing things. A little Chow Mein is still eating gluten as most of those noodles are made from wheat and the sauces have soy sauce with wheat. We cannot eat a little or some every few months.

You can get or make gluten-free foods that can be quite yummy.

oops I hit the red minus button (vote quote down) I thought I could just delted some of the thread so I wouldn't have to scroll down so far

[Loey]

oops I hit the red minus button (vote quote down) I thought I could just delted some of the thread so I wouldn't have to scroll down so far

I hit the plus button to even it out. But stick to the gluten-free diet!!!!!

Loey

[Loey]

Yes I have been scolded

I have been having some intense GI symptoms the last few days.

2 days in a row I had the same dinner

Day 1 I woke through out the night a lot then had several visits to bath room 5 am

seemed to feel better not to much pain thru the rest of first day

Day 2 I had same meal woke several times during night up again 5 am stabbing pains unable to use bath or go back to sleep. worked all day like that not fun.

later that night able to get some relief but still sensitive and gas pains

salad was my meal

spring mix lettuce, cucumber,carrot,dried cranberrries, golden raisins, feta cheese, gluten-free havarti cheese, gluten-free turkey and hidden valley ranch also gluten free

I found some new gluten free ready to use gravy at my local stop and shop

You might be sensitive to dairy. I cut it out of my diet. You might want to try going dairy free for a while.

Loey

[julandjo]

Yes I have been scolded

I have been having some intense GI symptoms the last few days.

2 days in a row I had the same dinner

Day 1 I woke through out the night a lot then had several visits to bath room 5 am

seemed to feel better not to much pain thru the rest of first day

Day 2 I had same meal woke several times during night up again 5 am stabbing pains unable to use bath or go back to sleep. worked all day like that not fun.

later that night able to get some relief but still sensitive and gas pains

salad was my meal

spring mix lettuce, cucumber,carrot,dried cranberrries, golden raisins, feta cheese, gluten-free havarti cheese, gluten-free turkey and hidden valley ranch also gluten free

I found some new gluten free ready to use gravy at my local stop and shop

Also, Hidden Valley contains MSG, which is really hard on a lot of people. Migraines, bloating, painful gas, diarrhea... I avoid it like the plague.

[julandjo]

Yes I have been scolded

I have been having some intense GI symptoms the last few days.

2 days in a row I had the same dinner

Day 1 I woke through out the night a lot then had several visits to bath room 5 am

seemed to feel better not to much pain thru the rest of first day

Day 2 I had same meal woke several times during night up again 5 am stabbing pains unable to use bath or go back to sleep. worked all day like that not fun.

later that night able to get some relief but still sensitive and gas pains

salad was my meal

spring mix lettuce, cucumber,carrot,dried cranberrries, golden raisins, feta cheese, gluten-free havarti cheese, gluten-free turkey and hidden valley ranch also gluten free

I found some new gluten free ready to use gravy at my local stop and shop

Another ALSO, be very careful about your dried fruits - some brands are NOT safe. The Craisins brand is safe and declares it on the package, but there were a few other brands that are cross-contaminated. If the company makes a trail mix, chances are there's a CC issue. If your packages don't specifically state they are gluten-free, call the mfr to find out.