rosetapper23

I had three miscarriages but still gave birth to two healthy children.  

Yes, I fear that this vaccine won't protect me against DH.....so I'm uncertain whether I'd be interested in having the vaccine.  On the other hand, my Sean can't wait to get it.

Even if GOT the vaccine, I would continue to eat a gluten-free diet....and would rely on the vaccine's effect to protect me against accidental cross-contamination at restaurants, etc.  I wouldn't knowingly eat gluten, though.

You may not have been eating enough gluten to have a positive celiac test.  No worries--you know what you're reacting to....so simply eliminate ALL gluten for life.  You'll be glad you made the decision.

I agree with the above advice, but I would add that you might also remove dairy, soy, and oats from her diet to see if she is having trouble with them, as well (very common in people with celiac).  I also highly suspect that there is cross-contamination going on....and if there is, you won't see much of an improvement in her symptoms.  She needs to be STRICTLY gluten free to determine if gluten is at the root of her problems.

I agree with everything that has been advised, but I particularly encourage you to follow Mushroom's advice.  I'm sure you can find a few foods that you KNOW you're fine with and then simply add in a new food once a week.  I suspect you can't tolerate soy, oats, nightshades, rice, or gluten-free gums, so you shouldn't re-introduce those for a while.  Believe me--you WILL start feeling better soon.  Have you also tried taking L-Glutamine and digestive enzymes?

I totally agree with the advice you've been given.  Your food concerns don't have to be HER concerns.  Bring enough home-baked gluten-free Christmas cookies to share with others, if possible, and bring ALL of the food that your family needs to eat.  You'll only have to worry about cross-contamination....and it's probably better not to have your son in the kitchen when your relatives are baking cookies due to exposure to wheat flour in the air.

Try not to "engage" with your fake sister-in-law about this issue and remain strong in telling her that you're responsible for keeping your husband and son safe, and their health is more important than anything else she might have planned.

Good luck!  I think you'll end up having a fun time...

You're normal--I startle out of my sleep when I discover that I'm eating a sandwich.  It freaks me out!    I don't know if these nightmares ever go away--I've been gluten free for nearly nine years.....and, still, there are those sandwich nightmares!

With an idiot GI doctor like yours, I wouldn't bother with a biopsy.  He probably doesn't know how many biopsies to take, where to take them from, and how to read the pathology afterwards.  Besides, he's convinced you don't have celiac....so surely he'll find a way to match the test findings to his already lame diagnosis.

I'd simply switch to a gluten-free diet if I were you.  You're a lot smarter than the doctor--go with your guts on this one.

I think you're right--steroids might skew the biopsy results.  The poster should have been referred to  dermatologist and not an allergist.

Yes, I think it's QUITE possible that you have DH.  Have you considered going on a gluten-free diet?  If so, please eliminate iodine for a while, too, since it exacerbates DH.  (P.S.  Give your wife a kiss!  She's a smart lady!)

Okay, I'm not going to give you a lecture.  Actually, I did a similar thing many years ago and ended up unable to absorb iron--I spent years receiving intravenous iron infusions, so I will NEVER knowingly ingest gluten again.

That said, I can give you a couple of remedies that should work for your muscles and joints.  First, you should take chelated manganese, which you may be deficient in and which is extremely necessary for the health of your muscles, tendons, and ligaments.  Secondly, if you take 1/2 teaspoon of organic flaxseed oil and 3/4 teaspoon of organic safflower oil and mix them in a smoothie or glass of juice once a day, your muscles will stop aching almost immediately.  Your joints should start feeling better, too, in a few days.  I'm pretty sure these remedies will help you out--good luck!

I'm so sorry to hear of your troubles!  I don't know if switching to gluten-free products will help or not, but I guess it's worth a try.  I use the Desert Essence Organics line for shampoo and conditioner (they are essential-oil based).  Another good line of shampoos and conditioners is made by EO (which means "essential oils).

As for makeup, I use Loreal Visible Lift makeup, which the company has assured me is gluten free.  I suffer from Dermatitis Herpetiformis on my face and neck, so if it contained gluten, I would know immediately.  Also, in order to hide the scars from my most recent DH outbreak (which turned out to be exacerbated by a staph infection), I use an expensive spray-on makeup by Dior called Airflash on top of the Loreal makeup.  I don't actually spray it on my face--instead, I spray a small amount into the palm of my hand, and I use a small cosmetic brush to "paint" my face and neck.  The look is nearly flawless, and friends have assured me that they can't see my scars at all.  It lasts really well, and it doesn't cause itching or any other discomfort.  Even though the Dior product is expensive ($65.00), it lasts a very long time.  The last can lasted me more than a year, and I used it daily.

Hmmm....your last posting posed an interesting question.  The only response I have is that gluten is considered a neurotoxin to people with celiac.  It can cause all kinds of neurological damage and conditions.  If he's always had a problem with diarrhea, I can understand how he may have developed anxiety about going on car rides.  Anxiety in itself is a common symptom in people with celiac, as is depression.  Over time, his diarrhea should lessen--it took me 18 months, however, to completely resolve the bathroom issues.  A product that I would highly recommend is Metagenics UltraClear Sustain Medical Food, which was recommended to me by an integrated medicine doctor (who is also an internist).  He told me that if I added only one scoop to my smoothie every day, I would feel as though I didn't even have celiac.  He was right!  Within two weeks, the diarrhea and cramping completely went away, and I wished that I'd known about this product earlier.  Also, in the interim, if your husband continues to be challenged with car rides, would he be willing to take some Immodium D to help him get through them?  I use it when I'm fearful of such episodes myself.  His mind needs to retrain his body, and once he has a number of successful car rides, his mind may believe that all is well.

There is a quote from James Allen that I keep taped to my hard drive (because I have Stage IV cancer and try to meditate daily to heal myself), which may help him:  "The body is the servant of the mind.  It obeys the operations of the mind, whether they be deliberately chosen or automatically expressed.  All bidding of unlawful thoughts the body sinks rapidly into disease and decay; at the command of glad and beautiful thoughts, it becomes clothed with youthfulness and beauty."

And, no, in case you're worried, my cancer is not colon cancer....however, I do believe that celiac is the root cause of my cancer due to nutritional deficiencies I suffered throughout my lifetime.  Your husband is still young--as long as he follows a gluten-free diet, he should be fine and enjoy a long and healthy life.  He is SO fortunate to have you!

Just a small addition:  If your husband ends up needing to take Vitamin D, our ability to absorb it can be challenging.  What was recommended at a recent celiac conference is to take Country Life Natural Vitamin D because it also contains Vitamin A and medium-chain triglycerides.  You see, each of our cells has two A receptors for every D receptor, so taking only Vitamin D makes no sense.  Also the medium-chain triglycerides will help your husband absorb the Vitamin D.  I took 50,000 iu's of Vitamin D daily for a year and saw no improvement in my level; however, after only a few months on 400 iu's of Vitamin D in Country Life Natural Vitamin D, my Vitamin D level is the highest it's been in my entire life (I was born with Rickets).  It's over 60!  This is amazing to me and proves that the information I received at the conference was correct.  Hope this helps....

Ha ha!  It appears that I was posting at the same time as Mushroom, and our responses contain almost the same information!  Anyway, here's what I had to say:

It sounds as though he needs to be tested for his nutrient levels--he may need more than what a multivitamin has to offer.  It's common to suffer from either iron anemia or Vitamin B12 deficiency as well as deficiencies in Vitamin D, magnesium, Vitamin K, and B vitamins, in general.  He should also get his thyroid tested, because Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is common in people who have celiac.  Otherwise, it sounds as though you're doing everything right.  Yes, he should get as much natural sunlight as possible.  If his muscles are tired or if his joints are bothering him, you may need to have him take some chelated manganese.

You're doing an excellent job--I wish I had someone just as great to take care of me!