kayo

These are a life saver for when you just *need* a brownie: http://www.foodsbyge...om/brownie.html

I swear if I ever meet George I'm kissing him.  

We should have a 'Diagnosed Later in Life' club and go on an annual gluten free cruise to celebrate getting our lives back (or starting them finally pain and sickness free).

I'm already packed - let's go!

I experienced it as well and I'm not even what I would consider very sensitive. It was early on in the diet, maybe just a few months, we walked into a restaurant and passed their pizza making area where they make the dough, the pizzas/calzones and bake them in the open fireplace ovens. I got so dizzy and light headed and woozy. I couldn't concentrate. I felt drunk or tipsy. All I wanted to do was lay down. The feeling passed after about 10-15 minutes. I have been to the same restaurant since and have not had any reactions. It was the oddest thing.

SOY FREE MAYO!!!!! where,what brand name or do you make your own?????

*can you tell i miss mayo *

I use Hellman's Canola mayo. No soy oil. It's quite good. I have tried some other brands but they tasted weird to me.

If you're looking for a soy free cooking spray (also hard to find) check out Pam for Grilling. I swear I read 20 cans of spray before reading about this one on the board.

Soy free tuna can be found at Trader Joe's.

My go to meals are:
- tuna on crackers or Udi's bread. I like the Schar table crackers since they remind me of ritz or club crackers.
- omelette made with lactose free yogurt cheese, found at Trader Joe's, with tater tots
- soup from my freezer. I make big batches of soup and then freeze individual containers.
- Amy's mac n cheese (the gluten-free and dairy/soy free version made with Daiya)
- rice noodles with frozen veggies and some chicken stock and lemon
- Chipotle, for when I really don't want to cook!

Once I went gluten free I noticed my symptoms didn't fully go away. I had roaming pain too. I had more tests and found out I had SIBO. I likely had it for years but going gluten-free really highlighted it. I was also tested for fructose malabsorption but that came back negative. Other things to consider: other food allergies, ulcers, colitis, Crohn's, diverticulitis, candida, giardia and other parasites.

Hopefully his endoscopy test helps figure it out.

Last July his sister continued giving me dirty looks and making remarks about the food we were eating. I decided to give her a detailed explanation of what gluten does to me. BUT she still blames DH's issues on diet, oh well.

You don't owe his sister or anyone an explanation. Her eye rolling, her misunderstanding is her problem to solve, not yours. Please don't be burdened by such people. Do your best to ignore them. The more confidence you show in the decisions you make the less flack you'll get from others. When they see they can't bother you with their negativity they give up. Trust me, I speak from experience  

I do believe people when they have a stronger or milder reaction than I'm familiar with. Each of us are different, our immune systems are in varying stages of strength and the disease itself falls along a range (mild villi atrophy to severe - for example). I have had gluten exposure and should have had a reaction and didn't and then have had horrible reactions to what I can only chalk up to trace amounts. I strongly feel the state of my immune system at the time of exposure determines the outcome. But that's me, and my body, and my experience.

Doctors don't want to push people into a stricter diet because most folks won't follow it.

I see this mentioned on the board a lot and it boggles my mind. Regardless of reaction (mild or severe) it's in our own best interest and health longevity to be 100% gluten-free. Doctors don't tell diabetics to not follow their diet because it's hard. The same should go for us. I guess where one could split hairs is if 'gluten free' labeled manufactured food is safe. I think that's an individual call and up to the person to determine. A dedicated bakery that does not use gluten containing items and operates in a gluten free facility is very safe in my opinion. Food labeled, 'made on a line that is shared with wheat' is very questionable regardless of testing.

Hopefully stricter standards, guidelines and labeling will take the guess work out of the equation.

I didn't know anything about SIBO until the doc mentioned it. I never would have known that's what my core issue was on my own even though I had been trying to get to the root of my GI issues for 5+ years.

The test is hydrogen breath test like you said. You drink something and then they take breath samples every 20 mins or so. I spent most of the time going back and forth to the bathroom which I guess is a good indicator that I was positive. If you can get the meds from Mexico or Canada then go for it. I didn't notice any improvement on the diet alone. Then again I believe I had SIBO for years. I'm sure I had a lot of bacteria to conquer. I was eating a bland diet of bananas, rice and chicken and still reacting. That's how nasty the SIBO can be.

I don't find the diet too restrictive at all. I keep a spread sheet that helps me manage what I can eat. I've never been a huge fruit eater so that is not a big deal for me. I can have citrus, bananas, avocados, berries and cooked apples. All in small amts of course. I've never been a fan of brown rice so that's easy to avoid. I do notice almonds bother me but other nuts have not been an issue. I'm already gluten, lactose and soy free so no biggie there.

One other thing I want to mention is that my scope showed colitis. Doc thinks this may be due to the SIBO and it should clear up. I guess that is one of the dangers of untreated SIBO. I also had a lot of inflammation, head to toe, that docs chalked up to my RA. Once I healed that all went away.

I've found a lot of help about the FODMAP diet by following the FM (fructose malabsorption) groups on Yahoo. One out of Aussie and one USA. We share the same diet but for different reasons so there will be some vaiation. Sue Shepherd and Monash University seem to be the diet experts. Google them for more info.

http://health.groups...tion_australia/
http://health.groups..._malabsorption/

HFCS and sorbitol and xylitol can be hard to avoid but here are some products (all gluten-free too):

This is the toothpaste I use. It's pricey but I find it lasts a long time since it's just me using it: http://www.auromere....Toothpaste.html

This is my fave gum: http://www.gleegum.com/

Soda made with cane sugar: http://www.hansens.com/

Lip balm: http://www.softlips.com/products.php

Hope this helps!

I conquered SIBO. I had the test and did the round of antibiotics and stuck to the low FODMAP diet which is basically avoiding the foods in the list you have above. It took a couple of months to fully heal. I'm ok now and have been able to add some foods back into my diet. I do eat gluten-free grains, beans, mushrooms and lactose-free cheese and yogurt in small amounts. I use sorbitol free toothpaste and gum. For sweetner I use regular table sugar or maple syrup. I still avoid all high fructose foods, most fruits and avoid onions, asparagus, artichokes and garlic. I know when I've eaten too many tomatoes for example because I get some symptoms (acid reflux, stomach cramps). I did indulge a bit over the holidays and I'm still fine. It's all about moderation and balance which you can achieve through trial and error and keeping a detailed food diary. Once the SIBO is clear and gone you'll feel so much better. The constant hunger goes away. (I was so worried it wouldn't) I have actually forgotten to eat on occasion. That never would have happened before. The bacteria wants to be fed constantly. The diet won't make a lick of difference until you get some antibiotics in you. I started the FODMAP diet in June and went through the testing and then antibiotics in August. I didn't really start to feel better and like my old self until Oct/Nov. I have not been able to pinpoint when I developed SIBO but believe I had it for years, possibly as many as 3 or 4. The signs are (now I know looking back): constant hunger, grumbly stomach, all over body inflammation, joint pain, inexplicable weight gain and food intolerence type reactions to all foods.

Get tested soon so you can get the meds. You may also want to be tested for fructose malabsorption as this too can mimic SIBO, celiac, Crohn's, etc.

Good luck!

Maybe it's the soy in these products?

I found this by typing 'gluten free bed and breakfast in Virginia' in google.

http://www.innseeker...nfree&x=44&y=19

6 places come up as offering gluten free meals. Maybe one of these would work for you. I'm not familiar with Virginia so I'm not sure if these are in the mountains. You could call to see how they prep and handle CC.

Good luck!

When I feel like this I remind myself to stop giving food so much power. It's just food. Fuel for our bodies. Fuel to put one foot in front of the other.

1. No more brain fog or concentration issues
2. No more giant belly, no one asking me when I'm due  
3. Hair and nails growing like crazy, and strong too
4. More prone to laughter than agitation
5. Normal appetite, lesser obsessive thoughts about food (when are we eating? what are we eating? when can we eat again?)

I recently discovered lactose free yogurt and lactose free yogurt cheese. I found the yogurt at Whole Foods and the cheese at Trader Joe's. It's the first cheese (dairy based) I've had in 4 years! It's fantastic. The yogurt is quite good too. The flavored ones are a bit too sweet for me but the plain and vanilla are awesome.

Given the time frame and location of Jersualem there's a very good chance the bread during Jesus's time was made from sorghum or teff. Even if it was wheat, it was not the wheat we have today. Man has cultivated and changed wheat so much that it bares little resemblance to wheat 100 or even 1000 years ago. The requirement that it be wheat gluten is hogwash and based purely on tradition. A blessed rice cracker (or other grain) should be perfectly acceptable. The host does not literally change to flesh. It's symbolic. The Catholic church needs to join the 21st century and be more accommodating and accepting of its members needs. I find it amazing that they rather have people suffer instead of them being more open minded. This is why they keep losing members.

(signed: a an ex-Catholic school survivor)

- American Chop Suey - hamburger or turkey, tomato sauce, gluten-free noodles
- Shepard's Pie - hamburger or turkey, corn and mashed potatoes
- Tuna Noodle Casserole - I make a roux with gluten-free flour and olive oil, add chicken stock and hemp milk, add tuna, peas, pimentos and gluten-free noodles. Top with gluten-free breadcrumbs and bake.
- Chicken Parm - Bell and Evan's gluten-free chicken breasts, tomato sauce, cheese for hubby, daiya for me
- Pizza made on Glutino gluten-free crust, sauce, daiya, veggies
- Quick Cassoule - kielbasa, veggies, white beans topped with gluten-free bread crumbs and tomatoes (I use the ends of gluten-free bread)
- Tacos - the usual fixins
- Fish Tacos - Starfish brand gluten-free breaded fish with coleslaw wrapped in warm soft corn tortilla
- Roasted chicken legs and sweet potatoes