catsmeow

oh No, I was't insulted hon   I was confused by what you think are "celiac reactions" as opposed to your wheat allergy--because the ones you are listing here are also reactions to gluten.

Trish, I do not think you are reacting to barley and rye because of cross- contamination from wheat.

I think you are reacting because you cannot tolerate the GLUTEN in those grains either. Just my opinion.

Rumbling guts, aching joints, sinus pain, even feeling feverish,  etc.--- these are reactions to GLUTEN too. I know they are mine, anyway.

I wonder if you do not have just an allergy to wheat, but gluten intolerance. You do not have to have D or C. Some folks have no bowel issues.

You are avoiding all rye, barley, malt as well, right?

Thanks hon...I was hoping I didn't say anything out of line.


I am absolutely, unequivocally, gluten free, No malt, no barley, no rye, no wheat, including the hidden crap that is in everything. Gluten is the devil and wreaks havoc on me.  I am not in any way shape or form a gluten lite (the people I despise).

I know that I am gluten sensitive from the enterolab report, plus I have a wheat allergy.  I have no celiac genes. I was just mentioning what the doc said last week, but, it was just her opinion.  My med records say "wheat allergy, gluten sensitive"  I believe it.  And yes, I do suffer many of the same symptoms that a celiac suffers, however, many allergy/sensitive symptoms are the same.  So, hanging out here is great, because I can so understand the symptoms.  I didn't even have to accidently ingest any to get symptoms, I was getting them just from airborne wheat....I am SOOO grateful to have been given the Zantac.  It's a miracle!

I had an allergic reaction to a pneumonia vaccine a couple of months ago and was told by my friend who is a PA to take a combo of benadryl and zantac.  I thought it was strange but she too explained that it was a histamine blocker! So glad you found something that works!

So some docs, and PA's know about it.....I wish they all did, I could have been helped a long time ago.  Since I started taking Zantac, I've educated a doctor, a P.A. friend, and my Nurse practioner sister in law about it.  None had heard of using Zantac for allergies.  I hope my efforts help others get their lives back.  Your P.A. friend is smart.

To all that know me and all of you fellow sufferers of wheat allergies who also suffer debilitating airborne reactions like me; I have finally found a solution and I hope and pray it keeps working.  I've been airborne reaction free for a week now, so I thought it was time to share.  

The story:

I went to a new doctor last week about a ladies issue I was having, and while in the appt.  I was having an allergic reaction.  The doctor noticed and asked me what I was allergic to.  I told her "wheat" and that maybe the coffee shop down the hall was baking stuff.  She said, "maybe, but I happen to be wearing wheat germ based beauty products, so I think you are reacting to me"  She was shocked by how sensitive I am and asked how long I had been suffering with the airborne reactions.  I told her since April, right after I had my gallbladder out, and cannot eat wheat either, I've been gluten free for 20 months.

She asked me if anyone has ever put me on a HISTAMINE 2 BLOCKER.  I said, I didn't know, I had never heard of histamine 2.  So, she looks through my prescription history and saw allegra, zyrtec, claratin, benadryl..and says, "No, you have never been on a Histamine 2 blocker, only histamine 1 blockers".

She explained to me that Histamine 2 is produced in the stomach and can make food allergies worse.  She said blocking histamine 2 will help knock down the airborne reactions by blocking  histamine 2.  I hope I got her explanation right, it was confusing and went way over my head.  However, I've been on zantac 150 mg twice daily for a week now, and it’s working. I got mine in prescription form, but you can buy it over the counter.  

Well I am here to tell you that it is a miracle.  I have not had an airborne reaction since I started on this stuff.  If anyone remembers, I react so violently that I had to take prednisone just to fly on an airplane because of the pretzels people eat, so I would not die of anaphylactic shock.  Life has been hell. I've been a bubble girl since April, I couldn't even be in peoples houses because they have wheat products in their kitchen.  And, I had to wear a mask all the time in public because there is no escape from wheat.

So, I've been testing how well this Zantac is working (with my epi-pen close by of course).  I went to the grocery store and went into the bakery, opened a bin full of hot dinner rolls and smelled them (not eat, just smell).....shockingly, I had no reaction, none, zip, zilch, miracle!!  The biggest test for me will be to go into a stand alone bakery.  That will be the final test.  

I just wanted to share this crazy solution just in case it helps someone else.  I've found very little info on it on the internet.  I think that prescribing it for allergies and asthma is fairly new. I'll never be able to eat wheat again, but at least I can breathe it again and can go places again.

Wheat flour can be used in the production of plywood.
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/pdfs/plywood3.pdf

Second page, second line of writing.

WOW....now I know why I react in Home Depot so bad.  That place kills me, especially when I am in the lumber area.  My husband always tells me not to come with him when he goes to lumber.  He has noticed my reactions get worse over there.  Thanks for this info!!!!!  It makes PERFECT sense!

I made it through the wheaty jungle unscathed thanks to my breath easy mask.  I'm here to report that it worked!  It worked on the food (wheat), but not on perfume.  A lady sprayed perfume on herself right before she left,and I felt slightly dizzy despite the mask.  It didn't work "all" the way on the freshley sprayed perfume, but the mask worked well enough that I did not have to go outside.  The mask was comfortable to wear too.  It does slip a little when actively engaged in conversation, but I did not mind bacause I was in the house filled with freshley baked and baking hot wheaty rolls, pies, stuffing, and cake.  I also stood there watching my host making gravy with wheat flour, and she let the flour fly.  This would usually make me very very very very very ill, I would have had to leave, but I was unscathed and well, not even a hint of dizzy.  By the way, when I first walked in, I got dizzy, then put the mask on.  The start of the reaction (being dizzy) stopped after 5 minutes in the mask.  I  am happy, yes it looked like a diaper on my face, but it worked!  The little kids thought I was a doctor.

Every time I see my mom she asks me if pasta is ok. Every time she asks, I ask her what the first ingredient is. Wheat. Oh.  One time she was sure that the pasta was ok because it was a special low-carb pasta with less starch and higher protein. OMG. The protein, mom, is the the bad guy! And you are a really really smart nurse. I am scared.  It's kind of a ritual now, the pasta asking.

Buy her several varieties of Tinkyada pasta....LOL....tell her, THESE are the safe pastas Mom!!!

Homemade chicken strips, mac and cheese, and sliced fresh strawberries.

Chicken tenderloins breaded in potato starch, fried, then sprinkled with sea salt.

Mac and Cheese-Tinkyada spiral noodles, with cheese sauce made with cheddar and velveeta cheese blue box, milk, all purpose gluten-free flour, garlic powder, mustard powder, sea salt and course black pepper.

MMMMMM....so delicious!  My family LOVED IT, and they can wheat.  They fight over the chicken everytime I make it.  


The deep fat fryer I bought several months ago has been a great investment.  I not longer cry for my favorite fried foods since I bought it.  I make them gluten-free instead!

OMGosh, the story of the 6 year old and beer reminding me of something funny that was said at a party on Friday night.  I was drinking a red bridge gluten-free beer, standing next to this man I didn't know.  One of my friends walked up and asked me if I was drinking that gluten free beer I had been talking about.  I said "yes, and it's really good"  This man standing next to me said "really? They make gluten-free beer now? Oh wow, that's cool, my son has Celiacs, I'm going to have to get him some of this beer"  Someone else said "isn't your son just 12 years old dude?"  He looked embarrassed and said "well.....yea.....he's 12, but I could buy it now, and he will just have to wait 9 years to drink it"  Everyone was laughing....I don't think he was thinking about his kids age.  He was just thinking about gluten free choices, and got excited.  It was pretty funny.  I almosy forgot to add that his wife smacked him in the arm as well....LOL.  By the way, it was nice to be around real people who actually knew what gluten-free was.  Then when I opened my cooler and ate my own food that I brought, instead of the hosts food, I didn't have to say a word, the couple with the Celiac son explained to everyone what I was doing and why, AND answered all the questions!!....it was refreshing!!  I felt FREEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Hmmm.... never thought of that one!  He's tired a lot too.

People talking about vital wheat gluten are making me laugh.  I had a bag of that stuff too.  I used to bake bread a lot and a little wheat gluten would make really nice, fluffy rye or 100% whole wheat breads.  It was such healthy food...only it was slowly poisoning me.

Ha Ha Ha....isn't it funny how wheat use to be considered healthy by us?  I remember feeling sooooo lousy and thinking I needed to eat healthier to feel better.  So I would eat granola with a huge amount of wheat germ poured on top of it.....I did not realize then that I was making myself sicker!!

Please take pictures when someone takes you up on this. . And oh, I hope they wear white clothing and have a white couch!

And they NOT allowed to plug their noses!!!!!

I have a cousin who likes to call me a freak because of my wheat allergy.  I wonder if she would call a person with a cat or dog allergy a freak???  All other allegies are so readily accepted without question or scrutiny.  But wheat is a whole different matter.  It is totally questioned and scrutinized.  Sadly, all I have to do is whip out my epi-pens and they become (scared)believers.  Scared because I teach them how to use my epi-pen "just in case" and it SCARES the crap out of them!  However, I want the people around me to know how to use it, it is my best defense against death by anaphylactic shock.

I was worried about pumpkin patches and hay rides this year.  I avoided both, and was sad about it.  My husband did both activities with the kids, while I stayed away from them.  I missed out.  But what can I do, it is what it is...Our health comes first, but it really is the pits, isn't it?

T.H. I hear ya.  I am terrified about old age the most, especially if I develop Alzheimer's like my mother has.  I am sure a nursing home will kill me.

I feel for you.  What a rough time you must be having.  Chow Halls are filled with wheat/gluten.

A while back I googled and studied the heck out of Celiac's in the military and came to the conclusion that you can be retained.  There are other Celiacs serving on active duty. However, a person like me with a food allergy cannot stay active, too risky, we get medically booted (honorably).

They have an MRE line called "My Own Meals" that have a wide range of special diet meals.  Most are for religious purposes.  They have Gluten free, vegetarian, kosher, ones with no pork, and many others. The military has a contract with them to provide these special diet meals. I wonder if you would need a diagnoses to get those meals shipped in.  I wonder if they exist on your base, along with where they keep the stockpile of MRE'S?  It might pay to do some snooping.  I also wonder if there are any religions that require gluten free food.  If so, I would change my paperwork to that religion, then you would HAVE to be accommodated....LOL

I hope your month goes fast and safe, and like others have said, please give that sweet Auntie a big hug when you get back....


P.S.  I just looked up those MOM meals and found that the the kosher meals are gluten free.  They have 5 different ones.  They must have some of them on the base for soldiers who require Kosher meals.

http://www.myownmeals.com/spec.html

OY....my kids came home yesterday with cookie selling pamphlets.  The reps that tutored them and prepared them for selling did a good job.  They knew exactly how to conduct a hard high pressure sell!  I'm so annoyed and do not want them to hit people up for buying these crappy overpriced cookie dough’s.  I can't buy them of course, but I can buy the stupid magazine subscriptions.  They have worked my children into a selling frenzy, and I hate it!!!  The choir teacher did send out an email stating that the kids do not have to participate if they did not want to.  It will not affect them.  I will buy one subscription from each child, that's it.  I'm also going to show them the teacher’s email, which is a whole different tune than the sales rep who worked them into a sell sell sell frenzy.  Bastardeos!

I pay a small fortune in school tax. Supply the school with supplies, write dozens and dozens of checks out to the school, and still am expected to partipate in a zillion fundraisers that make me very uncomfortable.  I hate hitting people up with this crap....I might have to put my foot down right away.  This is the first one of the school year which started 3 weeks ago.