Finally@45

I remember when I first joined this group after my Celiac diagnosis, I read a post from a lady who said she couldn't tolerate any grains except for occasional white rice.  I thought to myself, bless her soul!  Well here comes another one.

 

I don't know if I'm having a bad week or what.  I had a bowl hot cereal--teff grain made with pineapples and pure brown sugar late one day.  (It tastes almost identical to pineapple upside down cake; teff hot cereal has a bready taste, and texture like rice cereal.)   Shortly after, none of my joints wanted to move and I felt whipped.  On the other hand, aspirin took it all away so I'm sure the cause was mainly inflammation.   On another day I had Udi's granola in yogurt and almost immediately the same joint pain started back up, and again aspirin took it away.  No stomach symptoms, just extreme unusual fatigue.  

 

Though I've never had a single symptom from brown or white rice, I went grain free, all natural/whole foods, for a couple of days and I've felt fabulous.   

 

In addition to Celiac, I'm completely intolerant to corn, as in I can't tolerate corn vinegar, oil, derivatives, caramel color, starch, etc. without having the same symptoms as Celiac, plus anaphylaxis from the very contact of corn on my throat.  It's immediate and scary.  My last episode was from almond/coconut milk that contained the forbidden potassium citrate.  I had had a tablespoon in my coffee.  I responded to one swallow of the coffee.

 

Could there be some reality to being grain intolerant altogether?  

 

I get the feeling the researchers should have categories for Celiacs, like diabetes type 1 and 2.  If that were the case, I think I'd be Celiac Type 10.  It seems like I keep having to adjust my diet and it takes a lot not to get depressed over it.

 

 

 

 

http://www.thesmokin...d-by-gas-645132

It doesn't look like anyone has brought this up here, but it is interesting that a few people posted comments about the man possibly having Celiac.  It would be nice to know if there is a way to get a message to him to get tested.

Though I had a chuckle about what co-worker became the "gas-monitor," my heart immediately went out to this man who may not understand that he obviously needs better medical advice.  When I brought it up to others, but people often think the man is intentionally trying to irritate his co-workers and that he CAN control his gas.  Go figure.  May be we don't have all the facts, let me know what you think.

I had heard about some people being relieved of depression when going gluten-free and/or fructose-free...I even saw the episode of Mystery Diagnosis where the little boy had seizures from gluten. However, I've never quite heard of anyone having exactly what I used to experience. I thought I'd share this with others on this forum in case it helps someone else.

I used to get really frequent repetitive thoughts about things people had done were wrong. It was never major things like physical harm, more like minor jealousies, back-stabbing, gossiping, teasing, etc. I'd never be crippled by the thoughts, but I'd have episodes where they wouldn't stop and I'd feel very frustrated. No crying spells, thoughts of suicide, but a lot of laughing through the pain. Other people seemed to think I was too sensitive or I just needed to forgive and forget. Some people, even counselors, would flip the situation back on me and think I was just having a poor, poor me pity party. I felt there was no help.

Well, along came Celiac a year ago. When I looked down the list of symptoms and saw mild depression, I thought, "I wonder if what's been happening to me would fit that?" I also read that for many women, the symptoms of Celiac are most apparent or amplified after pregnancy, and that is exactly when the repetitive thoughts started. (However, I've had Celiac symptoms all of my life.) So I waited.

After the first couple of months, it seemed as if the symptoms were subsiding, but I wasn't sure.

About maybe 3-4 months into the gluten-free diet, I had a real bad crosscontamination of gluten and for anyone who's supersensitive, you know what I was going through. My joints ached for 2 weeks straight, nausea, diarrhea, you name it. But worse, the repetitive thoughts of people doing wrongful things came back LOUD and clear. So that gave me more than enough incentive to not take chances.

Then in June, I started having crazy signs of corn intolerance. Again, it had always been there, but I must have been reached another level. I also noticed a mild amount of repetitive thoughts, but ignored them because they really weren't that bad. About 2 weeks after going 100% corn-free, those subtle thoughts went away.

I think that proves that when we say "Listen to you body," that includes your thought patterns.

I just reached my 1 year anniversary.  I thought I'd share a few funny things that happened.  I have teens who were with me on many of these events, so you can imagine the number of times I've reheard the stories with rolls of laughter.  

1. Me: Do you have a gluten-free menu?
Waitress: No, we don't charge for you to see the menu.

2. Me: Would you happen to have an ingredient or allergen list for your products?
Waiter: Such as...
Me: You know, like when a person is allergic to peanuts or wheat...
Waiter: Oh you want to know if we have oats in our food?
(I never figured this one out, we assumed he must have had someone before me who asked about oats and wheat in the same question.)

3. Co-worker: Please have some brownies.
Me: No thanks.
Co-worker: Oh I insist, everyone says they're good.
Me: No, I eat gluten-free, I'll have to pass.
Co-worker: Oh no, no, they're low calorie brownies.

4. Family member: What is celiac?
[I answered the question]
Family member: Does that mean you can't eat meat?

5. Family member: So what DO you eat?
[I answered the question with emphasis on unprocessed meat, vegetables, fruit, yogurt, rice, potatoes, and so on.]
Family member:  What store do you go to..cause I don't eat any of those things....

6. Another family member chimes in: Oh I see gluten-free products at the store all of the time.
Me: Yes, times have gotten better for Celiacs.
Family member: You mean this has been going on for years?

7. Family member: Did you get the kids tested too?
Me: Yes... they don't have it.
Family member: Thank God, they can be normal.

8. Me: [In MoMs Organic Market asking for gluten-free lip gloss]
Clerk: I'm glad I could help.  Someone else came in here looking for gluten-free products... if you don't mind... what happens if you eat gluten?
Me: [I gave some symptoms, but emphasized everyone can have different experiences.]
Clerk: Does that mean you could kiss someone and give it to them?

9: Me: [In Bare Minerals, mentioning that it's nice to know their entire product line is gluten-free.]
Clerk: Oh you have cancer?! We get a lot of cancer patients.

10: And the mother of them all-
Me:  I'll take the burger with no bun from the gluten-free menu.  [and I pointed at it]
Waiter: Ok, that'll be a burger.
Me: From the gluten-free menu right?
Waiter: Oh yeah sure.
[The burger comes out on a bun.]
Me: I don't think this is gluten-free.
Waiter: It is...
[He ends up getting the manager.]
Manager: Is there a problem with your gluten-free burger?
Me: Yes, it's on bread.
Manager: [Whips it away, has the cook start over.]
Waiter: Sorry about that, I thought gluten was lettuce or something.

My triglycerides are practically non-existant and I see from a search of the site that others have commented on both low and high results. I hate to ask this question at the risk of sounding whiny over something that most people struggle at the opposite end of the spectrum, but I can't find anything saying whether an extremely low triglyceride level indicates a poor/unhealthy fat absorption. However, the lit does say that people who drink alcohol and eat a lot of carbs have higher triglycerides. So is it better to view a low triglyceride level as more than just a fat intake issue?

To the person who asked about how do you know if the diet is working just before my post:
My Vit D (fat soluble) levels have gradually increased after being on the diet for a year. That's been my best objective indicator. I also gained a little weight, though that's certainly not an indicator for all Celiacs.

More subjective or maybe objective, I haven't thrown up in a really, really, really long time, maybe a year. Clearer thinking. Softer skin. Far, far, far less nausea. Less joint pain. (Joint pain and nausea are the first symptoms I get if I eat crosscontaminated products.) Better energy, though I would like to not get fatigued so easily with strenuous exercise. Surprisingly, my eyes used to feel sensitive, that all went away.

The more I stick to the diet, the easier it is to tell if I'm sick. I've learned what normal feels like.