Celtic Queen

So, for Christmas I got a Cuisinart Bread Maker with the Gluten Free Setting.  The bread maker works great and I'm really enjoying having fresh bread.  But it amazes me how a company that can make a bread maker with a special setting for gluten free bread still doesn't get it.

I was looking through my manual (yes, I'm one of those weirdos who actually reads the manual   ) and there was a section about Gluten Free ingredients.  I was really excited to see it addressed and I was happily reading all about rice flour, soy flour, etc.  Until I got to this:

Rye flour - Rye flour has a lower gluten (protein) content than its white and wheat counterparts.  This means one must use white or wheat flours in combination with rye when baking bread.  Combining the flours ensures the loaf will rise well.

Seriously?  In the gluten free section?  Tellling me to add white and wheat flour.

But wait....it gets worse.  Immediately underneath was this:

Seminola flour - Seminola is ground from hard wheat.  It is pale yellow in color and resembles corn meal.  Seminola flour has a very high gluten or protein content.  It is used in both making bread pasta.

Ummmm...so if I'm eating bread that's gluten free, why on earth would I want to use flour that has a high gluten content?  

I sent Cuisinart an e-mail about it through their website.  Maybe they'll respond.  Anyway, I thought I'd give you all a laugh.  And I think I'll continue to use my bread maker without any Seminola or Rye flour.

I've been gluten free for about 5 months now. In the past week or so I've developed white, scaly bumps on my forehead, right above my nose. They don't itch at all. They just feel very scaly and dry.

I don't think it's DH, since I've read that DH itches horribly. And I've never had any skin condition like this before to compare it to. Do you think it could be Eczema or Psoriasas? If so, is that something I would need to go to a dermatologist to get treated or could I use something over the counter?

Like the rest of you guys, I'm having a hard time with the holidays coming up.  There's lots of tempting gluteney food everywhere that I can't eat.  And navigating the food at all the social events is like walking through a mine field.

But in the interest of being a "glass is half full" kind of girl, I was thinking about things I actually liked about having Celiac Disease.  Things that made me thankful this holiday season.  Here's a few I came up with:

1.  My coupon clipping is much faster now, since I can't buy half the stuff in the insert.  
2.  My hair is slowly starting to grow back in.  Yay!
3.  I don't have to worry about putting on holiday pounds since I can't eat a lot of the treats that will be around.
4.  I'm eating more fruits and veggies.
5.  My friends and family have been so kind and supportive.

So, what are the things that Celiac Disease makes you grateful for this Thanksgiving?

I was just diagnosed as Celiac in August and I've seriously been thinking about getting my son tested since then.  He doesn't have bad gi problems, but there are some things I notice that make me suspect gluten intolerance.  He has really bad allergies, occasionally complains of stomach pains, is kind of uncoordinated, has problems paying attention, and bruises easily.  And he complains about growing pains.  I read the thread on here about growing pains.

I guess I've sort of been putting it off because I was afraid he will test positive.  And I'm worried about dealing with his diet at school, on top of dealing with mine.  I think I was putting my head in the sand to hope it will all go away.

Well today I got a call from the school nurse.  They were doing health screenings at school and he tested borderline anemic (just like I am).  So I decided to pull my head out of the sand, call his doctor and get him tested.

I don't really have a questions.  I'm just putting this out there for some support from the other parents who are dealing with this with their children.  My husband is a really great guy but he's still dealing with the fact that I have this disease.  It's not that he's doesn't want my son to be tested, but I get the impression he thinks that the testing will all be for nothing and that I'm seeing symptoms where there aren't any.  

He still doesn't take me 100% seriously, although he he's beginning to realize how committed I am to this the longer I do it.  I think he thinks this is kind of a fad for me.  And I can understand where he's coming from because I did try a lot of different diets trying to make myself feel better before I discovered the problem was gluten.  But if my son is positive, he'll have to not only take this seriously, but I will likely make him go gluten-free too.  And that's probably overwhelming for him too.

Anyone else having these kinds of issues?  Sorry for the long and rambling post.

Long story short, I glutened myself last Monday by accident and now I'm dealing with 2 weeks of side effects. For me the gi stuff is pretty easy. I get through it in a day or two. It's the brain fog, apathy, and fatigue that last for about two weeks. Anyone have any good ideas on supplements I can take or anything else I can do to help it go away faster? It's driving me crazy. It's also affecting my work and home life.

We're really busy at work right now and I just can't concentrate or get motivated. And when I get home, I'm so tired I just sit on the couch. I feel like I'm cheating my boss and my coworkers because I'm not working as hard as I could if I felt better. But I can't seem to be able to work any harder because I'm distracted and can't concentrate. And I'm frustated because I'm usually the one who is organized and on top of things. Now I don't have the mental energy to deal with stuff, so then I get overwhelmed.

I'd be grateful for any advice you guys can give me on what has helped you with dealing with brain fog. I just dread feeling this way for another week. But it's definitely motivating me to stick to my diet.