ChristineWas

My husband and I work with an international Christian organization as intercessory missionaries. Most of our duties will always be here at the international headquarters. However, trips are a part of what we do. Since being diagnosed... I don't really know how to pull this off.

When on a mission/ministry trip, you usually eat whatever the group eats, and it is sometimes provided by the people you are there to serve. Missions 101 dictates that you eat whatever is set before you. How do I navigate this scenario with my serious dietary limitations? I obviously can't just eat anything. And naturally gluten free foods are not a guarantee. Traveling internationally adds complicating factors in trying to bring my own food.

How do I politely refuse the food? And... how do I eat when I am there? Do I just need to avoid these mission/ministry trips? The last thing you want to be when going to serve is high maintenance.

Does anyone have experience with this kind of thing? Any advice?

I could not find current info on Barh & Body Works products, so I contacted them. This is the response I got:

We appreciate you taking the time to contact us in regards to the products that we offer. It is wonderful to know that you enjoy our selection and assortment.

We don't have a list of gluten free products; however, we are happy to provide you with the ingredients for any product we offer. We cannot make any guarantees that gluten does not appear in trace amounts due to the processing of other ingredients and 2nd or 3rd generation by-products (the ingredients used to make the ingredients). We always recommend that you check with your physician prior to using any product you may be concerned with. We have listed some ingredients to watch out for below.

Gluten includes:

Wheat: or any ingredients containing the genus species name Triticum Vulgare
Oat: or any ingredients containing the genus species name Avena Sativa
Barley: or any ingredients containing the genus species name Hordeum Distichon
Rye: or any ingredients containing the genus species name Secale Cereale
Soy: or any ingredients containing the genus species name Glycine Soja
...

Sincerely,

Holly Patterson
Sr.  Customer Relations Representative
Bath & Body Works

Does this mean I pretty much need to stop using their products? I have only just begun to take seriously the fact that I need to avoid gluten in things I don't intentionally put in my mouth. I have been getting sick for several months apart from obvious "glutening" experiences that I can tie to a food (generally cross-contamination) source.

I appreciate any input. I am still relatively new at avoiding gluten like the plague. I was diagnosed in January.

I have been extremely sick for two years and have had almost every potential symptom for celiac disease. After my dad was diagnosed and then when my blood tests strongly pointed toward celiac disease, we got very excited about finally being close to an official diagnosis. However, my EGD results came back negative.

I am so discouraged! I just want to know why I am sick. I was careful not to eliminate gluten from my diet before the EGD to avoid a false negative.

Are there other factors that can lead to a false negative?