How To Deal With Servers Who Don't Think Celiac Is Real

[beth01]

I got glutened at a Celiac Support group meeting in my area where everyone in our group was a celiac except for two people. I had figured if it was good enough for them, it's good enough for me.  It's more of a gamble than anything.  You are just playing Russian roulette with your health.

[BlessedMommy]

I got glutened at a Celiac Support group meeting in my area where everyone in our group was a celiac except for two people. I had figured if it was good enough for them, it's good enough for me.  It's more of a gamble than anything.  You are just playing Russian roulette with your health.

There are celiacs who aren't very careful. I knew a celiac (biopsy dx'ed, fwiw) who would go ahead and eat peanut butter and other condiments that had been dipped into by gluten eaters. He said, "I'm not THAT sensitive."

 

Some celiacs don't understand that even if they aren't having symptoms, it doesn't mean that damage isn't being done. 

[IrishHeart]

I got glutened at a Celiac Support group meeting in my area where everyone in our group was a celiac except for two people.

 

omygosh....How on earth did that happen?? I

[Adalaide]

Last Christmas the local celiac support group, like every year, did a cookie party in December. Everyone was invited to make cookies and bring copies of the recipe to share. I was all set to go... then chickened out at the last minute. I thought about the celiacs who share kitchens with wheat eaters (and even though I did at the time I wouldn't trust someone else who does that I'm not buddies with) or who do the condiment thing or who missed something on a label or who buys regular oats because they don't know better or any one of the dozens of mistakes I've seen people talk about here. And I was like forget this, I don't want to be sick for Christmas!

 

Beyond my husband, a select group of people I've met here and trusting restaurants that have good practices, I don't let others cook for me. I often find myself saying (usually to my clueless MIL who just does. not. get. it.) that trust is a luxury I can't afford. It took about a year for me to get to the point that I trust my husband completely, and in that time he once brought me candy, said it was safe and I popped two pieces in my mouth before reading the label myself and freaking out because malt. GAH! (I forgave him because he was just trying to make me happy  and it was ultimately MY fault for not looking. ) But little mistakes like that are things anyone can miss and why I'm a total control freak about my food.

[beth01]

My glutening happened when I went to a supposed "safe" restaurant for a celiac support group meeting.  My daughter and I had the same thing, I got sick she didn't.  She doesn't seem to have classic GI symptoms though and I know she told me she had some gluten ( a Kit Kat) a few weeks ago because she "forgot" she had celiac.  She said she didn't feel sick at all except for being light headed, which she did have fainting issues before her diagnosis. She went to the GI yesterday so she got more reinforcement that just because you don't get sick when eating gluten, it doesn't mean that it isn't doing damage and you have to be gluten free for life.

 

We live and learn. I think eating anywhere other than are own homes is the bane of all celiacs' existence.