I need to be honest

[hwnw123glutenfree]

Hi, I have been diagnosed with Celiac about 6 years ago. I did the whole change your diet, clean the cupboard, buy new pots, pans, toaster, etc. I have never been reactive to foods. it was an after thought test that lead to my diagnosis. After about two or three years, I fell off my diet. It was tough to keep up the extra expense, cooking two meals for me and my family, feeling rejected and excluded from outings and parties, and I hated every moment of it. 

 

So here I am. My ttg levels were retested. Guess what? I still have celiac disease....sigh.... I don't want it. I've been down this road before and I don't like it. My doctor is persistent that I must change permanently. I have diabetes (related to having celiac supposedly) and I am increasing my risk of stomach cancers and lymphomas. I get it. I know what I should do. It doesn't make the process easier.

 

And so, I have to change. Adjust the family budget again.  I don't enjoy most "gluten-free" alternatives. Fruit, veggies and meat are expensive and even more so when that's all your allowed to eat. I work three jobs. I don't have a lot of time to cook. Where are my quick and easy meals? I'm a picky eater as is. This is not helping.

 

Sorry to vent. But this is where I am right now. Shedding tears and upset over this. I can't afford to do it and I can't afford to not do it.....  

[cyclinglady]

Yeah, celiac disease is a bummer.  But it could be worse!  At least you know what you are dealing with.  Please take the cancer issue seriously.  We just lost a member to lymphoma.  We have another member who was mis-diagnosed and fortunately she has recovered from lymphoma (she also has diabetes). 

Diabetes is linked to celiac disease, but only type 1.  I am untyped, but after three years (I did not get GAD antibodies testing for many reasons), my doctor and I think I have TD2.  I am a skinny diabetic, so you just never know.  

Talk about dietary restrictions!  I never cheat on the gluten-free diet, but I do cheat on a low carb, high FAT, diet.  I bought a cheap meter at Walmart and have tracked my results.  I have identified foods that really trigger high glucose readings (mostly things like rice and potatoes!!!).  If my blood sugar GI's wonky (I only test periodically now), I will ask for antibodies testing.  My doctor is okay with this since the treatment is identical at this point. I also am trying to avoid any medications as most affect the gut and my gut has already been damaged (hopefully healed) by celiac disease.

We are a gluten-free household.  Both hubby and I need to be gluten free.  Our daughter gets gluten outside the house at school.  You can eat cheaply on a gluten-free diet, if you avoid the gluten-free processed foods (like avoiding gluten-free bread).  We eat a diet rich in veggies, fish, meat, eggs, nuts, dairy, fruit, grains (for family, not me), etc.  I buy foods on sale and stock up.  I also cook in large batches and freeze.  It takes planning on your day off, but it is possible.  Get your family to look for store bargains.  Kids love finding deals.  We eat lots of eggs smothered in butter or as egg salad.  I make chilis. The list is endless.  Check out our old "What's for dinner thread."   Most meals are take less than 30 minutes.  Again, planning is key.

You can do this!  Oh, see if there is a local celiac group.  That might help you too!  

 

[cristiana]

It's funny because my cousin's wife has said to me on numerous occasions that the thing that she thinks would be most difficult to come to terms with, as a coeliac, is not being able to nip into a fast food outlet or eat out on a whim.   When I was first diagnosed I was just so relieved I didn't have cancer - which they thought my blood readings might be pointing to - that I felt I'd be happy to eat cardboard  for the rest of my days if it meant I was on the road to recovery.   

After several meals out where I'd bring a banana in my handbag, and maybe a nut and raisin bar, while everyone ate just what they wanted, I actually began to feel really fed up with it all.  It suddenly really got to me.  After a while it passed, but it really got to me for a time.  

It is a big deal - but that said, there are ways to cope, and I think cyclinglady's cooking in bulk is one of the best ways.  I cook huge batches of bolognese sauce and curry which I freeze.  It might take a while to chop those onions all at once but I'm using the chopping board once, so only need to clear up the mess once.  I use ready made sauces that have been approved as gluten free by the gluten free society here, but also add lots of fresh veg because it is good for the family but also stretches the meat ration a bit!

I  think one helpful thing is that if you are asked out to try to plan to take some things with you that you really enjoy so you aren't sitting there watching everyone eat.  I've been in situations where the person next to me told me they wished they had been offered what I was eating instead. 

Accountability is good too.  I was watching the TV the other day and they were talking about the success of Weight Watchers is down to accountability - at least while the diet is in progress!!  At WW I'm weighing in every week at the moment and it does make me think twice before having that extra portion of food.  In the same way, maybe it would be good to tell your hosts and your family that you are struggling to keep to the diet, but you are now under strict orders to stay gluten free, and you'd appreciate their support in staying off it? It's just a thought, but if they know you are supposed to be strict about it, you might feel less inclined to cheat?

[TexasJen]

I'm sorry!  (and it does suck)......I was diagnosed 9 months ago and the one thing that I still have a bit of a hard time getting used to is the not eating in restaurants. I do miss it quite a bit.  We didn't do it very often - maybe once a week but it was my break from the kitchen and my own cooking.   I tend to get stuck in ruts and eat the same things over and over again.

I am the primary cook for my family and I make one dinner every night and it's gluten free. There are quite a few things that we eat that everyone enjoys.  They don't get everything that other kids eat - but I keep telling myself that it will all be fine in the end. I grew up in a pretty small town without exposure to a lot of different kinds of foods - and I turned out ok. I love my crock pot! I make chili, soups, chicken tacos, pot roast, red beans and rice, and black beans for burritos in it. Beans and eggs are the cheapest things that you can make on the gluten-free diet and I would say that we eat them each at least once a week for dinner - yes, we have breakfast tacos for dinner once a week!

I buy gluten containing cereals, bagels and English muffins for breakfast during the school week. I make sure to clean up after breakfast very carefully. I send real bread sandwiches to school (and let them leave the crumbs there) and they get plenty of pizza at birthday parties. 

Good luck!

[aliciahere]

I know it's tough, but this to will pass. 

I would stop making two different meals for suppers. It's easy to make convert most Supper recipes to gluten-free. Need to thicken something with flour? Use potato starch. Barilla gluten-free pasta is amazing. Learn how to make a quick cheese sauce. Use that or a white sauce whenever a recipe calls for a cream soup. Potatoes and rice are your friends! And it's cheap. 

 

It does take a while for it to become second nature, but everything is so much better when you stick with it.