Mild case of celiac?

[bgsings]

Recently I asked my doctor about traveling in France on vacation and would it be OK to cheat a bit if I return to a gluten-free diet after. He advised my celiac is not significant enough that I need to avoid gluten. “Eat whatever you desire and enjoy your trip. Cut back if your stomach starts to bother you a bit.”  I find this a confusing message as my understanding is even a tiny amount of gluten can cause symptoms and damage. And I’m confused because saying my celiac disease is not a significant  case is like saying you’re a little bit pregnant. Isn’t it? I mean,  you either have celiac or you don’t, right? My celiac diagnosis was confirmed 1 year ago via Endo and bloodwork. I’ve been on a strict gluten-free diet ever since. My symptoms were moderate to mild. I am 63 years old. 

My  heart goes out to those of you who are extremely sensitive and have horrible symptoms and that really freaks me out but my symptoms have been moderate so my main concern is about avoiding doing damage to my intestines. Have any of you been told that because you have a mild case of celiac that you don’t have to be so strict about your diet? I found my doctors response quite perplexing.

[kareng]

43 minutes ago, bgsings said:

Recently I asked my doctor about traveling in France on vacation and would it be OK to cheat a bit if I return to a gluten-free diet after. He advised my celiac is not significant enough that I need to avoid gluten. “Eat whatever you desire and enjoy your trip. Cut back if your stomach starts to bother you a bit.”  I find this a confusing message as my understanding is even a tiny amount of gluten can cause symptoms and damage. And I’m confused because saying my celiac disease is not a significant  case is like saying you’re a little bit pregnant. Isn’t it? I mean,  you either have celiac or you don’t, right? My celiac diagnosis was confirmed 1 year ago via Endo and bloodwork. I’ve been on a strict gluten-free diet ever since. My symptoms were moderate to mild. I am 63 years old. 

My  heart goes out to those of you who are extremely sensitive and have horrible symptoms and that really freaks me out but my symptoms have been moderate so my main concern is about avoiding doing damage to my intestines. Have any of you been told that because you have a mild case of celiac that you don’t have to be so strict about your diet? I found my doctors response quite perplexing.

The truth is that a couple of cheats or accidental gluten probably won’t kill you.  But I hate to hear docs telling people it’s Ok to cheat because they do cheat.  It isn’t as bad as they thought.... so they do it again... pretty soon they are back to eating gluten and damaging themselves.  But it’s OK because some idiot with an MD said it was Ok.  Even tho the poor doctor didn’t mean you should do it over and over- he was just trying to say a one time cheat won’t hurt you permanently.

[Ennis-TX]

Yeah sure a little will not kill you, bit it will still damage your organs. Residue or a crumb can leave many of us with so much pain and other issues it is ER worthy. Even if you do not feel all that bad, truth is with celiac disease your immune system will attack your intestines and destroy your villi regardless if your "feeling" it or not.....any amount, the body responds to gluten like a germ. No such thing as a mild case, gluten is gluten, and it triggers your immune system to attack you, no amount of gluten is safe for celiacs. Perspectively, would you eat a few of those little green tabs from a box of rat poison just because it is not enough to kill you?

I would stick to gluten free on your trip, the damage is not worth it, complications are not worth it, and our reactions evolve over the years so you could be stuck in france and have a new or severe reaction and bomb the whole trip. France and most EU countries should have plenty of Celiac friendly foods and places. Do some research you might get lucky and find a dedicated gluten free restaurant up there.

[RMJ]

A lot of people with celiac disease react more strongly to gluten after having been gluten free for a while.  If you “cheat” you might ruin your trip.

If you’re going to Paris they have a number of completely gluten free restaurants/bakeries.  There is a thread about it somewhere on this site!

[Gemini]

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No need to cheat in Europe.  Their gluten-free products are phenomenal.  You can't even compare them to what we get here in the States.  Enjoy!