Which dreams to kill (erm, I mean adjust) first?

[LaLeoLoca]

I am not complaining. Truly. I am not.

I was limited my whole life by illness, then almost died, now am deeply disabled and trying to recover. Home bound for three years now. Isolated. Limited, on oxygen, falling daily. Broken, sure, but mending week to week. I am determined to recover but can’t control when.

Trouble with being bedridden is, you have time to think. Lots of it.

One of my big dreams was to travel if I got well, but celiac makes travel seem difficult and dangerous. I get that people dine out with C, but personally do not want to risk it out of a meaningful and well earned fear. I never want to feel this way again. But travel with a pot and pan sounds like a drag, as does meal planning, etc. And are any restaurants really safe, with the terror of CC?

And what about kitchens using pans that have touched gluten and can therefore absorb it and forever CC, in perpetuity? It’s the pans that really get to me. The pans, man. Unless a restaurant kitchen has two separate everything, full blown kosher level commitment, isn’t it all suspect? 

Staffing turnaround, also common, scares me. Some new person comes into a celiac friendly place and grabs the wrong straw or chops a lemon or who knows, and game over. You’re out. 

It seems like many Cs who travel have an attitude of “getting glutened is part of the risk, I get glutented sometimes oh well, it’s all worth it, haha read my adorable blog!” Which is great—for them. But is this thinking reality based? Is it worth the stress? I feel like in all illnesses there is a spectrum of severity, and anyone who says “getting glutened is worth it” has not felt what I feel right now.

Can you ever really trust a restaurant, and therefore can you travel without bringing your own pots and pans and everything? For me the joy of travel was in the new and different, the unexpected, and the not cooking at all. So having to plan everything and bring everything makes me feel pretty meh. 

Can a C truky travel safely? What are the precautions, not just with dining out, but with the reality that all rental kitchens are littered with radioactive debris? Deep cleaning some landlord’s kitchen is not my idea of a grand ole time. Do you pack a hot plate and sponges and pans? 

It feels like travel, if I am ever off oxygen and up for it, would be a terrorizing and epic hassle that could leave me suddenly migrained, diuretic, and incapacitated while away, regardless of effort. Is this fun?

Is it better to let go of travel as a personal goal and just, I don’t know, find something Else? (If so, Else suggestions are welcome. I have museums, kayaking, hiking, neighborhood wandering, etc but those could be a long way away as all involve physicality and having an immune system. But hey, let’s dare to dream here. If travel is too hard, what did you fill that yearning space with instead?)

Bon voy-shelter-in-place like a turtle,

LaLeoLoca

 

 

[yuluyouyue]

I travel without problems. 

When I don't travel, I never eat in a restaurant that is not dedicated gluten free. When I travel, I sometimes do. I always checked my antibodies after traveling in the past and they were fine. I believe if in my regular life I limit gluten exposure to a minimum, then eating out a few times a year, the possible cc won't be enough for any damage. Having said that, I only eat out when traveling because I want to join my traveling companions on occassion or two. Otherwise I think it is not worth it, as all you can get in a normal restaurant is something very plain and unseasoned. Therefore I sometimes also pick my destination according to how many dedicated gluten free restaurants it has. But that is also budget dependent. But I am also fine if I travel and don't eat out at all or cook while travelling. I take some gluten-free cereal with me and a little bowl and cuttlery. I buy milk at destination. Breakfast/dinner solved. For other meals I buy whatever wholefood I can find in supermarkets or on the street: corn on cob, sweet potatos, chestnuts, fruit, cheese, nuts, peanut butter, fries in Mcdonalds... there is actually plenty to survive on. I don't even really think about food prior to the trip. I know I will manage. Worse case scenario: fruit and veg detox :).

So get better soon and don't give up on your traveling or any other plans. 

 

[Scott Adams]

Whenever I eat out I take AN-PEP enzymes like GliadinX (a sponsor here), which have been shown in many studies to break down small amounts of gluten in the stomach, before it reaches the intestines. However, given your current poor condition eating out should be totally avoided until you can recover more. Eating out is best avoided, of course, but some people who travel for a living may not be able to do that.

Another option might be to map out grocery stores in the locations you travel, bring plenty of GF emergency food with you, and then hit those stores to re-stock with GF foods.