83 Year Old Husband Finally Diagnosed

[Sprued]

Hi everyone,

my husband who is 83 years old was just diagnosed as having Celiac.

He'd been having trouble off and on for many, many, many +++++ years and it was

just a few months ago that they finally tested him for Celiac.

He's been having B-12 shots and Folic Acid for at least a year amoungst other tell-tale

signs of Celiac.

Just a few days before Christmas he was bleeding internally and I had to rush him to

Emergency and he ended up having to have some blood transfussions.

It's been a very long road.

We now know that the bleeding was a result of the Celiac and we're worried that, since it's been sooooooooo long that he wasn't diagnosed, his "villi" is too far gone and is "killed" so that there is no possiblilty of it growing back.

Anyway, the extra hardest part is the eating.

After 80 years of eating regular stuff and his beloved oatmeal now he can't eat almost all of the foods that he loves.

I'm sure it's difficult for anyone to have to change to a gluten-free diet but I think it's so much more difficult for him since he wasn't diagnosed until so late in life.

Anyway, I'm baking gluten-free bread for him about 3 days because he can't stand that store bought Rice-Bread.

I don't mind baking the bread for him I just wish I could make it more fluffy instead of like a brick.

I don't know how he eats it.

We had to empty our shelves of everything and restock with gluten-free foods.

Luckily, I'm not Celiac'd but I make sure that everything in our cupboards is okay for him so that way he doesn't have to worry what he can eat or not.

Anyway, it's very stressful.

[amybeth]

Wow! I cannot imagine how difficult this transition must be for the both of you! Yet, it is so good that he has received the correct diagnosis. I believe that my grandfather had celiac disease, yet never received a proper diagnosis. He had many symptoms and no explanation for them was ever offered. When I was diagnosed last April, my aunt mentioned celiac to his physician who essentially brushed her off and said "he couldn't have that"......my grandfather had survived several heart attacks (from age 40 on) and was a trooper through and through well into his 89th year! I wonder if a correct diagnosis could have given him a better quality of life....

I hope you will find this board helpful! I have found countless recipes, pieces of shopping advice, ways to avoid cross contamination and loads of support!!

There is only one particular bread that I've found edible (I think I'm still attached to Wonder Bread in my heart of hearts) -- it's Food for Life Rice Pecan Bread. I found it at a health food store. It's pretty good when toasted -- almost like a "real" rye bread...

I had to get rid of my old "contaminated" toaster before I could enjoy it to its fullest, but it's really not bad.

When a safe toaster isn't handy I like to make my sandwiches on lettuce leaves and make a wrap. It isn't Wonder Bread, but it doesn't make me sick, either.

Good luck!!

[Rachel--24]

Wow...that must be quite an adjustment for him! Sounds like you are making things alot easier for him with cleaning out the cupboards and doing gluten-free baking. I think thats great that he's getting that kind of support. I hope even though the diagnosis is coming late that he will still feel the benefits from a gluten-free diet. Good luck to both of you and welcome to the board.

[CMCM]

Can you go to www.kinnikinnick.com and order some of their things? I think your husband will like them....much better than the things you've tried thus far (I tried them too). In particular, the English muffins are GREAT, also the Italian white tapioca bread. And the animal cookies are great, too! As are the donuts. I gave some to my 84 year old mom and she loved them!

It's just amazing that your husband didn't find out until now. But better late than never!

[klemmen]

wow that is awful that it took so long to diagnose your husband, and i can only imagine how stressful it must be for you and him both. Although as you said he finds it very hard to adjust to a new diet now, on the positive side he will regain so much health you would hope. perhaps you can find an alternative to oatmeal that has a similar consistency..i don't know if anyone knows of one here? was never an oatmeal fan Although the diet may seem daungting (sp?!) there really is a lot og gluten-free products available, and a lot of information, most of which i can thank the people on this board for

I hope your husband starts to feel better soon and happy spring! (finally!)

[debmidge]

It isn't easy to make such a drastic diet change at this time in his life. My husband went 26 years misdiagnosed so I can relate to the longer haul he'll have to regain some health. Has he been responding to the gluten-free diet?

Wishing him a rapid healing process. Always feel free to ask questions on this board. We'll help you navigate through it.

[TCA]

Bless your heart! I am so proud at how well you are supporting him. My husband's grandfather is in his 80's and we think he has it, but none of the rest of the family will agree for him to be tested. It is so frustrating. He even had an endoscopy last month and my father in law wouldn't even ask the doctor about it. We're 6 hours away and couldn't be there. I also think my grandmother developed celiac disease after my grandfather died 22 years ago. She passed last Sept. at 94 and I was just learing about the disease. I wish I had known sooner.

My favorite products are Cause You're Special. They have the BEST cake mixes - better than gluten ones. I cook their biscuits and bread (very fluffy) all the time. You can order it from www.glutenfreegourment.com . I also love Enjoy Life Snickerdoodles from glutenfreemall.com. They have a lot of other stuff too. Tinkyada pasta is the BEST. I buy it at our local health food store, but you could probably order it.

I really hope things improve soon. I so admire your dilligence and willingness to go gluten-free for your husband.

[jenvan]

Your poor husband! I thought some of us waited a long time to be diagnosed!! I hope things will get easier for him as the initial days and weeks go by...and that he will find some new foods he really enjoys.

[floridanative]

Bless his heart - and your too. Well don't worry, it's difficult at first but there are so many wonderful things he can have you should worry about him gaining too much weight from all the great gluten-free stuff. Good luck to you. It will get easier. I'm only three months in and it's already easier than when I started. Mostly due to the people right here on this board.

[Guest Viola]

Welcome to the board. It's great that your husband has you to help

Remember that almost all of Celiac food tastes better when heated. Especially the bread and buns, either micro for a few seconds on a paper towel, or toast.

For a change, you can find a good pancake mix...Pamela's has a good one and so does Kinnikinnick. Make a double batch then use the left over ones like bread. Just pop into the micro for a few seconds and top with peanut butter and jelly, or egg salad, or what ever takes your fancy. Strawberries and whip cream does it for me

Good luck with everything, and hugs to both of you. You're going to do just fine!

[tammy]

Let's see I believe that it is an amino acid called Glutamic Acid or Glutamine that is very helpful in healing the intestines. Someone please check that out for me. It is worth looking into. Wow, once he is steadily eating a gluten-free diet and gets the right nutritional support he will feel better!

Hugs to you for your support too!

[WGibs]

Wow, I can't imagine what you and your husband are going through -- I hope he experiences great health improvements that make it all worth it.

I just wanted to reply that I really liked oatmeal too, but now I eat cream of rice. I put butter, sugar, cinnamon, and sugar in it and I find it yummy. Not exactly oatmeal, but an adjustment you can get used to. There is also cream of buckwheat, but I haven't tried it. I just wanted to let you know that there are other hot cereals out there that he might enjoy.

I also like the Kinnikinnick products, but the donuts are the one thing I'm not a fan of -- too dense for me.

I've recently started making cinnamon toast for a treat with my coffee on the weekends -- for some reason it works well with the gummier texture of rice bread. So that's my donut/pastry substitute.

I wish you both the best of luck and I hope you stick around here. People are really helpful and among us all, we've tried most of the products out there and can guide you towards the best substitutes.

[lau]

Hi everyone,

my husband who is 83 years old was just diagnosed as having Celiac.

He'd been having trouble off and on for many, many, many +++++ years and it was

just a few months ago that they finally tested him for Celiac.

He's been having B-12 shots and Folic Acid for at least a year amoungst other tell-tale

signs of Celiac.

Just a few days before Christmas he was bleeding internally and I had to rush him to

Emergency and he ended up having to have some blood transfussions.

It's been a very long road.

We now know that the bleeding was a result of the Celiac and we're worried that, since it's been sooooooooo long that he wasn't diagnosed, his "villi" is too far gone and is "killed" so that there is no possiblilty of it growing back.

Anyway, the extra hardest part is the eating.

After 80 years of eating regular stuff and his beloved oatmeal now he can't eat almost all of the foods that he loves.

I'm sure it's difficult for anyone to have to change to a gluten-free diet but I think it's so much more difficult for him since he wasn't diagnosed until so late in life.

Anyway, I'm baking gluten-free bread for him about 3 days because he can't stand that store bought Rice-Bread.

I don't mind baking the bread for him I just wish I could make it more fluffy instead of like a brick.

I don't know how he eats it.

We had to empty our shelves of everything and restock with gluten-free foods.

Luckily, I'm not Celiac'd but I make sure that everything in our cupboards is okay for him so that way he doesn't have to worry what he can eat or not.

Anyway, it's very stressful.

Recent research shows that oatmeal does NOT contain gluten, so your husband can have that. I've read that in the US, gluten is stored in the same silos as wheat, so for those who are extremely sensitive, there's the potential for cross-contamination. However, in Europe, oat is stored separately. So you can buy Irish oatmeal, which is gluten-free. My supermarket carries Irish oats in the health food aisle. If your supermarket doesn't have a health food aisle, try a health food store. Good luck--your husband (and you) will adjust to his diet.

[Guest Viola]

Recent research shows that oatmeal does NOT contain gluten, so your husband can have that. I've read that in the US, gluten is stored in the same silos as wheat, so for those who are extremely sensitive, there's the potential for cross-contamination. However, in Europe, oat is stored separately. So you can buy Irish oatmeal, which is gluten-free. My supermarket carries Irish oats in the health food aisle. If your supermarket doesn't have a health food aisle, try a health food store. Good luck--your husband (and you) will adjust to his diet.

Yes...he can have oats IF the oats are guaranteed uncontaminated. You cannot use things like Quaker Oats! There are only two companies in North America that make uncontaminated oats and I have heard that Irish Oats are safe. I don't know the price of the Irish Oats, but the Canadian and US uncontaminated Oats are super expensive!

[kabowman]

Congratulations on the DX!!!! And the wonderful job of the transition!!! That is such a huge and difficult change. I have family with allergies and refuse to change even when they get to the point that they can't talk and is having difficulty breathing.

The food gets better and more varied once you figure everything out.

[mamaw]

Hope your hubby gets feeling better soon. He's lucky he has you to do the learning and cooking. It's alway hard to start over at any age but you seem to have things under control. I like Anna's Bread mix. The oats that are gluten-free are pricey but it is worth it if your an oat lover. I just placed an order for gluten-free oats fromgluten free oats. I sampled Cream Hill Estates from Canada and I loved them but I order from the US Company because of the shipping....

good luck

mamaw