Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Stupid Required Meal Plans!

Mandy F.

By Mandy F.
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

Mandy F. Apprentice
Mandy F.
Posted

O.k. so I sent in all my medical info and said I had a restricted diet and everything and planned to take an exemption to the required meal plan because I'm a commuter student and have no intentions of eating on campus. (Wow! that's one long run-on sentence...) I went to get the form today (which I had origionally sent in with my paperwork) to resubmit it because I thought it had gotten lost. I got the form and there was no medical exemption request on it. I asked the person who gave me the form and she said "Oh yeah, we don't do medical exemptions anymore because the school has a dietician now." I said "Well, I still want one because I don't plan to eat on campus do you know who I need to talk to?" That's when all the run around started... I went to Food Services but they're just a company contracted through the school. I was sent to see another lady in another building who had NO IDEA why anyone would send me to her, but was kind enough to get the head chef and have a chat with me.

The chef was really nice and said that there was another person at the school with Celiac who they made special accomodations for ("she eats a lot of plain grilled chicken breasts"). He was really nice and said he would gladly work with me and asked me to bring in a list of foods I normally eat. The other lady (who I think was like the manager of the kitchen) politely took notes on all of the stuff I told her about Celiac even though she couldn't actually get me the exemption. She referred me to another person, who I have yet to talk to...

This is just so annoying! Who the heck decided that there couldn't be anymore exemptions from the meal plan and why the heck doesn't anyone know who made the decision?! None of this would bother me if I lived on campus and ever planned on eating there, but I don't and I can't see any reason I would... I would be really pleased at their willingness to accomodate me if I were on campus...

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


penguin Community Regular
penguin
Posted

They don't give a damn about your health, they just want your money :rolleyes:

Take it to the Dean of Students. Trust me, it comes in VERY handy to be friends with this person...

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
O.k. so I sent in all my medical info and said I had a restricted diet and everything and planned to take an exemption to the required meal plan because I'm a commuter student and have no intentions of eating on campus. (Wow! that's one long run-on sentence...) I went to get the form today (which I had origionally sent in with my paperwork) to resubmit it because I thought it had gotten lost. I got the form and there was no medical exemption request on it. I asked the person who gave me the form and she said "Oh yeah, we don't do medical exemptions anymore because the school has a dietician now." I said "Well, I still want one because I don't plan to eat on campus do you know who I need to talk to?" That's when all the run around started... I went to Food Services but they're just a company contracted through the school. I was sent to see another lady in another building who had NO IDEA why anyone would send me to her, but was kind enough to get the head chef and have a chat with me.

The chef was really nice and said that there was another person at the school with Celiac who they made special accomodations for ("she eats a lot of plain grilled chicken breasts"). He was really nice and said he would gladly work with me and asked me to bring in a list of foods I normally eat. The other lady (who I think was like the manager of the kitchen) politely took notes on all of the stuff I told her about Celiac even though she couldn't actually get me the exemption. She referred me to another person, who I have yet to talk to...

This is just so annoying! Who the heck decided that there couldn't be anymore exemptions from the meal plan and why the heck doesn't anyone know who made the decision?! None of this would bother me if I lived on campus and ever planned on eating there, but I don't and I can't see any reason I would... I would be really pleased at their willingness to accomodate me if I were on campus...

You need to make an appointment and talk to the dean. He or she may be able to do something. I would stress the fact that you want to be a good student and you don't want to miss classes becasue you are sick. Be prepared to show them on paper what can happen and that eating at their facility just is not safe for you. I would not stress that you were not going to eat there anyway, I don't think I would even bring that up. Most colleges are accomodating once they understand how difficult it is for us to eat and not get sick if someone else cooks. When you go bring as much info as you can pertaining to the issues of cross contamination and ingredient issues. Once my DD's school fully understood they set her up in upperclass housing the first year so she would have her own kitchen. And although we have to reapply every year we do get a refund of the dining fees. Good luck with this.

RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

Meal plan? You mean they actually try to dictate exactly what the students eat?

Fiddle-Faddle Community Regular
Fiddle-Faddle
Posted

Is there a Dean of Student Affairs or a Dean of Student Life or something like that? That is who you should go to?

penguin Community Regular
penguin
Posted
Meal plan? You mean they actually try to dictate exactly what the students eat?

Yep. Deep fried, gluten-filled, pre-packaged crap. At a massive premium. For the longest time I thought it was the dining hall making me sick, until I moved off-campus and didn't have to eat it anymore.

munchkinette Collaborator
munchkinette
Posted

Wow, that's awful! I thought the meal plans were connected to housing plans. I've never heard of them making commuter students buy the plan. Is this a private or public school?

As someone in education, I can tell you the bureaucracy is maddening. You just have to be persistant. Talking to individuals (like the deans, the cooks, etc.) is always more productive than going through the official communication channels. (Even if you still have to do that as a formality.)

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


eKatherine Apprentice
eKatherine
Posted
Wow, that's awful! I thought the meal plans were connected to housing plans. I've never heard of them making commuter students buy the plan. Is this a private or public school?

I've never heard of a college doing this to commuter students either, but it's just a reflection of the ways that colleges are getting creative in charging fees to students.

They weren't expecting you to eat student meals. They were expecting you to gripe to your friends, pay the fees, and let them keep your money for nothing at all.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. trents
      - trents replied to Paulaannefthimiou's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      Not necessarily. The "Gluten Free" label means not more than 20ppm of gluten in the product which is often not enough for super sensitive celiacs. You would need to be looking for "Certified Gluten Free" (GFCO endorsed) which means no more than 10ppm of gluten. Having said that, "Gluten Free" doesn't mean that there will necessarily be more gluten than "Certified...
    2. trents
      - trents replied to jenniber's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      10

      Disaccharide deficient, confusing biopsy results, no blood test

      I think it is wise to seek a second opinion from a GI doc and to go on a gluten free diet in the meantime. The GI doc may look at all the evidence, including the biopsy report, and conclude you don't need anything else to reach a dx of celiac disease and so, there would be no need for a gluten challenge. But if the GI doc does want to do more testing, you...
    3. Paulaannefthimiou
      - Paulaannefthimiou posted a topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      Are Bobresmill gluten free oats ok for sensitive celiacs?
    4. jenniber
      - jenniber replied to jenniber's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      10

      Disaccharide deficient, confusing biopsy results, no blood test

      thank you both for the insights. i agree, im going to back off on dairy and try sucraid. thanks for the tip about protein powder, i will look for whey protein powder/drinks! i don’t understand why my doctor refused to order it either. so i’ve decided i’m not going to her again, and i’m going to get a second opinion with a GI recommended to me b...
    5. trents
      - trents replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      Let me suggest an adjustment to your terminology. "Celiac disease" and "gluten intolerance" are the same. The other gluten disorder you refer to is NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) which is often referred to as being "gluten sensitive". Having said that, the reality is there is still much inconsistency in how people use these terms. Since celiac disease...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,849
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Jadelucia
    Newest Member
    Jadelucia
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      By trents · Posted

      Not necessarily. The "Gluten Free" label means not more than 20ppm of gluten in the product which is often not enough for super sensitive celiacs. You would need to be looking for "Certified Gluten Free" (GFCO endorsed) which means no more than 10ppm of gluten. Having said that, "Gluten Free" doesn't mean that there will necessarily be more gluten than "Certified Gluten" in any given batch run. It just means there could be. 
    • trents
      Disaccharide deficient, confusing biopsy results, no blood test

      By trents · Posted

      I think it is wise to seek a second opinion from a GI doc and to go on a gluten free diet in the meantime. The GI doc may look at all the evidence, including the biopsy report, and conclude you don't need anything else to reach a dx of celiac disease and so, there would be no need for a gluten challenge. But if the GI doc does want to do more testing, you can worry about the gluten challenge at that time. But between now and the time of the appointment, if your symptoms improve on a gluten free diet, that is more evidence. Just keep in mind that if a gluten challenge is called for, the bare minimum challenge length is two weeks of the daily consumption of at least 10g of gluten, which is about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread. But, I would count on giving it four weeks to be sure.
    • Paulaannefthimiou
      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      By Paulaannefthimiou · Posted

      Are Bobresmill gluten free oats ok for sensitive celiacs?
    • jenniber
      Disaccharide deficient, confusing biopsy results, no blood test

      By jenniber · Posted

      thank you both for the insights. i agree, im going to back off on dairy and try sucraid. thanks for the tip about protein powder, i will look for whey protein powder/drinks!   i don’t understand why my doctor refused to order it either. so i’ve decided i’m not going to her again, and i’m going to get a second opinion with a GI recommended to me by someone with celiac. unfortunately my first appointment isn’t until February 17th. do you think i should go gluten free now or wait until after i meet with the new doctor? i’m torn about what i should do, i dont know if she is going to want to repeat the endoscopy, and i know ill have to be eating gluten to have a positive biopsy. i could always do the gluten challenge on the other hand if she does want to repeat the biopsy.    thanks again, i appreciate the support here. i’ve learned a lot from these boards. i dont know anyone in real life with celiac.
    • trents
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By trents · Posted

      Let me suggest an adjustment to your terminology. "Celiac disease" and "gluten intolerance" are the same. The other gluten disorder you refer to is NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) which is often referred to as being "gluten sensitive". Having said that, the reality is there is still much inconsistency in how people use these terms. Since celiac disease does damage to the small bowel lining it often results in nutritional deficiencies such as anemia. NCGS does not damage the small bowel lining so your history of anemia may suggest you have celiac disease as opposed to NCGS. But either way, a gluten-free diet is in order. NCGS can cause bodily damage in other ways, particularly to neurological systems.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.