You Are Great People

[VAGuy]

I've been trying to adhere to a gluten-free for two months after it was suggested by a dietician. The information on this site is just great, I've learned so much and it will be a great help. I think I'm going to do the Enteron tests and see what they show - I think I'd slug a doctor who wanted me to go back on gluten so they could tell for sure, I've felt increasingly worse for 23 years (51 now), I don't ever want to take a step backwards.

I'm amazed at the number of people describing situations similar to mine:

told it was IBS

depression

fatigue

doctors that don't listen

joint pain

sleep problems

Been looking for a miracle for years, maybe I've found it.

Do you people eat at restaurants - or just at home?

I think giving up pizza and deserts is the toughest for me so far - my Mom is/was a fantastic baker, a bakery nearby makes eclairs so good I salivate at the thought of them - I'm really going to have to learn to bake.

Reading the posts at this site is a great help - thanks again

Phil the Scrawny One

[Guest jhmom]

Hi Phil:

I think you have made a wonderful decision by taking charge of your health!

I also think Enterolab is a great idea . That is how I was diagnosed after suffering for years only be told I had IBS.

I eat at home most of the time. If I have family gathering I prepare mine and my daughters food and we take it with us. We eat out about once a week. I only go to places I KNOW has a gluten-free menu and food that I know I can tolerate by trial and error. I eat at Wendy's, Chick-Fil-A and Outback Steakhouse. I have not had any trouble with any of these places other than the salad dressing at Outback, it was just a little to spicy for me If you have an Outback near you they have an AWESOME gluten-free brownie dessert! It is YUMMY!!!!

[seeking-wholeness]

Hi, Phil!

Let's hear it for forward progress! Like you, I feel like maybe I have finally found the key that will allow me to unlock my full potential as a human being, and no one could pay me enough to convince me to go back on gluten for testing!

Right now I eat exclusively at home except when I am traveling, and even then I take as much food with me as possible. Either I have gotten EXTREMELY sensitive to gluten in the past month or so, or I have some temporary intolerances (besides lactose) that I haven't figured out yet. I haven't found a good pizza recipe yet, but I have found a couple of delicious cookies. One is a (vegan!) gingerbread cookie; the recipe is Open Original Shared Link. The other is a fruit-filled bar cookie with a crumble topping that I adapted myself from a regular recipe, and I will post the recipe as soon as I get a solid block of computer time without my baby trying to climb on my lap! These cookies really help me feel less deprived of the good things in life.

I hope you find some emotionally satisfying foods in short order, and that you continue to feel better each day!

[Guest LisaB]

I feel just as you do Phil, there are great people on these boards that can help with the bad and share in the good. I think being a person that has gone through what we have really adds to our overall character!

Seriously, what doesn't kill you...o.k., it almost killed us all, but we are still typing so...

Glad your here, glad we are all here and can help each other.

As far as restaurants go, I have gone out to eat only a couple of times since going gluten-free, but I'm still not sure what is doing what yet. My immune system is so shot that it is hard for me to tell when I have a virus or if it is gluten that is causing suffering. It also depends on how desperate you are to feel better, I am limiting any potential mistakes because I can't live like this any longer. If your not too bad off and the risk is worth it, then o.k., but there is always the chance that even if you have eaten there before there will be cross contamination from a cook or whatever...it is tough, no way around it.