Can I Ignore My Celiac?

[missy'smom]

I'm even afraid to use my Kitchen Aid mixer that I used before

BF

If yours is a stand mixer you can give it a good thorough regular washing and be good to go. Don't be afraid to use it. I'm using mine. I put the whisk through the dishwasher. An all-purpose spray will cut through any greasy build up on the main part. The Kitchen Aids are made well with virtually no crevices for stuff to get into. I gave away my cheap hand mixer because I could see flour in the vents and it wouldn't come out. It would be a shame to get a new one(KA) and they make our work easier.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

. In terms of making non-gluten bread, what kind of flours do y'all recommend?

The easiest to start with is Roben Ryberg's buttermilk bread (can you have milk products??), which is in her book, The GLuten-Free Kitchen. If you don't have it, PM me, and I'll PM it to you (can't post the recipe here without violating copyright, as I don't haver her permission).

You will need something called Xanthan Gum. It is expensive (usually around $12 for a tiny bag), but absolutely necessary. Without it, your batter will turn to glue. It also lasts forever, as you only use 1-2 teaspoons at a time. You'll also need potato starch and cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, yeast (but NOT quick-rise, and NOT bread machine yeast, just plain simple yeast), buttermilk or buttermilk powder, and salt. I modify the recipe by greasing the breadpan and then "flouring" it with corn meal, which makes a great crust. The recipe doesn't call for an egg, but you can add 1 or two--the protein helps hold the structure of the bread together.

gluten-free breads rise best in glass baking pans. I don't know why. They work better in the oven than in breadmakers, at least in my experience.

[anemic]

Is the diet a bugger? YES! Are you worth it? ABSOLUTELY! We all miss beer and delivery pizza and eating whatever, whenever. It gets easier with time but will never be perfect- just keep on trucking along!

[Shamrocks]

I felt SO horrible prior to going Gluten-Free - THAT IS WHAT MAKES ME STAY ON MY GLUTEN-FREE DIET!

[lovegrov]

While untreated celiac does increase your chance of certain types of cancer, it's not inevitable or even a huge chance. The main threats come from other complications, such as nerve or heart damage, malnutrition, anemia, osteo, brain problems, and developing other autoimmune conditions, just to name a few. Some of these complications can also kill you; others make your life miserable.

richard

[gfp]

While untreated celiac does increase your chance of certain types of cancer, it's not inevitable or even a huge chance. The main threats come from other complications, such as nerve or heart damage, malnutrition, anemia, osteo, brain problems, and developing other autoimmune conditions, just to name a few. Some of these complications can also kill you; others make your life miserable.

richard

I think people do tend to obscess over cancer.... when many of the other complications kill you just as surely and others take away most of the pleasure of life..

On the other hand I think a bit of whatever works for you is OK so long as people don't just look at the big C and dismiss it and not realise they are far more likely to have other complications...

[Jestgar]

While untreated celiac does increase your chance of certain types of cancer, it's not inevitable or even a huge chance.

I felt this way too, until I was talking to a guy from Ireland about Celiac disease and lymphoma. I mentioned that even though the risks for lymphoma were quite a bit higher in Celiacs, they were so low to start with that it probably wasn't relevant. His response was simply, that may be true, but I personally know of two who have developed lymphoma.

Soooo, now I'm thinking that maybe the risk is even higher than we think.

[mamabear]

While untreated celiac does increase your chance of certain types of cancer, it's not inevitable or even a huge chance. The main threats come from other complications, such as nerve or heart damage, malnutrition, anemia, osteo, brain problems, and developing other autoimmune conditions, just to name a few. Some of these complications can also kill you; others make your life miserable.

richard

Open Original Shared Link

This is a new(March 2007) article that pretty well states the longer it takes to diagnose celiac( or the longer a celiac eats gluten....same difference)..the higher the risk of cancers...GI being the most likely. BTW,it is very hard to find GI lymphoma . The only good noninvasive clue is suspicion of "haziness" on a CT of the abdomen and the gold standard again being endoscopy.

[mamabear]

Open Original Shared Link

Here is a less scary article and even gives a possible plus side to breast cancer. However, my mother died of breast cancer and she was my apparent link to celiac . There are other articles that support a lesser fear of malignancy but none are as current as my first post in this thread.

Having already had a major malignancy and autoimmune disorder diagnosed alongside the celiac diagnosis makes me very careful about the gluten free diet.

[lfij]

ignoring celiac is sort of like commiting to swallowing a tablespoon of drano a day, really not a good plan.

[Guest Happynwgal2]

To mayray:

I am 54, and have been sick my whole life and was only diagnosed last December - after I asked for a gluten test. My doctors told me it was nothing to worry about, that it was IBS (Irritable Bowl Syndrome), but I could never accept that. I went from doctor to doctor, and finally figured it out myself, after years of depression, anxiety, stomach aches, diarreah, bloating and severe cramping. I felt I could eat nothing. It was emberassing to go to dinner at restaurants, or at friend's houses because I would almost always get so sick that I sometimes had to spend time in the nearest bathroom only 15 to 30 minutes after eating. I cannot tell you how sick I felt. It was awful; the older I got, the worse it got.

I did not listen to my doctors, just could not believe it was "all in my head", and went on a discovery tour, so to speak, that took me the better part of 10 years before I finally cut out gluten - and felt better within just a few days.

The result of my eating gluten for 54 years: I have hypothyroidism, my adrenal glands have stopped functioning, and I have secondary food intolleraces like cheese, yoghurt, eggs and yeast. I am still hestitant about adding new foods to my diet like beans and some fruits that used to make me sick. My intestines were/are so messed up that it will take months, if not a couple of years to heal.

I am fortunate that I have not developed other more serious illnesses - the list is long. My nephew who is 30 is slightly autistic - he is a high functioning autistic who can even drive a car - his autism may have been caused by celiac - we don't know for sure, but it could well be. He is religious about his diet and NEVER eats gluten, cheese or other things he cannot tollerate. Because he is so careful I believe his autism is not as bad as it otherwise could have been, and he is a very pleasant young man to be around, very funny and very intelligent.

Celiac runs in my family from my mom's side. My brother, the father of my nephew, is probably also gluten intollerant, although he does not get sick very often. I have encouraged him to get tested, but at 52, is just too stubborn... sigh... A cousin is also allergic to wheat and eggs - I assume it is gluten, but don't know for sure because I have lost contact with him. He is the son of my mom's brother, so again, it is all on my mom's side of the family. It runs in families and is hereditary. I am more and more concerned that my 4 year old granddaughter has celiac - my daughter will soon have her tested. Some of her symptoms are very much like my health problems when I was a child.

In my 20's, or even early 30's I was not as sick as I was at 54 - year after year of taking poison into my body finally took it's toll.

Going on a non-gluten diet has been frustrating because of the additional foods I cannot eat. But my health is better than it has ever been, and I am no longer depressed and anxiety ridden. I am starting to understand what it feels like to be "normal".

I know it is difficult to go gluten free. But the alternatives are so scary and so painful, that I would encourage you to do the best you can. I also LOVE bread, pizza, cookies, Little Debbie snack cakes (the Boston creams - yum), but I will NOT eat them any more. I never had beer or other alcoholic drinks, so those are not a great loss for me.

Good luck to you. Keep reading the postings here - you will find lots of encouragment that may help you more than any other help you could get in regard to this. I sometimes laugh at some of the postings because humor certainly helps many - and myself - to deal with this frustrating illness.

You will be in my thoughts and prayers...

[Kyalesyin]

All this just makes me glad that my wife was diagnosed in her 20's. I haven't told her about all of the risks yet, I don't want her to worry, but its definitley giving me good reasons to read the labels carefully.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I felt this way too, until I was talking to a guy from Ireland about Celiac disease and lymphoma. I mentioned that even though the risks for lymphoma were quite a bit higher in Celiacs, they were so low to start with that it probably wasn't relevant. His response was simply, that may be true, but I personally know of two who have developed lymphoma.

Soooo, now I'm thinking that maybe the risk is even higher than we think.

And I just lost a friend in February to lymphoma. He was tested for WHEAT ALLERGY (which was negative) instead of for celiac....