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Anyone Around Albany Ny?


bremac

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katm12981 Newbie

Hi,

I'm not celiac, but my fiance was recently diagnosed (only a couple of weeks after our official wedding cake tasting, how cruel is that???). We live in the Albany area.

I've been doing the majority of my shopping at the Latham Farms Hannaford, the Latham Price Chopper and the Green Grocer in Clifton Park. We also made a trip to Brunswick to Sherry Lynn's Gluten Free Bakery and Cafe on a day off, which was very nice.

I was encouraged to see the Times Union has a gluten-free blog: Open Original Shared Link It details many of the restaurants and stores in the area that offer gluten-free selections, as well as gluten free recipes.

Up until three weeks ago we ate almost nothing but gluten - admittedly we probably had way too much fast food, pizza, ate out almost every week, and partook quite a bit of Bella Napoli. Since then, we've made the house relatively gluten free (everything except for my Lean Cuisines), bought/registered for new appliances like a new toaster, etc. This diet is a very big adjustment for both of us. :(

If anyone has any suggestions of other grocery stores or restaurants in the Albany area, I'd love to hear them, thanks in advance!

  • 3 months later...

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*lee-lee* Enthusiast

i currently live in the Saratoga/Glens Falls area but am moving to Binghamton at the end of the month. My blood tests just came back positive and i'm awaiting scheduling for the biopsy.

i have a couple of questions...

thecookingnerd:

do you have a particular doctor in Binghamton that you see? I'm looking for both a primary care doctor and a GI or someone who specializes in or at least has some knowledge of Celiac.

i stopped gluten for 8 days while waiting for my blood work to come back - i just got results last night and was told i have to start again for the biopsy. the doctor didn't specify how much i would have began to heal in 8 days and just said to start eating gluten again so i'm wondering if i have to wait a certain time before i have the biopsy so as not to skew the results? I am really pushing to get it done before the end of the month so it will be covered under my current insurance but i don't want to do it if the results may not be accurate.

I'm pretty excited to go to Wegmans and see all the gluten-free foods they have!

  • 11 months later...
kcb3279 Newbie

Hi. Yes I live in the Albany area. :)

kcb3279 Newbie
Albany area here. Not diagnosed celiac as of right now, but I have a GI appt. on December 17 where maybe I can figure something out.

Do all you Albany people go to Albany GI for gastroenterologists?

I'm seeing Dr. Ben, I believe.

I noticed a small gluten free section in the natural foods section of price chopper in slingerlands. Not much, but i don't know how much would be in a good size section.

Dr Richard Eglow is in Troy, Ny and he is great!

  • 1 month later...
LkGrgGrrl Newbie
Hi I live in the Albany, Area, if I can be of any help, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Hi, I'm new to the Albany area and still trying to find a GI Doc that is very knowledgeable about Celiac. Can you recommend any?

LkGrgGrrl Newbie
Check out support groups online for the area. I'm pretty sure there are 2 or 3. I've looked because my family is in the Lake George area, and that was the closest I could find anything. My sister has had to take my neice to Albany for some of the testing. Her doctors are really messing around. 2 Positive blood tests. and they keep saying that they doubt she has Celiac, and they've been delaying a biopsy. What does it take? Meanwhile she's deathly ill, pale and growing tinier by the day.

Anyway.....I know there are a number of people not so far from you. After my diagnosis, my family members keep "running into" Celiace everywhere, and until last Nov. had never heard of it. We're out there.....just not wearing any banners and flags!

The blood tests can be "inconclusive" because the test looks for antibodies and the antibody level is strictly related to gluten consumption for that date. If I go a week without eating gluten my antibodies drop like a hot rock. There is no bacteria or virus to check so an elevated antibody level can only point your doctor towards Celiac.

However, the only true test is the Endoscopy. It takes much longer for damage to the digestive system to repair itself. EGD will show a doctor if those antibodies have flattened the villi in the Digestive System - a sure sign of Celiac. Tell your sister to demand an EGD and threaten to find a new doctor. Its terrible that in this day and age, we have to be our own advocates and push the doctors in the right direction.

  • 3 weeks later...
sweetforyounow Newbie
Anyone live in the Albany area? I have not met another celiac here and sometime I feel so alone.

Hi there! I'm not in Albany but fairly close. I'm in Syracuse and haven't met anyone with our problem either.


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  • 2 weeks later...
gfny66 Newbie

i live in albany, ny and have been attempting to go gluten free for just over a week, though i've definitely made mistakes. i've had fatigue/depression/weight issues for about 10 years that began around the same time as a digestion issue which seemed to resolve itself. the past 4 years have been especially bad and a couple of times since late last year i've been physically ill with headache, sore throat, and body aches for no apparent reason other than maybe stress. the first time i was sick, i had bloodwork done. including testing for lyme disease, and the doctor said everything was normal. after the most recent illness, i went to a naturopathic doctor who had me do more bloodwork (still waiting on results) and suggested i try going off gluten for a month.

in some ways it isn't as difficult as i expected since there are a lot of products available that are labeled gluten free and some restaurants are knowledgeable and accommodating or even have gluten free menus. on the other hand, reading ingredient labels can also be overwhelming and some people have no idea what i'm talking about and don't seem to want to help.

i haven't felt like myself for a long time and am optimistic about something new that could help me feel better. i'm going to do the best i can this month and see if it makes a difference. what i'm trying to figure out is if it's just gluten sensitivity rather than celiac, do i still have to be as worried about contamination? i bought 'living gluten-free for dummies' to try to get a handle on all of this. i'd appreciate guidance from those who have been dealing with this and it would be great to hear from albany-area people with local advice.

  • 9 months later...
Eliza82 Apprentice

Southern Vermont about an hour and a half from Albany....(Not me...at least I don't think so...my almost 1 year old)

Hi - i'm in Southern Vermont too! Near Bennington! Its hard to find restuarants around here that have options but Hannaford has a lot of good choices.

  • 1 month later...
Rizz Newbie

Newburgh NY, luckily I have a Hannafords and a pretty good health food store (natures Pantry) with a nice sized gluten-free section.

  • 4 weeks later...
Jen13 Newbie

Rochester, NY not to far from Albany.. about 4 hours. My boyfriend is from Albany and we go up there alot. Dont hesitate to ask if you need anything!

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    • lmemsm
      This may make you feel better about cross-contamination: https://nationalceliac.org/celiac-disease-questions/do-i-need-new-designated-pans-plates-and-utensils/ https://theceliacscene.com/rethinking-cross-contamination-no-need-to-be-so-careful/ I use Tom's of Maine or a toothpaste that states it's gluten free.  I have allergic reactions to some toothpastes so some of the toothpastes in health food stores are usually safer for me. They're typically gluten free as well. Spices can contain cross-contamination from gluten.  There are a few lists online of spices that are safe for celiacs.  I also grow my own herbs and use them in place of store bought when I can.  I think Badia lists their spices as gluten free and Spice Lab has some gluten free too. Knitty Kitty has a great point about nutritional deficiencies and B vitamins.  I got a lot of aches and pains when I got off gluten.  I tried to replace wheat with other healthy grains like teff, buckwheat and sorghum.  Limiting one's diet too much and not getting enough vitamins, can make someone feel worse.  A lot of the gluten free foods in the stores are made with lower quality ingredients than the wheat varieties.  I try to replace all my foods with homemade options.  Then I know the quality of the ingredients and which vitamins I may be high or low in.  Probiotics or prebiotics can help with bathroom issues.  Better to get them in foods if possible and not pill form.  My doctors keep recommending magnesium too.  It's not supposed to be taken alone, but they don't seem to care about that.  It's easy for vitamin D to be low too.  That was another thing doctors told me to take.  Unfortunately, they didn't monitor it and it went too high.  Again, better from natural sources like food and sunlight.  However, supplementing can help if you're not getting enough.  Some sources say to take D with K2.  You may want to have iodine levels checked.  If you add iodine, make sure to get sufficient selenium for thyroid.  You can get iodine naturally in most seaweed.  Nori may also be one of the few non-animal sources for B12.  Brazil nuts are a good source of selenium and you only need a few a day to meet RDA.  Some brands of nuts specifically say gluten free.  Unfortunately, there are issues with Brazil nut production and they're much harder to find this year. The more you can vary your diet the better.  One study said aim for at least 30 different foods in a week.  You might want to try kiwi fruit.  There were some studies that said eating kiwi improved mood.  It also has a covering which most people don't eat, so that should protect what's inside from contamination. I've limited my diet quite a bit over the years because of migraines, so I know how uncomfortable it can be finding safe foods.  However, I'm afraid limiting diets like that may actually be causing more harm than good.  It's something I'm trying to work on.  I keep trying to expand the number of foods I eat and my recipe repertoire.  I made a list of brands of foods that I've found that are gluten free so I have a guide when I'm shopping.  
    • knitty kitty
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    • max it
    • cristiana
      My chest pain has been caused by costochondritis, as well as times when iron supplements has given me such bad bloating it has put pressure on my back and chest, and reflux can do the same. Also, along the lines of Wheatwacked's suggestion above, is it possible you had an injury to your chest/ribs way back that is being set off by either some sort of gastrointestinal bloating/discomfort? I distinctly remember really hurting a rib over forty years ago when I misjudged a wall and thought it was just behind me but in fact it wasn't.  I fell badly against the wall and I think I cracked a rib then.  For some strange reason I didn't tell anyone but I think had I gone to hospital an X-ray would have revealed a fracture. I think that rib has not been right since and I am sure that bloating makes it worse, as well as heavy lifting.
    • Dora77
      Sorry for the long post. I’m 18, and I was diagnosed with celiac disease and type 1 diabetes (T1D). My transglutaminase IgA was >128 U/mL, EMA IgA positive twice, and I’m HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 positive. I’ve been completely asymptomatic since diagnosis, even when I cheated with gluten sometimes in the past and used to eat out(2-5 years ago) I don’t get the typical celiac reactions, which makes it really hard to know when (or if) I’ve been glutened. But for the past year, I’ve been the most strict with my diet, and that’s also when a bunch of new issues started. I eat completely glutenfree, never eat out, dont eat food that says „may contain gluten“.   Current Health Problems • Floating, undigested stools for over a year now. Dont think its related to celiac as it was like this since im 17 and not 13-16( i got diagnosed at 13). • Chronic back pain started gradually, worsens with movement, lots of cracking/popping sounds. Been ongoing for a year now. First noticed in the gym. • Abdominal bulge on the right side, not painful but seems to be getting slightly bigger. Doctor didn’t find a hernia on ultrasound, but it was done lying down (I’ve read those can miss hernias). Noticed it like 6 months ago, couldve been there longer. • extremely dry and mildly swollen hands (this started before I started excessive hand-washing), and bloated face. • Signs of inattentive ADHD (noticed over the past 3 years), now combined with severe OCD focused on contamination and cross-contact. • Growth/puberty seemed to started after going gluten-free. Before that I was not developing. Dont know if any of these are because of celiac as my dad doesnt have those and he is a lot less strict gluten-free then me. I also had pancreatic elastase tested four times: values were 46 (very low), 236, 158, and 306 (normal). Gastroenterologist said one normal value is enough and I don’t have EPI. Family doctor prescribed Kreon anyway (after I pushed for it), and I just started taking 1 capsule (10,000 units) with meals 2 days ago, but couldn‘t see effects yet because I’ve been constipated the last few days. Maybe because of thyroid. I don’t have Hashimoto’s. No thyroid antibodies. But I took levothyroxine for slightly low FT4 levels. My thyroid levels fluctuated between borderline low and low-normal. And recently lowered my dose so that may have caused the constipating. I probably didn’t need it in the first place, and am thinking about stopping it soon.   Current Diet Right now, I only eat a very limited set of “safe” foods I prepare myself: • Gluten-free bread with tuna or cheese • Milk and cornflakes • gluten-free cookies/snacks • Bananas (the only fruit I trust right now) I rarely eat other fruits or vegetables, because I’m scared of contamination. My dad, who also has celiac but doesn’t care about CC, buys fruits, and he might’ve picked them up right after handling gluten bread. That makes me feel unsafe eating them. Even fruit at stores or markets feels risky because so many people with gluten on their hands touch them.   My Home Situation (Shared Kitchen) We’re a family of 5. Only my dad and I have celiac. He eats glutenfree but doesn’t care about CC and sometimes (but rarely) cheats. My mom and siblings eat gluten bread at every meal. My mom is honest (so if i ask her to be cautious, she most likely would try to), but doesn’t seem to understand how serious celiac is. She: • Stopped using gluten flour • only cooks gluten-free meals (but they still heat up gluten bread and also cook gluten noodles) • Keeps separate butter/jam/jars for me • Bought me a stainless steel pan Bu we didn’t replace old wooden utensils, cutting boards, or other pans. The new they bought me pan was even carried home in a shopping bag with gluten bread in it, which triggered my OCD. It also has a rubber handle and I’m scared it might still hold onto gluten. Even if it’s washed well, it’s stored next to other pans that were used for gluten food/bread. Our kitchen table is used for eating gluten bread daily. My mom wipes it but not with soap. I’m scared tiny particles remain. If she made gluten-free bread dough on a board at the table, I’d still worry about cross contmaination contamination even with something under the dough and on the table as at one point the dough would probably touch the table. So I stopped eating anything she makes.   I know OCD is making it worse, but I can’t tell how much of my fear is real and how much is anxiety. Examples: • I wash my hands 20–30 times a day — before eating, after touching anything at home or outside, after using my phone/laptop. • I don’t let others touch my phone, and I’m scared to use my laptop because friends at school or my brother (who eat gluten) have touched it. And it annoys me a lot when others touch my stuff and feels like it got contaminated and is unsafe instantly. • I stopped eating while using my phone or laptop, afraid of invisible gluten being on them. • I wash my hands after opening food packaging (since it was on store cashier belts where gluten food is placed). • I avoid sitting anywhere except my bed or one clean chair. • I won’t shake hands with anyone or walk past people eating gluten. • At school, when switching classes, I wash my hands before getting out my laptop, again before opening it, etc. • I open door knobs with my elbows instead my hands   Job Concerns (Powder Coating, Sandblasting, Etc.) I’m working a temporary job right now that involves: • Powder coating • Sandblasting • Wet spray painting • Anodizing There’s also a laboratory. I don’t need this job, and my OCD makes me believe that dust or air particles there might contain gluten somehow. Should I quit?   Doctors Haven’t Helped My family doctor told me: “Asymptomatic celiac isn’t serious, if you have no symptoms, your intestines won’t get damaged, so you don’t need a gluten-free diet.” I knew that was wrong, but he wasn’t open to listening. I just nodded and didn‘t argue. My gastroenterologist (who’s also a dietitian) said: „If your antibodies are negative, there’s no damage. It might even be okay to try small amounts of gluten later if antibodies stay negative.“ Also said, pepper that says “may contain gluten” is fine if it only contains pepper. She was more informed than my family doctor but didn’t seem to fully understand celiac either.   Questions I Need Help With 1. Is it realistically safe to eat food my mom cooks, if we get separate pans/ and boards even if gluten is still used in the same kitchen? There will always be low risk of cc chances like that she will still touch stuff that was touched by her and my siblings after they ate gluten. And as there are gluten eaters in the house and she also prepares and eats gluten. So would opening the fridge then getting the food and touching the food be okay? So basically what i am doing, washing my hands multiple times while preparing food, she would only wash it once before, then touch anything else (for example water tap or handles) that were touched with gluteny hands, then also touch the food. I dont know if I ever could feel safe, I could try telling her how important cc really is. And I trust her so she wouldnt lie to me then be careless about cc, but idk how safe it really can be if she and everyone else keeps eating gluten and touching stuff in the house after eating. 2. Do I need to worry about touching doorknobs, fridge handles, light switches, etc. that family members touched after eating gluten? What about public places like bus handles or school desks? Or like if i went to the gym, I would be touching stuff all the time, so there will be small amounts of gluten and those would get transferred on my phone if I touch my phone while in the gym. But I want to knos if it would be enough to do damage. 3. Is an endoscopy (without biopsy) enough to tell if my intestines are healed? I’d pay privately if it could help and if i dont get a refferal. Or do i need a biopsy? 4. Could my job (powder coating, sandblasting, etc.) expose me to gluten or damage my intestines through air/dust? 5. Do I need certified gluten-free toothpaste, hand soap, shampoo, or moisturizer? (For example: Vaseline and Colgate don’t contain gluten ingredients but say they can’t guarantee it’s gluten-free.) 6. Is spices like pepper with “may contain traces of gluten” safe if no gluten ingredients are listed? Or does everything need to be labeled gluten-free?  7. Is continuing to only eat my own food the better choice, or could I eventually go back to eating what my mom cooks if she’s careful? 8. is cutlery from dishwasher safe if there are stains? Stuff like knives is used for cutting gluten bread or fork for noodles etc. I often see stains which i dont know if its gluten or something else but our dish washer doesnt seem to make it completely clean. 9. I wash my hands multiple times while preparing food. Do i need to do the same when touching my phone. Like if i touch the fridge handle, I wash my hands then touch the phone. I dont eat while using my phone but i leave it on my bed and pillow and my face could come in contact with where it was.  10. Do i need to clean my phone or laptop if theyve been used by people who eat gluten? Even if no crumbs fall onto my keybaord, i mean because of invisible gluten on their fingers. 11. Does medication/supplements have to be strictly glutenfree? One company said they couldn‘t guarantee if their probiotics don’t contain traces of gluten.  12. I had bought supplements in the past, some of them say glutenfree and some of them dont(like the brand „NOW“ from iherb). I bought them and used them when i wasnt washing my hands so often, are they still safe? As I touched and opened them after touching door knobs, water taps etc. It was like a year ago when i bought those and even though i was eating gluten-free, I never worried about what i touch etc. I know this post is long. I’m just extremely overwhelmed. I’m trying to protect myself from long-term health damage, but the OCD is destroying my quality of life, and I honestly don’t know what’s a reasonable level of caution anymore. Thanks for reading.
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