I Am 18 W/cd.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Well, being 18 and knowing about having celiac disease for less than a year has been hard. I moved to GA right before my senior year and found out about my celiac disease a few weeks before graduation. During all the fun of graduation this past May I didn't get to participate in a lot the fun out of school stuff. My doctor had told me to not eat anything which upset my stomach for a few months so that it could heal (I couldn't eat much up to this point. . .it all went through me). I lost a lot of weight and could not eat out. Everyone was having fun and going places but I was too ill to do almost any of it. This got me down. All my classmates just didn't understand how anyone could be allergic to wheat. I didn't have many close friends since I had only been there a year but I had a handfull of good ones who were very supportive and made sure to include me in all sorts of things. When I could go to parties or picnics they were the ones who made sure to have the food I could eat so that I could have fun and not feel left out. That meant a lot to me. Even for this new years at my friends house she had food for me to eat. I didn't feel so well so I didn't eat much of it but I was glad she had thought about it.

I started college and I usually don't tell people about my wheat allergy until it comes up. The very first question that is always asked is "Can you drink?" I find that to be so funny. They think it is the end of the world that I can't drink but it doesn't bother me one bit. I am into ceramics and my peers in that class and the student club are amazing. They were always talking to me about it and telling me of different foods they have found that are wheat free and are so intrested in it. When we have food or go to dinner they always take my allergy into consideration without me having to remind them.

It isn't always this pleasent. Some people think it is funny and will offer me wheat food just to be mean; they will be really idiots about my problem. They do not understand the seriousness of what I have to deal with. I just take them along with the good people.

What do you other teenagers deal with? Do you guys get teased about celiac disease? I am so curious about your lives because I don't know anyone who has this, too.

Kristina

[ROYAL BLUE]

Its wonderful you have such thoughtful friends. I am not a teenager but was checking out this posting just to see the views on other children. My son is only 6 but I am so concerned about other peoples reactions to his illness. Children ( and Adults can be so cruel about something unknown). We live in a very small community where their are no other celiacs for a few hundred kilometers let alone children celiacs.

[supersillyak]

Well.......i cant really relate to the college life at all...but having celiac disease at age 14 is also a challange. I was just diagnosed last month and it has been pretty difficult. I guess i should feel pretty lucky tho, that the docs actually cought it! if they wouldn't have cought it, i would have been sick all the time. So YIPEE about that.

About the friends thing: My friends are all 13, 14, & 15 so i guess that probrem hasnt really occured yet. My brothers and sisters give me a hard time, but thats certainly not as bad as a friend's comments. The next time someone says something, just be like: AHHH DUDE, IM SPECIAL AND HAVE A REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY....ummm COOL DISEASE AND IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT....you can just...ummm.....EAT SOME OF MY FOOD AND DEAL WITH THAT.....hehehehe

Okay that was kinda a joke... but you get what i mean. ..hope college with end up all right...good luck with your friends...and just ignore everyone else. Its hard...but all you can do is ttry

[angel-jd1]

I am in College also, I have had my diagnosis for a year. Do you live in the dorms or in an apartment?

I have my own house so it makes life easier!! I can cook my own foods, do my own shopping and not have to worry about cross contamination or any other nasty things.

I have a hard time telling people my age about my disease also. I think that they don't really understand it fully. Then there are some who totally sympathize and are wonderful!!

Do yourself a favor and take a daily vitamin. I take nature made essential balance. Listen to your body!!! If it says you are tired, take a nap. College wears you out. Stay away from sick people, your body probably isn't fighting germs with full force.

Most importantly ENJOY COLLEGE!! Don't let the disease rule your life. Go out, dance, party, have fun!! Just do it without gluten! It is possible.

Best wishes!!

-Jessica

[aball882000]

Thats really great that your friends are so understanding. Mine are pretty good after i remind them, but not before they offer me something. Some push it towards you and start to offer then their like oops sry nvm (and their honestly sry)

I still have problemswtih my dad understanding ("can you have oats?" no dad, -gee i guess its too difficult after 1 and half year...)

I still dont know anyone either which makes me feel more like a freak, but hearing other peoples stories helps and sounds familiar...Im not in college so im not dealing with that yet but im considering going somewhere close to here so i can live at home. Seems easier. Right now my problem is traveling! I go on trips with school and have 3 big ones coming up! The last trip was pretty bad i came home and practically binged, no food with and nutritional value for 5 days, (not to mention no private bathroom) My next trip is to New york for a week, then cali with my family. If anyone has any suggestions how to travel (without looking too wierd) i would greately appreciate it!

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Thank you all for your replies. I like the ENJOY COLLEGE part because I am just starting to let myself enjoy it! It is hard but I am trying. I do live at home still and that does make it easier to eat. Tomorrow a new semester starts and I am getting nervous. All new people, teachers, and classes. . .rar. . .I just have to relax and see how things go; maybe I can meet some really cool people.

Aball- I have always traveled a lot but haven't liked it at all since finding out I have celiac disease. When I go on trips now I usually make sure to have a lot of apples. . .I eat them all the time and the lil ones are easy to carry. I also take rice bead with me because I eat it with eggs and that is simple to do. I don't know if you go where you can cook yourself though. Also take cereal that you can eat! That is always a good one. Oh, and my Dad always forgets, too. For example he asked me the other day if I wanted to take some sugar cookies with me before heading to the airport! Cookies?!?!?! I get so upset with him but I just need to rememeber that he thinks first about being nice and offering them and me being allergic second. I hope he will remember it better as time goes on.

[Guest Disturbed]

I know what your going through. I only discovered I had celiac disease in october. Though I am not in college, I am only 15, but I have to be especially careful because I have anyphylactic reactions to gluten and nuts. I set the High school attendence record with 97 days of absence and a week long stay in the ICU. How long does it take for your reactions to occur?? How long do they last??

-Disturbed

[MySuicidalTurtle]

You poor thing! My reactions are no where near as bad as yours. It seems to sometimes depend on how much food is in me. . .I can react in a minute to an hour. I always usually get diarrhea that can last depending on what I had anywhere from 30 mins to HOURS! When I had the rash from the shampoo it went away in a week or so.

[tarnalberry]

(btw, I love your knickname, MySuicidalTurtle)

I'm 25, and wasn't diagnosed until I was out of college, so I'm not a huge help there. (Well, I can tell you what I did in my attempts to eat healthier and lose weight - I bought myself an electric skillet for my dorm room. They're not cheap, and I used it outside, of course, but between the little fridge I had, and a bookshelf turned pantry, I was able to make a lot of my own food. I still love that electric skillet. (Farberware makes good ones - they'll run you like $75, I think, so it took a while to save up the money, but well worth it!) Heck, I'm pretty sure you could cook almost anything but baked goods in it. I made rice dishes, stir fries, chili, etc...)

And I'm sorry about your friends being... what's a term that won't be offensive on here... not-so-nice about the whole thing. It's funny, because even when I was choosing to eat healty, no one berated me about my choices or anything like that. Maybe it's the school I went to...

But as for the alcohol thing! I can help! I should note that, having taken a number of chemistry classes for my physics degree, I don't believe that distilled alcohol is a problem for celiacs. The chemistry of the distillation process make it impossible for gluten to be in pure distilled alcohols. (That's saying nothing of alcohols with stuff added afterwards, of course. ;-) ) But even if you choose to avoid grain-based, pure distilled alcohols, there are some options, and you'll get the best tasting drinks out of it. ;-)

When I looked up the list of gluten-free drinks (and I'm not a big drinker AT ALL, but some of my friends enjoy splurging occasionally) and was very disappointed to see only... hmm... bottom shelf spirits on the list. (Ok, ok, those reading this! Don't stone me! My senior year I helped run a "bar" on campus known for stocking the most thorough and high quality stuff - and we bought ourselves even better stuff! Turned me into a bit of an alcohol snob, I admit. But it goes quite well with my food snobishness. ;-) ) Anyway, I was bummed about the "best" vodka on the list being Smirnoff. Blech! (One of my roommates one summer was a Russian; I got to learn to appreciate the stuff. I also learned to appreciate making sure your roommates drink plenty of water before going to bed so they don't have a hangover. ;-) ) But some friends came across a great vodka made from GRAPES in France, Ciroq. The stuff's pricey, but a little vodka goes a LONG way. And this stuff is better than Stoli. (I think it's better than Grey Goose too...)

So I know I've rambled on way too long (I should have gone to sleep a while ago), but this stuff is good and I wanted to share the find!

Anyway, I'm sorry you've had people be cruel about it, and if the catering staff can't deal with the issue (and goodness knows I wouldn't have been able to trust Aramark if I had been dx'ed in college!), I hope you can find a place where you can cook some of your own stuff - even if it is on campus. I don't know if it's because I live in California, home to people doing WACKY diets all the time, or what, but I can't imagine people doing that. Hmm... Can you carry around a little box of rat poison and when someone offers you wheat, you offer them the arsnic? ;-) Ok, maybe that's mean... :-)

Oh, and yes, to make this rambling message even longer, about going on trips - for me, I need fairly balanced snacks (carb:prot:fat wise). So you could add some peanut butter (or almond butter! better, but more expensive) to those apples. (It tastes good, really!) Also, I've made muffins ahead of time (particularly the soy muffins on the Bob's Red Mill package - they're nicely balanced for a muffin). Nuts and dried fruit works well for me also. And, of course, cereal. And a few "energy bar" type things I've found that are gluten-free. (I won't list brands, because it'll depend on your stores, and since you seem to be on the east coast, with my luck, none of the ones at my local health food store will be distributed out there since they're all produced locally to me.)

Ok, I'll stop typing now... :-P

[MySuicidalTurtle]

tarnalberry, Thank you for all that! So much good advice. I like what you were saying about how you cooked in your room. I have been thinking about that a lot for when i do leave home. I am 18 right now and aam fine living at home and driving to school but I do want to move out one day. The alcohol thing is funny because I had decided before knowing I had celiac disease that I would never drink. So, lucky for me that is not a bad side of celiacs! Plus, it is easier to explain an allergy as the reason for not drinking then going into the whole "I don't want it in my body" reasoning. I went back to school this week. After each class I went up to the teacher and asked them about their bathroom policies (just to ease my mind). Only one said she didn't want people going to the bathroom during class. I explained to her that there would be times that I might have no choice but she didn't get the whole celiac disease things or any of it so I just said "medical condition" and she just had to say okay I wont hold it against you. For crying outloud! This is college and she is going to tell me that I can't leave class when I need to! Hell, I am paying for it! Oh well, I can't let her bother me. It's not like I would go to the bathroom for fun hahahaha. The almond butter I might try- I have never had a thing for peanut butter. I have made lueberry muffins before! They were so yummie! Well, thanks again for the response!

Kristina

[eRinLuCyO1]

Heyy... I'm 17 and just got diagnosed with celiac disease at the end of December. I was wondering if anyone here is catholic because I'm having a hard time with the eucharist when i go to mass on sundays. The host has wheat in it and the wine is contaminated from people who recieve the host and then go straight to the wine. The priests at my parish haven't been too accomodating and I was wondering if anyone had any advice. It would be great if I could just bring in a rice cracker or something to be consecrated but the Vatican wont allow it. Let me kno if ur goin thru this too... thanks!

- Erin

[huletts]

I am 17 w/celiac and was diagnosed last June. I am a senior in HS, and am in the process of trying to figure out what school will accomadate my needs. I was accepted to Villanova Early Action but thats the only school I applied early to so I won't find out about the others until April. So far, all the schools claim they can accomadate my needs without a problem. Over the next few months I am going to contact every school for more details. For those of you in college, how does your school accomadate your needs?

On the subject of drinking, I drink all kinds of vodka with no problems. I have heard several experts say that as long as it is distilled, it does not contain gluten. The same goes for vinegar. I know this is a subject of debate but I will continue to do this. My mom ordered me gluten-free beer from a brewery in Suffern, NY and I've tried it a few times. It doesn't taste like beer at all. It's strange, kind of like a combination of seltzer, ginger ale, cider, and champagne. Sometimes I can tolerate it and other times it makes me want to puke! Besides vodka, I drink rum, wine, champagne, and sometimes tequila.

If anyone wants to talk, my email is eleis13@aol.com and I use aol for IM as well.

It's nice to be able to talk with people that can relate to me!

[flagbabyds]

I am only 13 but i have had celiac disease all my life. I have a lot of problems in school and with parties. Last week my teacher brought bread into spanish class to share with the class for the new year and I didn't eat it but I still got severly sick just from it being in the air. I was throwing up all night and now everyone is mad because we are not allowed to have bread in class. There is this one guy who keeps making fun of me and ijust ignore him and he has gotten less annoying because he is getting bored. So just ignore the people who make fun of you.

Also there are many gluten-free restaruants in NYC is is something like Glutenfreerestaruants.net i am not sure and P.F. changs is CALI has a gluten-free menu and First Watch in San Mateo has a gluten-free menu.

MDS

I like smileys

[ibilisi]

Hey all- I'm 26 now, but was (luckily) diagnosed at around age 7. My father is a doctor and was determined to find out what was wrong with me.

Anyway, I made it through all school, but it wasn't easy at times.

I went to a small liberal arts College. Kalamazoo, in Kalamazoo,MI. I ate at the college food service and lived in the dorms. However, I had to go through and ask for an ingredient list. Also, I often asked for "special" meals. Kalamazoo was able to accomidate my requests and I made some friends with the food service people to boot.

There were times that I was unable to eat anything but my solution to that was my rice cooker and some black beans. My friends used to call that "rabbit poop and maggots". But it really is an all-around meal with protien, carbs and a little fat. Kalamazoo College usually didn't allow for "higher voltage" equipment unless there was a reason. Well, having Celiac is a good reason! Heck the people with bad allergies to pollen got air conditioners!

The last year I was in a house that was no problem- I just had to explain to my roomates what was up and I usually rewashed dishes before I used them.

So, I wouldn't change college choices based on celiac, you can make it work, you just have to put in a little more effort. Get a solid rice cooker and love that thing. Also look for those lovely rice crackers! A lot cheaper than the EnerG brands.

As far as drinking goes- I'm not much of a drinker - never have been. But in college I stuck with vodka and I usually got the cheaper stuff. I always experimented with what to mix it with. Lets face it, vodka isn't really a social drink - unless you are in Russia. So, I mixed it with everything I could - soda, tang, koolaid. Most everything was nasty. Yeah, gross.

I would also like to reiterate: ENJOY COLLEGE! Heck I was able to get a solid degree, become a 3-time all-american in swimming, do a 8 month stint in Kenya (Actually fairly Celiac-friendly), and meet my future wife!

[MySuicidalTurtle]

flagbabyds,

People like that guy really piss me off. Hopefully you won't have to deal with many people like him. That is awful about how the bread effected you.

ibilisi,

Thank you for your story! That is very cool that your school was understanding. Hearing of your trip to Kenya makes me feel better about traveling over seas. I am a swimmer, too. No where near that good. I only ever did it to help me play water polo. I have no team here in GA to play for. It's cool that you did so well. I was always sick at meets and such but still managed to participate and have fun. Everything you said is helpful to me. Thank you, again!

[Guest laughs8]

As yet another recently diagnosed 18 year old college freshman, some thoughts...

I'm at the University of Pittsburgh, living in the dorms, and who had a meal plan the first semester. While some dining halls are probably helpful, ours was not. They tried, and failed--I got my meal plan canceled and am much better off. Luckily I'm not a terribly severe case, because that would make life much harder.

I suggest bringing a hotpot and a rice cooker, even though they likely will not be allowed. Risotto is fairly easy to make, gluten-free, and good. That, nachos, veggis--and whoever suggested a multivitamin is right on, especially with all the germs going around a dorm.

Anyways, good luck w/ everything, I'm sure you'll figure out a decent eating schedule. Don't choose a college based on being gluten-intolerant, you'll be able to cope anywhere.

[angel-jd1]

Luckily I'm not a terribly severe case, because that would make life much harder.

I hope that you realize there isn't really a "severity" to having Celiac. You either have the disease or you don't. So please don't be cheating because you think you don't have a "severe case". If you aren't having symptoms you are still doing damage to your body by eating bad things.

Best wishes and good luck!

-Jessica

[Guest laughs8]

Jessica,

I know that I have celiac disease, and so I don't cheat--but I know that if I accidentally eat something contaminated, I don't get as physically sick as a lot of other people. I don't know if it's a good thing--I could be accidentally eating something I shouldn't--but it seems to be how my body works.

Thanks for caring though

Emily

[angel-jd1]

I'm glad to hear that you aren't cheating!! I have heard so many people say the same phrase as you used, but they mean that they don't think their case of celiac disease is very severe so they can eat bad things and still be "ok". WIERD!!!

Take care!!

-Jessica

[s-berry]

Hey All,

Erin- I believe there is a company from Germany that has begun to make gluten-free sacrament wafers (endorsed by the Vatican too I believe). I can remember as a kid, there was a girl in my school who had celiac disease. She used to bring her own to church every Sunday and the priest would bless it. Another option is simply to opt out of taking communion. I know it's a big part of the mass but God wouldn't want you to be sick.

To all of you in college- I was diagnosed in the middle of my Senior year of college but I was sick long before that. Being in a sorority made things difficult because you are expected to take part in social events (almost always involving alcohol consumption). I discovered that hard cider was a way to get around the beer question. Beer is one of the WORST things for me, I am so sensitive to it and I'm sick for days after drinking it. Hard cider comes in a bottle that looks like microbrewed beer. Most people will simply see you just holding a bottle and not question what it is. Those that do usually think it's pretty cool that you like to be adventurous and try new things. Also, while wine and many distilled alcohols are gluten-free, be really careful of beverages like Smirnoff Ice or wine coolers. They're malt beverages and give a similar reaction to beer. I think Boone's Farm is Apple Wine and therfore probably gluten-free but I don't know for sure.

More Importantly, you don't have to drink. Amazingly enough most people will respect your desire to be "straight edged" and not drink if you're firm and don't give in to peer pressure.

College was an amazing time but I am realizing now that I am out and recovering from my gluten full days that I felt physically crappy almost the whole time. I think about how much more fun it would have been not to be tired and sick all the time. Be thankful that you were diagnosed when you were. Your diagnosis isn't a curse, it's a blessing. Now you know what to do and not to do to make yourself 100% your best and enjoy life to its fullest.

Good luck to all of you!

Steph

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I just wanted to do a quick comment- I have found that saying I am sXe is A LOT easier than saying allergy. People seem to respect sXe more and already know what it is. Plus, I am sXe so it works out anyway, hahaha!

[Guest rejacobs]

HI,

My name is Rachel and I am 20 years old. I was diagnosed with Celiac when I was 18 months old, so I have lived with it my whole life. As I got older, it got easier and easier for me in school and in my social life. My friends were all very concerned with what I was able to eat and what I was not. I still did everything that other children my age did. I did not my food allergy get in the way. I still did the everday activities that other children my age did. I went to overnight camp from age 10-15. Every summer my parents would spend the few days before I went to camp cooking and baking gluten-free foods. I came to camp with boxes of gluten-free food so that I was able to eat the same things that everyone else was eating, just with my flour. I never really felt like I was different than anyone else. Sometimes it got annoying to have everyone ask me the same questions over and over again, "Why do you get different food". I would just answer "Because I am special".

I am a sophomore in college now and still my life has not changed because of my food allergy. Last year I lived in the dorms, and I still ate in the cafeteria. My meals last year consisted of salads and baked potatoes. Good thing I never got sick of those. My social life didnt change at all, just because you cant drink beer doesnt mean your college life has to suck. I still go out with my friends and party on the weekends. I still drink, but I stick to the hard liquour. I like any of the clear liquours mixed with any kinds of pop or juices.

This year I live in an apartment with one other roommate. She understands what I can and can not eat. She doesnt really touch the gluten-free foods because she knows that it is sometimes hard for my to find them in the small town I am in of Indiana.

Whoever is reading this and is planning on going to college or is in college already, dont fret. Life doesnt have to change because of your eating habits. You just need to keep your head up. ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF YOUR LIFE.

People often tell me how lucky I am that I am not able to eat all the fatty foods that people often eat because they taste good. I often hear from all my friends "thats how you stay so skinny". I still eat like poop, but I just know the right amounts and exercise!

Would love to keep in touch with you guys. Keep up with the gluten-free foods and enjoy them!

[Guest Libbyk]

on the topic- are gin and tonics ok? does it depend on the brand?

Peace

[Guest rejacobs]

I think gin is fin. I think that hard liquor is just so distilled that there is hardly any grain left in it to make us sick. I personally dont drink them because I dont like gin and I dont like tonic, but I am sure its fine. Ask a doctor!

Rachel

[Live Love Twillight]

Heyy... I'm 17 and just got diagnosed with celiac disease at the end of December. I was wondering if anyone here is catholic because I'm having a hard time with the eucharist when i go to mass on sundays. The host has wheat in it and the wine is contaminated from people who recieve the host and then go straight to the wine. The priests at my parish haven't been too accomodating and I was wondering if anyone had any advice. It would be great if I could just bring in a rice cracker or something to be consecrated but the Vatican wont allow it. Let me kno if ur goin thru this too... thanks!

- Erin

hi! i hav the same problem, but apparently there is this place sumwhere that makes low gluten hosts!! I am still a teen so my parents know the specifics, but basically we talked to a Priest about it, and he ordered sum!! My father distrubets them to me so no body else will have touched the host, but it depends on how your church works. Also we found out it is not legal to have gluten-free hosts, but they hav low-gluten which works for me. . .but you might be more sensitive. . .it depends for everyone. just ask and be friendly-who knows, sumone might talk!! Hope this helped. . .