Hidden Symptons

[VRB]

I am 45 and work out 6 days a week, lift weights,eat healthy and maintain a 5'4" 125 pound weight since I was 20. I just got diagnosed with Osteoporosis! And to boot , it is pretty bad- a negative 3.2 T score. I was just recently positively tested for Gluten Intolerance- I do not know if I have full blown Celiac because I can eat pretty much whatever I want and not get sick. I went Gluten free 3 weeks ago and it is so hard to know if I am accidentily ingesting the stuff because I don't get sick! I am scared however that if I am not 100% gluten free that I am not ever going to retain the calcium, vitamin D and even the weekly bone density meds I am on. This is totally frustrating. Making meals at home is not an issue. I buy all Gluten free items but eating out is really hard. How do I know the hamburger that I have asked for to be grillled on a "clean" surface is really cooked that way (even though I have asked for it) ? How do I know that the spatula they used was just not used to flip a breaded chicken patty? There are some places that have no clue what in the world I am talking about - even the restaurant at a Holiday Inn. The question is, how much or little Gluten can I ingest? There is no way that even a full blown Celiac does not get some Gluten in their weekly diet.

So confused,

VRB

[confusedks]

VRB,

I am gluten free among with many other things. I am almost 100% I am as gluten free as possible. I can no longer eat out because of other food issues. But, when I was just gluten free, it's not that hard. You have to get things like salads with balsamic vinegar, etc. so you know it's gluten-free. I know almost immediately when I ingest gluten so it's a little different for me.

Good luck!

Kassandra

[Red Bonney Jo]

I have the same frustration as you, VRB. I have diagnosed Celiac disease and get sick from any amount of gluten but on a delay of a day or two. I try eating out at "normal" restaurants with friends and usually get sick a couple days later. In my perfect Celiac world I would cook all my own food all the time and feel better. In the real world I want to be as normal as possible and have to eat out, figure out my mistakes and learn from them for the next time. Some things I have learned so far are to visit restaurants that have gluten-free menus or know about the diet. There are several specifically gluten free restaurants in my area that I visit often. Another suggestion for eating at any restaurant would be the gluten free dining cards that have specific directions and can be taken to the chef of a restaurant. I look forward to other suggestions as I still have lots to learn. VRB, best of luck with your health and diet!

[VRB]

I have the same frustration as you, VRB. I have diagnosed Celiac disease and get sick from any amount of gluten but on a delay of a day or two. I try eating out at "normal" restaurants with friends and usually get sick a couple days later. In my perfect Celiac world I would cook all my own food all the time and feel better. In the real world I want to be as normal as possible and have to eat out, figure out my mistakes and learn from them for the next time. Some things I have learned so far are to visit restaurants that have gluten-free menus or know about the diet. There are several specifically gluten free restaurants in my area that I visit often. Another suggestion for eating at any restaurant would be the gluten free dining cards that have specific directions and can be taken to the chef of a restaurant. I look forward to other suggestions as I still have lots to learn. VRB, best of luck with your health and diet!

[VRB]

Thanks Red Bonney Jo for the kind words. I guess I am lucky that I do not have physical symptoms after eating cause it sounds like during this "learning process" I would be sick alot! I do have the restaurant cards and will give them a try. Good luck to you too

[Confused in Iowa]

Thanks Red Bonney Jo for the kind words. I guess I am lucky that I do not have physical symptoms after eating cause it sounds like during this "learning process" I would be sick alot! I do have the restaurant cards and will give them a try. Good luck to you too

My son was diagnosed Celiac a little over a year ago. He's in the same situation as you that he doesn't get sick from getting gluten. Once going gluten free - I did notice an almost immediate result in his learning ability (he went from being a C-D student to an A-B student) and also his general state of mind and attitude became so much better. He is 12 now. We quit eating out - it's too hard to find places for him to eat so generally we eat at home 99.9% of the time. He is also diabetic so at our last appointment they did a blood test to check his Celiac's and the Dr. called and told me his levels (sorry for my ignorance, but I don't know all the correct words) but anyway, she said the levels are still too high and he must be getting glutened somewhere. So working on being more cautious. I was really disappointed because I felt that I was doing everything right for him.

My oldest son and no one else in our family are Celiac, so I do have products in the house that are not gluten free so evidently it's from crumbs, etc. It's a very challenging disease...Good luck to you!

[VRB]

My son was diagnosed Celiac a little over a year ago. He's in the same situation as you that he doesn't get sick from getting gluten. Once going gluten free - I did notice an almost immediate result in his learning ability (he went from being a C-D student to an A-B student) and also his general state of mind and attitude became so much better. He is 12 now. We quit eating out - it's too hard to find places for him to eat so generally we eat at home 99.9% of the time. He is also diabetic so at our last appointment they did a blood test to check his Celiac's and the Dr. called and told me his levels (sorry for my ignorance, but I don't know all the correct words) but anyway, she said the levels are still too high and he must be getting glutened somewhere. So working on being more cautious. I was really disappointed because I felt that I was doing everything right for him.

My oldest son and no one else in our family are Celiac, so I do have products in the house that are not gluten free so evidently it's from crumbs, etc. It's a very challenging disease...Good luck to you!

[VRB]

Wow... you are right this is a really hard disease to control. My heart goes out to everyone out there that has to do this. I met my husband 4 years ago and he loves to eat out. I can't imagine depriving him of that. It would be like "changing" him and I don't want to change anyone. I want to learn ways we both can live with this. He has been wonderful at home, we have gluten-free pastas and eat alot of rice so I don't ever have to cook two meals and he has been real understanding. But eating out has been a real chore. I hear most Celiac's just give up and don't eat out anymore. There has to be another way??? Thanks so much for your post and much good luck to both you and your son.

VRB

[Eriella]

I also LOVE eating out, and I still do (sort of). Some things I have found is that when I call ahead and explain the situation, most nice restaurants can help you out. I also find that if I am at a restaurant where they are clueless, I don't chance it. I watch people eat and then go home and heat up leftovers. Some restaurants are great, others not so much. Once you find a great restaurant, tip well, and then become frequent customers. It means that you don't get a lot of variety, but you do get to eat out.

[Confused in Iowa]

My son is 12 so he's at the age right now that if he can't have what he wants to eat - he doesn't want to go - He really misses the pizza places and eating chicken strips at restaurants...the rest he doesn't seem like he misses it - worse part is when you are traveling to find places to eat.

thank goodness they carry a lot of things in the grocery store..so can still make pasta dishes - the whole family eats gluten free except for the bread for sandwhiches. Just kills me tho how expensive things are. Spent like 6.00 a box for these gluten free crackers - which are awesome - but man - I buy them for my son cuz he likes that with ham and cheese on it, so don't think of the expense if he can eat them - but when he was first diagnosed you don't know how many loaves of that bread I threw away - and how many loaves I made and ended up tossing. Takes a while to get used to the different flavor and texture.

[elye]

You say you've only been gluten-free for three weeks. I have what may be considered good news for you, or perhaps not ...MANY celiacs who started out asymptomatic (I was a classic example--no GI or neurological symptoms at all), have had their lower intestines start to heal when eating gluten-free, and then will start feeling the symptoms after a while. This is what happened to me and a number of others on this forum. After I'd been on the diet for a couple of months, I started to know what everyone was talking about when getting accidentally glutened--bloating, cramps, diarrhea. So give it some time...if you start getting symptoms after eating gluten, it means you're healing, and that's good news!

[mftnchn]

Did I miss something? You said you were diagnosed with gluten intolerance, not that you were diagnosed as celiac. How were you diagnosed? What tests did you have?

If you are asymptomatic and don't have positive celiac blood tests or villi damage confirmed by a biopsy, then you might not have celiac disease.

If this is a gluten allergy, and you have no symptoms with or without avoidance (making sure it is absolute avoidance to test), then I would wonder about the validity of the tests. Allergy tests, skin or blood, or stool, are only for guidance. The ultimate test is dietary response.

[Sarah8793]

I agree with what elye said.

The longer you are gluten free, the easier it will be to tell when you get glutened. I am about a year gluten free now and I am just now beginning to get obvious gluten reactions.