I Think My Doctor May Possibly Be An Idiot

[LisaN]

Ok. So I have been seeing this doctor for about 2 years now. Everytime I try to talk to her about something she responds with a blank look on her face...ok?... do you not know what I am talking about or are you just having problems hearing. It drove me crazy. So I had not been there in several months because I lost my health insurance and after recently getting it back, decided to get some bloodwork. I can never remember a time in my life when I have ever felt good, not one day. There has always been something that made me tired, or have an upset stomach, etc... I never really paid attention when I was younger and for the past 4 years I thought it was the combo of work/school. Well I graduated and guess what... I still feel bad all the time.

Anyways, I do my own research and then all of a sudden, *light bulb, fireworks, bells & whistles*, I have Celiac Disease. I just knew it. When I went for my bloodwork I asked her if she knew of Celiac and she seemed to know a decent amount of info. So I went back for my follow-up and my bloodtest confirmed what I had thought. She starts telling me to go on a gluten-free diet and about how hard it is because she has to follow the diet too because she has a gluten allergy. Finally, I thought, something she can finally give some solid info on. She told me that I could eat Corn or Rice Chex, that I did not need to change my shampoo/make-up because that is only for people who break out in rashes, and buying new pots/pans is not that necessary. She said "You only need to change the things that you put into your mouth." I believed her too.

Well I go grocery shopping yesterday which was a horrible experience to begin with. I go to check out and my bf says, you may want to double check the ingredients in the Corn chex. I start reading the ingredients and what do I see?.... "Barley Malt Extract"!!!! I almost flipped out. Why would my doctor tell me I can eat this??? Why?! I know that I can't have this and I have only done research on the web for about 5 days. Yes she can eat that because she has an allergy to wheat, not celiac. Why doesn't she know this?

So does this mean she was wrong about the shampoo and pans also? I bet she was. I mean why do I have money taken out of my paycheck for someone to tell me false information? That money could go to buying better gluten-free foods, ya know?

I'm sorry for ranting but this is my 3rd day on the diet. I am cranky, I had a really gross frozen dinner for lunch, and my coworkers were taunting me with krispy kremes. I have never wanted a donut more then I did today.

So do I change my shampoo, make-up, etc? Are doctors visit worthwhile to me any more? Should I call up Dr. "I don't know the difference between an auto-immune disease and a freakin allergy" and have them transfer my info to someone else?

Help please!

[wowzer]

Hi Lisa, I would be freaking out too if a doctor that claims she has a gluten problem and gives you that kind of advice. I know how you feel, I had the same thing happen to me with my gynecologist. I went to this man for 18 years only to find out he didn't know a thing about my condition. I was truly hurt, but have moved on. At least now you know what is wrong. You will find so much valueable information on this site. I did at least luck out with my family doctor. I believe I have DH. I did test negative on my blood test, but I did have a positve response going gluten free. It will get easier. By the way Celiac Specialties has some awesome gluten free donuts. I hope that you are feeling better soon. Wendy

[wowzer]

You only have to change your shampoo if it isn't gluten free. You do need to check your body wash, lotion, cosmetics, etc. too.

[Virgie]

ARGH!! Sometimes I just hate going to the doctor. My 15 year old sons doctor one time gave him a 15 minute lecture about how he should have some drive and go to school. At the time my son was suffering from sleep problems due to Prednisone and he was taking a medication for his Ulcerative Colitis that was making him worse (he was having 15-20 episodes of diarreha a day). Oh yeah, doctor really easy to go to school when you are feeling like that. And that medication that was making him worse I had printed off information that said my son could be allergic to it and the doctor was like "no not possible". Yes it was possible because the minute he came off of it he got better. So I totally understand your frustration with your doctor. You could find some information and print it off to give to her so that she doesn't offer some other patient this wrong information. As for your pots and pans if they have scratches in them yes do replace them. Otherwise you do risk cross contamination with gluten being in those scratches. And especially your pasta strainer. Get a new one of those. And your wooden spoons too. Also don't forget about your toaster. I even bought another griddle so I could have one for my daughter and one for the rest of the family. And when it comes to the shampoo and soaps I would look into gluten free types. After all how many times do you touch your mouth after washing your hands. Better safe than sorry.

Sorry that your co-workers taunted you with donuts. How mean ! What people don't get about gluten free is that it isn't just some fad diet to lose weight. You are gluten free because your health depends on it. Would these people taunt a diabetic with food that they shouldn't have?? By the way to help your donut issue I bought some Ener-G brand donut holes and they were pretty good. Also I bought this pan called a Pancake Puff. Open Original Shared Link and they almost taste like a donut. My daughter loves them. I just use a gluten free pancake mix and then dust them with cinnamon sugar. Yum !

I wish you success with the gluten free lifestyle.

Virgie

son 18 UC/EE, IBS, Asthma , daughter 13 Celiac Disease dx 9/07

Ok. So I have been seeing this doctor for about 2 years now. Everytime I try to talk to her about something she responds with a blank look on her face...ok?... do you not know what I am talking about or are you just having problems hearing. It drove me crazy. So I had not been there in several months because I lost my health insurance and after recently getting it back, decided to get some bloodwork. I can never remember a time in my life when I have ever felt good, not one day. There has always been something that made me tired, or have an upset stomach, etc... I never really paid attention when I was younger and for the past 4 years I thought it was the combo of work/school. Well I graduated and guess what... I still feel bad all the time.

Anyways, I do my own research and then all of a sudden, *light bulb, fireworks, bells & whistles*, I have Celiac Disease. I just knew it. When I went for my bloodwork I asked her if she knew of Celiac and she seemed to know a decent amount of info. So I went back for my follow-up and my bloodtest confirmed what I had thought. She starts telling me to go on a gluten-free diet and about how hard it is because she has to follow the diet too because she has a gluten allergy. Finally, I thought, something she can finally give some solid info on. She told me that I could eat Corn or Rice Chex, that I did not need to change my shampoo/make-up because that is only for people who break out in rashes, and buying new pots/pans is not that necessary. She said "You only need to change the things that you put into your mouth." I believed her too.

Well I go grocery shopping yesterday which was a horrible experience to begin with. I go to check out and my bf says, you may want to double check the ingredients in the Corn chex. I start reading the ingredients and what do I see?.... "Barley Malt Extract"!!!! I almost flipped out. Why would my doctor tell me I can eat this??? Why?! I know that I can't have this and I have only done research on the web for about 5 days. Yes she can eat that because she has an allergy to wheat, not celiac. Why doesn't she know this?

So does this mean she was wrong about the shampoo and pans also? I bet she was. I mean why do I have money taken out of my paycheck for someone to tell me false information? That money could go to buying better gluten-free foods, ya know?

I'm sorry for ranting but this is my 3rd day on the diet. I am cranky, I had a really gross frozen dinner for lunch, and my coworkers were taunting me with krispy kremes. I have never wanted a donut more then I did today.

So do I change my shampoo, make-up, etc? Are doctors visit worthwhile to me any more? Should I call up Dr. "I don't know the difference between an auto-immune disease and a freakin allergy" and have them transfer my info to someone else?

Help please!

[bakingbarb]

Ok. So I have been seeing this doctor for about 2 years now. Everytime I try to talk to her about something she responds with a blank look on her face...ok?... do you not know what I am talking about or are you just having problems hearing. It drove me crazy. So I had not been there in several months because I lost my health insurance and after recently getting it back, decided to get some bloodwork. I can never remember a time in my life when I have ever felt good, not one day. There has always been something that made me tired, or have an upset stomach, etc... I never really paid attention when I was younger and for the past 4 years I thought it was the combo of work/school. Well I graduated and guess what... I still feel bad all the time.

Anyways, I do my own research and then all of a sudden, *light bulb, fireworks, bells & whistles*, I have Celiac Disease. I just knew it. When I went for my bloodwork I asked her if she knew of Celiac and she seemed to know a decent amount of info. So I went back for my follow-up and my bloodtest confirmed what I had thought. She starts telling me to go on a gluten-free diet and about how hard it is because she has to follow the diet too because she has a gluten allergy. Finally, I thought, something she can finally give some solid info on. She told me that I could eat Corn or Rice Chex, that I did not need to change my shampoo/make-up because that is only for people who break out in rashes, and buying new pots/pans is not that necessary. She said "You only need to change the things that you put into your mouth." I believed her too.

Well I go grocery shopping yesterday which was a horrible experience to begin with. I go to check out and my bf says, you may want to double check the ingredients in the Corn chex. I start reading the ingredients and what do I see?.... "Barley Malt Extract"!!!! I almost flipped out. Why would my doctor tell me I can eat this??? Why?! I know that I can't have this and I have only done research on the web for about 5 days. Yes she can eat that because she has an allergy to wheat, not celiac. Why doesn't she know this?

So does this mean she was wrong about the shampoo and pans also? I bet she was. I mean why do I have money taken out of my paycheck for someone to tell me false information? That money could go to buying better gluten-free foods, ya know?

I'm sorry for ranting but this is my 3rd day on the diet. I am cranky, I had a really gross frozen dinner for lunch, and my coworkers were taunting me with krispy kremes. I have never wanted a donut more then I did today.

So do I change my shampoo, make-up, etc? Are doctors visit worthwhile to me any more? Should I call up Dr. "I don't know the difference between an auto-immune disease and a freakin allergy" and have them transfer my info to someone else?

Help please!

As far as shampoo and such you only have to change it if you know it bothers you. Mine doesn't but some people react. Face lotion I react to though. If you have good pots and pans they need to be cleaned, normal pans don't hold food in pockets - at least mine don't and I have never had pans that would. Non stick is a bit iffy in my mind. Most people will tell you to change every thing. I don't agree. Right now you need to concentrate on having something to eat.

Do you eat eggs? Eggs, spuds, frozen gluten free waffles. Meats with seasoning and lots of veggies. Cheese, yogurt (check the label). I find meals to be very easy. If I am hungry and in a hurry I make scrambled eggs with cheese and salsa and eat it in a corn tortilla.

Yes you Dr is an idiot. Too many of them are but no one challenges them because how dare you!

You will have to look for a dr that is worth going to. It can be hard so ask around.

Your coworkers are JERKS. I would talk to the manger or someone above them. You do not make fun or tease people at work for a health condition. What jerks. Is there an HR dept at your work? If things don't change you might want to talk to HR.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Also I bought this pan called a Pancake Puff. Open Original Shared Link and they almost taste like a donut. My daughter loves them. I just use a gluten free pancake mix and then dust them with cinnamon sugar. Yum !

I wish you success with the gluten free lifestyle.

Virgie

son 18 UC/EE, IBS, Asthma , daughter 13 Celiac Disease dx 9/07

I have the pancake puff, pan , too! I don't use pancake batter, though--I use gluten free cake batter and they taste EXACTLY like Krispy Kremes!

[Offthegrid]

I've heard some supposedly gluten-free people say I could eat Rice Krispies. I responded absolutely not -- it has malt in it. Some people are just clueless, or are not dedicated enough to follow the diet.

It is *really* hard to begin with. Everyone says that, and I know it's no consolation, but it really will get easier. I don't even crave bread any more. Pizza is the food I miss the most, but you can make it yourself or check out Amy's pizza with the rice crust. Add your own toppings and you're good to go.

First, be patient with yourself. Don't drive yourself crazy. You'll probably become paranoid in the beginning. Learn to relax. You can do this.

Second, recognize this is really hard. No one that has to do this will truly understand. People will say stupid things, like, "Can you have potato bread?"

Third, it's much easier to simply explain this to people that you can't have anything made with "flour." Waiters understand that. They don't understand gluten.

Also you're going to learn to be a good cook/baker. It took me a long time because before going gluten-free, my cooking was Hamburger Helper. Now I make delicious chicken, mashed potatoes from scratch, and tonight I'm even trying a gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free pumpkin pie. Who knew?

Here's the simplest cookie recipe in the world to get you started. They're great! Literally you can make these in under 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix in a bowl with a wooden spoon or plastic spatula:

1 cup peanut butter

1 1/3 cup sugar

Tsp. vanilla extract (get the pure stuff not the immitation; that should be gluten-free)

1 egg

Roll into the size of a walnut and depress with a fork in a criss-cross shape.

Add a Hershey's Kiss if you can eat dairy.

Bake for 12-18 minutes until done. Cool before removing from pan.

Also, you can make your OWN donuts, too, using Pamela's pancake mix (which is delicious, BTW). Check out their recipes. You can order this mix from amazon .com if you can't find it in your local store.

Lastly, it should take you about 2-3 weeks to start feeling better after going gluten-free. If you are stlil not feeling better, or at still getting sick sometimes at random and you've been careful about gluten, then you may also have some other food intolreances. I was eating lactose-free stuff, and still getting sick. There is a protein in milk called casein that many celiacs/gluten intolerant folks can't have. It turns out I also can't have soy.