New W/ Questions - I'll Try To Keep It Short

[wellsfamily]

Hi everyone. Here is my story:

I have a son w/ Type 1 D and a daughter w/ a milk allergy.

I have been having the normal GI issues that seem to be common around here - asked my Dr to run celiac panel.

It was positive for Antigliadin IGG, others were in normal range (but nothing had a 0 value)

Had an endoscopy last week, waiting for results. Gluten Free for 4 days. I also started thyroid meds same day as going gluten free, so not sure which thing is making me feel better.

Here are some of my questions:

If the biposy is negative, how do I know if I truly have a gluten allergy/sensitivity? Do I test myself after a while or go to an allergist?

Can you please tell me what you do when you eat at a party or are invited to dinner? I feel like I will always have to bring my own food.

What are some hidden gluten foods that I might be missing?

Thanks for any advise.

Heather

[Offthegrid]

Howdy - and welcome!

I'm not up on all the test results and what they mean, but I'm sure someone else will come along to explain.

I personally declined to have a biopsy after having a positive blood test. It is very obvious if I accidentally (or, in the beginning, purposefully) eat some gluten. You *could* do a gluten test if you go gluten-free for about a month, and then try some gluten. It is difficult in the beginning, however, to be completely gluten-free because it's hidden in so many things.

On the parties. If you can, I'd offer to bring a dish and then serve yourself some before anybody else touches it so it's not contaminated. Some gluten-free potato chips can be a good standby, as well as veggies, but these also can be contaminated.

As for dinners, if you feel comfortable, approach them about cooking at least one dish gluten-free. It can be difficult for people to comprehend, however. For now, maybe you could invite some friends over, cook everything gluten-free and talk about it?

Good luck. Don't be too hard on yourself, especially in the beginning. It takes time to figure this stuff out.

If you still find yourself getting sick and you're positive you've elimianted all the gluten, then you may have other intolerances. For me, that's dairy (casein) and soy. I'm working on eliminating soy with good results, but once in a while I find it slips in there even when I'm pretty careful, so still a learning process for me.

[missy'smom]

Welcome. If you click on Celiac Disease Info above it will take you to a page that has a green box on the left. Towards the bottom of it is a link to a page of forbidden /unsafe ingredients.

[debmidge]

My husband and I are the exception, not the norm as he has celiac disease & other food issues. This being said we do not eat food prepared at anyone else's home - we will bring a meal for him. He's only just recently been going to restaurants which have gluten free menus (Outback, Charlie Brown's, etc.).