It's Not The End Of The World.

[ShayFL]

French fries you make at home are PERFECTLY safe. At restaurants they often fry the french fries in the same oil that they fry everything else in like onion rings (which are breaded), fish, egg rolls, etc. It isnt safe at all to eat fries out unless the restaurant tells you they have a dedicated fryer and that the potatoes were not dusted with flour beforehand to make them "crisper".

Ketchup should be gluten-free, but you should check online or call first if you are uncertain.

[VioletBlue]

FOR ME ketchup and potatoes are off limits. They give me horrible gas, make my physically uncomfortable, cause diarrhea, makes my pulse race and I wake up with the equivalent of a hang over the next day. Oh, and the itching, I itch like crazy. Some Celiacs have other food intolerances and allergies in addition to gluten. It happens, it seems to be a by-product of the auto immune response as others with auto immune problems experience it, not just Celiacs.

Okay, this is going to sound ignorant because I'm still very new at this, but what's wrong with French fries? And what's wrong with ketchup? Fries are potatoes, which doesn't have gluten, right? Other than tomatoes, is there something in ketchup that's a no-no?

[GFinDC]

I'd like to see the good things thread too, if someone can remember the title or some keywords. Anyone?

Susan, ShayFL is right about the fries. There are several threads in the forum that talk about french fries and possible issues with gluten. Do a search on McDonalds and fries and you will find some. Same thing with potato chips. It seems like they should be fine, but sometimes they are sprayed with gluten to make a flavor coating stick. Sometimes it seems like if they can sneak some gluten into a product, they do it!

Deb, thanks, good to hear things have improved for you! I know, strict gluten free is the way to go. Took me awhile to learn that, but slowly I glommed on. I know I was surprised at how sensitive to gluten I became after going gluten-free for a while. I really didn't expect that. Live and learn I guess!

[jerseyangel]

I'd like to see the good things thread too, if someone can remember the title or some keywords. Anyone?

Here you go --

Open Original Shared Link

[jkmunchkin]

When people try and pity me and make it like, "you poor thing." I am the first to say, "It's not the end of the world. It's really no big deal. There are worse things in life." However I think if someone is newly diagnosed they are entitled to wallow in some self pity for a bit.

Yipeee for you that you are asymptamic (sp?) and were only sick for 3 months, but for most of us on this board that is not the case. If I even ingest a crumb of gluten I am violently sick for a minimum of 2 days and am light headed and "out of it" for weeks.

I was sick every day 24/7 for 10 years before being diagnosed. My intestine was eroded to the point I physically couldn't keep food down. I would be vomiting on the side of the Cross Bronx Expressway after an oreo milkshake. It vastly affected my every day life socially and at work. At 30 years old I have a thyroid problem and osteopenia. I have been diagnosed and am ecstatic to have my life back.

All that said, I literally had a pity party for 24 hrs. after being diagnosed and then moved on, sucked it up and got on with life. I never feel bad about having celiac... but for those that occasionally do, I don't think you have the right to tell them not to. A lot of people have gone through many struggles due to undiagnosed celiac and will have lasting affects because of it.

[GFinDC]

Here you go --

Open Original Shared Link

Thanks Patti (Jerseyangel)! It sure makes sense there would be a thread lie that around here. Thanks for the link!

[gfp]

Sometimes it seems like if they can sneak some gluten into a product, they do it!

LOL it often actually seems that way.....

I don't think its the case but I once saw a documentary on pet food. Apparently they add addictive things to some pet foods.

I think the gluten thing is just a symptom of the food industry (emphasis on industry).

Food isn't cooked, its engineered and the food scientists look on how to do something as a engineering feat not cooking.

Case in point, we need to make the flavor stick to the chips.... oh, gluten is sticky so we will coat them in a light spray and then add the flavor.

Food scientists have a whole load of products they can use simply for their properties.

Quite simply I think its a case of give a man a hammer and nails and some wood and tell him to build a chair as quickly as possible.... and he will nail it together. Give him a drill and some dowels and he will dowel it together.

Give a carpenter the same and they will throw out the nails and make beautiful joints.

Give a chef the chips to make and they will find a way to do it without gluten.... but give it to a food scientist and they will dig into their bag of tracks and see what way is easiest and cheapest.

[susanm]

Frankly, I can't wait to go gluten-free. I'm still eating gluten because I'm waiting for my endoscopy, though my antigliadins were high, I have osteopenia bordering on osteoporosis, I had celiac as a baby, and I KNOW I have celiac now.

My brain has been so muddled for so long and I've been lacking in energy for as long as I can remember, that I'm just chomping at the bit to finally go gluten-free.

I just have to learn all the tricks about avoiding unobvious sources of gluten.

[gfp]

Frankly, I can't wait to go gluten-free. I'm still eating gluten because I'm waiting for my endoscopy, though my antigliadins were high, I have osteopenia bordering on osteoporosis, I had celiac as a baby, and I KNOW I have celiac now.

My brain has been so muddled for so long and I've been lacking in energy for as long as I can remember, that I'm just chomping at the bit to finally go gluten-free.

I just have to learn all the tricks about avoiding unobvious sources of gluten.

Susan,

I would recommend you start preparing for the gluten-free now.

Examine what you usually buy and check it out, any doubts then post a question on this board.

Check out alternatives now.... then you won't feel so limited when D-Day arrives. You can even check out some recipes and cook them, being on gluten for the endoscopy doesn't mean every meal has to be gluten loaded.

Baking can be a challenge, gluten-free flour doesn't work like normal flour so you have to reaquire the skill. Do some practice runs now, if they fail you can still eat your gluten one as a booby prize.

How about d-day.... even before your results from the endoscopy you can go gluten-free.

Just a suggestion but why not plan a few gluten-free treats .. make yourself a gluten-free snack for afterwards so your not missing out (or feel you are). You can't eat before the endscopy so you'll be hungry, get some super delicious gluten-free treats ready.

If your blood tests were high the chance is even if the biopsy is negative or in conclusive you can still benefit from gluten-free. It certainly won't hurt! ....

Good luck..

[Kristy is Clueless]

Thank you for your post. You are right that there are much worse diseases in the world to have. Being thankful for this one should become a part of everyone's daily routine... I suppose. I am BRAND SPANKIN new to this who "Celiac Disease" thing and have not been formally diagnosed by way of a biopsy - can't afford it. My younger sister has been Gluten free for several years and after 3 months of illness which included, Strep throat, sinus infection, Asthma, extreme fatigue, wild depressive mood swings, and an X-Ray of my chest that revealed I had gas in my lungs...my doctor tested me for a wheat allergy. Turns out I am allergic to wheat, soy, eggs, Legumes, Melons, Bananas, etc. Most of these allergies I was aware of, but wheat and soy put me over the edge. Now I have been "wheat free" for 6 months, but am finding that I do not feel as well as I expected. Next step is gluten. It is time to kick the habit, but I find it extremely hard to believe that something as little as an element that is found in wheat can honestly be the culprit.

I need help understanding how and why Gluten can cause all of these problems!

[gfp]

I need help understanding how and why Gluten can cause all of these problems!

You might find it easier to swallow (sorry) ... if you look at it another way.

Its not really the gluten causing the problem, its your bodies defenses mis-identifying it.

Imagine you are in a war zone wearing a Blue UN Beret.... well theoretically noone should shoot at you.

But imagine the sniper is color blind... he can't see the beret is light blue... POW.

celiac disease is a bit like this.. your body is 'color-blind' to the difference between gluten and a bacteria or virus.

Its not really the gluten doing the damage but your bodies own defenses. In attacking the gluten in mistake it does friendly fire damage.

[debmidge]

Yeah, there are worse things. But there are days when it doesn't seem that way. It sucks to walk into the produce department and know nearly half of what's there I can't eat because of allergies and intolerances. Allergies that are probably a result of leaky gut which is a result of Celiacs. I'd love to be able to eat a salad again with peppers and tomatoes in it, or make eggplant Parmesan. I had a terrible craving for french fries last night. I would have given anything to have had them with the cheeseburger and nice toasted tapioca bun. I'd love to be able to handle bird food and special diet dog food without worrying. I'd love to be able to eat worry free in a restaurant; any restaurant. The list goes on.

I'm thrilled that Celiacs has treated you so kindly. But please understand it has not been that kind to all of us. Walking into the produce department is, many times, a sober reminder of that for me. After 44 years of eating anything, it is still hard over a year and a half later to see what I can't have. Likewise, there are people here who may cringe walking by the dairy aisle or everytime they see the egg display.

Damn, I still want a french fry . . . covered in ketchup

Violet Blue: we can concur: my husband has same type of dietary problems with regard to vegetables (and tomato sauce) and spices. I think original poster means the word "mild" to mean "low amount of symptoms" as compared to what celiacs like you and my husband go through.

No such thing as "a little gluten won't hurt you" and our jury is still "out" on GLUTEN FREE products (to consume) which have the "treated wheat" in them. We don't use them.

To whom to may concern: At first I felt that 'well, you're correct, not all newbies have to face the negative aspect of celiac if they have "mild" cases of it'. Then as I read your further utterances I realized that you only want to support those with "positive" situations. I resent the insensitive use of the word "whining". Don't spit in the wind, kiddo. And that's all I've got to say on the subject.

[darlindeb25]

Don't spit in the wind, kiddo. I like that!!!