A Little Help Please....

[GlutenGuy36]

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease on July 14th of 2008. I was having horrible abdominal pains since October of 2007. I have experienced just about every horrible symptom associated with this disease. The fatigue, skin issues, heart paplpitations, D and Constipation, anxiety, neuropathy, joint pain, muscle pain and many more.

I have tried so hard to be gluten free allthough I have had a few mistakes in the 4 1/2 months of being gluten free. I thought McDonalds hashbrowns were gluten free just the oil was a concern. I was way wrong. I went to their site and they contain hydrolyzed wheat and beef flavor and milk.

My question to my fellow Celiacs is have any of you had lots of mucus in your stool? I know its gross but, I have to ask. I had a Colonoscopy and endoscopy 5 months ago and it only showed inflammation throughout my digestional tract. I'm asking because I have seen little globs of mucus somtimes with a tiny bit of blood. I don't know it that is just my intestines healing and then being released or what. I had a stool sample test and all of that was fine as well.

I guess it can hurt when your food hasn't been solid for so long then it is moving through your intestines which are healing from the gluten sensitivity. Any comments will be appreciated. Som symptoms have gone away but many, many remain. I applied for disabilty it is so bad. I never thought that I could hurt from head to toe. I was diagnosed by blood test. My IgA levels were like 600.

[ang1e0251]

Hey I was wondering if you went off dairy also? It can give us all the blues. My daughter has that kind of stomach pain with dairy. You may be able to have it again when you heal some.

[converge]

Hey I was wondering if you went off dairy also? It can give us all the blues. My daughter has that kind of stomach pain with dairy. You may be able to have it again when you heal some.

fact is, if youre just coming off gluten, your gut is in horrible shape. dont be suprised to see a little blood or other GI oddities. once you go gluten-free you will start to heal and things should get better.

[Lisa]

Just wanted to add that the Celiac Associations consider McD's fries and hashbrowns to be safe for Celiac to consume. The McD's website does indicate wheat, but the processing is said to eliminate the danger for Celiac.

With that said, some do, some don't. I do.

There is a number of previous thread regarding McD's French Fries and you can find them with a site search.

[Mother of Jibril]

I see mucus in my stool when I get glutened

By the way... the normal range for IgA is about 100-400. Have you ever been tested for lupus? When was the last time you had a CBC and a metabolic panel? Autoimmune disorders tend to cluster. With such a high IgA I wouldn't be suprised if you have additional problems going on.

[GlutenGuy36]

I see mucus in my stool when I get glutened

By the way... the normal range for IgA is about 100-400. Have you ever been tested for lupus? When was the last time you had a CBC and a metabolic panel? Autoimmune disorders tend to cluster. With such a high IgA I wouldn't be suprised if you have additional problems going on.

I have had so many complete blood counts that I cannot remember how many I have had, I went to a hemotologist as well and i'm sure if something was askew he would of caught it since he specializes in blood disorders. I have never been tested for lupus. Somethings have gotten better but a long way to go. Thanks for your reply, Ted.

[GlutenGuy36]

Just wanted to add that the Celiac Associations consider McD's fries and hashbrowns to be safe for Celiac to consume. The McD's website does indicate wheat, but the processing is said to eliminate the danger for Celiac.

With that said, some do, some don't. I do.

There is a number of previous thread regarding McD's French Fries and you can find them with a site search.

Hash Brown:

Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*), citric acid (preservative), salt, corn flour, dehydrated potato, dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), extractives of black pepper. Prepared in vegetable oil ((may contain one of the following: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent). *

CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK.

(Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients). That's right from the McDonalds website and it clearly states that it has wheat in it.

[sbj]

Hey GlutenGuy - you really should do some of the research that was politely suggested. This was just friendly advice because you need to first understand what is meant by 'starting ingredient'. The fries and hash browns contain no measurable gluten.

"McDonald

[Lisa]

Hash Brown:

Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*), citric acid (preservative), salt, corn flour, dehydrated potato, dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), extractives of black pepper. Prepared in vegetable oil ((may contain one of the following: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent). *

CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK.

(Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients). That's right from the McDonalds website and it clearly states that it has wheat in it.

Yes, I am aware of this. Do a search here and get some additional information on McD's FF - there's a lot.

[GlutenGuy36]

Hey GlutenGuy - you really should do some of the research that was politely suggested. This was just friendly advice because you need to first understand what is meant by 'starting ingredient'. The fries and hash browns contain no measurable gluten.

"McDonald

[Lisa]

It's a lot to take in, trust me!!!

We have members with different levels of sensitivity. In the beginning, a good thought is "if in doubt, don't".

Keep your diet simple. And, add new things slowly and deliberately.

[ravenwoodglass]

It was the hashbrowns and not the fries but I guess they are both the same. I read and take everything into consideration. I am still learning. It just seems like at times there is conflicting information on here. Some say its ok and others say its not. So if you took that as being offensive then that's on you. I saw wheat on there and I know I was sick after eating it a few days ago.

I'm no expert and I am still learning. Maybe i'm just one of the lucky ones that can't tolerate even a tiny bit of gluten. Anyways, like I said I didn't post that to be a jerk . My gastro doctor said no wheat in any form hydrolyzed or other wise.

I wouldn't eat those either and I do not doubt that you may have gotten sick from them. There are some of us who tolerate some stuff and some of us who don't. I am a no gluten in any form person myself, I do not do gluten that is in distilled vinagers, alcohols or in any other form. Not because I don't want to but because I react.

You are very early in the diet though and the best way to heal as quickly as we can is to go with whole unprocessed foods and avoid restaurants as much as possible at first. After you heal you can try things like those hash browns and frys that 'test' under the limit and the distilled alcohols and vinegars and see if you still react.

[GlutenGuy36]

I wouldn't eat those either and I do not doubt that you may have gotten sick from them. There are some of us who tolerate some stuff and some of us who don't. I am a no gluten in any form person myself, I do not do gluten that is in distilled vinagers, alcohols or in any other form. Not because I don't want to but because I react.

You are very early in the diet though and the best way to heal as quickly as we can is to go with whole unprocessed foods and avoid restaurants as much as possible at first. After you heal you can try things like those hash browns and frys that 'test' under the limit and the distilled alcohols and vinegars and see if you still react.

Hey Ravenwoodglass,

Thanks for the reply. I have done extensive research as im sure we all have when we are searching for answers. I'm with you though. I am not eating those things ever again. That't why they tell you not to drink beer because of the gluten that is in that. Some of the folks here may tolerate it better than me but I don't see how. If you have Celiac you have Celiac. The gluten is toxic to us all. I'd rather question something than just go with the flow and make things worse. I appreciate the input from you and everyone here. Take care, Ted.

[sbj]

It was the hashbrowns and not the fries but I guess they are both the same. I read and take everything into consideration. I am still learning. It just seems like at times there is conflicting information on here. Some say its ok and others say its not. So if you took that as being offensive then that's on you. I saw wheat on there and I know I was sick after eating it a few days ago.

I'm no expert and I am still learning. Maybe i'm just one of the lucky ones that can't tolerate even a tiny bit of gluten. Anyways, like I said I didn't post that to be a jerk . My gastro doctor said no wheat in any form hydrolyzed or other wise.

There definitely is conflicting information on here and out there and everywhere so be very careful. I did not look at your post as being offensive - why do you say that? Again, they don't contain hydrolyzed wheat -- the oil they are fried in contains a small amount of natutral beef flavoring which in turn used a bit of hydrolyzed wheat as a 'starting' ingredient.

Dude - I'm not trying to tell you what made you sick or didn't make you sick. I'm just saying that there is a great deal of discussion regards McDonald's fries and you should probably read up on it before telling everyone that their fries contain wheat. They don't. You've already noted that conflicting information is a bit of a problem - we don't want to be a part of that if at all possible.

If the gluten in McDonald's fries is going to be a bother for you then be super super careful, especially of supposedly 'gluten free' foods. Did you realize that most 'gluten free' foods, such as breads and grains, actually do contain a small amount of gluten? That's right. 'Gluten free' breads and grains are usually certified to contain less than 20 ppm of gluten (less than 200 ppm in Europe). But they actually do contain some small amount of gluten - it's almost unavoidable. I link to a study that shows if you consume 300 g of supposedly 'gluten free' bread (less than 20 ppm gluten) then you are ingesting, on average, 6 mg of gluten. (See Table III-1, Open Original Shared Link.

[Mtndog]

Please remember that any information you get here is, for the most part, is well-intentioned, but ultimately, it is up to you to find out about products and make your own decision as to whether or not to eat/use a product.

There has been a great deal of discussion here re McD's fries and whether or not they contain gluten. I'm not even sure what McD's latest statement is on them.

[GlutenGuy36]

There definitely is conflicting information on here and out there and everywhere so be very careful. I did not look at your post as being offensive - why do you say that? Again, they don't contain hydrolyzed wheat -- the oil they are fried in contains a small amount of natutral beef flavoring which in turn used a bit of hydrolyzed wheat as a 'starting' ingredient.

Dude - I'm not trying to tell you what made you sick or didn't make you sick. I'm just saying that there is a great deal of discussion regards McDonald's fries and you should probably read up on it before telling everyone that their fries contain wheat. They don't. You've already noted that conflicting information is a bit of a problem - we don't want to be a part of that if at all possible.

If the gluten in McDonald's fries is going to be a bother for you then be super super careful, especially of supposedly 'gluten free' foods. Did you realize that most 'gluten free' foods, such as breads and grains, actually do contain a small amount of gluten? That's right. 'Gluten free' breads and grains are usually certified to contain less than 20 ppm of gluten (less than 200 ppm in Europe). But they actually do contain some small amount of gluten - it's almost unavoidable. I link to a study that shows if you consume 300 g of supposedly 'gluten free' bread (less than 20 ppm gluten) then you are ingesting, on average, 6 mg of gluten. (See Table III-1, Open Original Shared Link.

Sbj,

I never said anything about french fries. If you go back and read my original post it was the hashbrowns that I was questioning. I'm not being a smart "A" . I never said anything about fries. My concern was just that hashbrowns. I called McDonalds and talked to a rep to clarify and they said that's why it has WHEAT in big bold letters in the the description of the ingredients. She said she has gotten alot of calls about the HASHBROWNS and she said do not eat them. Thanks for your help though. I appreciate everyones comments. I do know that there is an acceptable level of gluten in ppm.