Going Crazy!

[shoestring]

i was recently diagnosed with celiac disease. i have been doing research on it and figuring out what i can and cant eat. i see all this talk about cross contamination. i am going crazy, getting depressed, stressed and feel like my mind is wilting away. i dont care about not being able to eat my favorite foods no more, i am just going crazy tring to figure out what has gluten in it. i dont know what to eat besides the few things i found i can eat. i am buggin and dont really know where to start. you can probley tell by my spelling i amnot the smartest man in the world and being knowledged in what contains gluten i am finding to be very difficult. any words would be appreciated..

[rinne]

Hi.

I know it is overwhelming at first but it will get easier, this is a great place to come with questions.

Many people with celiac have no problem with cross contamination, it is important to pay attention too but don't let it make you crazy.

Eating simple is best, whole foods, unprocessed foods.. Do you cook?

How are you feeling physically?

There are lists on this site with gluten free products, take a look around.

[maile]

hi shoestring!

actually your spelling is just fine, trust me I've seen way worse and from people not as humble as you.

from what I've read on this wonderful forum the easiest thing to do at the beginning is to keep it simple and pure as you can with the food. Rice, corn, meat, chicken, pork, nuts, veggies and fruit all of these you should be able to eat without worry. It's when you get to processed foods that the deliberating has to come in...to help you may find these useful:

here's a list of Open Original Shared Link, print this out and pin it to your fridge or carry it with you when you shop.

here's a list of Unsafe Foods that you can print and use as well...just make sure you label them carefully

This is a great place to find information!

[mef]

Hi Shoestring,

You are not alone! It is a difficult dietary transition to go through and many people here have experienced what you are feeling. Research is your best tool. Find the foods that you like and figuring out how to make them gluten free. For example, you can still have meats, vegetables, and fruits. There are numerous gluten free products available as well.

Cross contamination just means that somehow gluten gets into a gluten free food. It's like dropping a cracker on a gluten free soup.

Start small with simple meals. This way if you do make a mistake, it's easier to pinpoint what happened. A great tool is the phone number of the manufacturer located on the back of food products. If you are unsure about a product, just give them a call.

Key words you want to avoid are: Wheat, barley, malt, oats, and rye. You want to be suspect of anything with Natural Flavorings--hidden gluten. The FDA requires Wheat to be listed as an allergen, but the other gluten triggers do not have to be on the label.

Keep working hard! It may not seem like it, but the longer you stay on the diet, the easier it becomes. If you do make a mistake, don't beat yourself up for it. Just get back on track.

Good luck!

i was recently diagnosed with celiac disease. i have been doing research on it and figuring out what i can and cant eat. i see all this talk about cross contamination. i am going crazy, getting depressed, stressed and feel like my mind is wilting away. i dont care about not being able to eat my favorite foods no more, i am just going crazy tring to figure out what has gluten in it. i dont know what to eat besides the few things i found i can eat. i am buggin and dont really know where to start. you can probley tell by my spelling i amnot the smartest man in the world and being knowledged in what contains gluten i am finding to be very difficult. any words would be appreciated..

[shoestring]

thanks for the responses. i am feeling pretty good. ive only been on the diet for about two weeks now, i know healing takes time. my problems were that my stomach had alot of acid in it, all day it felt like i had to take a number 2, i was taking number 2s quit a bit through out the day, i lost 12 pds ( im 6ft wieghed 150pds, now weigh 138pds, really cant afford to lose weight) and i can never gaine any wieght. they suspected celiac and i looked it up and it all makes sense.

Also the want me to take an endoscopey/biopsy. i am teraffied of being sedated i was once before and it didnt go to well. is this test totally necassary to find out? i took a blood test and am waiting for results.

iread some were on here about a saliva test. does anyone know anything about that? where do they do the test? how can i find out more info about it?

thanks for your time..

[rinne]

How were you diagnosed?

If by blood work and they have told you have celiac, you have celiac. The biopsy is considered a "gold standard" by doctors as they can, once you have enough damage, see the damage. That's the catch, you have to continue to eat gluten in order for the damage to be seen.

Diet is considered by some to be a perfectly legitimate diagnostic tool, if you get well on the diet then what is the need for the biopsy?

There are some who can speak to the plus side of this test. I won't.

[shoestring]

i talked to a specialist. he says it sounds like celiac. waiting for the blood test and to take the biopsy. i will not be taking the biopsy to scared. this i know will piss the doctor off and am scared he will not want to see me know more.. i picked up the diet myself after looking up some info on it.. how long will it take to fell the effects of the diet? i fell about 5% better after 2 weeks..

[rinne]

So much depends on how long you have been ill, what other conditions you have, whether you are exposed to cross contamination....... feeling better after two weeks is positive.

Keep in mind though that some see an initial improvement and then seem to have setbacks which can throw doubt about the diagnosis. Many find that giving up dairy is necessary too, at least until the villi heal.

If you would like to share a little of your health history it might be easier to guess but really that is all it is, a guess. Some resume their lives quickly, some do not.

As for your doctor, well they don't like it when we don't listen to them. I have a friend, a doctor, that says doctor's are shocked these days at how (my words) rebellious patients are and that this is making the medical profession less appealing to many. She said that patients sometimes even yell at doctors these days.

i talked to a specialist. he says it sounds like celiac. waiting for the blood test and to take the biopsy. i will not be taking the biopsy to scared. this i know will piss the doctor off and am scared he will not want to see me know more.. i picked up the diet myself after looking up some info on it.. how long will it take to fell the effects of the diet? i fell about 5% better after 2 weeks..

[shoestring]

a little history about me - growing up i ate alot of junk food and drank alot of kool aid. my family always had food and lots of junk food. kool aid was my drink of choice, no water just kool aid. after a trip to the dentist and finding out i had 10 cavities i cut out the kool aid and junk food. ive never really been that concerned with my food. was never aware of how bas alot of foods are. i cut out all red meat from my diet. i have been skinny my whole live, could never gain weight. i graduated 10 1/2 yrs ago and still wiegh the same. i have problems with being dizzy after 3 different depressents messing me up and my doc finally listing to me i was found to have sever allergies. allergies to foods included. i do nothing to help my allergies and continue to eat foods i am allergic to. about a yr and a half ago they digenosed me with anxioty. they gave me some pills. about 6 months in to that i noticed i was going number 2 alot. i use to go alot for as long as i can remeber but now i was going alot more. i would eat and have to go to the bathroom imidiatly. i have always had that problem, but just more saver now. i quiet the pills after a while and went through with drawls and all that fun stuff. the stomach pains and trips to the bathroom continued. i went to the doc he said IBS take these pills and sent me on my way. the pills did nothing and i stopped taking them. went back to see him told him pills were not working and i stopped taking them. he got all mad and sent me to a specialist to get a scope put up my butt ( i think he wanted that done to me cause he was mad i stopped taking the ibs pills and refused his orders for me to take them again). but the specialist thinks celiac. my stomach has been really bad for a yr or so. has always been bad but just worse. i now wiegh 138 pds lost 12 pds. cant keep no food in me. it goes in and for the most part right out. sometimes food stays in for awhile not often. i do not feel nauses just stomach pains were it constitly feels like i have to take a number 2.. thats a brief history. sorry its kinda long.. if i left any thing out our you have any more questions feel free to ask.. thanks for your time..

[one more mile]

The depression may be part of the food allergies. I was on depression medications for years. But Now that I am gluten free there is actually joy in my life!

I had to cut out all foods and slowly add things back till I found out what was making me ill. Flor the first few months I could not eat rice or potatoes but now seem to have no problem with them. The fewer things in the food the better. when I read a label and their are 10 ingredient I put it back on the shelf. to much of a chance of cross contamination.

I do not eat beef because it makes number 2 hard. but I do eat chicken, and ground pork often. I had cut out most meat from my diet and my blood tests showed that my protein was to low.

It does get easier.

look at this list for ideas on what you can eat.

Open Original Shared Link

( things may be different from brand to brand, some yogurt had wheat in it.)

Many foods have an 800 number you can call. I take my cell phone shopping with me and call if I have a question.

easy understanding of being gluten free

Open Original Shared Link

For a soft number 2 I take some pro-biotics after a big meal a few times a week. PB-8 is gluten free and works well for me. look for big blue lettering. If I did not go number for a day I take them. I find they work much nicer then medications.