Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Any Celiac(s) From Canada

Gerri

By Gerri
in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff

Recommended Posts

Gerri Explorer
Gerri
Posted

I am new to Celiac (54 year old female), even though I have watched what I ate for many years. I had Gluten problems for many years. Always sick at Christmas, and holidays, acid reflux problems getting worse, vitamin D deficiency, vitamin B12 low, and a list of other health issues getting worse.

Last year my doctor at the time told me to go Gluten Free for the rest of my life. He hoped it would stop the progression of other autoimmune diseases. Since going gluten free my diabetes is controlled, and my sleep apnea's pressure is coming down. I have since been diagnosed with Celiac.

I am from Ontario Canada, and wonder if there are there are others from Canada here.

Hugs

Gerri

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


  • Replies 133
  • Created
  • Last Reply
psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Hi.

There are a number of Canadians on here. I'm in Toronto here at work.

Gerri Explorer
Gerri
Posted
  • Author

I am in Kitchener, just west of Toronto. I see a naturopath in Toronto, and hopefully soon a Rheumy.

Don't work too hard. Hoping to talk again soon.

Hugs

Gerri

Hi.

There are a number of Canadians on here. I'm in Toronto here at work.

leadmeastray88 Contributor
leadmeastray88
Posted

Hi there!

I'm from Winnipeg, MB.

I have a cousin who is Celiac from Halifax also.

curiousgeorge Rookie
curiousgeorge
Posted

Toronto!

I are really annoyed about ontario not covering celiac testing. I think its just criminal.

If any of you have a good celiac friendly doc in Toronto (GI) please PM me.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Back in 2000, when I was diagnosed, the blood tests were still very new and were not commonly done. I had the endoscopy and biopsy, which was covered by OHIP.

elye Community Regular
elye
Posted

Hi, Gerri!

I'm in Ottawa, and share the anger over OHIP not covering the blood panel cost. It cost me ninety dollars four years ago, and my dad had it done last fall for $120.00. Expensive, and at times meaningless, for my dad's results were "negative", and I continue to suspect they were false. :(:angry:

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Gerri Explorer
Gerri
Posted
  • Author

Some of the test are oovered but not them all. I had to pay $180 for two test I believe out of 4. My tissue Transglutaminase (sp) came back low celiac, plus other health issues which are associated with Celiac, gave me my diagnoses of celiac. Get your doctor to order this test (tissue transglutaminase). If you have been off gluten for a while, it is my recommendation not to go for biopsy. Damage can be done in any area of the duoderum, and missed by the biopsy. You will know that your Celiac, by the way you feel off of gluten. To go back on Gluten, causes you to become very sick.

Hugs

Gerri

Toronto!

I are really annoyed about ontario not covering celiac testing. I think its just criminal.

If any of you have a good celiac friendly doc in Toronto (GI) please PM me.

  • 1 month later...
princesskill Rookie
princesskill
Posted

im in ottawa

debbiwi56 Newbie
debbiwi56
Posted

Hello from New Brunswick. I was diagnosed about 2 and 1/2 years ago. I am 52. I was completely thrown for a loop with the diagnosis. I am an ovarian cancer survivor (10 yrs. now) so I'm afraid to say I had been suffering for what seems like eons before I finally gave in and went to the doctor. (I was so afraid that I would be told I had cancer again...my reason for putting it off). I try very hard to watch what I eat but still seem to feel like the dickens most of the time. My GI specialist tells me to continue with the diet and that's all I can do. Seems like I should be doing more....any ideas? :)

  • 3 weeks later...
Tomkitchener Newbie
Tomkitchener
Posted

Hi There, I am from Kitchener,ON,CA.

I am new to the forum, and have not yet been tested but will and pretty well am am sure I have some form of gluten intolerance. I have been on a gluten free diet for almost 2 months now and symptoms have significantly improved.

I look forward to getting to know everyone and sharing my thoughts with people in the same situation as myself.

  • 1 month later...
Northern Celiac Newbie
Northern Celiac
Posted
I am new to Celiac (54 year old female), even though I have watched what I ate for many years. I had Gluten problems for many years. Always sick at Christmas, and holidays, acid reflux problems getting worse, vitamin D deficiency, vitamin B12 low, and a list of other health issues getting worse.

Last year my doctor at the time told me to go Gluten Free for the rest of my life. He hoped it would stop the progression of other autoimmune diseases. Since going gluten free my diabetes is controlled, and my sleep apnea's pressure is coming down. I have since been diagnosed with Celiac.

I am from Ontario Canada, and wonder if there are there are others from Canada here.

Hugs

Gerri

Hi Gerri,

you found another Canadian as well. I am in Northeast B.C. in a very remote community(ft nelson) but am learning to cope with whats going on with me. I was finally diagnosed in April this yr2009 and have been working on going gluten-free ever since. I have gone through my own personal hell like you did. The worst part of it was the family doctor I was using wouldn't refer me to a specialist until he had his turn at me.

This was the worst part of it as I kept getting sicker. But you must have courage I have met celiacs who by all appearances have returned to normal health, and that is what I am shooting for.

Best Wishes

Northern Celiac Newbie
Northern Celiac
Posted
Hello from New Brunswick. I was diagnosed about 2 and 1/2 years ago. I am 52. I was completely thrown for a loop with the diagnosis. I am an ovarian cancer survivor (10 yrs. now) so I'm afraid to say I had been suffering for what seems like eons before I finally gave in and went to the doctor. (I was so afraid that I would be told I had cancer again...my reason for putting it off). I try very hard to watch what I eat but still seem to feel like the dickens most of the time. My GI specialist tells me to continue with the diet and that's all I can do. Seems like I should be doing more....any ideas? :)

Hi Debbie,

I am a brand new celiac(hahaha, april 2009) and have come to terms with the disease quite quickly. I realize that if I want to get healthy and stay healthy the only way to do it is to stick to the diet. I keep telling myself"no dammit I don't want to be sick anymore.

Best wishes

Felidae Enthusiast
Felidae
Posted

Hi,

I'm from Alberta. I haven't been on here much lately. But hopefully I can get here more often.

nomentanus Newbie
nomentanus
Posted

Victoria, BC here, moving to Toronto someday.

Forget the test if you are avoiding wheat now. The test looks for anitbodies and assumes you are eating a lot of wheat right now. If not, the test doesn't work.

Everyone should be screened for celiac - it would save your province an immense amount of health care dollars. So says Fasano himself:

Gut. 2003 Feb;52(2):168-9. [bELOW]

Comment in:

Gut. 2003 Feb;52(2):170-1.

Gut. 2004 Jan;53(1):154-5.

Gut. 2004 Oct;53(10):1545-6.

European and North American populations should be screened for coeliac disease.

Fasano A.

Division of Pediatric GI and Nutrition, Center for Celiac Research, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA. afasano@peds.umaryland.edu

PMID: 12524393

Open Original Shared Link

misshollydolly Newbie
misshollydolly
Posted

Hi Everyone! I'm Holly and I'm from a little town outside of Edmonton, AB! I'm 22 and was diagnosed in feb this year and am having a pretty hard time coping with the diet change...there's no one else in my family with celiac disease, although my little sister is being tested right now, we're waiting for her results :( we're hoping it's negative b/c this really sucks.... anyways i dont really know anyone else with the disease, so i guess i'm looking for some friends that know what i'm going through

cooki.dough Rookie
cooki.dough
Posted

I'm from Halifax. =) Representing the east coast.

  • 2 weeks later...
Melusine Newbie
Melusine
Posted

Hi

i'm in Lethbridge, AB. Not sure if its celiac or gluten intollerant or ....??? but gluten free makes me feel so much better! I can sleep. I can eat. I can live!

Pac Apprentice
Pac
Posted

Hi,

I just moved to Dawson City, Yukon. I'm originally from Europe and to be honest, I have hard times adjusting to the canadian-style gluten free diet. :( If anyone of you have time and patience to answer my probably trivial questions, I'd be really grateful.

Have a great day everyone!

Pavla

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Hello, Pavla, and welcome to the board.

Living in Dawson City will pose some challenges. It is a lovely place, but is small and somewhat isolated. My wife and I visited in the summer of 1994, well before my gluten-free days. My brother and his wife spent three months in Dawson City in the summer of 2007.

If you are looking for specialty gluten-free items, you will probably need to order them online. But there are lots of mainstream products available in Canada that are gluten-free.

Here is a list of companies/brands that will always clearly disclose gluten if it is present in any of their products:

Arrowhead Mills, Aunt Nelly's, Balance, Baskin Robbins, Ben & Jerry, Bertoli, Betty Crocker, Blue Bunny, Breyers, Campbells, Cascadian Farms, Celestial Seasonings, ConAgra, Country Crock, Edy's, General Mills, Good Humor, Green Giant, Haagen Daz, Hellman's, Hormel, Hungry Jack, Jiffy, Knorr, Kozy Shack, Kraft, Lawry's, Libby's, Lipton, Martha White, Maxwell House, McCormick, Nabisco, Nestle, Old El Paso, Ortega, Pillsbury, Popsicle, Post, Progresso, Ragu, Russell Stover, Seneca Foods, Skippy, Zatarain's.

The list does not include every brand sold by the listed companies, but look closely at the label for the name of a large company such as Kraft or Unilever. Their brands can be trusted even if they are not on my list.

Soft drinks made by Pepsi and Coca-Cola are all gluten-free. Caramel colour in North America is safe, as is maltodextrin.

VH sauces are a ConAgra brand, and are only sold in Canada. Most (but not all) are gluten-free, and in particular, their soy sauce is widely sold in Canada and is gluten-free.

I've given you a start, but you will have many more questions. Ask away, we are all here to support you. :)

canadianalli Newbie
canadianalli
Posted

didnt see anyone from Saskatchewan, but i am! straight from saskatoon!

Pac Apprentice
Pac
Posted

Hello Peter,

and thanks for your warm welcome.

If you visited Tasty Byte Internet caffe while in Dawson, you might even know me. I was working there in summer 2007. Plus I was goldpanning for the Czech team, (still have the gold). :-)

The list of companies is exactly what I needed, thank you a lot. As for the specialty gluten-free products, I haven't found any breakfast cereals or biscuits, but I can't eat any starchy or too sweet stuff anyway, so it doesn't really bother me. For those celiacs who want to come here, there are gluten-free tortillas, puffed-rice bread, spaghetti and lots of flours - all purpose, corn bread, muffins, pancakes, chocolate cake from Red Mill company.

I still have two more questions. First one - are there any gluten-free beef jerky you can recommend? I've seen some that don't have any gluten in their ingredients list, but just don't know if I can trust them. The second is not related to gluten-free diet. I tried to find sour cream and cottage cheese that are made from milk only but I had no luck so far, all of them contain at least corn starch and guar gum. Should I search more or is this just the "purest" form I can get in Canada? I honestly don't know.

Well, need to go back to work. Hope you have a great day.

Pavla

Hello, Pavla, and welcome to the board.

Living in Dawson City will pose some challenges. It is a lovely place, but is small and somewhat isolated. My wife and I visited in the summer of 1994, well before my gluten-free days. My brother and his wife spent three months in Dawson City in the summer of 2007.

If you are looking for specialty gluten-free items, you will probably need to order them online. But there are lots of mainstream products available in Canada that are gluten-free.

Here is a list of companies/brands that will always clearly disclose gluten if it is present in any of their products:

Arrowhead Mills, Aunt Nelly's, Balance, Baskin Robbins, Ben & Jerry, Bertoli, Betty Crocker, Blue Bunny, Breyers, Campbells, Cascadian Farms, Celestial Seasonings, ConAgra, Country Crock, Edy's, General Mills, Good Humor, Green Giant, Haagen Daz, Hellman's, Hormel, Hungry Jack, Jiffy, Knorr, Kozy Shack, Kraft, Lawry's, Libby's, Lipton, Martha White, Maxwell House, McCormick, Nabisco, Nestle, Old El Paso, Ortega, Pillsbury, Popsicle, Post, Progresso, Ragu, Russell Stover, Seneca Foods, Skippy, Zatarain's.

The list does not include every brand sold by the listed companies, but look closely at the label for the name of a large company such as Kraft or Unilever. Their brands can be trusted even if they are not on my list.

Soft drinks made by Pepsi and Coca-Cola are all gluten-free. Caramel colour in North America is safe, as is maltodextrin.

VH sauces are a ConAgra brand, and are only sold in Canada. Most (but not all) are gluten-free, and in particular, their soy sauce is widely sold in Canada and is gluten-free.

I've given you a start, but you will have many more questions. Ask away, we are all here to support you. :)

dnwiebe Newbie
dnwiebe
Posted

Newly diagnosed (May 2009). 20 years old from Edmonton! :D

miloandotis Apprentice
miloandotis
Posted

HI, I'm from Vancouver Canada, and joined this site today. I got my world turned upsidedown just three days ago. I'm also blessed with a severe, severe dairy allergy, eggs, and sunflower seeds, just to name the most severe.

In the past three days I've come to understand that my carefree eating will now be very, very changed. Thank god I can have coffee still!!!!!!

I too will have a bunch of questions that will probably be repeats...like...I'm already confused...cornstarch is out as well? hmmm...is there a list of foods to avoid on here somwhere?

I think I'm very lucky. I live in a large city, so access to special diet items may be easier....and I work in a clinic with many fabulous professionals with great advice and experience with this. I guess life could be worse. lol

Anyone know how long it takes to start feeling relief from symptoms?

miloandotis Apprentice
miloandotis
Posted

opps double post...this forum and I are not getting along yet...sorry

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable. The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body. So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days. Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte...
    2. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine?
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine. Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine. Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats. Meat, especially organ...
    4. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc. Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food....
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Russ H's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,871
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Koyanna
    Newest Member
    Koyanna
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
    • Scott Adams
      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.