So Frustrated

[strawberrygm]

my daughter is 10 and was diagnosed last summer.

i thought we were doing so good keeping her gluten-free and she is feeling much better and has gained some weight, but she is still bone thin and tired all the time.

she just had her first period last month.

i thought maybe her tiredness was not from celiac so much as her age and bodily changes, etc.

but just today, i was sitting her eating a trail mix that she and i love. all of a sudden i noticed it said in the allergy warning it had wheat. i had never even thought to check the warnings on the bag because nothing in it would make you think it would have wheat in it. it has chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, nuts, raisins and cranberries. it is by sam's choice, called indulgent trail mix.

i read through the ingredients and still do not know where the wheat is coming from, but there in the warning box, wheat is listed. uggghh.

i could just kick myself.

no telling where else i am missing it in. i must admit i dont check everything, only the things i think may have gluten in them and the things i have been warned to look at, such as fries, ketchups, dressings, bbq sauces. things like trail mix with no cereals....no, i dont think to check them. i will now!

i feel like i am failing her. almost a year later and i am missing stuff!!

i havent had her levels rechecked, and dont want to now. not that her doc has mentioned it or anything, i just seen it mentioned in here several times.

its so hard to keep her able to eat the same as her friends, especially in podunk where there is no health food stores to be found in a 2 hour radious!!!!

i am just mad and disgusted at myself and the world for putting flippin gluten in everything! even shampoo?!?! why on earth?? its a conspiracy, a cruel cruel joke!!!

[aorona]

It is frustrating. You have to be in the mode of i am going to live a gluten free lifestyle. You have to read all labels of everything from lotion to every food your daughter may eat. and you have to read the labels every time you buy something. Me and my kids have been gluten free for about 4 years now, and we have had some mishaps now and then. It is going to happen, and you just have to be vigilant. Teach your daughter how to read labels, so she can participate in choosing what she wants to eat. My oldest son is almost 8 years old, and has been gluten free since he was 4. He now knows how to read labels and check for hidden ingredients containing gluten. He even went to the store with my dad and helped pick out several things to eat that were in fact gluten free. Involving your daughter will give her more of a sense of control. Then you don't have to worry about her ingesting gluten at school or other activities because she will know what to look for. Also cross contamination is a big issue. Also, I know the feeling of not being able to get what you want at the grocery store. Talk to your grocery store manager and see if they can special order things for you, most of the time if you live in a small town, they are happy to accomodate you. There is also the internet to buy from. Also, buy a recipe book and try making things yourself.

[mushroom]

Don't feel bad. I had been buying a particular brand of chicken stock cubes which were both gluten and soy free. Then they came out with a powdered stock in a tin and it was in the gluten free section and I bought it because it's easier than cubes to get the right amount. So of course I didn't check the label and couldn't figure out why I have been itching like crazy lately. They put soy in the powder for some reason!! Dirty rotters. You can't ever let your guard down!