Don't Know What's Wrong With Me...

[Rikki Tikki]

Tiffany:

Are the spices they use for their shrimp gluten-free? What about the dipping sauce?

[tarnalberry]

I don't know off the top of my head - you can get their gluten-free menu online at their website. It'll tell you the details.

[Rikki Tikki]

I did that but it looked to me like the sauce and seasonings were gluten-free. I just don't want to make a mistake

[Guest nini]

Curious, your symptoms sound sooooo much like mine before I got dx with celiac. I went through a period of about 3 years after initially finding out about celiac where I continued to eat gluten and continued to get sicker... My regular dr. ran just about every test in the book and couldn't figure out why I was so sick, I was hypoglycemic, anemic, hypothyroid, hypertension... had a red bumpy rash all over my upper arms, legs and face... they suspected food allergies because I would have the worst reactions after dining out at a restaurant...

I truly believe that gluten is toxic for a much larger percentage of the population, and that celiac is NOT the cause but the end result of being gluten intolerant. I also know that some of the tests they use to "screen" for celiac, are not as sensitive as they need to be, and you CAN get a false negative result, but you cannot get a false positive. You really need a dr. that is not only knowledgeable about celiac, but one that will LISTEN to you as a patient. Your symptoms sound JUST LIKE MINE, and my dr. had me go ahead and start the gluten free diet even before getting the test results back. When my test results came back positive it was just a confirmation of what he already knew.

[tarnalberry]

Sally, no worries, I understand the paranoia. I know they recommend getting their vegetables without the seasoning, but if they don't say anything like that about the shrimp, I'm sure you're fine. When in doubt, ask the manager. :-) And double check the gluten-free menu they have at the restaurant. (I recall having them once before, but it was a while ago. I think I avoided the sauce, but I know they've also change the formulations of some stuff recently. Mostly I get their salmon when I'm there. I also did a side of baked potato and steamed veggies once... nice and light/tasty, and "light" is a hard meal to get there! ;-) )

[curiousifcd]

Wow our stories do sound a lot alike. I was completely shocked when I started researching celiac disease, and how many symtoms and complications it can cause. I still can't believe it is not as well known as what it should be. Even dr's dont seem to know what to do with it. I have come to the conclusion that I am at least gluten intolerant (becuase of the positve changes on the gluten-free diet) and am dedicated to eating a completely gluten-free diet. I am still scared that I'll doubt myself, especially when I start to feel better for a while on a normal basis but I'm sick of being sick. If i feel so much better on a gluten-free diet, who needs a go ahead from a dr. (tho I do worry that when i go to the dr in the future, they'l try to talk me out of being gluten-free or something...yanno how dr.'s can be sometimes..) Also, Im still kind of embarassed about the diet and having to make specific requests ( i know i shouldn't be! im trying not to be, i realize its important to my health- id rather have someone think i was weird for a minute than feel sick for days!) but people just don't understand how bad gluten can affect me. Even my close friends and family don't get it, they know i've been sick but they don't see how someting as simple as gluten can do so much related damage! I'm really dedicated to being completely gluten-free (specially after how bad i felt a few days ago and talking to you guys on this board)- i even came home from college and opened a new jar of peanut butter and marked it as mine and told my mom not to make sandwiches with it! I do have one question tho as to how you guys would have dealt with this- last night I had to go to a banquet that my brother's hospitality class put on at a hotel. It was a very formal affair. Hor dourves (spelling?) went good- they had a lot of whole fruit (tho they did have a whole display of bread...i stayed away from the food around that..) so i ate some of that. For dinner, it was all pre-plated so its not like you can order anything special or tailored to you (i even asked my brother if there was a vegetarian option as i dont like a lot of meat, but he didnt think there was) Salad had a small tortilla type strip on it? with some goat cheese and oranges and almonds and some kind of dressing. then with dinner, it was a small steak, piece of trout wrapped in bacon (and possibly breading inside, not sure) over mashed potatoes and i think some form of beef gravy type sauce. Dessert was creme brulee (is this gluten-free normally?) and flourless chocolate cake. I was really hungry so i just ate my carrots,a dn switched my mom for her carrots with my steak and then picked at the potatoes. Obviously, looking back i probably could have asked the waitress if there was an alternative or just ate when i got home. What would you have done in this scenario?

[ianm]

At the formal event you did what you could do. As far as your family is concerned they are just going to have to DEAL WITH IT! It is your body and you have to take care of it. If they don't like it TOO DAMN BAD. Don't be ashamed to make special requests in restaurants. Most of them will do what they can to accomodate you. If they won't go somewhere else. If the gluten-free diet works for you and your doctor doesn't like it find another doctor. You have to be proactive and sometimes be an A!@#$#% to take control of your life. You only get one body so do what YOU HAVE TO DO to take care of it.

[curiousifcd]

Lol! Nice view on things. I know what you mean, Im at the point where I know what I have to do to keep me healthy so that's what I'm going to do. My family is pretty understanding (I've always been a "Weird" eater, so I don't think it really phases them lol) Actually this diet isn't a huge switch for me (besides cereal! tho my cravings for it have gone..) i get kinda depressed in the store, knowing i cant just buy what i want and whats on sale (tho i am used to reading labels, and i buy mostly un processed type food with low ingredients- tho im still not sure about some foods, so i just don't eat it) My family still asks if i want bread or something like that, tho i think it is an absent minded thing and they forget, it is still pretty new diet for me and i think they are starting to get used to it. (my brother is really good about it,w ell he was when i was a vegetarian and he'd make special requests for me when we were in disney world and we'd go out to eat). My sister (she has a lot of stomach problems and was told at one point that they suspected celiacs, or wheat intolerance, but now is on medicine that she says help- and i was with her today and she defiantely does NOT eat gluten-free) tho i dont think understands as well- she has always been sick for so long and i was supposed to be the healthy one (the past year at college my health has gone down hill- and she doesnt see it because ive been at college, plus she has dirrhea and i have the opposite problem-besides when i get glutened- which can be just as bad!) Thanks tho for the support. I love this board- you guys are the only ones who seem to understand!

[tarnalberry]

Last time I was at a banquet (and I was getting an award), I made my requests and avoided what I couldn't be confident of. I went to two work-related Christmas parties last year where I just sat there and either had my own food or had eaten before. It's not quite as much fun as eating there, but more fun than missing the event, and definitely more fun than being sick! ;-)