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

First Week gluten-free Will Be On Family Vacation-help!

Shellyann

By Shellyann
in Traveling with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

Shellyann Newbie
Shellyann
Posted

Hi my name is Shelly and I need some help.

I am a college student who has been having awful stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, weight loss (specifically muscle loss) joint pain ect.

Ive done the whole misdiagnoses thing for a few years, but recently I went to a new GI doc and he seems pretty confident that I have Celiac. I guess I had the blood test for it a couple years ago, but I have a IgA antibody deficiency which causes false negatives. I am having my endoscopy in a week and a half and a day afterwards I will be leaving to go to Lake Tahoe for 10 days for a family vacation. I have decided that no matter what the results I am going on a gluten-free diet after my endoscopy.

I have taken family vacations to Tahoe before and food wise it usually consists of eating out at my family's favorite hole in the wall pizza place and eating at the squaw valley ski slopes. Last time we also ate at an Irish Pub a lot. My grandma also usually cooks up store bought chicken noodle soup in a crock pot. I don't know how I'm going to find gluten-free options at any of these places. I don't know if I should even attempt to or if I should buy stuff from the grocery store, eat my own meals and then just go sit at the restaurants while my family eats there. To make matters more difficult I eat predominately a vegetarian diet except for fish. Lately I have been trying to make myself to start eating chicken, but I can usually only get myself to eat a couple bites. I pretty much live off of CARBS, veggies, fruits, beans, fish.

Does anyone have any suggestions for traveling gluten-free? What should I buy if I do get my own groceries while staying at the hotel (they have a fridge in the hotel rooms)?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Ahorsesoul Enthusiast
Ahorsesoul
Posted

"I pretty much live off of CARBS, veggies, fruits, beans, fish. "

So now you will live off veggies, fruits, beans and fish. You can do this. It might be hard while on vacation for a newbie buy you sound determined!

Check out the restaurants ahead of time to see what you can order. Many places have websites so you could email them. Or once there make calls to find out if they have gluten free menus. You can check online to see if there are any good places in Tahoe that are recommended by other celiacs. Post a message under Restaurants on this site listing the area you will be in and others who have been there might have some suggestions.

FMcGee Explorer
FMcGee
Posted

I was in this exact boat a week after I started eating gluten-free. People on here told me not to sweat it too much that first week, just to do my best, and that's what I did. In the first week, that's all you can ask. I can assure you that after the vacation you'll really be able to get down to figuring this out, and you will! Don't stress out or ruin your vacation over this - do your best, cook your own food if you need to, definitely go to the grocery store - and trust that the body takes awhile to heal and you wouldn't feel immediate changes in the first week, most likely, no matter where you are.

Good luck and have a great time!

SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted

I'm so glad you are going gluten free. I'm also Jealous of the ski vacation. It has been years for me.

My though is to pack some dried/canned foods and have them shipped to the hotel ahead of time. I pack lunch nearly every time I go out to eat. No one has ever complained. I eat right along with everyone else. Stock up on gluten free produce at the grocery store to pack in a lunch box. Most ski slopes have lockers somewhere if I remember correctly. Laura bars will be a good investment for the ski slopes. Call the slopes and find out if they can accomodate a gluten-free diet at any of their dining facilities. Pack a mini crock pot and cook your own soup/gluten-free oatmeal in that (I saw one recently for 10 or 15 dollars.)

I also found that it took me several weeks of practice to get the cross contamination out of my diet when I was diagnosed. You may find it appropriate in this situation to go gluten light for the trip and not worry about CC until you get home.

Also, search this section or post about Tahoe to see if anyone has reliable locations to eat.

Have fun!

Shellyann Newbie
Shellyann
Posted
  • Author

Thanks so much for your responses! It is all really helpful. I think it would probably be good for me to not worry too much about it. I just want to feel better so badly; Im so done with this. I really wish I could just start the diet now. I didn't think about the fact that I wont feel completely better during the trip either way because I won't heal instantly. I am excited to enjoy my trip either way. I love skiing and it has been way too long since I last went.

I love the mention of the Larabars. I buy them in bulk at costco, and so far they were the only snack I knew I was going to bring. So yummy and perfect for the slopes. I have a problem just eating one though cause they are kinda small- However, I do eat more than anyone I know so they are probably normal size to most people. I didn't even think about lockers, but that is a great idea.

Once again, thanks so much for all the encouragement and suggestions!!!

Shellyann Newbie
Shellyann
Posted
  • Author
"I pretty much live off of CARBS, veggies, fruits, beans, fish. "

So now you will live off veggies, fruits, beans and fish. You can do this. It might be hard while on vacation for a newbie buy you sound determined!

Check out the restaurants ahead of time to see what you can order. Many places have websites so you could email them. Or once there make calls to find out if they have gluten free menus. You can check online to see if there are any good places in Tahoe that are recommended by other celiacs. Post a message under Restaurants on this site listing the area you will be in and others who have been there might have some suggestions.

Thanks! I'm new to the website and didn't know there was a restaurants part. I will definitley do that.

  • 3 weeks later...
travelingceliac Newbie
travelingceliac
Posted

CONGRATES TO GOING gluten-free....it can seem intimadating at first. Its easy to get crazy with it, but as you go along it does get easier. I travel 90% of my life, I have learned you can be in the middle of nowwhere and find food to eat - it make take a little creativity and work. From my knowledge of Lake Tahoo, lots of time spent there, the places are very accommodating - I usually order broiled chicken with no sauces, potato baked, veggies and those you can get almost anywhere if you need to order, but see if they will clean the grill before its cooked and why it is so important. I find doing most of my own cooking helps and I've collected receipes or changed regular recipes. So far have not had much for foods sent to me but first thing I do is check out the grocery store. Us it as a game, see how creative you can be. It is not fun as we know to suffer from food that is not good for us. My traveling job I've had 6 years and have learned to cook with microwave/small refrig and have eaten pretty good. Also keep on hand ideas of foods to have mailed to you -- pizza made with rice and eat at home, they have theirs, and you have your own special pizza. Life is to enjoy and by making it a game, know it will getter easier as you go.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,685
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    tdouglas2901
    Newest Member
    tdouglas2901
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I'd go with a vodka tonic, but that's just me😉
    • Rejoicephd
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Rejoicephd · Posted

      That and my nutritionist also said that drinking cider is one of the worst drink choices for me, given that I have candida overgrowth.  She said the combination of the alcohol and sugar would be very likely to worsen my candida problem.  She suggested that if I drink, I go for clear vodka, either neat or with a splash of cranberry.   So in summary, I am giving ciders a rest.  Whether it's a gluten risk or sugars and yeast overgrowth, its just not worth it.
    • Inkie
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Inkie · Posted

      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      Inconclusive results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
×
×
  • 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.