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Martok42

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Martok42 Rookie
Martok42
Posted

Hello, I am new to the site and I recently found out I have celiac (And man it sucks) but I've been extremely careful about eating since then and it's been about 4 months now, and I have had some slip ups, but I still get stomach cramps and stuff. Is it possible that I am so tore up inside that the diet doesn't help?

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GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Hi Martok,

Do you feel different at all since going gluten-free? Any improvements? Some of us take a longer time to heal than others, it isn't like there is a definite fixed time frame. Healing depends a lot on keeping totally 100% gluten free too. There is plenty of room for gluten to sneak into your diet if you are eating processed foods. Also vitamin pills and medicines need to be checked for gluten. Another thing to be aware of is that some of us have other food intolerances besides gluten. Soy, dairy, nightshades, eggs, corn etc. If you have another food intolerance you may not feel better until you identify that food and remove it. You are pretty new to the diet and may need to look closely at everything you eat and drink for hidden gluten. Some flavored teas can be a problem too.

Reba32 Rookie
Reba32
Posted

read the labels on EVERYthing in your house. It is likely you're getting hidden glutens in some packaged foods, (condiments like salad dressings, mayonnaise, yogurt etc...) and/or cross contamination if not everyone in your home is gluten free and is not careful about cleaning up after themselves.

Plus, I also discovered that the soap in the ladies room at work, 2 tubes of my moisturizer lotions, my shampoo and conditioner and my tinted face moisturizer had wheat in them. Probably all my lipsticks as well. I chucked the make-up, gave away the lotions, and when I will be looking for alternate brands of shampoo and conditioner!

Martok42 Rookie
Martok42
Posted
  • Author

(Isn't a Nightshade a poisonous flower?)

I have been in as much agony, but I still am in frequent pain. I try very hard to not eat lots of processed foods. I know that hot dogs and bologna can and other lunch meats can be bad, and that kind of stuff. I have been really careful, but it's really hard. Like barbaque sauce, I didn't even think to check that. I have some barbaque ribs and then I'm down for a day. It's stuff like that gets me. Like yesterday all I had was fruit, some M&Ms, Chicken (Not fried. Just normal meat no sauce), a caramello bar, Which I checked, and homemade fried potatoes (Mmmmmm... potatoes) and my stomache hurt, not very bad, I could still function and do stuff, But I didn't feel to good. Today all I've had so far is lots of fruit and fruit roll-ups :P I feel ok today though. (At least for now)

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

(Isn't a Nightshade a poisonous flower?)

I have been in as much agony, but I still am in frequent pain. I try very hard to not eat lots of processed foods. I know that hot dogs and bologna can and other lunch meats can be bad, and that kind of stuff. I have been really careful, but it's really hard. Like barbaque sauce, I didn't even think to check that. I have some barbaque ribs and then I'm down for a day. It's stuff like that gets me. Like yesterday all I had was fruit, some M&Ms, Chicken (Not fried. Just normal meat no sauce), a caramello bar, Which I checked, and homemade fried potatoes (Mmmmmm... potatoes) and my stomache hurt, not very bad, I could still function and do stuff, But I didn't feel to good. Today all I've had so far is lots of fruit and fruit roll-ups :P I feel ok today though. (At least for now)

Nightshades are lots of different plants actually. Whole foods says about 2800 different plants fall in the category of nightshades. This WH page has a nice write up about them. I am actually testing nightshades tonight. I ate a burger with a slice of tomato. First time in say 1/2 a year or so for me to try a tomato. Guess I should these tests on Friday nights instead of Sunday nights though.

Open Original Shared Link

Sounds like you are starting to get the hang of the diet. Everything, all of it, every little thing you put in your mouth can make you sick if it is cc'd. Assuming something is safe to eat is not a wise choice for us. Not that we all don't make mistakes though. I just ate some plantain chips Friday that were supposedly ok by the ingredients list, but they got me somehow. That's about the last of the chips that I was willing to try too. Oh well.

Have you checked your vitamins etc?

Open Original Shared Link

Martok42 Rookie
Martok42
Posted
  • Author

The only pills I take are some over the counter fast acting decongestants for nasal allergies and citrazine (Off brand Zyrtec) A prescription allergy pill. So, Should I be worried about those?

And thanks for those links! I guess no more Caramellos.... They're my favorite..... :(

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

The only pills I take are some over the counter fast acting decongestants for nasal allergies and citrazine (Off brand Zyrtec) A prescription allergy pill. So, Should I be worried about those?

And thanks for those links! I guess no more Caramellos.... They're my favorite..... :(

Yeah, you do need to check the meds too. Pills often have some kind of starch in them to help hold them together. Some use corn starch but some use wheat starch. The thing to do is check with the manufacturer on them. Keep in mind manufacturers don't consider the binder a medically important part of the pill, so they may sometimes change binders to use whatever is cheaper at the time.

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sandsurfgirl Collaborator
sandsurfgirl
Posted

If the two days you posted about are indicative of your regular diet, you aren't eating nearly enough, and well... the junk food. I mean we can eat junk food, of course. You have to have treats so you don't go nuts with this diet. But if you are eating so little food in the first place and 2 out of the 5 or 6 things you ate were chocolate that can cause you some crazy blood sugar spikes and stomache upset.

Depending on your portion sizes, what you ate is between 700 and 1000 calories. You probably need 2000 or more depending on your activity level. You might be having blood sugar drops and whatnot making you feel sick.

I totally resisted the shampoo and soap thing. But I was not getting better so I bit the bullet and read all my various products. Being a girlie girl that was like a research project. I have TONS of different soaps and things. I got rid of the gluten stuff and I felt so much better the next day. And I cried to say bye-bye to my favorite shampoo. So check the soaps and things.

Hope you feel better soon!

Martok42 Rookie
Martok42
Posted
  • Author

My regular Diet Isn't very, regular. But Normally I do eat better than that. It's just that day we were really busy, and I didn't eat Breakfast. I know it's the most important meal of the day, but I don't eat in the morning very often. I used to when I could eat pop Tarts. But lately I have forcing myself to eat better, So I'll grab an apple or other fruit when I wake up.

And I will check my pills and shampoos and stuff. Thanks for the help.

Oh and for those care, I did feel pretty good yesterday and good so far today.

(One question I still have, is, GFinDC, why do you have a picture of pizza as your avatar. We... we can't eat pizza.... Your making me hungry for pizza.... :blink: )

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

Hi Martok,

Glad to hear you are feeling better today! Breakfast is something I skip a lot. I do make little gluten-free mini muffins sometimes which are good for a quick snack. Betty Crocker gluten-free cake mixes would work good for that.

Oh my avatar isn't pizza, although I can see it looks like a slice. It is a silly painting I made a long time ago of a triangular man. By the way we can have pizza. Z-pizza is one chain that makes gluten-free pizza. I don't eat pizza because I can't do dairy though. Maybe I'll change my avatar so it doesn't make people hungry... :D

Martok42 Rookie
Martok42
Posted
  • Author

I've made betty crocker cake mix before, it is so good!! And nice painting! :lol:

GFinDC Veteran
GFinDC
Posted

I've made betty crocker cake mix before, it is so good!! And nice painting! :lol:

Thanks, it's a silly painting but it does look exactly like me. LOL

Yeah, the Betty Crocker yellow cake mix is good with some cinnamon and all spice added, and maybe some coconut. I sometimes mash up a ripe banana and add it also. Or some peanut butter. Make it in muffin tins and you have a traveling snack.

You might like to try this microwave bread recipe. Takes just a few minutes to make it.

Open Original Shared Link"] Easy, Yummy Bread In Minutes An experiment gone right

And since the Caramellos are out, here is a thread with a list of gluten-free candies. Not that you would be interested in that of course. LOL You might want to look up some microwave peanut brittle recipes too. Peanut brittle is good by itself, but you can also use the same basic recipe for peanut brittle and add other nuts, seeds, dried fruit etc to make a snack bar.

2008 Rocktober gluten-free Candy List Is Here!

Martok42 Rookie
Martok42
Posted
  • Author

Hey thanks man. The first time I had the yellow cake mix I got sick from it, because I did not use gluten free vanilla. Live and learn right? And I will try the bread. my mom has a good recipe by mixing three different types of gluten free flour, the breads almost tastes normal!

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    • trents
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      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for a significant amount of time. It's called the "gluten challenge".  Yes, you can develop celiac disease at any stage of life. There is a genetic component but also a stress trigger that is needed to activate the celiac genes. About 30-40% of the general population possesses the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develop celiac disease. For most with the potential, the triggering stress event doesn't happen. It can be many things but often it is a viral infection. Having said that, it is also the case that many, many people who eventually are diagnosed with celiac disease probably experienced the actual onset years before. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning that symptoms are largely missing or very minor and get overlooked until damage to the small bowel lining becomes advanced or they develop iron deficiency anemia or some other medical problem associated with celiac disease. Many, many are never diagnosed or are diagnosed later in life because they did not experience classic symptoms. And many physicians are only looking for classic symptoms. We now know that there are over 200 symptoms/medical problems associated with celiac disease but many docs are only looking for things like boating, gas, diarrhea. I certainly understand your concerns about not wanting to damage your body by taking on a gluten challenge. Your other option is to totally commit to gluten free eating and see if your symptoms improve. It can take two years or more for complete healing of the small bowel lining once going gluten free but usually people experience significant improvement well before then. If their is significant improvement in your symptoms when going seriously gluten free, then you likely have your answer. You would either have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
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