Hola From Minnesota!

[Alsbagalls12]

Hello there!

My name is Alyson and I'm from Southeastern Minnesota. I was wondering if there is anyone on here from my area? I've been searching to see if there was any group or club in this area for people my age (I'll be 24 next week) that are dealing with Celiac issues.

I do know that there is a general group for people with Celiac in Southeastern Minnesota, but I wasn't sure if there would be anyone my age that attends those meetings. I'd still be willing to join that group, but I'm just curious to see if there is anything else out there

I'm very new to this whole Gluten-free idea, and it's been a little rough not being able to talk to anyone that knows what I've been going through. Doctors have said that I had insomnia, fibromyalgia, endometriosis and anxiety among others. I've spent many years listening to people tell me that I was making these symptoms up in my head and that I just needed to go to therapy. After a while, I started to think that maybe I WAS just making it all up and that I should just "get over it" and stop being so weak. Finally, I stumbled across some Celiac web site, and I decided to give the gluten-free diet a try. When I started to feel better, I cried because I was so happy that I finally found something that made a difference toward the pain I was feeling.

I recently got a blood test done and I tested negative for Celiac, but my doctor said that it was possible that the test was wrong considering I was already on a gluten-free diet. The results of that test were quite disheartening, and I'm wondering if anyone has gone through that before? I was told that I could go back to eating gluten and wheat for a month or so and then take the test again, but honestly I would be too scared to start eating "normally" again because of the intense pain it makes me feel. I missed a lot of work, was grumpy and extremely exhausted all the time---I do not want to go back to that!

Anyway, that is my long sob story I have many things to be thankful for and I am just happy that I have found something that makes me feel better.

Feel free to respond if you have ANY advice or if you're from the area. I'd love to hear from you.

MANY THANKS! <3 ALYSON

[Yoshi]

Hi, Alyson. I'm not from Minnesota--quite a ways south in Oklahoma. I do understand what you've been going through. I was diagnosed with Crohns disease about 15 years ago, after spending most of my life up to that point being told I was faking it whenever I had a flareup. Even after being diagnosed, I had doctors tell me I wasn't really sick or it was all in my head. A little over 3 years ago, I went to the emergency room in severe pain and sicker than I'd ever felt before. After they took some x-rays, the ER nurse stomped into my cubicle and informed me that I didn't belong there, and I wasn't an emergency. She claimed I was just constipated and should have gone to the pharmacy and bought an enema, rather than taking up valuable space for REAL emergencies. To make a long story short, I had developed abscesses in my colon, gall bladder and liver, and one of the gall bladder abscesses had ruptured.

I've always had problems eating whole grain wheat and other grains with gluten, but tested negative for Celiac. I frequently get an itchy rash on my sides and lower legs, similar to what I've read is associated with gluten-intolerance. I thought maybe the tests were wrong, not knowing I could be gluten-intolerant and non-Celiac. My current doctor believes gluten may be the primary trigger of my Crohns flareups. I've been gluten-free for a couple of weeks, and I'm noticing a little bit of improvement. The kicker is I'm also a diabetic (the infection from the rupture damaged my pancreas, so I have to take insulin) and need to limit my carbs. My family, friends and people I work with are always pushing food at me. They think that just because somthing is sugar free, it's okay. Well, it's not! Sugar free doesn't necessarily mean it's low carb or gluten free. Now that I'm beginning to feel better for a change, I don't want to end up hurting again by eating something with gluten or sugar in it. Why do people get so offended when you won't eat just one bite of something, even when you explain to them how harmful it is for you?

Anyway, it's nice to meet you, and I hope you find someone close to home you can connect with.

[New-To-This]

Hello there!

My name is Alyson and I'm from Southeastern Minnesota. I was wondering if there is anyone on here from my area? I've been searching to see if there was any group or club in this area for people my age (I'll be 24 next week) that are dealing with Celiac issues.

I do know that there is a general group for people with Celiac in Southeastern Minnesota, but I wasn't sure if there would be anyone my age that attends those meetings. I'd still be willing to join that group, but I'm just curious to see if there is anything else out there

I'm very new to this whole Gluten-free idea, and it's been a little rough not being able to talk to anyone that knows what I've been going through. Doctors have said that I had insomnia, fibromyalgia, endometriosis and anxiety among others. I've spent many years listening to people tell me that I was making these symptoms up in my head and that I just needed to go to therapy. After a while, I started to think that maybe I WAS just making it all up and that I should just "get over it" and stop being so weak. Finally, I stumbled across some Celiac web site, and I decided to give the gluten-free diet a try. When I started to feel better, I cried because I was so happy that I finally found something that made a difference toward the pain I was feeling.

I recently got a blood test done and I tested negative for Celiac, but my doctor said that it was possible that the test was wrong considering I was already on a gluten-free diet. The results of that test were quite disheartening, and I'm wondering if anyone has gone through that before? I was told that I could go back to eating gluten and wheat for a month or so and then take the test again, but honestly I would be too scared to start eating "normally" again because of the intense pain it makes me feel. I missed a lot of work, was grumpy and extremely exhausted all the time---I do not want to go back to that!

Anyway, that is my long sob story I have many things to be thankful for and I am just happy that I have found something that makes me feel better.

Feel free to respond if you have ANY advice or if you're from the area. I'd love to hear from you.

MANY THANKS! <3 ALYSON

I am also from Minnesota. But central MN and I understand your frustration. We live in a small town and theres nothing here. We have to travel to the twin cities for anything like that. I don't know how far you live from Rochester but there is an All gluten free shop in town that might be able to help you find groups in your area, depending on how close you are. The name of the business is Gluten-Free Cupboard and the address is 1833 3rd Ave S.E. Rochester phone number is 507-529-1132. The owners have celiac disease so they might also have information on local groups. Another suggestion is check the local colleges if you are from a larger town, you might be surprised on what you can find for support groups etc.

I hope this helps you.

Best of luck finding a local group with members your age.

[Alsbagalls12]

I am also from Minnesota. But central MN and I understand your frustration. We live in a small town and theres nothing here. We have to travel to the twin cities for anything like that. I don't know how far you live from Rochester but there is an All gluten free shop in town that might be able to help you find groups in your area, depending on how close you are. The name of the business is Gluten-Free Cupboard and the address is 1833 3rd Ave S.E. Rochester phone number is 507-529-1132. The owners have celiac disease so they might also have information on local groups. Another suggestion is check the local colleges if you are from a larger town, you might be surprised on what you can find for support groups etc.

I hope this helps you.

Best of luck finding a local group with members your age.

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I actually AM from Rochester and have thankfully been introduced to the Gluten Free Cupboard already (I work with this girl and the owners are her aunt and uncle!). Thank you for the support--I wish you luck with your gluten-free endeavors

[ninakacz]

Hello there!

My name is Alyson and I'm from Southeastern Minnesota. I was wondering if there is anyone on here from my area? I've been searching to see if there was any group or club in this area for people my age (I'll be 24 next week) that are dealing with Celiac issues.

I do know that there is a general group for people with Celiac in Southeastern Minnesota, but I wasn't sure if there would be anyone my age that attends those meetings. I'd still be willing to join that group, but I'm just curious to see if there is anything else out there

I'm very new to this whole Gluten-free idea, and it's been a little rough not being able to talk to anyone that knows what I've been going through. Doctors have said that I had insomnia, fibromyalgia, endometriosis and anxiety among others. I've spent many years listening to people tell me that I was making these symptoms up in my head and that I just needed to go to therapy. After a while, I started to think that maybe I WAS just making it all up and that I should just "get over it" and stop being so weak. Finally, I stumbled across some Celiac web site, and I decided to give the gluten-free diet a try. When I started to feel better, I cried because I was so happy that I finally found something that made a difference toward the pain I was feeling.

I recently got a blood test done and I tested negative for Celiac, but my doctor said that it was possible that the test was wrong considering I was already on a gluten-free diet. The results of that test were quite disheartening, and I'm wondering if anyone has gone through that before? I was told that I could go back to eating gluten and wheat for a month or so and then take the test again, but honestly I would be too scared to start eating "normally" again because of the intense pain it makes me feel. I missed a lot of work, was grumpy and extremely exhausted all the time---I do not want to go back to that!

Anyway, that is my long sob story I have many things to be thankful for and I am just happy that I have found something that makes me feel better.

Feel free to respond if you have ANY advice or if you're from the area. I'd love to hear from you.

MANY THANKS! <3 ALYSON

Hi Alyson!

My name's Nina, I'm from the Twin Cities. I'm new to this whole Celiac thing too- but I was SO relieved to finally get diagnosed with something and be able to feel like a normal person again I'll be 21 in a couple months, and it is not easy to deal with this on top of college, but I'm lucky to be in the cities where there are quite a few options for gluten free food. I have heard of a lot of Celiac groups around MN but had a feeling I would be the youngest one there, so I haven't gotten into anything like that yet. Anyway, your sob story is pretty much identical to mine, and just thought I'd let ya know you aren't the only 20 year old in the state going through this! If you ever head to the cities I could give you lots of recommendations! Good luck with everything

Nina