Grrrr....

[KaitiUSA]

Hey Sally

Long time since I've seen you on!. Great to have ya back.

And if they ask you one more time and you have to barf...make sure it's in their direction

I know what you mean though ..people ask "What can you eat" and then I ask them the same question back...I say that I can eat anything that they can eat except a gluten free version

[Rikki Tikki]

Thanks Ianm. I spent 8 weeks at my mom's but am still having problems, just tired of dealing with doctors. It brings back too many memories of all the years before I knew I had celiac. I just keep telling myself that I feel great and take it from there!

[dogear]

Try eating lots of potatoes, dried fruit, and nuts in front of people who think you are on the Atkins regimen. Or better yet, brings tons of gluten-free cookies and cake in your lunch box. If you don't want to eat it all, you don't have to, but it might be fun to just freak everyone out.

[Guest klcs]

I have just read through this thread and feel so much empathy with you all.

I have been on a gluten free diet as well as an anticandida diet (no yeast, no sugar etc) for 8 weeks. I had a live blood analysis which showed excessive candida in blood, pure circulation, sticky red blood cells, inflamation among other things.

I have always suffered from headaches and back pain. Also had problems with low iron. Plus various digestive problems.

I have been having chiropractic treatment for years, started pilates 18months as well as remedial massage. This all helped but did not eliminate the pain. Since being on the diet I have been almost headache free and the back pain has reduced significantly. In the last week I have noticed that my hands and feet are warm most of the time. I am still trying to sort out the digestive problems.

In relation to this thread - I have had a lot of support but am finding many of the comments so tiresome.

On a positive note - I am skinny and previously when there were lots of cakes etc around and I would take only a tiny piece I would always get the comments about why am I having such a small piece as I am so slim I could eat anything. Atleast now I can refuse and have a good reason for not eating it.

Heather

[Rikki Tikki]

Hi Heather, welcome to the board! It has been a wonderful experience for me and many others. There are so many supportive people and all will help you through the hurdles of sprue.

[Rikki Tikki]

Thanks Kaiti, you made me laugh! It's good to be back, I missed all my celiac buddies!

[Diosa]

Actually, I've found that telling people I'm on the Atkins diet (mostly in restaurants) makes it much easier for them to understand and avoid breads and such. I don't always have the time/energy to launch into the whole "I have celiac disease and have to be strictly gluten-free" and get the deer-in-headlights look. Frankly, saying you are on Atkins is so easy for the general public to wrap their brains around that they will generally let it go. (At least that's been my experience) I know it's bad of me, but sometimes the easy way out is the best and the shortest so I can get back to life.

[junevarn]

Hi Heather,

I had a live cell analysis yesterday for the first time. Very interesting. I have fungus, parasites, poor digestion(no surprise there), among other things. I have suffered for many years with intestinal problems so I wasn't too surprised.

I am also on a sugar free, yeast free diet along with being gluten and dairy free.

Its good to know I'm not alone. At least there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Sincerely,

June

[Guest ~wAvE WeT sAnD~]

What's funny to me is that I was once asked if I was a vegetarian. The person who asked me is my great uncle's wife, so she had no ill intent. It was funny, though.

Question for all: have you ever had dreams in which you were forced to eat gluten?

I had to eat a pizza to impress several co-workers (in the dream, of course) at an Italian restaurant. Or, I have dreams where I just grab a pretzel without thinking, eat it, and think, "Oh, no!"

[uclangel422]

At my work there are always these meetings with really incredible cookies. I used to eat them constantly before i was diagnosed.

Anyway, two nights ago i had a nightmare that i walked into a meeting and without even thinking about it grabbed a cookie and started chowing down on it. And in my dream i had no immediate side effects so i ate all the cookies before the rest of the meeting participants showed up.

I woke up and was felt awful, like i had actually eaten them.

[sarah513]

Yeah, that really irks me too.

My boss just announced that after our staff meeting next week, we'll be having a pizza social as a reward for all of our hard work! (Not only can I not have gluten, I'm also allergic to tomatoes, and GOD do I miss pizza.) He also told me that he can't be expected to order something special "because of my condition."

I guess I'll have to cook something incredibly delicious and bring it with me and not share it. Grrr.

[cgilsing]

I have dreams like that all the time that I just grab something with out thinking and start eating it! The funny thing is I never even liked pizza that much but 9 out of 10 of my dreams like that are about pizza! Go figure....

[Guest Viola]

That's funny, you dreaming of pizza when you didn't really like it to begin with You would think you'd dream about apple pie or something you loved!

[celiac3270]

I have dreams like that all the time that I just grab something with out thinking and start eating it! The funny thing is I never even liked pizza that much but 9 out of 10 of my dreams like that are about pizza! Go figure....

I know... and I dreamt of eating chocolate cake, which I don't like--rather than something I do. Maybe that's what makes it more of a nightmare--gluten AND something you never liked in the first place.

[veggf]

Oh my god! I love this site, someone always has something similar going on in their gluten-free lives--it makes me feel so normal:)

I have had crazy gluten dreams, where somehow I either cheat or I'm tricked into it. Once the dream was so real that I woke up expecting to be sick because I "ate" a gluten baked good. Weird how our unconscious deals with our gluten-free lives!

To Sarah 513, you definately should make something delicious and not share it. We had a retreat for work once and we went potluck on some of the meals and the rest were provided. Needless to say the provided meals were going to be great and gluten filled, unfortunately for me. One of my co-workers (who I'm mentioned as a jerk before) made a few snide comments to me. So I baked a gluten-free pear crumble and ate that for breakfast, everyone was green with envy. Make them envious! Have fun Sarah!

Best Wishes!

[lgranott]

I am sooo glad I found this sight... I wonder what took me so long. Up until now, the only celiac person in my life was a friend who's daughter was diagnosed 1 1/2 years ago... Not the same.

I don't mind "most" of the questions/comments. I have found that most people are really just curious and want to understand. Although every once in a while I get tired of the reactions and the looks that make me feel so different and so high maintanence.

There are a lot of wonderful things that happen though. I got a "vegetable cake" for my birthday which was both yummy (as I like veggies and not cake) and funny. Or when lunch was ordered for a staff meeting that had nothing I could eat, they ordered a special salad for me and one other person who has other allergies.

But then there are the people who say things like "oh don't tell me you are going to say you can't have it b/c it has wheat again, are you?" Annoyed, as if I am chosing to live this way... I AM NOT

Or yesterday when I realized that I had accidentally (and quite stupidly) eaten gluten, and panicked, a friend told me to just have good thoughts and that it won't be so bad. I just looked at her as she tried to convince me that I could control it with my mind. I asked her if she would like to try that theory by eating bad shrimp and see how that worked for her I was nice about it though...

Well, off to try and get some sleep--I would really like day 2 of my punishment for being so stupid to be over with... I wish there was something I could do/take to make this any less painful and....all the rest that comes with it. Walking upright would be nice:)

[sarah513]

Thanks! You know, now that I think about it, that day is also payday... Might be an excellent time to head up to Chinatown on my lunch break and visit Happy Happy Happy, a gluten-free/vegan bakery I've heard wonderful things about. My boyfriend actually ate there once not realizing it wasn't a "normal" bakery... I may need to come back with an armload of delicious things no one else can touch!

And Friday is also Harry Potter day... maybe this won't be such a bad day after all.

[Guest ~wAvE WeT sAnD~]

Yeah!!!! I forgot about Harry Potter day!!!!!

I'm pumped!

[PreOptMegs]

When I was first starting to figure out that gluten was the problem (self diagnosis was correct by the way) my mother just couldn't understand the concept of how sensitive to gluten I was. She had made chicken pot pie (which is basically a gluten bomb waiting to occur) and she told me to just "scrape out the vegetables and chicken" (from the flour crust) because "a little won't hurt"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks mom. lol

[ianm]

I've heard scrape it, wash it, cut it off many times and frequently from people who have had me explain why I can't eat it 100 times before.

[BamBam]

Oh, I love this thread. I've been reading it off and on at work, hope I don't get in trouble!!

Anyway, my wonderful Aunt made a casserole one day for me with pasta, and she told me to just "eat around" the pasta. And my sister thinks that the hot oil made to cook stuff in fast food restaurants is hot enough to kill the gluten.

My co-workers are pretty good to me lately, I tease them when they eat something good that they have to tell me how horrible it is, and sometimes that helps!! My husband very seldom eats wheat now to, and people can't imagine why a MAN can't eat wheat. Just dumb dumb thoughts and attitudes.

I better get back to work !!

[Rikki Tikki]

Igranott:

How are you feeling now?

[psawyer]

BamBam, I am a man and I am not the only one here who can't eat wheat! I don't think the genes that are associated with celiac disease are gender biased, but it does seem that a lot more females are diagnosed and are aware of the disease.

Maybe it's like that stereoptype where a guy who gets lost never asks for directions 'cuz it would mean admitting that he can't do everything on his own!

Before I get attacked for being sexist, I'm going to quietly close this post out

[Guest Viola]

Not to worry Peter, I don't think too many of us are gender sensitive around this forum

Really though ... I think the line between sexes and food is slowly narrowing. After all, there are very good male cooks and chefs. And some men are taking control of their own diets. It's just that for so many generations the diets have been left up to mothers and wives. Now ... if I could have just married one of those very good male cooks ... Ahhhhhhhh, things would be soooo much easier

[Rikki Tikki]

I wonder of more women are on the board because we are more likely to seek help/support? Just a thought.......