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

Funny Restaurant Phone Call

Skylark

By Skylark
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Had the funniest phone call just now. A good friend invited me to her birthday dinner tonight at an Ethiopian restaurant. I called the restaurant and when someone with an accent answered I said I had a "wheat, rye, and barley" allergy. (I wasn't even going to try the word "celiac".) I asked if I could eat their injira or any of the meats or vegetables. I hear the person on the phone turn and ask a question in another language. She comes back, says the injira does have some wheat in it so I can't have it, thanks me, and hangs up. Nothing about the rest of the food.

I'll be eating ahead of time and having a glass of wine tonight. :lol:

Now, the thing that will break your heart is that this friend suspects her idiopathic peripheral neuropathy is gluten related and is theoretically trying the gluten-free diet. I just can't seem to get her to understand the problems with occasional cheating with soy sauce, picking breading off foods, and going out to places like this. :(

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


bluebonnet Explorer
bluebonnet
Posted

oh geesh. :rolleyes: i'm sure you are already glad/relieved you called ahead instead of playing the waiting and wondering game. send your friend to this site. haha. unfortunately the tinest bit of cc here and there over the summer is affecting me big time. (i'm not purposely eating it ... but i am somehow coming in contact with it). :wacko: its driving me nuts trying to figure out the source.

enjoy your evening!

nora-n Rookie
nora-n
Posted

If they would make the injera from teff like the original recipe, it would be fantastic. Ethiopian food used to be gluten free ages ago, and casein free I think too.

I have had teff injera made by a friend from somalia. Distinct sourdough taste, tasty.

lucia Enthusiast
lucia
Posted

If they would make the injera from teff like the original recipe, it would be fantastic. Ethiopian food used to be gluten free ages ago, and casein free I think too.

I have had teff injera made by a friend from somalia. Distinct sourdough taste, tasty.

Except for the injera (bread), the food will be gluten-free. Ethiopian food is traditionally gluten-free. (I used to frequent such restaurants, because they're also good for vegetarians.) The server may be used to people asking specifically about the injera. That may be why she didn't answer your question beyond that statement. I don't know if you'd want to risk the CC in this place though.

I agree - it's sad that Ethiopian restaurants don't all use the traditional recipes. I heard they cut the dough with wheat flour to save some "dough" (meaning money). :(

curiousgirl Contributor
curiousgirl
Posted

Had the funniest phone call just now. A good friend invited me to her birthday dinner tonight at an Ethiopian restaurant. I called the restaurant and when someone with an accent answered I said I had a "wheat, rye, and barley" allergy. (I wasn't even going to try the word "celiac".) I asked if I could eat their injira or any of the meats or vegetables. I hear the person on the phone turn and ask a question in another language. She comes back, says the injira does have some wheat in it so I can't have it, thanks me, and hangs up. Nothing about the rest of the food.

I'll be eating ahead of time and having a glass of wine tonight. :lol:

Now, the thing that will break your heart is that this friend suspects her idiopathic peripheral neuropathy is gluten related and is theoretically trying the gluten-free diet. I just can't seem to get her to understand the problems with occasional cheating with soy sauce, picking breading off foods, and going out to places like this. :(

Can you please share with me the SYMPTOMS of her idiopathic peripheral neuropathy? ? I've posted a couple of times about the muscle wasting in my left hand but don't seem to be understood.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted
  • Author

Can you please share with me the SYMPTOMS of her idiopathic peripheral neuropathy? ? I've posted a couple of times about the muscle wasting in my left hand but don't seem to be understood.

In her case it's very much like diabetic neuropathy, but she is not diabetic. As far as I know, her symptoms are sensory. She gets tingling, pins and needles, numb patches, and sometimes outright pain in her feet. As far as I know there is no wasting but she is completely unable to wear tight shoes like pumps because they hurt her too much. She also suffers from vertigo.

She's had full neuro workups and they can't find any reason for the neuropathy other than some B12 deficiency. She has been taking B12 for a while and it hasn't helped so her neurologist suggested gluten. She's not positive for anti-gliadin IgA, so it's a bit of a shot in the dark but nothing else has worked.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted
  • Author

Except for the injera (bread), the food will be gluten-free. Ethiopian food is traditionally gluten-free. (I used to frequent such restaurants, because they're also good for vegetarians.) The server may be used to people asking specifically about the injera. That may be why she didn't answer your question beyond that statement. I don't know if you'd want to risk the CC in this place though.

I agree - it's sad that Ethiopian restaurants don't all use the traditional recipes. I heard they cut the dough with wheat flour to save some "dough" (meaning money). :(

Thanks, Lucia. I've been doing a little reading and I'm seeing the same thing you're saying. Besides the injera it looks like I can eat the food. I think I'll bring some Udi's and ask for my food on separate dishes. I don't usually have issues in Indian restaurants, where they cook pretty much gluten-free except for the bread.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted
  • Author

OMG. So I get to the restaurant and the waiter says "Sorry, but we only do the gluten-free injera on Wednesday and Friday but the rest of the food is always gluten-free." Squeeeee!!!! I just had bad luck on the phone and got someone who didn't speak English well.

So... I had great Ethiopian food with my Udi's I'd put in my purse AND all I have to do is call in the morning and reserve some gluten-free injera on Wednesday or Friday. They even said they would make it on other nights with a day's advance notice. The charge a little more to cover the extra cost of pure teff. How cool is that?

I used to go to this place before I learned I couldn't eat gluten and always loved it. So cool to be able to eat there again.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

In her case it's very much like diabetic neuropathy, but she is not diabetic. As far as I know, her symptoms are sensory. She gets tingling, pins and needles, numb patches, and sometimes outright pain in her feet. As far as I know there is no wasting but she is completely unable to wear tight shoes like pumps because they hurt her too much. She also suffers from vertigo.

She's had full neuro workups and they can't find any reason for the neuropathy other than some B12 deficiency. She has been taking B12 for a while and it hasn't helped so her neurologist suggested gluten. She's not positive for anti-gliadin IgA, so it's a bit of a shot in the dark but nothing else has worked.

I hope you can get her to fully understand what the gluten free diet means. When we have neuro effects we need to be strict with the diet to have them resolve. It also takes more time than getting rid of just tummy issues. It sounds like she may have ataxia and things will only get worse if she doesn't adhere to the diet.

Archived

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

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. AlwaysLearning
      - AlwaysLearning replied to Colleen H's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      3

      Gluten related ??

      Get tested for vitamin deficiencies. Though neuropathy can be a symptom of celiac, it can also be caused by deficiencies due to poor digestion caused by celiac and could be easier to treat.
    2. Colleen H
      - Colleen H replied to Colleen H's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      3

      Gluten related ??

      Thank you so much for your response Yes it seems as though things get very painful as time goes on. I'm not eating gluten as far as I know. However, I'm not sure of cross contamination. My system seems to weaken to hidden spices and other possibilities. ??? if cross contamination is possible...I am in a super sensitive mode of celiac disease...
    3. Jmartes71
      - Jmartes71 replied to Jmartes71's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      4

      My only proof

      EXACTLY! I was asked yesterday on my LAST video call with Standford and I stated exactly yes absolutely this is why I need the name! One, get proper care, two, not get worse.Im falling apart, stressed out, in pain and just opened email from Stanford stating I was rude ect.I want that video reviewed by higher ups and see if that women still has a job or not...
    4. AlwaysLearning
      - AlwaysLearning replied to Jmartes71's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      4

      My only proof

      We feel your pain. It took me 20+ years of regularly going to doctors desperate for answers only to be told there was nothing wrong with me … when I was 20 pounds underweight, suffering from severe nutritional deficiencies, and in a great deal of pain. I had to figure it out for myself. If you're in the U.S., not having an official diagnosis does m...
    5. AlwaysLearning
      - AlwaysLearning replied to Colleen H's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      3

      Gluten related ??

      If you're just starting out in being gluten free, I would expect it to take months before you learned enough about hidden sources of gluten before you stopped making major mistakes. Ice cream? Not safe unless they say it is gluten free. Spaghetti sauce? Not safe unless is says gluten-free. Natural ingredients? Who knows what's in there. You pretty much...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,084
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    bigwave
    Newest Member
    bigwave
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • AlwaysLearning
      Gluten related ??

      By AlwaysLearning · Posted

      Get tested for vitamin deficiencies.  Though neuropathy can be a symptom of celiac, it can also be caused by deficiencies due to poor digestion caused by celiac and could be easier to treat.
    • Colleen H
      Gluten related ??

      By Colleen H · Posted

      Thank you so much for your response  Yes it seems as though things get very painful as time goes on.  I'm not eating gluten as far as I know.  However, I'm not sure of cross contamination.  My system seems to weaken to hidden spices and other possibilities. ???  if cross contamination is possible...I am in a super sensitive mode of celiac disease.. Neuropathy from head to toes
    • Jmartes71
      My only proof

      By Jmartes71 · Posted

      EXACTLY! I was asked yesterday on my LAST video call with Standford and I stated exactly yes absolutely this is why I need the name! One, get proper care, two, not get worse.Im falling apart, stressed out, in pain and just opened email from Stanford stating I was rude ect.I want that video reviewed by higher ups and see if that women still has a job or not.Im saying this because I've been medically screwed and asking for help because bills don't pay itself. This could be malpratice siit but im not good at finding lawyers
    • AlwaysLearning
      My only proof

      By AlwaysLearning · Posted

      We feel your pain. It took me 20+ years of regularly going to doctors desperate for answers only to be told there was nothing wrong with me … when I was 20 pounds underweight, suffering from severe nutritional deficiencies, and in a great deal of pain. I had to figure it out for myself. If you're in the U.S., not having an official diagnosis does mean you can't claim a tax deduction for the extra expense of gluten-free foods. But it can also be a good thing. Pre-existing conditions might be a reason why a health insurance company might reject your application or charge you more money. No official diagnosis means you don't have a pre-existing condition. I really hope you don't live in the U.S. and don't have these challenges. Do you need an official diagnosis for a specific reason? Else, I wouldn't worry about it. As long as you're diligent in remaining gluten free, your body should be healing as much as possible so there isn't much else you could do anyway. And there are plenty of us out here who never got that official diagnosis because we couldn't eat enough gluten to get tested. Now that the IL-2 test is available, I suppose I could take it, but I don't feel the need. Someone else not believing me really isn't my problem as long as I can stay in control of my own food.
    • AlwaysLearning
      Gluten related ??

      By AlwaysLearning · Posted

      If you're just starting out in being gluten free, I would expect it to take months before you learned enough about hidden sources of gluten before you stopped making major mistakes. Ice cream? Not safe unless they say it is gluten free. Spaghetti sauce? Not safe unless is says gluten-free. Natural ingredients? Who knows what's in there. You pretty much need to cook with whole ingredients yourself to avoid it completely. Most gluten-free products should be safe, but while you're in the hypersensitive phase right after going gluten free, you may notice that when something like a microwave meal seems to not be gluten-free … then you find out that it is produced in a shared facility where it can become contaminated. My reactions were much-more severe after going gluten free. The analogy that I use is that you had a whole army of soldiers waiting for some gluten to attack, and now that you took away their target, when the stragglers from the gluten army accidentally wander onto the battlefield, you still have your entire army going out and attacking them. Expect it to take two years before all of the training facilities that were producing your soldiers have fallen into disrepair and are no longer producing soldiers. But that is two years after you stop accidentally glutening yourself. Every time you do eat gluten, another training facility can be built and more soldiers will be waiting to attack. Good luck figuring things out.   
×
×
  • 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.