Frustrated

[Guest Libbyk]

I try so hard. I have been doing the gluten-free thing happily for 2 months now, seeing some slow, but steady progress, but it feels like every time I feel great, I follow it by crashing.

Nothing is wrong, and I have been so careful, but I am nauseas, and my head hurts, and I am in tears, and I don't know why. i feel like a whiny teenager, and all I want to do is throw up, crawl into a drak hole and sleep until it al gets better. these waves of frustration sweep over me, and I feel so helpless against it.

Waht do you do when you feel emotionally helpless and sick?

thanks for listening.

Libby

[SadiesMomma]

You know what.. I feel the same exact way... I have noticed fit throwing and frustration on my part over the littlest thing. I cry for no reason and things just dont go the way I wish. I feel that celiac makes it hard to live a normal life so it makes you feel no normal as well... but honestly, depression and anxiety are normal. I suggest talking to your doctor about it, maybe even get a referral to see a psychologist. Thats what I have been doing and it has began to help. They may also want to try bio-chemical therapy for your emotional feelings because it alone can cause you more problems that you for surely dont need to add to the list. Make sure the prescriber knows what you can and cant take because sometimes pills have gluten as a binder....

Goodluck hun!

[Guest Libbyk]

thanks sadies mama-

I am feeling a lot better now. I am living at home these days, and mom got me out for a good long walk. It is amazing what some light exercise can do for a person. I know this process is a three steps forward, two steps back sort of thing. It is a good reminder of how much I value my health and my sanity, and why I am doing the work to get healthy.

Libby

[SadiesMomma]

You know what hun...

We all get down sometimes but with Celiac it is more often for me I have noticed since I cant live a normal life quite yet.

For example:It gets frustrating when people invite you over for dinner and you fear what they made but they try so hard to make you something but then you find out there is something afterall... and you have to refuse. You dont want to insult them but i know id rather do that and not eat then be in excrucating pain for housr upon hours. Frustration and depression are a big part of Celiac, and like the rest of it, we cope. Most people dont understand and think its in our heads.. "Oh just eat a little it wont kill you".. no, maybe it wont literally kill me but when that pain comes sometimes i know I wish I were dead rather than feeling that!

Excercise is a wonderful way to get out and feel a little better. The suns rays absorb into your body as endorphins which is what helps make your body happy mentally and physically. The more sun and excrcise te better. keep it up! Even for me sitting on the porch with a good book to get soem fresh air and some suns rays are a refresher. Just remember to stay hydrated with water!

I am always here to talk if you need someone! Thats what this forum is for.. making friends of people who know what your going through personally.

Good luck!

[njlawtonuk]

hi heather

erm, i have only one question...what exactly do you eat if you are nut, soya, milk, gluten free?

where do you get your souce of protein from?

take care, nic

[seeking-wholeness]

nic,

I know you addressed your question to Heather, but I thought my input might be useful as well, since at one time I was gluten, casein (dairy), egg, soy, red meat, and nut free! I ate poultry, fish, and beans as my protein sources during this time, as well as some KAL brand UNfortified nutritional yeast when I felt like I just wasn't getting enough protein and needed a boost.

Then I had a nasty reaction and read the allergen statement on the empty bag of beans I had just cooked, and I discovered that ALL the dry beans I had been cooking myself were processed on the same machinery as gluten-containing grains and were definitely responsible for SOME of my ongoing gluten trouble. So, I reevaluated my diet and decided to test soy (since it tends to be viewed as distinct from other types of beans, I figured it MIGHT have less of a risk of cross-contamination) and nuts, both of which turned out to be OK for me. After several weeks bean-free, I found a supplier of dry beans that processes them on a dedicated gluten-free line, and so far my kids and I have had no trouble (my baby's eczema flares very soon after he eats traces of gluten, but it has actually been continuing to improve during this testing phase). I am delighted to have found my bean supplier, because I actually love beans, and they're a very healthful food. I wish I could trust canned beans, but SOMETIMES I have a reaction after eating them, too. Not every time, but I am reluctant to take chances by eating them. I do have a couple of cans of Eden Organic pinto beans, and I will keep my fingers crossed that they will be OK and I will have found a trustworthy source of canned beans at last!

I have concluded that it IS possible to get an adequate amount of protein even if you are eliminating gluten, dairy, soy, and nuts from your diet--even if you are vegetarian, although this is substantially more difficult if you don't eat fish or eggs and don't want to trust beans!

I hope this helps!

[Guest Libbyk]

Sarah-

about the bean contamination- can you just rinse the beans before cooking? It seems to me that since dry beans are hard on the outside, that they should *absorb* the gluten, just get dusted with it. I always rinse my canned beans (to get the salt off) and haven't had a problem. admittedly, I am not very sophisticated on me reactions, yet.

Libby

[seeking-wholeness]

Libby,

Rinsing dry beans before cooking them MIGHT be good enough; it's certainly worth a try. It would also be important to "pick over" the beans thoroughly beforehand to make sure there aren't any stray whole grains mixed in with the beans. I learned this lesson the very hard way, when I bit into a piece of rice or barley (I couldn't tell which, but I DID have a reaction) in my bean soup! Especially since I am an impatient person, I prefer to err on the side of caution, even though it is more expensive the way I do it.

[SadiesMomma]

Hi there....

Well... To be honest I dont eat much. That is why I am here learning about celiac and things I can and cannot eat.

My main foods are this:

Cream of Rice Cereal

Food For Life Brown Rice Bread

Polamer Seedless Strawberry or blackberry Fruit Spread

Fresh Veggies (carrots, green beans, potatoes)

I make a lot of things from the potatoes

Apples (peeled)

Rice Cakes

Steak

Lean Ground Beef (7%)

Rice Noodles

All Natural Dole Peaches 100% Fruit (in plastic jar)

Chicken

And.. thats about it because everything seems to have something in it that I cant eat PRetty small list which sucks but I am hoping that learning more and meeting all of you will help me to expand my diet.

[Guest Libbyk]

wow heather-

I applaude your tenacity, both in identifying your trouble food and sticking with it. I tried to do an elimination diet, and got so upset, I am only eliminating tomatoes at this point. Dairy is my next project, but I haven't summoned the strength of character yet...

wholeness-

for the beans, I use a colander, so I am hoping that grains (smaller than beans) would get washed away.

Lib

[guppymom]

I can't believe I waited so long to join this forum. I too am finding that I cry much more easily and feel alot "woosier" than i used to, although I physically feel so much better. I also can't eat soy or dairy(except cheddar cheese) and beans have been making me feel so lousy, it was good to read that about the beans. I'm going to check mine also.

It is hard to go places now, to social gatherings. My daughter, who is 17, is getting quite a bit of flack from adult leaders who just don't get it. I've told them about celiac disease, told them that she cannot eat these things and that gluten is in so many things that she has to be very careful, but they still harass her if she isn't eating because she knows she'll be really ill if she does. She tries to remind them and they all do the "a little won't hurt" thing, but it does hurt. I accidentally took the wrong calcium pill a few weeks ago and thought I was going to die. I sat in the chair crying because it hurt so bad again and I couldn't understand why since I'd been so careful... I thought to look at the calcium pills and the 2nd ingredient was maltodextrin, which I seem to react quite violently to. Relief, but frustration.

Oh well.

Really, even though I'm whining, I do feel alot better. It was good to read on the site that there has been found a definitive link between celiac disease and depression. My anxiety is gone alot but the depression seems worse.

[SadiesMomma]

GuppyMom....

I know exactly how you all feel when you hear that "Just a little wont hurt." I get so stressed and frustrated when people say that. Geezus... its not like we dont want to eat these tantalizing foods sitting before us. Of course we'd love to take a huge honkin bite out of it... savoring every bite.... I know you all at some point have felt this.... mouth watering and everything..

Anyway.. They just dont get it at all. Obviously if a little wouldnt hurt we'd be eating a little.

[guppymom]

No kidding. My youngest daughter, she's 6, was feeling pretty woosey tonight, saw an ad for good old traditional sugar cookies, and just got frustrated. Yep. I told her she's right, it's crummy, but even though ours are different, not the same, at least they don't make us sick anymore. Well, didn't quite cut it, so we just sat and talked about what we miss...deep dish pizza, Subway sandwiches, yellow cake(my older girl's fave treat)...and then we did start remembering how sick we always felt, awful, couldn't move, didn't want to do anything...it helped. And then we made chicken tacos with corn tortillas.

I had someone start a discussion with me about trying acupuncture. She has a condition that is also auto-immune, and she has seen great results in her health by doing this acupuncture. I just looked at her for a moment, trying to remember why this was not making sense to me, and then I reminded her that I have the key in my hands already...i don't eat gluten! It might be inconvenient, it might feel limiting sometimes, but I don't have to keep searching. I've got the answer, and I have to manage it. But the best part was the reminder to me that it works.

[plantime]

Guppymom,

You also don't have to worry about whether you can get an appointment, if the equipment is clean, or if the tech is really licensed! I like having control, it makes it easier for me to cope. How wonderful to hear you talking with your child about it, she needs your help. My kids are not intolerant, they got their dad's genes in that respect (for which I thank God!), so I go it alone here. If acupuncture helped your friend, then she can go for it. You do what is best for you!

[guppymom]

No kidding! The fewer doctors and appointments needed, YAHOO!

Has anyone here used the kid-friendly books that are available? I've seen a few advertised on the site, written for children and aimed at helping them cope with it all, but before I make the leap I am wondering if they are good ones.

I ordered some goodies from the gluten-free mall, and they came today! TOO COOL! We're excited. There's a yellow cake mix, my almost 17 yr old's favorite(i want to be able to make one for her bday), and these great cookies... from Enjoy Life. Great! No gluten, wheat, eggs, dairy, soy, nuts of any kind, casein, corn, potato or yeast. Kind of makes you wonder what IS in them! Applesauce, sorghum flour, apple/grape/pear juice, vanilla, xantham gum and safflower oil...oh yeah, it also says rosemary extract and natural dextrin. Anyway, I had one and no heartburn, no reflux! I think it's because there's no soy, no eggs and no dairy.

My friend has chronic cholitis. She refuses surgery so she's in pain pretty constantly. I've dropped a few hints about trying to eliminate gluten to see if it would help, but nothing yet. At least the acupuncture seems to offer her some relief.