Convinced My Wife Has Celiacs

[Bekuth]

My wife has been having "digestive issues" since Feb this year. In this time she has lost over 45 pounds and is starting to suffer (at least i believe) from malnutrition and has been unable to work because she needs immediate access to a restroom. she has been seen by a GI regularly and after doing some research on our own she asked to be tested for Celiacs. We were told it would take 7 to 10 days for the results. On a whim the day she had blood drawn we decided to eliminate Gluten from her diet. after one Week we have seen a REMARKABLE improvement. She is not having urgent needs to go to the restroom, she is not having hardly any pain in her stomache, I honestly feel that i am starting to get my wife back.

My questions are this:

If the tests come back negative we are going to demand further testing because of the results we can see... what test should we ask for?

I am finding a lot of resources out there for getting gluten free foods but i keep seeing the warning of "shared equipment" does this mean i need to keep seperate pots, pans, utensils for cooking my wifes meals?

I love to cook so this will pose new challenges for me to make meals that my family enoys that contain gluten but at the same time make my wife the same meal without.

My wife was beside me for my career in the Armed Forces and stood by me through deployments, missed birthdays, anniversaries, and the list goes on... NOW it is time i stood by her and help her through this trying time

[Dixiebell]

You sound like a very good husband. I would ask for vitamin levels and possibly an endoscopy. If she wants to do an endoscopy she needs to keep eating gluten. The endoscopy could also rule in or out other things that may be going on. It would probably be better for her if she had her own toaster, pots and pans, etc., just to be safe. It does sound like you are heading in the right direction.

[psawyer]

I am finding a lot of resources out there for getting gluten free foods but i keep seeing the warning of "shared equipment" does this mean i need to keep separate pots, pans, utensils for cooking my wifes meals?

Welcome to our community.

For me, it depends on the type of products, but as a rule I am not overly concerned about shared facilities or equipment.

Many of us live in households where not every family member eats gluten-free. As long as there is gluten in the house, you have a "shared facility." Most of us wash dishes in a communal dishwasher, and use the same plates. Even if we had segregated plates, the dishwasher would still be "shared equipment."

Some things don't share well. Don't have regular flour in your kitchen--it gets everywhere. Don't share a toaster between gluten-free and regular products--the crumbs are ubiquitous. Colanders have pinch spots between the wires. When you can, buy condiments in squeeze bottles, so you don't have to worry about the knife going to the bun/bread and then back into the bottle for more. The knife isn't the issue--it is what it may have touched since it was last washed.

[Skylark]

Welcome. We get so many people with skeptical spouses and family members that it's very refreshing to see you posting on your wife's behalf.

As Dixiebell said, the next step in testing is an endoscopy to check for villous atrophy. Do remember that celiac tests are not very good, and there are people who get very sick from gluten and have negative celiac bloodwork and biopsies. In terms of celiac disease, your wife has not been sick very long at all and she may not have enough damage for the tests. That's a good thing! If gluten makes her sick, trust how she feels on the diet above anything else.

Personally, I will eat "shared facility" food but generally not "shared equipment". I occasionally have trouble with foods that carry a "shared equipment" label.

As far as cooking I'd encourage you to experiment with gluten-free food for the whole family. Obviously pasta and bread dishes are pretty different made gluten-free, but you can use gluten-free sauces, condiments, and make gluten-free soups easily enough. As you cook, be mindful of your utensils, cutting boards, and other kitchen equipment. For example, stirring a pot of regular pasta and then a pot of gluten-free pasta without washing the spoon well would be a problem. As Peter mentioned, loose flour is the biggest issue.

Things in your own kitchen that can cause problems are cutting boards, wooden spoons, the toaster, and anything else that is porous or can't be scrubbed well. Usually pots and pans, dishes, and silverware aren't a problem.

Good luck and feel free to ask more questions.

[kareng]

I have my own margarine tub, PB, jelly. I got some tape that is red and utensils, toaster and cutting board that are red. I put the red tape on my stuff like PB.

My kids are teens so they can understand stuff like : if you want to cut a chunk off the cheese, use Mom's cutting board and cut it before you get out the crackers. Or pour the chips onto your plate. That way you don't get crumbs in the bag and I can eat them too. No one wants Mom sick, cause that's more work for them. .

We have a ceramic colander from an art show for fruit & veggie rinsing. We have a colander for gluten pasta & one for not gluten pasta. I did get new pots for anything gluten-free as the old pots are 20+ years old.

When they have friends over for a cookout, I don't fuss. When they are gone I take a sharpie and write a kids name on the pack of cheese slices they were using. Then I know not to use it.

Sometimes, all it takes is a small adjustment to a recipe to make it gluten-free. I changed chili seasoning and we can all eat the chili. I have a couple of recipes that call for a spoonful of flour to thicken it but I have left it out or used gluten-free flour mix and it was the same. I like a burger without the bun & they have a bun.

[Bekuth]

Thanks for all the helpful advice. i never thought about a toaster and items like that. i have been cooking a lot o meals (for the past week) with rice rather than pasta. I live in a smallish community in Missouri and live near a lot of Amish communities.

For regular flour do you not have it at all or do you keep it containerized and only use it out of a container when needed.

Things we are going to do to help my eife from getting gluten

We have a large walk in pantry we are going to reoganize it and dedicate a specific section to Gluten free. Both my son (10) and i will not eat any of the foods in that section that is "mommy's" food

When we plan meals each week we are trying to plan meals that i can substitute rice for rather then pasta (until the online order of Gluten free flours arrive)

(side note wife loves pancakes and i see that General Mills has just came out with Gluten Free Bisquick)

and after reading replies i will be getting another toaster and other items reccomended here.

Thank you for the advice any help i can get is greatly appreciated

[kareng]

Walmarts are selling gluten-free pastas now . Tinkyada is the brand I found there. I know there's a Walmart not too far from you. I live in KC. Missouri has a lot of Walmarts. They also have colored duck tape brand. This helps if you have 2 identical PB jars left out on the counter. We have a counter area next to the fridge, acxross the kitchen from the rest of the counter and stove. I put the gluten bread & toaster there. In the cabinet below, I keep the gluten crackers & snacks. This keeps the crumbs over on that counter. They make the sandwiches and poor out the crackers there or at the kitchen table. Knowing where the crumbs are is important.

[Skylark]

As far as the flour, I don't know about you but I have a hard time handling it without it getting any of the fine dust in the air. When you stir in fluid, you tend to throw up more dust. The dust will settle everywhere in the kitchen. My sister-in-law had the great idea of measuring and mixing Bisquik for the kids' pancakes outside. (They are picky eaters and we didn't want to disrupt their routines to where they wouldn't eat.) She brought the batter back in once the flour was moistened and we kept the box of Bisquik in a plastic bag.

Your plan sounds great. You might enjoy getting a rice cooker. They make great rice very easily.

As Karen mentioned, you might want to label things that go in the gluten-free part of the pantry. Your son is old enough to help keeping the gluten-free foods segregated, but young enough that he might make mistakes. Also, look for squeeze bottles of condiments to keep them gluten-free easily.

[mushroom]

Pamela's Baking Mix is a good standby to have on hand for pancakes, waffles, cookies, cakes - it is an all purpose gluten-free flour mix. Try a small size first to see if she likes it. I second the Tinkyada pasta and you will probably find the whole family will eat it without problems.

[Roda]

I do not allow any regular flour in the house. Most of the baked goods (gluten free of course) are loved by my boys and husband. Meals we eat together are made so everyone can eat them. I thought the shared household was working for me but now I'm not so sure. I'm reevaluating it now. Many do have shared houses and do so successfully.

[kareng]

We do pretty good shared. They keep the gluten pretty much on the "glutenous counter". Its a learning curve. I try to keep an eye on what goes on in the kitchen. Think I have the 17 year old trained but then a new food comes into the mix. He didn't think about his frozen mozarella sticks and started to work on them on the wrong counter (the counter he ususally cuts his slices of cheese to keep the cheese gluten-free).

Some of it is habits. You have assembled a sandwich in a certain location or a certain way (get the bread then the meat) its hard to remember to do it the other way round.

I never assume a counter is clean unless I just clean it off. I always assemble my stuff on a big cutting board, plate or paper towel.

[Bekuth]

Think you for all the advice. it has definately helped. We went yesterday to Natures Pantry in Lees Summit and purchased a sampling of gluten free products. And after talking to my wife she wanted to start a blog to kind of chronicle the change and learning how to change the way she eats and how i adapt in the change to my cooking habits.

We decided to make a video of thing as well to show some of the hurdles that a houeshold with gluten and non gluten lifestyles have to overcome.

we have taken the advice you all have given to me here plus some others and implemented it.

[Skylark]

Nice video! I like the idea of a glass cutting board that's really easy to clean.

That Bob's Red Mill bread mix is pretty good. I like it better than Pamela's. The dough will be softer than you're used to, so measure the liquids carefully and trust the directions. It works fine in my old bread machine.

By the way, clean out your old bread machine as if you have OCD before you make gluten-free bread in it.

[kareng]

Think you for all the advice. it has definately helped. We went yesterday to Natures Pantry in Lees Summit

I live in the KC area. There is a Waldo pizza in Lees Summit that has great gluten-free pizza!

[Dixiebell]

I love your video and I can't wait to see more.

[GFinDC]

Good for you taking the diet seriously. It has a huge impact on a celiacs health. You might not be aware but since it is a genectic condition, there is a chnace any chidren or relatives of hers can develop it also.

Another thing to be aware of is the possibility of her having other food intolerances appear, especially when she is new to the diet. Generally, it a good idea for a new celiac to avoid dairy and soy for the first 6 months until their intestines heal. Maybe she should pay this site a visit and do some searches on the left top search box for vitamin recommendations. Often liquid (sub-lingual B-12) is advised by people here because it is not absorbed in the gut. Also vitamin D can help, and maybe an iron supplement if she needs it. Her doc can test her for deficiencies in nutrients which are common due to mal-absorption caused by celiac disease caused damage to the intestinal villi.

I think this description (with pictures) on Kimballs' Biology Pages is a good overview of the intestinal system. Scroll down for a picture of the villi.

Open Original Shared Link

[TiffersAnn]

There are sooo many amazing meals you can make that are gluten free your entire family will enjoy. I have celiac and my husband does not, but he never complains about my cooking. If you think about it from a health perspective, your family doesn't need to eat macaroni and cheese and all that bleached processed flour bread anyway.

Think of this as a challenge to make your entire family more healthy... and with your wife having such severe problems right now you will want to watch out for cross contamination. Even tiny crumbs can give her issues.

It will not be easy at first, but I promise it will get easier with time. Good luck. Sending happy thoughts your way.