Why Won't They Take Me Seriously?!

[AJoy]

My question is how do you get someone to realize how important it is for a celiac to be completely gluten free and take no chances?! I went to my boyfriend's parent's house for Thanksgiving - just the four of us - under the condition that we cook completely gluten free. Last year she made this really yummy and easy mashed potato casserole with instant mashed potatoes. Since I liked it so much I requested it this year, but of course it needed to be gluten-free. I knew this could be done since Betty Crocker makes a very obviously labeled gluten-free of the boxed potatoes. So we are halfway through dinner and we are all commenting on how wonderful everything tastes when his mother says she didnt check the potato box and almost jokes about it with a small grin on her face. Oh and guess what - I got sick! Maybe she just hates me but I have never had an issue with her in the past....so how do I prevent this issue in the future with her and everyone else?!

[luvs2eat]

It's all simple for me... if I don't cook it, I don't eat it... period! Well... I'd trust people HERE to cook for me, but I can't trust anyone else. It's not a slight or a dig at anyone. I just know that my house is gluten-free and if you're not cooking gluten-free, the chance of cross contamination is simply too great. I'd thank them profusely for their interest and wanting to help, but I'd take my own food... period.

[kareng]

My mom has offered to make stuff where all the ingredients are gluten-free. The problem is her equipment isn't. She would boil and drain the potatoes in the same pan and colander she has used for regular pasta for 25 years.

[sunshinen]

Mistakes don't always mean that they don't take you seriously. Even with the best of intentions, people are human and make mistakes, especially when they really don't know what they're doing in the first place.

If you are going to let someone else do the cooking, it's always good to ask questions about every ingredient of every dish. You can make this lighthearted, get the point across, and hopefully catch mistakes before you've eaten them. Offer to help with the cooking so you can help keep an eye on the ingredients and the cooking process.

[rainer83]

i usually throw in facts about celiacs... like left untreated will lead to stomach/intestinal cancer. Every person that has ever said to me "just deal with the pain, it can't be that bad" usually shut up when I say "Oh yea? I suppose it's just that easy to deal with cancer, right?" and they shut right up. I find that most people just don't get the level of pain, agony and discomfort and how it can actually be debilitating. I also find that most people probably think we can take something for it, but we can't. Personally, when I eat something unknowingly with wheat, I'm out. I can't do anything at all, it hurts to breath, it hurts to move and there's nothing you can do about it.

[srall]

It's all simple for me... if I don't cook it, I don't eat it... period! Well... I'd trust people HERE to cook for me, but I can't trust anyone else. It's not a slight or a dig at anyone. I just know that my house is gluten-free and if you're not cooking gluten-free, the chance of cross contamination is simply too great. I'd thank them profusely for their interest and wanting to help, but I'd take my own food... period.

Yup. Unfortunately this is the best way to be safe. I think people just forget or don't understand. Too much has hidden gluten, and I figure if I'm having to stop and look up foods constantly to see if they are gluten free, it's probably too much to expect someone else to do it.

[rdunbar]

Yup. Unfortunately this is the best way to be safe. I think people just forget or don't understand. Too much has hidden gluten, and I figure if I'm having to stop and look up foods constantly to see if they are gluten free, it's probably too much to expect someone else to do it.

that's so unfortunate.

it sucks when you want to trust ppl, but learn that you can't.

it's just part of the learning curve of coping with celiac.

it doesn't have to mean that you are an untrusting, suspicious person at heart if you choose to protect yourself.

I got invited to join some friends for thanksgiving, but chose to eat at home alone instead, because there is gluten in thier kitchen,and i just can't chance it.

i know this sounds lame, but healimg is my #1 priority by far, so it was actually a really easy decision to make. we went on a bike ride together earlier, so I gave thanks that way.

[Chiana]

A lot of people act like it's a fringe-dieting thing, as if it's a *choice*. The way she acted is a lot like the way many people act towards vegetarians. Sadly, I think it's more ignorance than anything else.

[AJoy]

Well thank you all for your advice. It really helps being able to talk on this forum and know that at least there are others who know where I am coming from....Thanks!