Do You Think Of Yourself As A "sick" Person?

[Guest BERNESES]

Right on Scotia! I quoted you in my blog today! Beverly

[ianm]

Sick...no...warped...well...maybe... ;-)

I believe having a good attitdude, about most things, a lot of which, has to do with being diagnosed as a Celiac, and I think of it as a Blessing now, rather than a curse, will get you through.

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My life has been so blessed since I have gone gluten-free. Everything has changed for the better and I look forward to everyday. So what if I can't eat certain foods, I am healthier now than I have ever been.

[emeraldskies]

Yes, I do. I had to give up my life, job, school, interests, and any hope of a career at 22. And from the age of 13 on, my life has been a total nightmare and complete struggle. Things have continued to get worse and not better. I don't even have a doctor right now, so I can't get treatment. The only thing good in my life is my husband, who has been a constant source of support and love throughout the time we have been together. I had to give up my pets due to allergies. I would love a sweet, loyal dog as a companion right now.

[Rikki Tikki]

Welcome emerald. Many of us don't have a docotr, we just watch what we eat and try and support each other. If we can help you through this let us know. What's your story, how did you find out, etc?

[nettiebeads]

I was thinking about this yesterday. I had to go gluten-free 9 years ago, and have always thought of myself as a person with celiac, not A celiac. I'm so used to it that I forget to mention it when a dr asks if I have any health problems. And once that was when I was seeing a gastroenterologist! (it was about something else entirely, but it came up in the course of the visit) He gave me a look like, Celiac IS a medical condition. Since I've been reading other posts in this forum I've become even more vocal about my condition when I eat out, am feeling much more in tune with my body and am wanting to take care of it properly, (it's got to last me a long time Since it's been so long I don't even think about when there's cake or cookies at work, it's just something I can't eat, people with other medical conditions have things they can't eat - diabetics, food allergies, etc.

[Guest BERNESES]

Welcome Emerald- what a beautiful user name! It seems like you've had a lot to deal With. The people on thiS board are SO supportive. By the way, if you are allergic to dogs because of their fur, there several dogs that have HAIR like:

Simple Solution

Some breeds of dogs have hair, not fur, and are wonderful pets for families where someone is allergic to dog fur.

Dogs that have hair and not fur include West Highland White Terriers and Cairn Terriers. Dogs that don't shed include Schnauzers (Miniature, Standard, and Giant), West Highland White Terriers, Poodles (Toy, Miniature, Standard), Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers, and Bichons (such as Coton de Tulear). Many allergic people have had a lot of success living with these dogs. Helpful Hints

On the opposite end of the spectrum are dogs to avoid if someone is allergic to fur because they shed a lot, and these include Retrievers, Dalmations, and German Shepherds.

Standard poodles are great dogs- sweet, loyal, friendly and you don't have to give them the poodle haircut if you don't like it. then they just look like dogs With wavy hair. I LOVE wheaton terriers. Check 'em out. Maybe you could get a dog after all. Beverly

[tarnalberry]

I had to give up my pets due to allergies.  I would love a sweet, loyal dog as a companion right now.

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Echoing Berness' statement, my dad is allergic to dogs, but we had poodles (teacup for us) growing up. They don't shed, and if you have them as indoor dogs and keep them bathed every so often, they don't much smell "doggy" either.

[frenchiemama]

Hi Emerald. I'm very sorry to hear of all your troubles, but maybe I can help you with just this one! There are several breeds of dogs that are generally ok for people with allergies, however no one breed is going to be ok with every single person.

Are you allergies so severe that you don't want to risk meeting some new dogs? If you would be ok risking a reaction, I would recommend finding some breeders that have these certain breeds of dogs (as others have mentioned, poodles, schnauzers, certain terriers, bichons, chinese crested and mexican hairless) and meeting the dogs and spending a little time with them to make sure that you don't have a reaction. If you want help finding a good breeder please PM and I would be happy to help.

There are also other things you can do to reduce dander. Bathe them weekly, use allergen reducing wipes and even put t-shirts on the dogs (I have to do these things as I am also allergic to my little dogs).

[watkinson]

scotia,

I read your post from the 26th and it brought a tear to my eye. finally, someone who feels about it the way I do. I feel very blessed and fortunate to have found out what was wrong with me after so many years. If I have to have a disease I am thrilled that it's this one. I mean, we don't have to go through some horrible surgery, or chemotherapy, or take some dibilitating drugs, or die in the prime of our lives. We just have to give up gluten and we are fine, (or at least better) or even a feeling of being "cured"!

I am sorry that so many people find it so difficult to deal with this disease. I was soooo sick for soooo long that I find it very easy to give up what made me sick!

"NOTHING tastes as good as not being sick."

Thanks for the wonderful attitude,

Wendy

[emeraldskies]

Thanks to all for the welcome!

Tarnalberry, BERNESES, and frenchiemama: Thank you for the tips on dogs. I have been a lifelong dog lover, so your ideas are appreciated. My husband bathed our dogs with Allerpet shampoo, but I still was allergic to them. I was looking at the Mexican Hairless! I definitely think this is the future pet for me, but now is not really the best time because I am still not well. My husband already works and takes care of me, so he couldn't handle the extra responsibility (we would have to keep the Mexican Hairless inside). I am too exhausted to effectively care for an animal at the moment. Also, I may not even be allergic but just irritated by the fur. Everyone tells me that the allergy is to the dander, but it doesn't seem to bother me. It is the hair that causes rashes. But I guess the saliva does, though, so dander could be involved. I have noticed that the rashes will go away if I take a cortisol supplement. I am deficient in cortisol, and it's the hormone that acts as an antinflammatory agent (like in hydrocortisone), so maybe if I got the amount I need the "allergies" would go away. I am hoping that I'm just hypersensitive to many things right now and that I won't always have this problem. I also had two dogs as pets growing up that I wasn't allergic to. I have been bothered by the hair and saliva of every dog I have encountered recently. I have always had an actual allergy to cats (my eyes swell shut if I touch them after petting a cat, and I have runny nose and sneezing) with symptoms that I don't seem to happen with dogs. *fingers crossed*

BERNESES: The only dogs I had allergies to in my childhood were a couple of German Shepherds. There were two others I knew of that I had no trouble with at all. They would even wake me up by jumping in my bed and covering me with licks. My childhood pets were also Golden Retrievers, but fortunately, I wasn't allergic to them. Both those breeds tend to have skin problems of their own (one of my Golden Retrievers did). Maybe that's why humans are often allergic to them, too? One of my last pets was a Carolina Dog who had very bad skin irritations, but when we fed her wheat-free dog food, her rashes cleared up, and her coat was nice and healthy. Our other little puppy had diarrhea from wheat-containing puppy food as well. We put her on the same wheat-free dog food and it disappeared. Maybe dogs have problems with celiac disease, too.

[emeraldskies]

Sally and BERNESES: Thank you for your kind words. I have found people here to be very supportive so far.

Sally: It seems that many have had problems with doctors. I could get along without one, but I need help with a bone disorder I have, osteomalacia. Most doctors seem to think it is only present in third-world countries because they don't believe any one else could have been so malnourished. I am going to add my story to my blog so I don't clutter up this forum with such a long rant.

[frenchiemama]

So your dog allergy is a skin allergy? Me too. I'm telling you, if you get another dog slap a baby t-shirt on it. It really works.