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My Husband Was Just Diagnosed

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SIP Newbie
SIP
Posted

My husband was just diagnosed with Celiacs today via blood tests and endoscopic biopsy for confirmation. Although he suffers many of the uncomfortable symptoms of the disease, he does not want to give up certain foods and does not want to feel out of place at restaurants or when dining out. I am more than happy to go gluten-free with him and I would love to get rid of all of the wheat products in the house, but he is non-responsive to any of these ideas. Does anyone have any idea's on how I can ease him into eating gluten free? Is there any way to make this diagnosis less depressing? My husband has not lost weight, but has been underweight for most of his life without knowing why until now, if he goes gluten free will he put any weight on? What are some of the delicious gluten free products people have found? Thanks in advance for everyones help.

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T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

My dietician has her clients start eating gluten free meals mixed in with their normal meals - you don't need to TELL him they're gluten free, heh - and then phase out the gluten dishes as you find more and more gluten free foods that you like.

More fruit and veggie snacks, meals that use rice and potatoes rather than bread and pasta, that sort of thing.

Most of the people I know who are underweight, gain a little weight going gluten-free. Most people I've met who are overweight, lose a little on gluten-free.

I'm afraid that his not wanting to give up foods and not wanting to feel out of place may be the one of the big issues, but...was his doctor very clear on exactly what may happen if he continues eating gluten?

The discomfort is not a big deal. What can happen because of the nutritional deficiencies is a HUGE problem. Cancer, other auto-immune diseases developing (diabetes, hypothyroidism, for ex), organ damage, bone and skin problems. The list just goes on and on.

My father was undiagnosed, and then his body kind of hit the wall, as it were, and everything just imploded. In the span of 5 years, he went from a seemingly healthy, athletic man to one who had both hips replaced, most of the discs in his spine herniated, and using a cane before the age of 50. The bottom of his lungs hardened and he has to be on asthma medication, and his heart developed problems so that make him more susceptible to clotting so that he now has to stay on coumadin for the rest of his life.

Really, the problems of NOT going gluten free will lead to a much shorter lifespan, and usually a more painful set of later years as well. Hopefully knowing that may help him decide that inconvenience is worth not feeling terrible.

Shauna

confusedwife Newbie
confusedwife
Posted

i too went thru the same thing with my husband. i had to just make meals that were gluten free. Then let him eat it and then say...well that was a dish you enjoyed and it was gluten free. just to prove to him that he still enjoy things he loved to eat. just we need to find gluten free ingrediants to make them. the life safer for me was Open Original Shared Link seeing im a working mom. I did not have time to make two seperate things for every meal.

notme Experienced
notme
Posted

when i was first diagnosed, i didn't tell *anyone* for like 3 months because i was in such denial. it's a tough diagnosis to hear! i didn't even tell my husband. in that timespan i lost so much weight i looked like a skeleton. by the time i admitted i needed to eat gluten-free i was so sick and fatigued i was sleeping all the time. i guess what i'm saying is: give him a little time for it to sink in. it's alot easier to bring a horse to water if it's his idea to drink. the next hurdle was to feed the family - really, the only solution for me was to cook for everybody gluten-free. at first i faked them out: made dinner until it was almost done, then scooped out portions to put 'aside' for me (it was the same exact food as they were eating!) after a few weeks i broke the news to them: they had been eating gluten-free the whole time. the only thing i couldn't fake at first was pasta and bread. have since found tinkyada pasta and udi's bread - yummmm! good luck to you. my husband is the stubbornest man i know, but most men are stubborn. about their health expecially. :(

smc Rookie
smc
Posted

I was mad when I received my diagnosis too. The thought of changing my whole lifestyle was overwhelming and I tried to cram all my favorite foods in -in the 2 weeks before i decided to officially go gluten free. I grew up in an italian family and thought the days of great pasta dinners were over. A few weeks in to my new gluten-free diet, however, I started to feel better than I had felt in a few years-no pain or bloating- It was great to eat a meal and not feel horrible afterwards. When your husband starts to feel better he will know that his life style change is nesessary and hopefully accept it a little better. There are great gluten-free substitutions out there and it takes time to find what suits your tastes. I have had delicious pizza, pastas , pies, etc. It is great that you have no problem going gluten free with him -he obviously has alot of support. I dont like to draw attention to myself at a restaurant either but I have gotten used to it and know I have to speak up for my health. Start at places that offer gluten-free menus and substitute gluten-free ingredients in his favorite meals and see if he notices. I did gain 6-7 pounds after starting the diet but I was underweight most of my life. I was only 105 lbs and 5' 2". I think he might gain a few pounds as he heals. It is really crappy that we all have to deal with this but at least we can control our disease with our diet. Some people are'nt so lucky. good luck !

smc Rookie
smc
Posted

My husband was just diagnosed with Celiacs today via blood tests and endoscopic biopsy for confirmation. Although he suffers many of the uncomfortable symptoms of the disease, he does not want to give up certain foods and does not want to feel out of place at restaurants or when dining out. I am more than happy to go gluten-free with him and I would love to get rid of all of the wheat products in the house, but he is non-responsive to any of these ideas. Does anyone have any idea's on how I can ease him into eating gluten free? Is there any way to make this diagnosis less depressing? My husband has not lost weight, but has been underweight for most of his life without knowing why until now, if he goes gluten free will he put any weight on? What are some of the delicious gluten free products people have found? Thanks in advance for everyones help.

Tinkyada makes a really good rice pasta and the corn pastas out there I think are even closer tasting to the real thing. There are some Glutino snacks that are really good- they make a chocolate wafer cookie that tastes like a kit kat candy bar. As someone mentioned Udi's makes the best bread -my kids can't tell the difference except the slices are smaller. They will be selling hamburger and hot dog rolls starting this month-that is something I have not found a good substitution for yet but if they are anything like their bread they sould be yummy! Can't wait.

sb2178 Enthusiast
sb2178
Posted

Rudi's bread is even better than Udi's. Van's frozen waffles are also a good sub if he's used to that sort of breakfast. Hot cereal: gluten-free oats, cream of buckwheat, cream of rice... Cold cereal: chex, Nature's Path varieties

Ancient Harvest pasta has gotten general approval from everyone I've fed it to.

Corn and beans are also easy to sub in. I do a lot of lentil/bean dishes for complex carbs.

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    • SamAlvi
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

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      Thanks again for the detailed explanation. Just to clarify, I actually did have my initial tests done while I was still consuming gluten. I stopped eating gluten only after those tests were completed, and it has now been about 70 days since I went gluten-free. I understand the limitations around diagnosing NCGS and the importance of antibody testing and biopsy for celiac disease. Unfortunately, where I live, access to comprehensive testing (including total IgA and endoscopy with biopsy) is limited, which makes things more complicated. Your explanation about small-bowel damage, nutrient absorption, and iron-deficiency anemia still aligns closely with my history, and it’s been very helpful in understanding what may be going on. I don't wanna get Endoscopy and I can't start eating Gluten again because it's hurt really with severe diarrhea.  I appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed and informative guidance. Thank you so much for this detailed and thoughtful response. I really appreciate you pointing out the relationship between anemia and antibody patterns, and how the high DGP IgG still supports celiac disease in my case. A gluten challenge isn’t something I feel safe attempting due to how severe my reactions were, so your suggestion about genetic testing makes a lot of sense. I’ll look into whether HLA testing is available where I live and discuss it with my doctor. I also appreciate you mentioning gastrointestinal beriberi and thiamine deficiency. This isn’t something any of my doctors have discussed with me, and given my symptoms and nutritional history, it’s definitely worth raising with them. I’ll also ask about correcting deficiencies more comprehensively, including B vitamins alongside iron. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to help. I’ll update the forum as I make progress.
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

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    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Son's legs shaking

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
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