I Can't Stop Blathering On

[catsmeow]

SIGH.....I did it again. I went to a BBQ with complete intent to not go on and on and on about my wheat allergy and dietary needs....yet, I did it again. I believe I saw the glazed look in my hosts eyes once. It's so hard not to talk about it, because it encompasses every aspect of our lives. How do you guys control yourselves? I want to, but it comes out anyway, like word vomit...Help...so upset with myself....I don't want to be known for being a bore......

[Googles]

SIGH.....I did it again. I went to a BBQ with complete intent to not go on and on and on about my wheat allergy and dietary needs....yet, I did it again. I believe I saw the glazed look in my hosts eyes once. It's so hard not to talk about it, because it encompasses every aspect of our lives. How do you guys control yourselves? I want to, but it comes out anyway, like word vomit...Help...so upset with myself....I don't want to be known for being a bore......

Have you been recently diagnosed? When was first diagnosed (and the time between the tests) it seemed like I could not stop talking about what I learned about celiac and what I could and couldn't eat. But I found that over time this decreased. As it became more of a normal part of my life and something I adjusted to, I didn't feel the need to talk about it all the time. I think part of the reason I talked about it so much at the beginning was that I was always thinking about it. I was thinking about it, and what i was learning, and how it would change my life. So that is what came out of my mouth. I tried to slow down before I talked and think about if I was talking about food. If I was thinking about food, then I purposefully picked another topic to talk about. That helped me reduce my verbal vomit.

[catsmeow]

How long after diagnoses did it become normal enough for you to stop talking about it a lot? I'm a year out from diagnoses. Yet, I still feel like I'm learning, and social situations are still a little new. I'm still thinking about wheat allergy and dietary restrictions 24/7. I can't seem to shut it off...

I like the idea of thinking before I speak. Do you have any examples?

[kareng]

Oh no! Is blathering another symptom of Celiac?

I try not to say much. Just not eat at the gatherings. Was at a sports banquet yesterday. Just didn't eat. The one dad who knew about my problem, just said " Oh right". When I said I wasn't eating. Helps that his ex has to have a special diet so he gets it. Everyone else didn't say a thing. Most didn't even notice.

[rosetapper23]

What I have found is that when I'm asked why I'm not eating and I mention celiac and my inability to eat gluten, people around me become extremely interested. The questions go on and on, and more people tend to gather around to listen. I've come to believe that so many people have digestive and nutritional issues, they are searching for the cause...and, inevitably, they wonder if gluten might be the answer. Without exception, someone will say something like, "That sounds like my mom," or "That sounds like my roommate."

Generally, if I'm at a gathering where some people already know my condition, I just give a short explanation and drop it. However, if it's the first time a group has met me, I provide further information if prodded to do so (like at workshops where I've been served a "special" meal). Although I personally feel a bit like a bore, I also come away feeling as though someone might have been helped. I think that spreading "the word" is important because those people who've been educated will now talk to others about the condition....and somewhere down the line, perhaps someone will get the help they need.

Don't worry--you may be helping people...and not even know it.

[Elfbaby]

SIGH.....I did it again. I went to a BBQ with complete intent to not go on and on and on about my wheat allergy and dietary needs....yet, I did it again. I believe I saw the glazed look in my hosts eyes once. It's so hard not to talk about it, because it encompasses every aspect of our lives. How do you guys control yourselves? I want to, but it comes out anyway, like word vomit...Help...so upset with myself....I don't want to be known for being a bore......

I think that you are prety normal. Whenever a person enters into a new condition in their lives, its natural for that to occupy all their thoughts. For instance, when I was pregnant, I was reading and researching constantly and that was what I wanted to talk about. When I had my baby, TRUST ME, that baby was all that I could think about. And now, we talk about the celiac alot at home because even though I am the only one going gluten free, its affecting us all. The key I think lies in judging interest. If you can learn to tell the difference between polite listening and actual interest, it will go a long way towards preventing boredom. Check eye contact. Are the eyes wandering alot? Are they asking questions? Are the shifting their weight uncomfortably? If you think you have gone to far and might have bored someone, you can just say, "I'm sorry, I have just learned so much in such a short time, its hard not to share. How's your dog? (or child, or son, or husband, w/e)." This way, it gives them the chance to either change the subject or say, "Oh no, Its very interesting. What do you do for sandwhiches?"

[notme]

Oh no! Is blathering another symptom of Celiac?

hahahaa! too funny just spent the weekend camping and almost every day there was a huge conversation about celiac - i love that people are interested but *damb* i'm sick of talking about it... on top of that, something has zapped me so now i'm cranky as all get out. i came home to eat a tuna on udi's and wait my alloted 20 minutes for my stupid body to decide what it's gonna do. everybody went out of the way to make sure my stuff was separate (lil grill) and stuff i could eat (rice, salad, etc) and then they cc'd the living hell out of it. rice and salad in plastic containers, the kids with their crumb-y hands, using the same spoon for different dishes. i play a game "can't eat that" - starts out with all the possibile gluten-free offerings then i watch and one by one i check them off. i am down to nothing and also eyeing the coolers suspiciously: they are NOT new or separate. we keep regular beer and my drinks in the same drink cooler. at one point or another, they have all been used for a beer cooler over the years. we scrub them out with clorox but of course they are scratched plastic. and i am sure every one of them has had beer spilled in them. could this be the culprit as well?? last night i just quit eating anything at all. ugh.... packing my meals from now on. packing my meals from now on. packing my meals from now on...... :/ i should take my own advice!!

[IrishHeart]

Oh no! Is blathering another symptom of Celiac?

I think so!!

After becoming so quiet when I was very ill, I am back to being "chatty me"...so perhaps my blathering is pent up stuff for 3 years!!

Don't feel too bad about this! I think it is only natural to talk about it. It's a pretty interesting topic--to some. Some people say "OMG! that's my sister, she had this test, that test and she's still sick, Can you email her with some info"..Sure!!

and so, maybe I have helped.

When I get the glazed donut look from someone--or an actual yawn... ...I stop and change the subject.

For now, I talk about it when someone asks and sometimes, I am guilty of thinking someone is gluten intolerant. You know that little kid in the movie who "saw dead people", well, I see celiacs everywhere I go.....and most of them are in my family.

I don't want to be the "celiac whisperer", but geesh...it's so darn obvious sometimes when someone I know eats a hot dog, fries and a shake and runs for the ladies room....been there, done that!

[Darn210]

... I am guilty of thinking someone is gluten intolerant. You know that little kid in the movie who "saw dead people", well, I see celiacs everywhere I go.....and most of them are in my family.

This was me . . . anytime anybody talked about their health, it seemed that some if not all the symptoms could be attributed to gluten intolerance/celiac. A lot of times but not always, I managed to bite my tongue and keep my mouth shut. The person that got to hear it the most, though, was my husband. It got bad enough that at one point when I was talking about electrical issues in a faulty ceiling fan, he asked me if that wasn't a symptom of celiac disease.

It'll get better. You'll see the cues from people who are generally interested and want more information and those that don't. I'm to the point now that if someone mentions what my daughter is eating, I give a brief explanation and shut up . . . if they ask a follow-up question, I talk a little more . . . and so on.

[IrishHeart]

The person that got to hear it the most, though, was my husband. It got bad enough that at one point when I was talking about electrical issues in a faulty ceiling fan, he asked me if that wasn't a symptom of celiac disease.

OMG!! :lol: :lol:

I just read this to my hubby...we laughed our butts off..thanks! I am glad I am not the only one ... I'll try to restrain myself a bit more :lol:

[Takala]

...and then they cc'd the living hell out of it. rice and salad in plastic containers, the kids with their crumb-y hands, using the same spoon for different dishes.

.....packing my meals from now on. packing my meals from now on. packing my meals from now on.

Celiac.

Supporting the individual container, lunchbox, and portable ice cooler industry since 1995.

[IrishHeart]

Celiac.

Supporting the individual container, lunchbox, and portable ice cooler industry since 1995.

:lol:

[Takala]

electrical issues as a symptom of celiac disease

True story: we had to have our house interior telephone re wired several times because the mice kept eating the newer coating off the phone wiring in the crawl space and shorting it out. Finally the phone repair technician showed up triumphantly with a batch of the older style cable and said "this is going to fix them, they never bothered this old type in any house I've put it in" and he re did it with it. I said, if you don't mind I'm going to go one step further and coat the stuff with the same aloe that I put on leather goods to repel mice in the barn, he said "go for it," and I was going around behind him with a bottle of aloe gel and swabbing it while we had a funny conversation about just what could be in the newer rubbery/plastic coating or the insulation that the rodents found so irresistible- and yes we did speculate on if it could be grain based, or if there was some sort of mineral craving involved....

[kareng]

Celiac.

Supporting the individual container, lunchbox, and portable ice cooler industry since 1995.

Don't forget the foil industry!

[IrishHeart]

Don't forget the foil industry!

or the toaster industry! I wonder if there's any data showing the rise in new toaster purchases in comparison to the rise in celiac diagnoses.?

[catsmeow]

Oh no! Is blathering another symptom of Celiac?

Ha Ha Ha...funny!!!

Yes, It's better to not eat at gatherings. I've been successful with not eating at large gatherings.....but, I still blather............LOL

[catsmeow]

Wow...I took a long nap and woke up to all these great replies to my post. I was laughing, crying, saying aaawww, and totally feeling like I belong. I love that feeling. My tribe. My problem may be wheat allergy but you are my tribe. I can relate to everything everybody wrote.

I think that we tend you look for and believe that people around us share our conditions. I learned that from my sister. She has R.A. so she wanted me to get tested. She really freaked me out!!!!! She was sure I had it, I don't have it. I had a shoulder injury that just needed a little surgical intervention. I'm fine now, surgery fixed it. When I developed sleep apnea I did the same thing, still do, I thinks a lot of people have it....ALOT. And people are always saying that their husband, dad, brother Grandpa fits the symptoms of it when I tell them the symptoms.

The funny thing is, I never think people have a wheat allergy, but I do currently think that 3 people in my life have Celiacs.....which is a symptom of reading this forum.....LOL... I only share a couple of symptoms with celiacs, yet, we share all the same eating and social problems. But because I read this forum, I've been really super educated obout Celiac. The funny thing is, One of the three people I thought had Celiac (they thought I was nuts) had their doctor and a dermatologist tell them they were fairly certain they had it, so blood tests and a colonoscopy have been ordered. I've been saying "Celiac" for 6 months now! Yet, I about fell over when I learned that the docs agreed with me. I'll be curious to see the results. If they are positive, I will have my first newbie to mentor. Yep...reading this forum has been educational. And here it is "somewhere down the line" and I've helped someone.

Yes, it's true, when we learn something really intense, like having a baby, and caring for a baby, it consumes us, just like gluten free living does. Good point Elf baby.

I really love all the ways of telling whether your listener is bored. I was thinking about getting some conversation books that educates and trains us on all the body language and cues to look for. I remember learning one time that most people have a 30 second attention span. So, you need to be able to compress what you are saying in a 30 second span, or you lose the listener. I tested this on my brother and learned he has a 15 second attention span. I actually compressed everything into 15 seconds and saw relief on his ADHD face....LOL

Wow Notme, what a horrible camping trip. Note to self, take care of my own food if EVER in that situation. People who have no problem with wheat, don’t think anything about these things

[IrishHeart]

That's why I come on here every day...validation, laughter, encouragement, knowledge, laughter, sometimes, tears...did I mention laughter?? I cried enough for a lifetime in the 3 years before I was DXed. No more!

Laughter!

Good for the soul

[Fire Fairy]

I suspect I'm the queen of blatherers! I'm gluten free since Nov 2nd 2010. Seems like I tell at least one person daily at work more than they could possibly want to know about Celiac. As a result some are really thoughtful. One co-worker gave me an orange the other day because she knew it was safe. On the other hand a co-worker handed me a used try from today's cookout and I unintentionally gave her an, "are you crazy!" look, but I think (hope) she missed it. I know I wasn't eating the tray or anything but my brain was analyzing it anyway wondering how dangerous it was in my hands, and thinking, "gee, I bet those tasted great". Honestly I know better. I ate at the cookout last year and it was awful.

[domesticactivist]

I'm so guilty of this. Maybe you can find another outlet? We started a blog where we can talk as much as we want about it (link on my profile) Maybe another outlet would help you?

[catsmeow]

That's why I come on here every day...validation, laughter, encouragement, knowledge, laughter, sometimes, tears...did I mention laughter?? I cried enough for a lifetime in the 3 years before I was DXed. No more!

Laughter!

Good for the soul

I need to come on here more. Like you said, this validation stuff is good for the soul. I've been on a weight loss board a lot........blathering about wheat along with diet....Ha Ha

[catsmeow]

I suspect I'm the queen of blatherers! I'm gluten free since Nov 2nd 2010. Seems like I tell at least one person daily at work more than they could possibly want to know about Celiac. As a result some are really thoughtful. One co-worker gave me an orange the other day because she knew it was safe. On the other hand a co-worker handed me a used try from today's cookout and I unintentionally gave her an, "are you crazy!" look, but I think (hope) she missed it. I know I wasn't eating the tray or anything but my brain was analyzing it anyway wondering how dangerous it was in my hands, and thinking, "gee, I bet those tasted great". Honestly I know better. I ate at the cookout last year and it was awful.

OMGosh...me too. I absolutely doubt I could go even one day without mentioning it to someone. I've even tried, and couldn't do it. I blew it at the grocery store where instead of saying "no thank you" when offered a sample, I had to explain why......for me, not them!!!

I analyze touching wheaty items too. I actually get itchy hands and bumps if I do, then of course.......there's my attitude. If I can't eat it, why should I handle it? It reminds me of policing the area around our buildings for cigarette butts when I was a new troop in the military. Those of us who didn't smoke, were swearing while picking up those nasty icky gross cigarette butts.

We so hated cleaning up after the smokers.

Do you think if she noticed your look she would have said something? I hope she didn't notice, but I hope she realized her faux paux!!!!

[catsmeow]

I'm so guilty of this. Maybe you can find another outlet? We started a blog where we can talk as much as we want about it (link on my profile) Maybe another outlet would help you?

Maybe so! I'll check it out!

[kareng]

Only the gluten impaired would yell this at their children

[K8ling]

Celiac.

Supporting the individual container, lunchbox, and portable ice cooler industry since 1995.

HAHAHAHA!!!!! This had me rolling around laughing! So true!