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Got Any Funnys From Friends/family Trying To Understand?

Chad Sines

By Chad Sines
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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Chad Sines Rising Star
Chad Sines
Posted

There are so many negative reactions for celiac on this forum from people who are just plain mean to us that I thought it would be nice to start a thread on cool, funny, or thoughtful things people do to try to help. God bless these people even thought they often get it wrong.

I find it hilarious when someone freaks when you eat a baked potato (thinking you are eating gluten) but then offers you a beer. Or a family member who offers you crackers in the chili they made with great care to avoid gluten. You have to love these people. They are trying so hard.

My mom actually went out and bought a few books to understand it. She even made some gluten-free brownies for me during a visit and had me check everything before she made them. That is the kind of support people need.

All my family was so supportive. They saw me sick for a year with little quality of life and then saw the change to "normal" once it was figured out.

I did a webinar on celiac for some medical professionals and shared my personal experience. Had so many emailing and calling about "WOW. I never realized that." Even friends who knew me at the worst mentioned they had no idea how bad it was.

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  • Replies 104
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Rebecca92 Apprentice
Rebecca92
Posted

My mom has been very supportive of my gluten free diet. She understands why I'm not comfortable eating things that don't come out of my kitchen. My eight year old niece is always asking me if certain foods are gluten free, its cute even though she doesn't understand what gluten is. I have also been blessed with a boyfriend who trys so hard to understand and doesn't eat gluten in front of me, even though I've told him he can it doesn't bother me anymore, poor guy has suffered through my experimental gluten free cooking.

GuyC Newbie
GuyC
Posted

When I was diagnosed, my 15 year old said, "Dad, I don't see the problem, you've got Snikers bars an orange soda. What more does a guy need?"

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Chad,

That's a great pic! Click on it & go to his profile to see the person. Is it a self- portrait? :P

When I told my folks, my dad went straight to the kitchen and starting reading ingredients. He was sooo happy to find their favorite turkey hot dogs were gluten-free! Not sure why. I don't eat hot dogs much.

They are happy to try any gluten-free baked good I make. In fact they are now making 2 of the cookies I made for them. They have only not liked some flax muffins I made. Too healthy for them.

Chad Sines Rising Star
Chad Sines
Posted
  • Author

I love that pic. That is how i envision myself.

sa1937 Community Regular
sa1937
Posted

I love that picture, too...everyone really does need to click on it. The small one just doesn't do it justice! You may have a lot of visitors to your profile. :D

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

I love that pic. That is how i envision myself.

Gotta love a man with a test tube and a flask.

My hubby is a chemist. :D

I have a story that is not funny "haha" really, but funny/sweet in that she tried anyway....My first gluten-free thanksgiving last year, my sister made me a separate turkey without stuffing. How sweet right? When I was helping with the dishes, I saw only one baster. My heart sunk...She had been basting my turkey and the stuffed one ALL DAY LONG with that puppy.....ah well. She also made me a gluten-free cake as it was my birthday. I had a piece and later learned she had greased and dusted the pan with...flour. sigh. She meant well. At Christmas, my own ham was prepared, but cut with the knife that had cut the rolls...the dreaded CC is just not easily understood. :blink:

Needless to say, we're eating at home this year!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Marilyn R Community Regular
Marilyn R
Posted

I went to a familty cookout today, but ate at home first, showing up fashionably late. About a half hour after arriving, my 10 year old great niece started handing out little paper plates with cookies she'd made and brownies my sister made, along with cocktail napkins. I said, "No thanks, honey, but I appreciate it."

She returned pronto with a small container of cut fresh fruit and a napkin. My heart melted a wee bit. :)

Katrala Contributor
Katrala
Posted

My mom has been very supportive since my diagnosis. A few weeks ago we were discussing Thanksgiving and she mentioned graham crackers. I told her I couldn't have them and she said, "But it's.... graham, not wheat."

catsmeow Contributor
catsmeow
Posted

I had a BBQ a while back and one lady guest who came brought dip and wheat crackers. I kindly told her I couldn't put the crackers out because I have an airborne allergy to wheat, as well as not being able to eat any gluten. Her husband (a sweetheart) grabbed the box and started reading the ingredients. After a bit of head scratching he proudly proclaimed that there was "no gluten" listed in the ingredients and I could eat them. I was about to be nice to him and explain, but his wife butted in and laughed at him, calling him a dumb-ass, and told him that "gluten" would not be listed, that he was looking for wheat rye and barley (she knows, because I've explained it to her before). I felt sooo sorry for him. Of course, I did wonder why she, in all of her infinite wisdom had brought the wheat crackers in the first place...????? I did not ask her why...I left it alone. :blink:

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

My music teacher (and good friend) totally "gets" the gluten intolerance and he's awesome about letting me choose restaurants and so forth if we're eating out with friends. Thing is, he's absent-minded almost beyond belief. If he's snacking when I come by his apartment for a lesson, he always politely offers me food but he tends to snack on fresh-baked bread or cookies. The "would you like some?" pops out before he thinks. Then he realizes that he's just offered me something I can't eat...again. He gets the funniest expression and we laugh at his absent-mindedness. I never mind. After all, I'm there for a lesson not food.

Thumbs up for your niece, Marilyn!

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

That is, of course, part of the gluten problem, because unless you bake bread you are most unlikely to have ever walked into a market to purchase "gluten" and therefore to be aware of what it is or what it is in, and, as you say, the only time it is on the label is when it says "gluten free" which still doesn't tell your average Joe what gluten actually is :rolleyes: So many people think you are talking about 'glucose' :blink:

catsmeow Contributor
catsmeow
Posted

That is, of course, part of the gluten problem, because unless you bake bread you are most unlikely to have ever walked into a market to purchase "gluten" and therefore to be aware of what it is or what it is in, and, as you say, the only time it is on the label is when it says "gluten free" which still doesn't tell your average Joe what gluten actually is :rolleyes: So many people think you are talking about 'glucose' :blink:

That is exactly right. The only reason I knew what it was before diagnoses is because I use to low carb, and would buy "vital wheat gluten" to mix with things like almond flour to make low carb cookies and such. I usually tell people I have a wheat allergy (which is true and accurate) and can also not eat rye and barley. It's less confusing, and I am working on my family to just use the term "wheat allergy" and not the term "gluten free"

Yea "glucose" I've heard that a time or two. :P

Chad Sines Rising Star
Chad Sines
Posted
  • Author

i honestly had no clue what it was. I just thought bread..end of story. Heck, look at all the discussions we have about gluten being in shampoo and hidden in this and that. No wonder the public gets confused.

We need a Celiac awareness ribbon and have the words "Don't be an idiot to us" inscribed on it for all the jerks out there.

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

I guess in some way I knew what gluten was in relation to bread baking, but never gave it any more thought than that. Until I started searching for answers to my health issues 5 1/2 years ago, I was clueless too. I had only heard of celiac disease once(I'm even an allied health professional). It was when my oldest son was around two years old and having horrible constipation issues. My MIL saw something on TV about it and thought that maybe my son had it. She was always commenting about stuff she read or saw so I really didn't take her seriously and never looked into it. Funny now how I have him gluten free even though he does not have celiac but he is gluten intolerent. I guess I have to admit MIL was on to something without realizing it... :P She is now afraid to give or feed them anything without checking with me first.

lynnelise Apprentice
lynnelise
Posted

There is a lady at work who alerts me anytime she sees something that says gluten free on the box. It's funny because most of the time it's something that is naturally gluten free but she is so excited to be helping me that I don't have the heart to tell her!

When I first went gluten free my friend hosted a Christmas party and double checked all ingredients for her recipes. She was especially concerned about this one dip that she wanted me to try. When I got to the party the dip had all gluten free ingredients....except that it was served in a bread bowl! We laugh about it now!

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

I went to a familty cookout today, but ate at home first, showing up fashionably late. About a half hour after arriving, my 10 year old great niece started handing out little paper plates with cookies she'd made and brownies my sister made, along with cocktail napkins. I said, "No thanks, honey, but I appreciate it."

She returned pronto with a small container of cut fresh fruit and a napkin. My heart melted a wee bit. :)

What a little sweetheart!!! :)

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

My music teacher (and good friend) totally "gets" the gluten intolerance and he's awesome about letting me choose restaurants and so forth if we're eating out with friends. Thing is, he's absent-minded almost beyond belief. If he's snacking when I come by his apartment for a lesson, he always politely offers me food but he tends to snack on fresh-baked bread or cookies. The "would you like some?" pops out before he thinks. Then he realizes that he's just offered me something I can't eat...again. He gets the funniest expression and we laugh at his absent-mindedness. I never mind. After all, I'm there for a lesson not food.

Thumbs up for your niece, Marilyn!

Skylark...did you ever wonder if maybe his absent-mindedness is...um, gluten-related?? I know my brain was "absent" on it. :rolleyes:

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

That is, of course, part of the gluten problem, because unless you bake bread you are most unlikely to have ever walked into a market to purchase "gluten" and therefore to be aware of what it is or what it is in, and, as you say, the only time it is on the label is when it says "gluten free" which still doesn't tell your average Joe what gluten actually is :rolleyes: So many people think you are talking about 'glucose' :blink:

I was pretty ignorant about gluten myself, despite being a baker.

In 2007, a Gluten Free Cafe and Bakery opened near us.

I joked to hubby, "What's gluten and why do we need to be free from it?" :lol:

We laughed. J. says to me "It's in flour." I felt like a dope. Oh yeah.

Then, I forgot all about it.

Little did I know that shortly after that, I started losing weight and became very, very ill and debilitated---for nearly 3 years ----before figuring out that it was GLUTEN that was trying to kill me! :blink:

And, that Gluten Free Cafe and Bakery? The first time I ate lunch there after DX, I started to cry because I knew for the first time in 3 years, I wasn't going to get sick. Now, a year later, it's my "hang out" and the owner, a celiac herself, is a friend. :)

NateJ Contributor
NateJ
Posted

A friend asked me last night, "aren't you going to eat?". I said no i already ate before I came.

He said what did you eat? Cheerios? LOL, uh no dude I cannot eat Cheerios.

He laughed after he realized what he said.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Skylark...did you ever wonder if maybe his absent-mindedness is...um, gluten-related?? I know my brain was "absent" on it. :rolleyes:

Hmmm.... never thought of that one! He's tired a lot too.

People talking about vital wheat gluten are making me laugh. I had a bag of that stuff too. I used to bake bread a lot and a little wheat gluten would make really nice, fluffy rye or 100% whole wheat breads. It was such healthy food...only it was slowly poisoning me.

catsmeow Contributor
catsmeow
Posted

Hmmm.... never thought of that one! He's tired a lot too.

People talking about vital wheat gluten are making me laugh. I had a bag of that stuff too. I used to bake bread a lot and a little wheat gluten would make really nice, fluffy rye or 100% whole wheat breads. It was such healthy food...only it was slowly poisoning me.

Ha Ha Ha....isn't it funny how wheat use to be considered healthy by us? I remember feeling sooooo lousy and thinking I needed to eat healthier to feel better. So I would eat granola with a huge amount of wheat germ poured on top of it.....I did not realize then that I was making myself sicker!!

Chad Sines Rising Star
Chad Sines
Posted
  • Author

imagine how i felt the week i went vegan after some plant murderers suggested it would cure all ills. egads. no meat plus blech.

jswog Contributor
jswog
Posted

Skylark...did you ever wonder if maybe his absent-mindedness is...um, gluten-related?? I know my brain was "absent" on it. :rolleyes:

You know, this really drives something home to me that I've been pondering for a while now. At my last job, it was ALWAYS on Sundays when I made really big mistakes, mostly due to absent-mindedness. Sunday mornings, management always brought in doughnuts for everyone. Hmm... Connection?

mbrookes Community Regular
mbrookes
Posted

Me: I can eat anything except wheat, rye and barly.

Friend: Can you eat rice?

Me: Yes. It isn't wheat, rye or barley.

Friend: Oh. I guess a baked potato is out.

Me:ARGHHHHHHH

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