Dating A Celiac

[julie-karandonis]

I'm seventeen and have a boyfriend for the first time in my life. He is incredibly sweet and I care a lot about him (we've been best friends for a long time before dating) - he's amazing. He is celiac, though, and so I'm worried about kissing him! It'll be my first kiss ever, so I'm nervous enough as is, and now I'm scared that he'll get sick if I have traces of gluten on my lips or something! I would feel horrible if he got sick because of me!

After researching this I found articles that suggested that I switch to gluten-free makeup, shampoo, and toothpaste as well! Is this true? I would do it, because he really is very important to me, but I just wanted a few opinions as to whether these are necessary precautions I need to take!

I am not sure to what level he is sensitive to gluten. We were out for dinner once (at a restaurant with gluten-free options), and they put regular bread on his plate instead of gluten-free. He asked to switch it, and they apologized and asked if he needed a new salad because it had been resting on his salad. He said that he would be fine, though. This leads me to believe it might not be SUPER sensitive?

I'm really not certain...

Opinions?

[Gluten Free Traveller]

Hey Julie!

It's so great to hear that you are taking your boyfriend's disease seriously and that you care enough about him to come onto this forum. He is a lucky guy!

If he has been diagnosed with celiac disease then he can't consume any gluten at all but don't worry too much about making him sick as there are a couple of simple precautions to take

* Be careful that you don't eat anything with gluten before you kiss him. (or if you do them first wash out your mouth or brush your teeth)

* Anything you put in or near to your mouth could be a concern if you're going to kiss him so make sure you don't wear any lip gloss/lip stick containing gluten. If you aren't sure which brands are safe don't wear any before you visit him

* Any other non food things should be fine. Most regular toothpaste brands are gluten free so you shouldn't have to worry there and your shampoo won't affect him unless he plans to eat your hair

[bartfull]

Julie, yes, it's wonderful for him that he has someone in his life who is so caring and willing to go the extra mile to make sure he doesn't get sick. You are a good person!

I'm thinking that maybe the reason he didn't send the salad back is that he didn't want to look picky or sick in front of you.

The lipstick could be a problem, but if you BOTH eat gluten free on date nights, you won't have to worry about kissing him. And I'm sure he will appreciate it that you care enough to find out what gluten free tastes like. (I think you will be pleasantly surprised.)

[julie-karandonis]

Thank you so much for your opinions - they're greatly appreciated!

I do care a lot about him, he is very important to me, and is probably one of the people in my life who brings me the most happiness. Making adjustments in my lifestyle for him wouldn't really bother me because it's all for the greater good

I cook a lot of my own food already because I'm vegetarian while the rest of my family isn't, so I might try to start cooking more gluten-free recipes. I've done a little research and have found a few cooking blogs for gluten-free vegetarians, but if anyone has any good websites/books to recommend, I'd love to hear it!

Is it okay to keep a travel toothbrush/toothpaste in my purse so that I can brush my teeth if we go out spontaneously? Is that wierd?

[Kjas]

It's perfectly okay to keep toothpaste, a toothbrush and soap in your purse. My boyfriend has to carry those things with him every time he comes to see me. Once you get used to it, it's no big deal.

Thank you for being so thoughtful to him, I hope he appreciates it.

[MrsVJW]

It's not at all odd to carry a toothbrush and toothpaste around with you. It doesn't happen so much with teenagers, but as you get older you'll find that there are a lot of people who carry around those and brush their teeth every time after they eat.

It's not a bad habit to start brushing your teeth after you eat, even if you don't think you've had gluten, since there is a lot of cross-contamination you don't know about until after the fact. Also makes being "spontaneous" a little easier since you don't have to go suddenly brush your teeth, or be asked to.

I'm an old married lady who has a husband who still eats his gluten, and usually things are fine as long as he brushes his own teeth after eating or drinking something with gluten in it, and I usually also brush my own teeth too.

If you're interested in getting started in learning about cooking, I highly recommend the Joy of Cooking "All About Vegetarian" cookbook. A lot of the recipes in there are naturally gluten-free, and very, very tasty.

[MenHen]

Thank you so much for your opinions - they're greatly appreciated!

I do care a lot about him, he is very important to me, and is probably one of the people in my life who brings me the most happiness. Making adjustments in my lifestyle for him wouldn't really bother me because it's all for the greater good

I cook a lot of my own food already because I'm vegetarian while the rest of my family isn't, so I might try to start cooking more gluten-free recipes. I've done a little research and have found a few cooking blogs for gluten-free vegetarians, but if anyone has any good websites/books to recommend, I'd love to hear it!

Is it okay to keep a travel toothbrush/toothpaste in my purse so that I can brush my teeth if we go out spontaneously? Is that wierd?

First, so awesome of you to be so caring and willing to accomodate at such a early stage. Is it wierd to carry around toothbrush - absolutely not. For completly different reasons, I used to in high school. I had some family issues and kind of traveled from friends house to friends house. I always had my back up essentials and no one ever once questioned that. Maybe I was lucky, but it is so not weird. It is just so awesome to hear someone of your age to be so compassionate about what dangers another person. You will go so far in your life whether it is with this guy or someone else all due to you being understanding. I would like to hope I would be the same way in your shoes but I was never faced with that.

[maramelia]

Dear julie, its really lovely to see you with this care to your love.

And ill pray to have a girlfriend like u to my boy in the future... ))) he is now just 6... ))

rgds mara

[julie-karandonis]

Thank you, everybody, for your sweet and supportive responses! They really helped me to feel less worry about kissing him!

Just so you all know, the first kiss went totally smoothly

As did the second

I feel very fortunate to have him in my life, and I'm glad that there is a place on the internet where I can ask questions about celiac disease to such kind, friendly people! Thanks so much, again, for your help!

And Mara (beautiful name, by the way), thank you for your kind words! One day when your son is older, I'm sure he will find a lovely girl who cares a lot about him,

[Jestgar]

Just so you all know, the first kiss went totally smoothly

As did the second

:) :) :)

[love2travel]

I cannot tell you how impressed I am with your research into celiac and your grasp of it at the age of 17. You are certainly far more mature than I was at that age! It sounds as though you are both blessed to have each other.

All the best to you and your healthy relationship.

Just think - that THIRD kiss will be even better!

[dilettantesteph]

You sound like such a wonderful considerate caring girl. I sure hope my just turned 17 year old daughter will be able to find a male equivalent.

[julie-karandonis]

You people are all so sweet, you have no idea how much your replies made me smile