Hello From A Newbie To The Forum!

[Melissa Palomo]

Figured I should make an intro post and say hi to everyone. I am 26, was diagnosed with Celiac nearly three years ago after only four months (no thanks to my doctors, only to my pushing for it!) and am happy to feel good these days. I'm a rather crazy dog person and photographer based in Southern California - and I've jumped into the blogging world recently, too. After several friends going gluten-free and changing their life, I figured it was finally time to jump in and embrace the fact that I want to help people in their gluten free journeys! I've long felt that I was diagnosed for a reason, and that perhaps helping educate others is why. So, joining this forum is one way for me to be more involved in the Celiac community! So hi everyone! Look forward to getting to know you all better.

[IrishHeart]

Hi kiddo!

Welcome to the forum.

As I said to you on another thread--we need more voices of experience and reason.

I took a look at your blog! Saw you traveled to Ireland. I've been there several times and consider it heaven on Earth.

Nice tat, BTW.

Cheers,

IH

[Melissa Palomo]

Hey, thanks for the welcome (and the compliment on the tat)! I loved Ireland. I still need to do a blog post on Amsterdam, which I did last year - I would love to go back to both of those places. The Irish folks make me want to move there. And in 3 weeks I'll be in Thailand - can't wait. Although I fear gluten-free eating a little more in Asia, should be interesting if nothing else!

[saintmaybe]

Hey, thanks for the welcome (and the compliment on the tat)! I loved Ireland. I still need to do a blog post on Amsterdam, which I did last year - I would love to go back to both of those places. The Irish folks make me want to move there. And in 3 weeks I'll be in Thailand - can't wait. Although I fear gluten-free eating a little more in Asia, should be interesting if nothing else!

Welcome! I checked out your blog, and really liked how readable it is, and the first person perspective on your early gluten free experiences. As to the Gluten-Free travel, I've come across some pretty focused travel websites, like one on India, that have been pretty awesome about what and how you can eat. I've heard the Far East is a little easier on gluten free travelers, actually, because wheat isn't really traditionally a staple crop, depending on where you travel. The Middle East is a different story, since wheat agriculture originated in what are now Syria and Turkey.

[Melissa Palomo]

Welcome! I checked out your blog, and really liked how readable it is, and the first person perspective on your early gluten free experiences. As to the Gluten-Free travel, I've come across some pretty focused travel websites, like one on India, that have been pretty awesome about what and how you can eat. I've heard the Far East is a little easier on gluten free travelers, actually, because wheat isn't really traditionally a staple crop, depending on where you travel. The Middle East is a different story, since wheat agriculture originated in what are now Syria and Turkey.

Aw thanks! I have my degree in math and always fell asleep in English class, so this blogging words thing is new to me - I am glad you enjoyed it.

I've heard the same - it's just the language barrier that scares me! I'll be packing some cards written in Thai that should help me around, but in general I'm definitely interested to see how well I'm able to survive over there.

[saintmaybe]

Aw thanks! I have my degree in math and always fell asleep in English class, so this blogging words thing is new to me - I am glad you enjoyed it.

I've heard the same - it's just the language barrier that scares me! I'll be packing some cards written in Thai that should help me around, but in general I'm definitely interested to see how well I'm able to survive over there.

One of the websites I read recommended getting the concierge to write some cards that say specifically no soy and no oyster sauce. Also, avoiding street food vendors seems pretty obvious, but I did that when travelling in Paris! And I know French! :lol:

[mickeypjs]

Hi there, I just wanted to introduce muself. Well let;s start with the reason I'm here, I've just recently been diagnosed with Celiac Disease by biopsy. Two weeks before that I had a gastric emptying study that gave me the diagnosis of Gastroparesis. I have been a type 1 diabetic for 33 years now. I am also experiencing crazy itchy rashes, like some of what I've read about related to Celiac Disease but do not have a diagnosis yet,I usually handle things in stride, another day to do what I gotta do, but this last one....the Celiac Disease hit me hard. I'm already on fairly resticted diet with my diabetes, then add the gastroparesis, and that takes just about all fiber out of your diet, and now Celiac....I can't even have the old stand by "bread and water" Getting off topic here, I just wanted to pop in and say Hello!

[Gabbimoona]

Hi all,

I have just found out today that there is over a 90% chance that I have Celiac Disease. I'm just waiting, probably until April, when I can have a gastroscopy to confirm for sure. I have very low ferritin levels and low b12, and I guess now I know why.

And I must say I am quite miserable. I don't really want Celiac. I like, no, LOVE food! And I also feel guilty and angry with myself for feeling miserable, at the same time as I FEEL miserable. I mean it's not like I'm being diagnosed with cancer or motor neurone disease or even diabetes! I work in the health industry so I see people who would WISH they had Celiac compared to their problems.

And yet, I can't help but feel extremely hard done by and depressed. It's like I'm losing a good friend. Food.

Goodbye care-free live of spontaneous fish and chips. Goodbye delicious homemade cookie dough. Soon I will miss you all, but until I have that final test, I intend to eat every gluten containing food under the sun.

If anyone has any kind words to help me get out of this self-pitying funk, it would be very muchly appreciated.

Kind regards and lots of love,

Gabbi

[saintmaybe]

Hi all,

I have just found out today that there is over a 90% chance that I have Celiac Disease. I'm just waiting, probably until April, when I can have a gastroscopy to confirm for sure. I have very low ferritin levels and low b12, and I guess now I know why.

And I must say I am quite miserable. I don't really want Celiac. I like, no, LOVE food! And I also feel guilty and angry with myself for feeling miserable, at the same time as I FEEL miserable. I mean it's not like I'm being diagnosed with cancer or motor neurone disease or even diabetes! I work in the health industry so I see people who would WISH they had Celiac compared to their problems.

And yet, I can't help but feel extremely hard done by and depressed. It's like I'm losing a good friend. Food.

Goodbye care-free live of spontaneous fish and chips. Goodbye delicious homemade cookie dough. Soon I will miss you all, but until I have that final test, I intend to eat every gluten containing food under the sun.

If anyone has any kind words to help me get out of this self-pitying funk, it would be very muchly appreciated.

Kind regards and lots of love,

Gabbi

What you're going through is completely natural. Pretty much everyone I know, and I'm including myself, went through a period of anger and mourning when they found out they had celiac disease. Food is such a fundamental part of any culture, and ours in particular is very wheat obsessed. It's definitely okay to allow yourself some ups and downs on the road to recovery.

Just last night, I had a dream about eating a sugary iced pastry, but it morphed into a nightmare as I realized it wasn't gluten free and I understood within my dream I was about to be sick. Cue sinking feeling of sickness, frustration, and despair. Imagine my happiness when I woke up to find out I wasn't glutened!

There will be days when you're angry, when you're intensely jealous of someone who's eating something you used to love and now can't eat,when you're frustrated with all the changes you have to make.

But I guarantee, it WILL eventually be balanced by how much better you'll feel. For most people, it's worth the work. And you'll always find a lot of support here, and other places on the web and at your local celiac support group, should such a beast exist.

[Gabbimoona]

What you're going through is completely natural. Pretty much everyone I know, and I'm including myself, went through a period of anger and mourning when they found out they had celiac disease. Food is such a fundamental part of any culture, and ours in particular is very wheat obsessed. It's definitely okay to allow yourself some ups and downs on the road to recovery.

Just last night, I had a dream about eating a sugary iced pastry, but it morphed into a nightmare as I realized it wasn't gluten free and I understood within my dream I was about to be sick. Cue sinking feeling of sickness, frustration, and despair. Imagine my happiness when I woke up to find out I wasn't glutened!

There will be days when you're angry, when you're intensely jealous of someone who's eating something you used to love and now can't eat,when you're frustrated with all the changes you have to make.

But I guarantee, it WILL eventually be balanced by how much better you'll feel. For most people, it's worth the work. And you'll always find a lot of support here, and other places on the web and at your local celiac support group, should such a beast exist.

Thanks, that does help! The first thing I said to my doctor when he told me was "so what happens if I just don't stop eating gluten?" . He looked at me like I was a crazy person.

And the thing is that now that I know whats going on with my body, other symptoms that I just used to ignore suddenly make sense. I did used to feel bloated and a bit ill after eating wheat and such, and over the past few weeks it has been more frequent and noticeable. But I do like to ignore things and say that its all in my head.

Were your symptoms severe from the start, or something that just gradually got worse?

[acmcclelland]

So this kind of makes me feel like Romy from Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. "High my name is Romy and I've just recently given up gluten", 4 weeks officially.

My name is not Romy, but I did have a teacher in high school who claimed I sound like her. For all extensive purposes you can call me AC, or not to be confused with your air conditioner just call me Ace.

So a few years back my aunt was diagnosed with celiac's disease and then one of her sons was. Slowly her daughter decided to try it and saw a substantial difference. Then my uncle went gluten free and two of his sons are now also gluten free. I decided to try it, I wasn't really having major symptoms or anything, but in just 4 weeks I have noticed differences. I digest better, my body no longer goes through the schizophrenia of constipation and diarrhea. I sleep better. Before it wouldn't matter how much I slept or didn't sleep, I was always tired. Now I wake up rested. I started loosing weight, which I realize may not be a good thing, but I am overweight, and heading down to a more healthy weight which I am sure will be maintained.

My decision to go gluten free was because of my aunt, whom didn't find out she had celiac's until it was really too late to reverse the damage. I don't want to suffer later on because of the possible damage it could do. I feel like, untreated, despite being relatively healthy and not displaying full on symptoms, it is a time bomb and some day i could wake up and be really really sick.

[JustNana]

Gabbi,

I can completely identify. My fist thoughts were of self pity and anger quickly followed by deep guilt. And I still bounce around. Fortunately I am an optimist by nature. I am just so grateful that my husband, kids and grandkids have been very supportive. I have only been gluten-free for about 7 weeks and although the intense itching of Dermatitis Hepetiformis is much improved I am still in pain in hips, knees and shoulders and have brain fog, moodiness etcetera. My symptoms developed slowly and I guess they will leave the same way. I am also dealing with newly diagnosed Hashimoto's which is the autoimmune version of hypothyroidism. ( very common in celiacs)

Anyhow, welcome! Let's learn together.

[JustNana]

Melissa,

Kudos to you!!

I would love to read your blog. You three years of experience will be valuable. I too plan to share as I learn. My usual method of dealingwith new issues or interests is to research! A LOT. (English was my major...snoozed thru math). Lol

I am so thrilled with this site. Honestly, it's the connecting with old and new posters that is giving me reap hope for a full recovery.

Thanks