Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Things People Say To Celiacs

researchmomma

By researchmomma
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

researchmomma Contributor
researchmomma
Posted

This is so funny. Go to Open Original Shared Link and scroll down to the video.

It is a quick watch and super funny.

I will add to the ridiculous questions and statements:

My mother said to me "well she can eat white bread cuz it has less gluten, right?".

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Meggielynn13 Rookie
Meggielynn13
Posted

That's like my dad telling me I can eat crackers instead of bread. Since he's trying to eat less bread, he's been having low fat crackers or something. People just don't get it. Or they think you are just on a fad diet. I feel like only people that have Celiac get it.

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

Hilarious and yet, frustratingly annoying as well :lol:

Thanks for sharing, honey!

Yes, I have heard similar queries about bread, only it was "WHOLE WHEAT is wrong, but other bread is okay, right?"

another was:

someone, smiling at me, all excited, holding up an ice cream sandwich and asking:

"This is okay, right!? It's just ice cream!!"

:huh:

When I said (as a celiac), I can no longer can receive communion, I was asked in a hushed tone, "oh, is that because you were divorced?"

:lol:

Oh well, we were once dumba$ses about this gluten stuff, too.

researchmomma Contributor
researchmomma
Posted
  • Author

Hilarious and yet, frustratingly annoying as well :lol:

Thanks for sharing, honey!

Yes, I have heard similar queries about bread, only it was "WHOLE WHEAT is wrong, but other bread is okay, right?"

another was:

someone, smiling at me, all excited, holding up an ice cream sandwich and asking:

"This is okay, right!? It's just ice cream!!"

:huh:

When I said (as a celiac), I can no longer can receive communion, a real Mensa candidate I know said in a hushed tone, "oh, is that because you were divorced?"

:lol:

Oh well, we were once dumba$ses about this gluten stuff, too.

That is funny Irish. Hey, our Priest made a point to get gluten-free host because so many of his parish are gluten free!

researchmomma Contributor
researchmomma
Posted
  • Author

That's like my dad telling me I can eat crackers instead of bread. Since he's trying to eat less bread, he's been having low fat crackers or something. People just don't get it. Or they think you are just on a fad diet. I feel like only people that have Celiac get it.

The fad diet thing kills me. I heard that today "oh you are doing that too?"

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

That is funny Irish. Hey, our Priest made a point to get gluten-free host because so many of his parish are gluten free!

Well, he is unusually progressive thinking. For a while, they dragged their collective feet about that, saying the recipe --the amount of gluten in it--could not be tampered with for religious reasons. I read some nuns were busy working on a recipe with low levels of gluten. Maybe it has come to pass.

My first thought was "you darn well better think of something"! The largest celiac populations in European countries---are also predominantly Catholic.

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

The fad diet thing kills me. I heard that today "oh you are doing that too?"

Quick (sarcastic) reply is....."Hell yes, aren't YOU!!??" and then look at them with a tsk, tsk! and a :rolleyes: --- as if they are sooooo hopelessly "ten minutes ago" :lol:

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


researchmomma Contributor
researchmomma
Posted
  • Author

Quick (sarcastic) reply is....."Hell yes, aren't YOU!!??" and then look at them with a tsk, tsk! and a :rolleyes: --- as if they are sooooo hopelessly "ten minutes ago" :lol:

That is good!

Poppi Enthusiast
Poppi
Posted

Or my personal favourite which I have heard from everyone from family members to grocery store cashiers..."Ugh, I would kill myself if I couldn't have pasta/bread/croissants/cake."

Wow. You just said my life is not worth living. Think about that for a second.

Last time I got that comment from a cashier I responded with, "Well, I would kill myself if I had to bag groceries all day." I know that was rude but I couldn't help myself.

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

Or my personal favourite which I have heard from everyone from family members to grocery store cashiers..."Ugh, I would kill myself if I couldn't have pasta/bread/croissants/cake."

Wow. You just said my life is not worth living. Think about that for a second.

Last time I got that comment from a cashier I responded with, "Well, I would kill myself if I had to bag groceries all day." I know that was rude but I couldn't help myself.

oh Snap! :lol: Great comeback!

Not rude--perhaps a lesson in civility he sorely needed. Good for you!!

I know some people "feel sorry" for me and my gluten-free life--but the irony is--my doc says our diet is healthier than anyone else's.

I feel sorry for the ones who SHOULD be gluten-free but won't do it (like my family and some friends). Someday soon, I am going to feel better than I have in my life.

They will still feel like crap.

eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

Just another story of Stupid Things People Say to Celiacs-

My co-worker who knows I have Celiac served up cake for me...I said, no thank you. She said you can have some...there is no wheat in it...just sugar,flour,eggs,cocoa and butter. I said there is flour in it...she says yeah, but there is no wheat. I said um...Flour is wheat...she says...Oh My God!!...that means you can't have bread or pancakes or cookies or cake like EVER????

:) Rrrrright I said with a smile. :ph34r::blink:

pixiestargirl Newbie
pixiestargirl
Posted

One of my favourites is a recurring thing at work.

*while eating chips*

"You can eat chips???"

*while eating popcorn*

"You can eat popcorn????"

*while eating gluten free muffins*

"Are those gluten free???"

...no, I've just decided I really felt like torturing myself :rolleyes:

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Or my personal favourite which I have heard from everyone from family members to grocery store cashiers..."Ugh, I would kill myself if I couldn't have pasta/bread/croissants/cake."

Wow! I guess it would be a death sentence for you.... :huh:

come dance with me Enthusiast
come dance with me
Posted

Or my personal favourite which I have heard from everyone from family members to grocery store cashiers..."Ugh, I would kill myself if I couldn't have pasta/bread/croissants/cake."

Wow. You just said my life is not worth living. Think about that for a second.

Last time I got that comment from a cashier I responded with, "Well, I would kill myself if I had to bag groceries all day." I know that was rude but I couldn't help myself.

Did you tell them you can?

We just made a cake, and will ice it soon. We also have bread rolls to bake.

I will be making pancakes this week for Shrove Tuesday.

We also have apple turnovers, donuts, waffles, crepes, all sorts of yummy treats! Not only gluten free but also vegan :D

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

That is funny Irish. Hey, our Priest made a point to get gluten-free host because so many of his parish are gluten free!

For my religion, the sacrament is passed by Deacons. Our bishop assigned an entire section for celiacs because there are so many of us. The first Sunday back to church after my surgery I almost choked on the most awful cracker I've ever put in my mouth. I was like omg, I'm gonna burst into flames if I choke on this. :lol:

It's unbelievable how many people just say the dumbest things. I do try to be patient but I agree that the worst is the "I'd just kill myself." Thanks... you're a jerk.

lc1333 Apprentice
lc1333
Posted

me at taco bell: gimme just a sec, i'm trying to figure out what i can eat...

girl behind the counter: oh, no problem, take your time

my sister in law: she just found out she has celiac disease, so she can't eat wheat

girl: oh, well she can have a soft taco with a tortilla, they're made out of flour, not wheat :blink:

me: yeah, but the flour is made out of wheat

girl: oh, really? that's interesting

my sister and i just look at each other...

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

A member on here recounted a story of a co-worker who would taunt him by eating donuts, bagels, etc. in front of him and LAUGH and say

things like: "Too bad you can't have this. It's awesome. Too bad you have that celia-thing, huh? I feel sorry for you, man. wow, that sucks, dude"

And the poor guy was devastated. :(

I suggested the next time that jerkwad said something rude, he should smile and say:

"Hey, celiac is treatable. I'm going to get well. But I fear your ignorance is incurable. You'll always be an a$shat."

Strawberry-Jam Enthusiast
Strawberry-Jam
Posted

someone once told me that he would cut himself if he had celiac ("no offence, but...")

then I told him that I used to cut myself all the time before diagnosis, but after diagnosis I never did.

seriously, my ribs are covered in scars, as well as my upper arms.

anyway, a really awkward silence followed. I hope he learned something.

melikamaui Explorer
melikamaui
Posted

My favorite is "I would DIE if I couldn't eat (insert gluten-filled food here) again!". Really??? You would literally die? Like kill yourself...because you couldn't eat your favorite food anymore? What a pathetic, sad life you must lead. Yeah it sucks sometimes, but I have so much more to live for!

Avalon451 Apprentice
Avalon451
Posted

That is funny Irish. Hey, our Priest made a point to get gluten-free host because so many of his parish are gluten free!

We're Lutheran (not so picky about what the host is made of) and I ordered some Ener-G gluten-free wafers to use; we arranged with our pastor to put them in a little dish next to where we walk up to the front for communion so me, DH and DD could grab one on our way. He's totally cool with it. Today was the first day we tried it. The host totally tastes like a potato chip or corn chip.

I was reading about the Catholic host controversy; what's with that anyway? The Bible doesn't say in the original Hebrew or Aramaic that the grain used in the unleavened bread was necessarily wheat. Such a fuss.

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

I was reading about the Catholic host controversy; what's with that anyway? The Bible doesn't say in the original Hebrew or Aramaic that the grain used in the unleavened bread was necessarily wheat. Such a fuss.

Yes, such a fuss.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

The debate about the Eucharist is a topic in and of itself that has been discussed many times before. It is not relevant to the topic here. Google Eucharist or Communion in the search bar to find prior discussions about that.

WinterSong Community Regular
WinterSong
Posted

Or my personal favourite which I have heard from everyone from family members to grocery store cashiers..."Ugh, I would kill myself if I couldn't have pasta/bread/croissants/cake."

Wow. You just said my life is not worth living. Think about that for a second.

Last time I got that comment from a cashier I responded with, "Well, I would kill myself if I had to bag groceries all day." I know that was rude but I couldn't help myself.

Haha. My first trip to Trader Joe's being gluten free, I told the cashier as she was scanning my Udi's bread that it's so great that they carry gluten free options. She said "Well, you know it's just a fad diet. So many people are doing it these days. It's ridiculous. No one really needs to be gluten free."

I said something like, "Well actually I was just diagnosed with Celiac Disease. So if I eat gluten I'll probably start throwing up and could get cancer and die."

She shut up after that. :-P

But yes, I've also gotten the "Oh man, if I had to be gluten free I'd just DIE." Come on people. Sigh....

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

But yes, I've also gotten the "Oh man, if I had to be gluten free I'd just DIE." Come on people. Sigh....

I just say: "Well, I have Celiac Disease and when I was still eating gluten, I almost died." If they keep being snarky or say "that's not possible" or some other nonsense, then I show a pic of myself when I was chubby with lots of "oomph" to me. :lol: Then, I show them what I looked like when I hit bottom. I look like the walking dead. It's pretty bad. Someone told me I look like I have been in a prison camp. Major muscle and hair loss. Bones protruding. My eyes look vacant and hollow, just staring into space. I looked like I was 10 years older than I am.

Very effective for stopping that kind of talk. :lol:

IrishHeart Veteran
IrishHeart
Posted

I am thinking these stories are both funny AND sad and that unfortunately, there are still so many misconceptions about Celiac and gluten.

We need to do more educating! :)

It serves no purpose for us to just get angry.

Some people just do not know what celiac or gluten IS--because no one ever explained it to them. If they do know, and then make fun of you or treat your cruelly, that's different. No excuse.

I take every opportunity to educate. But not everyone wants to hear it. :D

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. suek54
      - suek54 replied to suek54's topic in Dermatitis Herpetiformis
      5

      Awaiting dermatitis herpetiformis confirmation following biopsy

      Thank you all for your advice and the dermatitis herpetiformis article. The latter made me realise I had stopped taking my antihistamine, which I will restart today. The Dapsone has cleared the rash entirely but I still get quite a bit itching, absolutely nothing to see though. I know its notoriously hard to clear and its still relatively early days for me...
    2. trents
      - trents replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      So, essentially all of the nutrition in the food we eat is absorbed through the villous lining of the small bowel. This is the section of the intestinal track that is damaged by celiac disease. This villous lining is composed of billions of finger-like projections that create a huge amount of surface area for absorbing nutrients. For the celiac person, when...
    3. catnapt
      - catnapt replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      thank you so much for your detailed and extremely helpful reply!! I can say with absolute certainty that the less gluten containing products I've eaten over the past several years, the better I've felt. I wasn't avoiding gluten, I was avoiding refined grains (and most processed foods) as well as anything that made me feel bad when I ate it. It's the...
    4. trents
      - trents replied to catnapt's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for...
    5. catnapt
      - catnapt posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      3

      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,256
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Christie Fassel
    Newest Member
    Christie Fassel
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • suek54
      Awaiting dermatitis herpetiformis confirmation following biopsy

      By suek54 · Posted

      Thank you all for your advice and the dermatitis herpetiformis article. The latter made me realise I had stopped taking my antihistamine, which I will restart today. The Dapsone has cleared the rash entirely but I still get quite a bit itching, absolutely nothing to see though. I know its notoriously hard to clear and its still relatively early days for me.  The iodine issue is very interesting. I do eat quite a bit of salt because I have Addison's disease and sodium retention is an issue. I also have autoimmune hypothyroidism, not sure how a low iodine diet would play into that? Because of my Addison's I am totally steroid dependent, I take steroids 4 x daily and cannot mount any defence against inflammation. I need to increase my meds for that. Now that I know what is wrong I can do just that if Im having a bad day. Life is very sweet, just so damn complicated sometimes! Hey ho, onwards. Thank you again for your advice.  
    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      So, essentially all of the nutrition in the food we eat is absorbed through the villous lining of the small bowel. This is the section of the intestinal track that is damaged by celiac disease. This villous lining is composed of billions of finger-like projections that create a huge amount of surface area for absorbing nutrients. For the celiac person, when gluten is consumed, it triggers an autoimmune reaction in this area which, of course, generates inflammation. The antibodies connected with this inflammation is what the celiac blood tests are designed to detect but this inflammation, over time, wears down the finger-like projections of the villous lining. Of course, when this proceeds for an extended period of time, greatly reduces the absorption efficiency of the villous lining and often results in many and various nutrient deficiency-related health issues. Classic examples would be osteoporosis and iron deficiency. But there are many more. Low D3 levels is a well-known celiac-caused nutritional deficiency. So is low B12. All the B vitamins in fact. Magnesium, zinc, etc.  Celiac disease can also cause liver inflammation. You mention elevated ALP levels. Elevated liver enzymes over a period of 13 years was what led to my celiac diagnosis. Within three months of going gluten free my liver enzymes normalized. I had elevated AST and ALT. The development of sensitivities to other food proteins is very common in the celiac population. Most common cross reactive foods are dairy and oats but eggs, soy and corn are also relatively common offenders. Lactose intolerance is also common in the celiac population because of damage to the SB lining.  Eggs when they are scrambled or fried give me a gut ache. But when I poach them, they do not. The steam and heat of poaching causes a hydrolysis process that alters the protein in the egg. They don't bother me in baked goods either so I assume the same process is at work. I bought a plastic poacher on Amazon to make poaching very easy. All this to say that many of the issues you describe could be caused by celiac disease. 
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      thank you so much for your detailed and extremely helpful reply!! I can say with absolute certainty that the less gluten containing products I've eaten over the past several years, the better I've felt.   I wasn't avoiding gluten, I was avoiding refined grains (and most processed foods) as well as anything that made me feel bad when I ate it. It's the same reason I gave up dairy and eggs- they make me feel ill.  I do have a bit of a sugar addiction lol so a lot of times I wasn't sure if it was the refined grains that I was eating - or the sugar. So from time to time I might have a cookie or something but I've learned how to make wonderful cookies and golden brownies with BEANS!! and no refined sugar - I use date paste instead. Pizza made me so ill- but I thought it was probably the cheese. I gave up pizza and haven't missed it. the one time I tried a slice I felt so bad I knew I'd never touch it again. I stopped eating wheat pasta at least 3 yrs ago- just didn't feel well after eating it. I tried chick pea pasta and a few others and discovered I like the brown rice pasta. I still don't eat a lot of pasta but it's nice for a change when I want something easy. TBH over the years I've wondered sometimes if I might be gluten intolerant but really believed it was not possible for me to have celiac disease. NOW I need to know for sure- because I'm in the middle of a long process of trying to find out why I have a high parathyroid level (NOT the thyroid- but rather the 4 glands that control the calcium balance in your body) I have had a hard time getting my vit D level up, my serum calcium has run on the low side of normal for many years... and now I am losing calcium from my bones and excreting it in my urine (some sort of renal calcium leak) Also have a high ALP since 2014. And now rapidly worsening bone density.  I still do not have a firm diagnosis. Could be secondary HPT (but secondary to what? we need to know) It could be early primary HPT. I am spilling calcium in my urine but is that caused by the high parathyroid hormone or is it the reason my PTH is high>? there are multiple feedback loops for this condition.    so I will keep eating the bread and some wheat germ that does not seem to bother me too much (it hasn't got enough gluten to use just wheat germ)    but I'm curious- if you don't have a strong reaction to a product- like me and wheat germ- does that mean it's ok to eat or is it still causing harm even if you don't have any obvious symptoms? I guess what you are saying about silent celiac makes it likely that you can have no symptoms and still have the harm... but geez! you'd think they'd come up with a way to test for this that didn't require you to consume something that makes you sick! I worry about the complications I've been reading about- different kinds of cancers etc. also wondering- are there degrees of celiac disease?  is there any correlation between symptoms and the amnt of damage to your intestines? I also need a firm diagnosis because I have an identical twin sister ... so if I have celiac, she has it too- or at least the genetic make up for having it. I did have a VERY major stress to my body in 2014-2016 time frame .. lost 50lbs in a short period of time and had severe symptoms from acute protracted withdrawal off an SSRI drug (that I'd been given an unethically high dose of, by a dr who has since lost his license)  Going off the drug was a good thing and in many ways my health improved dramatically- just losing 50lbs was helpful but I also went  off almost a dozen different medications, totally changed my diet and have been doing pretty well except for the past 3-4 yrs when the symptoms related to the parathyroid issue cropped up. It is likely that I had low vit D for some time and that caused me a lot of symptoms. The endo now tells me that low vit D can be caused by celiac disease so I need to know for sure! thank you for all that great and useful information!!! 
    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for a significant amount of time. It's called the "gluten challenge".  Yes, you can develop celiac disease at any stage of life. There is a genetic component but also a stress trigger that is needed to activate the celiac genes. About 30-40% of the general population possesses the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develop celiac disease. For most with the potential, the triggering stress event doesn't happen. It can be many things but often it is a viral infection. Having said that, it is also the case that many, many people who eventually are diagnosed with celiac disease probably experienced the actual onset years before. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning that symptoms are largely missing or very minor and get overlooked until damage to the small bowel lining becomes advanced or they develop iron deficiency anemia or some other medical problem associated with celiac disease. Many, many are never diagnosed or are diagnosed later in life because they did not experience classic symptoms. And many physicians are only looking for classic symptoms. We now know that there are over 200 symptoms/medical problems associated with celiac disease but many docs are only looking for things like boating, gas, diarrhea. I certainly understand your concerns about not wanting to damage your body by taking on a gluten challenge. Your other option is to totally commit to gluten free eating and see if your symptoms improve. It can take two years or more for complete healing of the small bowel lining once going gluten free but usually people experience significant improvement well before then. If their is significant improvement in your symptoms when going seriously gluten free, then you likely have your answer. You would either have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.