Michi8
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Recently I'm noticing that when I use Bandaids I break out in a VERY itchy rash where the bandaid is. This is something new for me. I had a couple of moles biopsied last week and bandages became a real problem--itchier by the day. I tried Bandaid brand and also Nexcare brand. Does this mean I'm becoming latex sensitive or allergic? Could there be gluten in the glue? Could it be related to celiac? Any responses would be appreciated. Thanks.
It doesn't mean you're allergic to latex. You may be, but you could more than likely be allergic to the adhesive.
I had a problem with bandages after a skin biopsy too. For me, the irritation got worse each time I had to change the bandage. I talked to 3M (Nexcare) and confirmed the bandage was latex free, and determined that it was likely the adhesive. The lab person I talked to on the phone suggested that carefully & slowly removing the bandage would help. Each time I ripped the bandage off, I was removing a bit of skin and then the area would be exposed to adhesive again from the new bandage...that just lead to irritation.
I did have patch testing after that and confirmed I am not allergic to latex or any of the related manufacturing chemicals. I am allergic to other things that are sometimes used in adhesives (potassium dichloride is one chemical used in adhesives.) I am also allergic to neomycin. The Polysporin I was directed to use on my biopsy site has a related ingredient (bacitracin) that was exacerbating my reaction...left a nice scar too.
Michelle
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Is she related to the first dermatologist I saw? Is it something with that profession that attracts people with horrible beside manners?
I'm so sorry you had to experience such disrespect.
Personally, I don't know that I'd bother writing a letter...I'd just look for a different dermatologist.Michelle
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As soon as I saw your user name, I knew you were Cdn!!! LOL! I love it!
I use Unico..... you can find it everywhere......
Welcome!
Karen
I thought the Big Comfy Couch was seen North America wide?
Granny Garbonzo, are you Canadian?
Michelle
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tomato paste isn't "thickened" with something other than removal of water. you can make your own by simmering tomatoes for *a long time* - though doing that without scorching... that takes a delicate touch.
I Googled a recipe for tomato paste to confirm reduction was the method of cooking...and read how long it takes to make, and the patience and stirring required. I'll keep buying mine in a can...way cheaper than the cost of my time and patience! LOL!
Michelle
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I believe that no one diet has the answer for everyone, and that most of these fad diets have significant flaws. To eliminate a food just because someone says you shouldn't eat it because of your blood type, heritage, eye colour, etc. could potentially eliminate an important source of nutrition. When we're talking about intolerances, allergies, known-health issues, it's a different story. One has to listen to their own body about what foods affect their healthy positively or negatively...even when it flies the in face of what medical practitioners tell us.
Michelle
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Another Canadian answer: Unico tomato paste is gluten-free. I don't know how widely distributed Unico is. They are in the Toronto area (Concord) and their products are widely available around here.
Unico is definitely available across Canada.
Michelle
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Every tomato based item seems to have tomato paste in it as an ingredient. Be nice if they told us what they use to thicken the paste...but they usually don't. I'd like to find out which do and don't so I can at least make my own tomato based stuff using tomato paste.
In Canada, I know that Safeway brand tomato paste is gluten free. The tomatoes are likely thickened by reduction during cooking. I believe other tomato pastes (Hunts, for example) are likely made the same way, but worth checking into individual brands to make sure.
Michelle
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Just curious how they removed the spot? My son has this on one of his permanent teeth (front and center!) and it bothers me.
Anyhow, for us it has been not just discoloration and lots of cavities, but continued decay underneath crowns, pieces of enamel chipping off and stiff like that. My kids would brush and floss and still have 6-10 cavities filled a year. Since they have been gluten free for 4 years they have had hardly any dental work done. This past 3 years only one child had one cavity, the rest have been cavity free!
I've never heard of having discolouration spots removed before. I have discolouration on my permanent teeth that is likely flourosis (over exposure to flouride when the adult teeth were forming) and also had a number of cavities in my childhood. As the discolouration is really just cosmetic, I don't know that a dentist would actually remove part of the tooth to fill it in. I could see them being capped to cover it up though.
My son is experiencing the same now. He had two cavities by the time he was three (and has had a few more over the years), he has white spots on his permanent teeth, and has an issue with plaque build up. He just had sealant put on his permanent molars to slow the formation of cavities. Hopefully it helps! We're still investigating the possibility of celiac in our family BTW.
Michelle
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I don't know that we can expect all companies to have a prepared gluten free list, especially when we're talking about personal products rather than food. And they certainly aren't going to go out of their way to prepare a list for one customer. Perhaps if more people are calling about the issue, then they will change the practice, but I don't see it as being practical, profit wise, to go through the hassle.
Also, ingredients from suppliers can change from time to time, so a prepared list may be impossible to keep (If I recall correctly, that is one reason that Kraft Canada no longer maintains a gluten free list online, and suggests customers check ingredients on individual products.) That would be one good reason to request that a customer call about a specific product in question. Laws to ensure proper labelling/disclosure of all ingredients is an important measure as well, and should make clear any potential source of gluten.
Personally, gluten isn't my only concern with personal products...I have to look for a number of chemicals as well, that are known by more than one name. It's also helpful if a company includes ingredients that may be added, depending on the ingredients they get from their source suppliers. Maybelline Great Lash mascara, for example, has a list of ingredients that states "may also include ______." Unfortunately for me, that "may also include" line is one ingredient I must avoid, so, regardless of whether it is actually in that product or not, I have to avoid it. At least I know and can make a decision. In the meantime, if I don't know what is in a product, then I don't use it.
Now, Clinque said that they cannot guarantee CC with their liquid makeup. Did they say that for all their products, or just that one? I don't, and never have, used their liquid makeup so I wouldn't avoid that company for that reason. I haven't checked on their powdered makeup yet, but they did say that they will answer any questions about specific products. I think it is fair for a company to offer that level of customer service.
Michelle
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I spent days online emailing and calling the well known makeup manufacturers about gluten and cross contamination.
The following companies I have cross off my list of companies I would buy from either because of their responses which either said their products had gluten in them or they could not guarantee me their products had no cross contamination or they just flat out don't respond or didn't follow up with information they said they would provide me. If they do follow through I will put an update.
I would not buy these products I don't think you should risk it either:
Neutrogena
Physicians Formula
Everyday Minerals
Almay
Maybeline
Revlon
Ultima
L'Oreal
Rimmel/Coty
Alveeno
Panteen
Clinque
Bare Essentials
Prestige
Crest
Colgate
Pure and Natural Bar and Hand Soap
I wouldn't necessarily avoid the companies on this list. I can see some companies not responding, or being hesitant to provide lists of all of their gluten-free products. It may be a better practice to enquire about specific items...I think you would likely get a better response.
I have contacted Clinque, for example, (regarding certain chemical additives in makeup to which I'm allergic) and they said they would be happy to give me detailed ingredient information on any specific item. At this point, in Canada, many makeup products do not list ingredients, so the only way to find out this information is to place a call or email enquiry (that will change once the new labelling laws are completely in effect.) The same should go for enquiring about gluten.
Michelle
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I've PM'd you too. Thanks for sharing the list!
Michelle
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I have friends who swear by the blood type diet too. I did look into a book about the Blood Type diet and food allergies (written by Dr. d'Adamo.) But I had a really hard time believing it would actually be helpful. The lists of problem foods seemed quite random to me, and then to further divide it into secretor vs non-secretor (which you could test for by buying a kit from Dr. d'Adamo!) just made it seem even more unlikely. I returned the book to the library the next day.
Guess I'm just too much a skeptic.I'd be interested in hearing form others whether they've had success with this type of diet or not!
Michelle
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I think it might be time to lock this thread. It would be a waste to completely delete it, but to just lock it would keep others from posting more (mis)info in it, yet keep it accessible for reading/searching.
Michelle
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there is a short bit about this here: Open Original Shared Link
just thought I'd put up a reference to the idea that babies can have trouble with their oral motor skills and develop food/texture aversions if they don't learn to experience/manipulate food in their mouths in a certain time frame. it might be helpful to ask your pediatrician some more about this...
... and edited this to say that this is a really tough situation, so best wishes for you and your family with whatever you choose!
h
I'm skeptical of the notion that babies "need" to experience solid food within a certain time frame to avoid food/texture aversions. Breastfed babies get a wide variety of flavours through breastmilk...that prepares an infant for trying foods in future. I'd expect, too, that to have a reaction to an allergenic food introduced too soon could very well start the food aversions one is trying to avoid.
Michelle
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So my baby is 6 months old exclusively breast fed. My hubby has celiac disease so I'm on a gluten-free diet. In addition we both have some food allergies. I really have to watch what I eat or baby gets a tummy ache. We have been doing really well but now everyone incl baby's doc seems to think we need to start solids. I am fine with putting it off as long as possible.
Does anyone have experience with this? I'm thinking that with every day we wait to introduce solids, baby's chance for developing celiac disease or food allergies decreases. Am I right or am I just ultra paranoid?
I was thinking we could wait till 9 or even 12 months to introduce any solid foods whatsoever....
I am planning on not giving him any gluten till age 2 and I'm sticking to that.
Can't wait to see everyone's replies. Thanks!
Kate
It's really up to you to decide when to introduce solid foods. Personally, I believe it's best not to introduce before 6 months for a breastfed baby, and that it can be beneficial to wait longer if you suspect that baby may have allergies. If baby isn't even showing interest in trying solid foods yet, then wait until they are interested. I have a one friend who tried introducing at 6 months and their baby was not interested at all. She didn't really start eating solid foods until closer to 12 months, and was then very interested and ate a good variety.
Iron supplementation, for a breastfed baby, is not necessary in the first year. As mentioned, baby's stores don't run out until closer to the year mark, and breastmilk does have some iron...it's not a lot, but it is very bioavailable and so used well by baby (the same cannot be said for iron supplements.) Cereals are very hard to digest in general, so are not the best choice for first foods either. Better to go with fruits and veggies.
For info on when to intoduce foods to an allergic baby, check this link out:
Open Original Shared Link
And there is a food allergen scale here:
Open Original Shared Link
These are the guidelines I followed for introducing foods to my kids. The info was given to me by an allergy nutritionist. She also gave me some guidelines on how to introduce foods. Essentially you want to take it very slowly, introducing no more than one food per week (or was that per two weeks?) If you are really concerned about allergic reaction, it's recommended to do a skin test of a food (on the cheek) and wait 24 hours to check for reaction before feeding that food. When feeding first foods, do cook them first (cooking can change the allergenicity of many foods) and you can add a bit of breastmilk to thin them out.
Michelle
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Thanks everyone for all your help. Looks like the KitchenAid is the mixer I would need. Now to try to justify spending that kind of money.
(Suzie @ Jan 12 2007, 01:09 PM)
I was in Penney's yesterday and noticed a Sunbeam Mixmaster stand mixer with a 450 watt motor. It looked almost exactly like the KitchenAid at about half the cost. Does anyone out there have a Sunbeam and does it work as well as the KitchenAid?
Sue
Does that mean you just answered your own question? LOL!
Michelle
Edit: Okay, scratch my response...I miss-read what you wrote (thought you were buying the Sunbeam in response to your post about seeing one for sale cheaper than a Kitchenaid...I thought it was funny!) After re-reading, I see your choosing the Kitchenaid. Good choice! Of course, do some shopping around for the best price. Check with Kitchenaid too...sometimes they have bonus deals for buying their products.
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In general, stand mixers and hand mixers are used for different things (although, some things you could use either).
A stand mixer can be used for anything a hand mixer will do, but it doesn't work the other way 'round.
Of course, you could always choose to mix everything by hand instead, and forgo buying a mixer of any sort. 
Michelle
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Here's the part where I can only speculate, but I'm guessing that the paddle beater on a Kitchenaid is designed to eliminate this problem. Add the gear drive and the eliptical orbit design, and you've probably got a far superior machine. I think it's probably fairly obvious, but frankly, I'm starting to get a little frustated with mine. It was fine before with only the occasional use, but the last month I've used it 3 times a week or more and am not as happy with it as I once was.
I'm starting to wonder if my mother's has lasted for 40 years because she hardly ever used it! (that's a joke, maybe, ha ha)
best regards, lm
The single paddle makes a big difference. Very sturdy, doesn't get too mucked up (the batter/dough stays in the bowl, rather than climbing the paddle) and is very easy to scrape off. Now the paddle does have its limits. With Sunbeam's beaters, you can mix and whip with them, which the paddle doesn't do, but with the Kitchenaid you also get a wire wisk attachment and a dough hook. All three tools do a good job.
Michelle
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I got INFJ in both the first and second tests, and type B in the third. The only thing that surprises me about it is that I was an INFP when I did the Myers-Briggs test 13 years ago. I guess I've changed a bit as I've gotten older...I've certainly got very different responsibilities and more self-confidence now than I did then.
Michelle
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It may be worth it to do some research and build a business case. But may I suggest you start out small? Maybe offering specialty baked items/catering from home? Such as cakes, squares or cookies for various events? You'd still likely have to get a license, but this way you could build up a loyal clientelle that could eventually support a full-fledged bakery business.
Michelle
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And, now I'm down to three ... and I haven't answered a post on a thread other than the OMG thread for a week now, yet my stars dropped today!!
BTW, you can tell who's lowering your stars by seeing who has visited your page ... of course, you have to guess which person did it ...
Do the stars go down if someone visits, but doesn't give a rating? I haven't given anyone any stars...
Michelle
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My skin has always been a challenge. It was the best when I was on bc and when I went off it got pretty bad. Then, when I got pregnant it got worse.
The first poster that mentioned that her skin got bad after having kids, which makes me think it is a hormone thing. I was told that breakouts around your chin are related to hormones. I really think this is my problem because my skin has never been this bad. I don't want to go back on bc after our baby is born because I want to breastfeed and then have another child and I don't like the idea of taking it during that time. I think I'm going to ask my holistic doctor is there are specific hormones out of whack or what can be done to get it under control, but again I'm waiting until I have the baby.
I have cut out all the foods I feel that I'm intolerant too (along with gluten of course) and I haven't seen a change at all. I also haven't noticed a change when I get glutened, so unfortunatly I don't think this is something that I can blame on gluten or other foods.
I think it is, in part, due to hormones. That's why the severity is cyclical in nature. I think that my hormones are out of whack, though, due to something else going on (thyroid, perimenopause, allergies, etc.) Unfortunately, I'm having a difficult time figuring it out, because all of my tests come back "normal." Acne is only one of a long list of health issues that I'm trying to figure out though.
In terms of bc after pregnancy, you are wise to wait and see what happens. You'll find that the first couple of months will be quite out of whack as your body starts returning to normal. If you're lucky, you may also not have a period for a stretch of time, and that may very well mean clear skin for you. Do remember that it takes about 1 year for the body to fully recover from pregnancy.
Michelle
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I feel that the politics surrounding celiac (whether testing or insurance companies paying for testing or product labeling) is something we should talk about. And I am sure we are all in agreement about this.
That would definitely be appropriate and important for this forum.
Michelle
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Michelle,
How can you tell if a biopsy is done wrong? My daugher is going to the dermatologist tomorrow and I'm hoping they do a biopsy because she has DH and hasn't been diagnosed yet, so how can I tell if they do it right or not? Any suggestions?
The biopsy I had done was taken from the lesion, rather than the healthy skin within so many mm of the lesion (I think it's supposed to be 3mm?) The dermatologist I was seeing at that time was a bit of an a$$ as well...he did the biopsy at my request, and said that if it was DH (which he didn't believe it was), I'd have to be on Dapsone forever and the gluten-free diet would too much effort to stick with. I've since switched dermatologists, and may request another biopsy from him at some point.
Michelle
Can We Talk About Bandaids?
in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
Posted
As mentioned in my earlier post, potassium dichloride is one common adhesive chemical, and is a relatively common allergen. It goes by other names as well:
chrome
chromate
chromite
chromium
potassium dichromate
It is a very common metal, and can be found in a whole host of products aside from adhesive, including detergent, bleach, costmetics, tattoos, cement, tanned leather, inks, sutures, etc.
Michelle