Michi8

I am sensitive to all sorts of chemicals & products. Some cause breathing difficulty, some skin problems. I finally figured out that antibacterial products and cleansers are what was causing painful splits on the ends of my fingers, so now I use gloves when cleaning and will not buy antibacterial soaps. I'm having patch testing done next week to determine more specific triggers. My reactions have become worse over the years...celiac is suspected based on my many symptoms (will be having an endoscopy & biopsy in November,) it would be a relief to know if celiac is responsible for my ill health...maybe going gluten-free would finally make a difference.

Michelle

I'm not saying walking is bad, quite the inverse. I rather think as I said that 30 mins working a day should be done by everyone! (I actually said that somewhere in the post), I think I said as an absolute minimum to having an active retirement.

But if someone is looking to lose some weight there are more efficient ways (and these also have additional benefits) but not to the exclusion of walking 30 mins a day....

Square dancing is actually looking quite attractive too:D

But, is square dancing an efficient use of time...especially since you just keep dancing in circles (or is that squares?!) LOL! BTW, I'm a big proponent of dancing...before kids, it used to be my main method of exercise (that and swimming.)

In terms of walking...I'm not looking at it in terms of its efficiency (although a good walk is still way more efficient at burning calories than driving in heavy traffic!)...I'm suggesting not limiting the walking to 30 minutes a day, but choosing it as a mode of trasportation everyday...heck, you could walk your way to square dancing too.

It really should be a lifestyle choice...any other exercise done beyond that is a bonus. Making that lifestyle choice will help a lot with acheiving weight loss, and is much easy to keep up than to continue to sweat it out at the gym for a lifetime. Unfortunately, the reality is that few people nowadays live close enough to work or to schools & businesses to seriously walk everywhere they go.

Michelle

Since you enjoy cake making/decorating, have you ever considered offering "specialty" gluten-free cakes? There's got to be a market for it! Then you could keep doing what you love, without the risk.

Michelle

I don't really agree on walking, its a pretty inefficent way to loose weight if you are time limited. If you are not its excellent but you need to be spending a long time walking to burn off the same calories....

(snipped)

Open Original Shared Link

Walking in a park at moderate speed burns 130kCal/hr .. this sounds OK until you compare this to driving in heavy traffic at 120kCal/hr or

I respectfully disagree with this information. Walking is a fantastic way to better health (and has more benefits than just burning calories.) Almost everyone can do it, it's easier on your joints than running or jogging, and it costs no money. Simply choosing to walk instead of driving (everyday) can make a significant difference in overall health and acheiving ideal weight.

The "walking at moderate speed" example from the linked website is an example of walking leisurely (without purpose)...a good, brisk walk burns up more than 130 calories, and way more calories than driving a car. Here are some comparisons between walking, jogging and running from the same website you linked: Open Original Shared Link

Personally, I was way fitter when I walked everywhere during my day (lived in a pedestrian friendly city & neighbourhood.) Now that I live in a suburb where I must rely on driving, I really miss the time I spent walking and really miss the health benefits. I do not enjoy making time to go to the gym or swimming pool...it feels like a really inefficient use of my time...I'd much rather take a good walk to run errands.

Michelle

Yes, pregnancy can be a trigger. If you were celiac as a child, then you will be for life...it sounds like pregnancy brought the symptoms to the forefront again. Of course, breastfeeding is great for baby. Breastmilk helps protect baby's GI tract from developing disease, and encourages development of natural GI flora, and could delay the onset of problems for baby if they do end up inheriting celiac.

In terms of starting solids, definitely wait until at least 6 months. Nothing wrong with starting later either (some people start at 9 months or later)...breastmilk is the most important food for the whole 1st year...and it continues to have benefits to the older toddler, especially if they have a tendency toward allergy and disease. When you do start solids, start slowly. There is a really good resource here for feeding a food-sensitive/allergic baby: Open Original Shared Link and this is a good schedule of which foods to introduce when: Open Original Shared Link

Michelle

I'm due to give birth any day (hopefully soon, as I'm 8 days overdue!). Can anyone tell me what I should look out for in terms of any drugs or anything they might give me in the hospital during labor and delivery that might not be gluten free? I will tell all the nurses when I arrive that I have celiac and it's in my chart, but I wonder if anyone has any info. on common L&D meds that they know aren't gluten-free.

Thanks,

Anya

Best to check with the anesthesiologist(s) at the hospital. They would know what drugs they use, and what the components are. AFAIK, the drugs used for epidurals and spinals can vary (they use a combination of drugs.) Also ask about the composition of demerol, nitrous oxide, pitocin/oxytocin and cervical gels (used for induction.)

Michelle

I'm having an endoscopy to invesitgate what the problem is. Celiac is one suspected diagnosis. My blood work came back negative, so we've decided that further investigation is warranted based on my symptoms. After the test is done, I will be trying the diet regardless of the result. If it is positive, though, I would like to know for my own peace of mind, to know if it's worth testing my kids, and to encourage symptomatic family members to test as well.

Because I live in Canada, I have no risk of losing my health coverage and the test is not costing me out of pocket, but I do stand to gain a least a bit of help to finance the diet...and that tax write off is only allowed with a medical diagnosis of Celiac.

Besides, biopsies are far from the only way medical practioners make money off of patients. There are all sorts of unnecessary procedures, drugs, diets that make the medical establishment money. Personally, I think the high c-section rate (a good percentage of which are unnecessary) in North America is a bigger issue than the number of biopsies done to test for Celiac.

Michelle

I have the urge to constantly roll my ankles around (they usually pop a lot when I do this, too) and stretch my calf muscles. I'm always pointing my toes up toward my knees to stretch. Also, on the outside of the lower leg, I am constantly stretching/massaging this muscle also. It bothers me mostly at night or when I'm sitting down. It doesn't hurt, but is just uncomfortable. If you ever get the urge to "crack" your back or neck, this is how my legs feel, only they never seem to get that comfort of just being cracked, like your neck or back do after popping them...I hope that makes sense. I'm just wondering if this could be restless leg syndrome or something else? I have gotten a couple charlie horses in the calves(which I would say is pretty painful). This is different though, not painful like that...the only comfort I get is massaging all the muscles in my lower leg and rolling my ankles. My upper legs are never affected.

It could be. For me, when I'm having trouble with restless legs, they are just uncomfortable in any position that they rest in, so I have to keep them moving. Makes it impossible to relax and fall asleep.

Michelle

Thanks for your replies! It's a little comforting to know why this happened and that I was not the only one. Thinking back I do believe the amount of food I was eating did affect my milk supply. I am dissapointed in the doctors though. The hospital that my daughter was in is sapossed to be one of the best NICUs in the US. However, they knew there was a problem with my milk supply and had me talk to the lactation consultant who kept suggesting I was doing somthing wrong yet I was following what she and all the books said to do to increase milk supply yet niether the nurses or any of the many many doctors (teaching college) ever suggested taking a medication to increase my supply or figure out what the reason was. They just decided I wasn't doing what I was sapossed to and put my baby on doner breat milk. Talk about adding to the depression when you can't supply what you sick baby needs and the doctors say your lazy and not trying hard enough. I have thought about contacting them and telling them what I think of them and that they should help mothers with these problems rather than put them down but have thought against it.

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Unfortunately, not all lactation consultants/doctors/nurses are created equal...and, quite frankly, I've heard some pretty bad breastfeeding advice from some of them. Unfortunately hospitals can be the worst places for breastfeeding friendly practices...seems there is always some practitioner who is trying to undermine your efforts.

There are foods & herbs that can increase your supply and there are foods that can drecrease it (sage for example). You can also buy herbal teas made specifically for breastfeeding. I used one by Gaia Garden Herbal Dispensary (Vancouver, BC) that was very good.

As well, I dont' know if the lacation consultant mentioned this to you, but pumping is nowhere near as efficient as a baby breastfeeding. I remember not being able to pump much of anything in the beginning, and I know some women are never able to pump much, but produce more than enough when baby is nursing. There are so many variables involved, and pumping is such an artificial method -- just a bit of stress can impede production. If you have so-called "experts" telling you you aren't doing it right it makes the situation even worse.

Michelle

My little guy has had nothing but organic since birth. I thought I was doing something good for him. I know that he's getting the healthiest choices, but even the organic baby foods have wheat and oat flour.

I'm certainly not opposed to making my own baby foods! I just wish this poor guy would get some teeth!!! =)

Making your own baby food is a great idea. Don' rule out slightly more solid foods though...even without teeth the gums are quite strong...he may be okay with whole, soft cooked carrots for example.

Since you're taking the introduction of foods slowly, are you also trying to avoid other potential food allergens/intolerances as well? I consulted an allergy nutritionist when my son was born and she went over the method of safely introducing foods to an allergic baby, and gave me a list of foods with their potential for allergic reaction...I found it very helpful in determining which foods to introduce first. I've also read that grains/cereals are a poor choice of first food, because of how hard they are on the digestive system. I didn't know that before starting my son on solids. We chose a plain rice cereal that had absolutely no additives...no iron, minerals, formula, etc...just plain brown rice.

Check out this Open Original Shared Link for more info (it's the same chart given to me by the nutritionist.) Plus here is a Open Original Shared Link of when it's best to introduce different foods to an allergic baby. Of course, with a baby who is potentially celiac, the introduction of gluten-containing foods would come last or not at all.

Michelle

I'm all for National Health! I think it's barbaric not to have it actually. Isn't the US basically the only first world country without it? Insane.

But that's a long wait! At least the endo comes first so you can find out about the Celiac & get started on the gluten-free diet sooner.

Leah

Yeah, it is a long wait. I do plan on trying the diet regardless of the diagnosis. Personally, I think my DH needs to be tested too, but I don't think that will be happening anytime soon.

Michelle

Yikes, I guess that's the price you pay for National Health... I had a 2 month wait & thought that was forever!

It's a price I'm more than happy to pay to have National Healthcare. No worrying about having to see a health plan approved doctor, no big out-of-pocket expenses, and no worry about being dropped from or refused insurance due to a diagnosed/pre-existing condition. The waits are basically for elective stuff...for those with emergency or life-threatening cases (eg cancer), there is no wait.

Michelle

Oh, man, I had mine both at once because to me the prep is way worse than the procedure! Plus that way there's only one anesthesia... you might want to consider rescheduling... up to you of course.

Leah

I'm afraid that is impossible, and entirely out of my hands. It's a three month wait for my endoscopy, and a 7 month wait for my colonoscopy. That's just the reality of elective procedures in Canada.

Michelle

A friend's husband has to have a endoscopy and colonoscopy tomorrow, She works for me and has asked off for tomorrow which is fine. But when she called to tell me she said she needed off tomorrow it was because he had to have major surgery and it was extremely serious. My first thougt was OMG. She said that she was going to call the family in and I asked what are they going to do. She said two scopes. I asked her what the surgery was and she said the scopes. She said surgery should last at least an hour and recovery about 2. Still confused I asked if he was having surgery after the scopes and she said "No, the scopes are the surgery. Scopes are classified as major surgery." I told her that she could have the time off and I prayed all went well. I have had 2 endoscopy, 2 colonoscopy, and numerous scans in the last few months but never considered them major surgery. Am I confused or has anyone else heard them called major sugery.

Hmmm, don't know if they're considered major surgery here...definitely an outpatient sugerical procedure though. Anytime there is anathesia in use, there are risks. For my upcoming endoscopy and colonoscopy (on different days...don't know if I could handle both in the same day!) I need someone to drive me to and from the appointment (because of the anesthesia.) If I do not have a support person/driver, they will not perform the procedure at all. IMO, taking the day off from work is justified...and my support person (DH) will have to take the day off too as the procedures are scheduled, but could be delayed to much later in the day due to emergency cases.

Michelle

Hi!

Everyone here has been so helpful!

I have a new question:

I got my blood test results late last week. Came back negative. However, the doctor still wants a biopsy done just to be sure. What is the likelihood of a biopsy being positive when the initial blood test was negative? I understand that this isn't really a "wash and wear" question. I had a gastroscopy years ago and do not recall it with any degree of fondness. Would hate to think I would have to go through that again if the chances were very, very slim of them getting any sort of confirmation.

Thanks in advance!

Karen in Sweden

Karen,

I'm in the same boat as you: negative blood tests, but still going for a biopsy. ASFAIK, it's not unsusual to have negative blood tests, especially if you're IGA deficient.

As I am in Canada, the biopsy will cost me nothing out-of-pocket, and there is a tax benefit for gluten-free foods only for those with a positive diagnosis of celiac. The biopsy is also important for me in that, if it is positive, then there is a reason to encourage symptomatic family members to get tested as well...including my children. I just wish I didn't have to wait more than three months for the biopsy (and more than 7 months for a colonoscopy!), because I would just like to get on with trying out the diet.

Michelle

So it goes like this:

Since January, I've been having Celiac symptoms, as I see it. Fatigue, bloating/awfulsmellingflatulence when I eat certain foods (not quite sure what, I think gluten), irritability, sleeplessness, depression, mysterious sinus headaches, and general dizziness. I've gotten tested this summer for sprue a couple times, and both have come out negative. I told my doctor, who is very experienced, that I didn't think the blood tests were very accurate based on what I've read, and he said that they are 99.9% effective, the ones that he'd seen done. Anyways, today I tested negatively for lactose intolerance as well, and I'd had a biopsy done earlier, which was part of a colonoscopy. They saw some enflamed tissue and I was (mis)diagnosed with Crohn's, but I really don't have a lot of Crohn's symptoms, I don't think. The biopsy was negative for sprue though too, I guess. Anyways, I'm not sure what to do at this point. I've cut gluten out of my diet, and it seems to be better, but then again, I've cut a lot of things out at this point (everything but meat, fruit, and veggies). I...don't know what to do at this point. Any ideas?

Nate

I don't believe that you can have a biopsy for celiac during a colonoscopy. The samples need to be taken from the small intestine...that would be during an endoscopy instead. Will you be having any other testing done?

I did figure when I become a SAHM then I could do more "from scratch" cooking, but right now, it's difficult to justify the time when we're both hungry when we get home from work.

Any suggestions in those 2 regards?

Don't expect to suddenly become "June Cleaver" when you're a SAHM. The last thing you'll want to do for quite a while after a baby joins your family is cook from scratch. It's much better to get into the habit of cooking now. Try doing batch cooking on the weekends and freezing. That way you can have a easy, healthy meal at the end of a long day...it will be helpful now, and when you're parents.

After I dunno, 8 years or so on the pill, and looking at another 4 years before trying to get pg, I'm looking into alternative methods.

My periods even on the pill are all but non-existant nowadays, and I'm concerned because of all the celiac related absorbtion problems that I may not be even safe with the pill.

Yes, I have tried the ring, no, I didn't like it. Same goes for the patch. Besides, those are both hormonal anyway.

Sooo... I've been skimming "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Weiscler (spelled her name wrong) at barned and noble and almost have DH convinced into trying it (for bc reasons, not ttc!!!)

I'm also amazed that out of the 835 amazon reviews for it, only 6 are one star, and 11 are two stars. That's pretty amazing for a book on amazon!

I'm also considering a class in NFP, and I realize they're the same thing, although NFP is the God version as I understand it.

Who's used it for BC? Does it actually work? As well as the pill? Know anyone it didn't work for (if they were doing it correctly)?

Thanks!!

IMHO & IME, the pill creates too much havoc with a woman's system. I had great success following FAM...Toni Weschler's Book is fantastic! What I liked most about the method was having so much information about my cycle. I knew exactly what was going on at any point during my cycles. And charting made it very clear when I was and wasn't fertile.

Michelle

i use to but every time i try to take it up again i get very bad constapation, really bad!!! and mt tummy is swollen and feel really unwell. ive taken floridix in the past but tht made me ill too. i allways have vit c and take it with my calcium. thanx , can you reccomend any other iron supplement or iron rich food? be really helpfull.

ive heard something like that is it like a cabbage or a lettuce? sorry to sound dumb but in the uk its not in any main stores here. ide love to give it a try.

Floradix has wheat/gluten in it. Floravital (made by Floradix) is gluten free, so may work better for you. I prefer it over traditional supplements, because the iron is bio-available (much easier for your body to use), non-consitpating, plus it has other minerals and vitamins in it. Doesn't taste great, but not bad washed down with orange juice.

Michelle

I've been allergic to nuts all my life. Unfortunately my throat closes and my eyes swell shut.

My nut/food allergies immediately result in itchy lips, throat and ears. I was allergic to peanuts since childhood, but recent allergy testing revealed I've outgrown that allergy (after having kids!) Instead, I've developed "oral allergy syndrome" related to my severe birch & alder tree allergies...I'm now allergic to all tree fruit, almonds and hazelnuts (filberts). However, I do not have a reaction to these foods if they have been cooked. So, I cannot eat a raw apple, but can still eat apple pie...well, at least until I have my endoscopy to see if I'm also gluten intolerant.

Michelle

I know gluten will cause permanent damage, but if ice cream only upsets my stomach a little, why not eat it ?

Do you know if it's lactose intolerance or casein sensitivity? For lactose intolerance, you could try Lactaid with ice cream (gluten free ice cream of course;) ). According to the manufacturer's website, "LACTAID® Fast Act caplets and LACTAID® Original strength caplets do not contain gluten."

Michelle

He also nurses during the night and rarely ever has a problem w/ spit up while he is lying in bed. He does wake to eat quite frequently and the doc said he may be smelling my milk, which is one more reason he "should be in the crib".

I neglected to mentioned one more point in my earlier response:

The frequency of feeding at night varies from baby to baby. Some need to nurse frequently. Breastmilk is quickly digested, so it's not uncommon for babies to breastfeed every two hours at night. Some babies go longer when they're older, and some, like my daughter continue nursing frequently at night until they're weaning (she was weaned at 2 years old.) She still wakes up at night from time to time...usually because her eczema bothers her. Babies are individuals just like we adults are...we can't expect them to all fit into the same mould.

Thanks Michelle. I am so glad that you posted that! I get alot of criticism for sleeping w/ Nathan. "He should be in his crib" is always the argument. Esp. from the doctor. He is 6 months old.

How a parent chooses to deal with sleeping arrangments is a personal choice, and IMHO drs are outside of their area of expertise when the advise on it (and other areas of parenting.) Having a family bed worked very well for us, and caused no problems when transitioning the kids to their own beds (our crib was the least used baby item!)

He also nurses during the night and rarely ever has a problem w/ spit up while he is lying in bed. He does wake to eat quite frequently and the doc said he may be smelling my milk, which is one more reason he "should be in the crib".

A baby who sleeps with mom benefits in many ways. One is to be close to the milk supply...nothing like just latching on when hungry rather than having to wake up and cry to be fed. Baby falls into the same breathing rythm as mom...helps with regulating breath and heart rate, reducing the risk of SIDS. Also, a baby wants to be with a parent all the time...it's very comforting to have their needs being taken care of immediately...I believe that it goes a long way to creating security that later gives them the confidence to take their steps towards independence. Finally, sleeping with baby is good for your milk supply.

Getting him to sleep is just so difficult these days.

And oftentimes the only way I can do it (even for naps, like you say) is to nurse him.

But it makes it hard for the sitter during the days to get him to sleep for his naps....she can't nurse him.

Yes, it can make it difficult for a sitter, but he should learn to settle for her in good time...he will expect a different schedule and methods from her.

Thanks for the advice on pumping too. We may try awhile on breastmilk only.

I've not had to leave my babies very often, but have heard the experiences my friends have had with breastfeeding and going back to work, and each has found what works best for them. One friend would go home to nurse a couple of times per day. One friend would leave pumped milk, but baby would refuse a bottle and would just nurse a lot once she got home at the end of the day. In each instance, their bodies adjusted to the schedule that their babies needed.

Trust your intuition...do what feels right for you.

Michelle

Fiddle-Faddle does have a point. I also believe that children are best with a caring adult than being placed alone in a crib, but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

I'm not sure how old your baby is, mcle8232's...have you tried sleeping with your baby? As I mentioned in my earlier post, all three of my kids had reflux and gas. Despite having a gassy, spitup-filled, frustrating day--at night we had a peaceful rest sleeping together. Baby is able to nurse as much as they need without disrupting sleep. I prepared for any spitting up by layering a waterproof pad and flannel diapers (easy to clean up and replace...the nighttime spit up ended well before the daytime.) They rarely, if ever, had gas problems when nursing laying down with me. I also always breastfed my babies to sleep (even for naps,) rather than setting them down awake to fall asleep on their own...worked like a charm for me.

Finally, I wouldn't rule out the formula being a culprit in making the gas worse. Is there a reason to skip breastfeeding in order to pump? Can the pumping session just be in addition to breastfeeding rather than using the formula? In terms of production, baby is always more efficient than a pump...and the body should be able adjust to the schedule your baby needs, including the pumping session.

Michelle

I don't think this has anything to do with gluten. But , I'm not sure. Twice in the past week out of the blue my fingers and/or hands have swollen up to an uncomfortable level. They were red and warm to the touch. Does anyone know what could have caused this?

Could it be Open Original Shared Link or Open Original Shared Link?

I end up with painful, red, swollen, itchy fingers and hands upon going indoors after being exposed to outdoor cold. This usually happens in the fall and spring...don't know why it doesn't happen much in winter (it can get extremely cold here), although it may have to do with the winters being much drier. I also have inner ear pain with change in temp and/or cold winds. I have yet to get a diagnosis though.

Michelle