Respira

I love amy’s Gluten free products, but I must admit they aren’t the healthiest meals but I eat them a couple of times a month with no problem at all.

I forgot to mention that since I went gluten free a number of years ago, I have had no further damage to my intestines. I firmly believe that celiac disease left untreated can turn into Crohn's disease, which is what I had

Has anyone else been prescribed buspirone? My doctor gave me a prescription to help deal with stress/anxiety for short term issues. I almost feel more anxious. I am in the severe Celiac group and my system is pretty messed up. Can't tell if it's making issues worse or I'd be a total basket case as this is 'working'. Thoughts?[/quote

I was prescribed buspirone by my doctor and was on it for years. It can take up to 2 weeks for it to build up in your system before you see any benefits. I finally weaned off of it years ago, after they resected my large and small intestines. They also had me in the trial of the drug remicade (you had to become a hopeless case to qualify for the study...unfortunately my case became hopeless) that was about 8 years ago. Remicade is the same drug now known as humira ( which is known to cause lymphoma). Guess who now has non- Hodgkin's lymphoma stage IV. The moment I was diagnosed I asked to be put on buspirone. It looks like I am a miracle case, I just had my last chemo and it is looking like the cancer may be gone. The grapefruit size tumor in my stomach is the size of a raisin which the doctor thinks is just scar tissue. We are just waiting on the results of the bone marrow biopsy to make sure all remnants of cancer is gone.

I would not have made it thru psychologically without the buspirone. Give it a chance to kick in

I make my own potato chips now, it's fairly simple to do and they taste better than any store bought chips

Atkins Diet is great!! Lots of protein is in your diet when doing Atkins. It is very compatable with celiac disease too

Going gluten free has actually helped my budget. You do a lot more cooking from scratch which is a lot cheaper than ready made and processed foods.

I was on prilosec for 2 years, then it stopped working so they bumped me up to protonix for another 3 years. This was all before I found out I had celiac disease. After being gluten free for about 2 months, I weaned myself off the medications I had been dependent on for over 5 years. The protonix cost $130 for a 30 day supply. I sure don't miss shelling that $$ out every month. The insurance wouldn't cover the prescription, they would only cover prilosec which no longer worked for me, I went round and round with them and never did get them to help pay for the prescription.

Also I have recently started taken Primal defense (probiotics) to help the balance of good bacteria in my gut.

I got tired of blank expressions when trying to explain gluten intolerance, it was always as if I were speaking a foreign language. I now just say "Severe wheat allergy" which gets an immediate response. Since rye and barley are not as common and more readily spotted by myself I do not complicate matters by mentioning them.

Restaurants that have gluten free options I simply say I am a celiac.

Long term relationships like teachers, fellow workers or while on a cruise I go into the full explanation.

"I do not know what a SAT means...."

SAT is the level of oxygen in the blood, commonly measured by a pulse ox on the finger.

"I asked her Nurse? if there were any exercises she could do and the nurse said No.

She's a young 68 years old - at her proper weight."

The kind of exercises I was talking about were not for weight but to strengthen her respiratory muscles. Try and talk to the Respiratory therapist at the hospital. The therapist will be able to demonstrate the different techniques used to strengthen her respiratory muscles after she is weaned off the ventilator.

"Breathing exercises can help persons with chronic airway obstruction. They help people have better control over breathing, even when they are under stress. They may also improve exercise performance. Often you will be asked to do them before and after heart or lung surgery. They also help prevent pneumonia in bedridden patients.

The goal of these exercises is to make use of the entire lung and keep the chest muscles active. The main technique is to prolong one's exhalation or outward breath. A therapist can teach a patient the methods. The person can then perform them at home. Learning in front of a mirror is useful. Ideally, one performs them ten times a session, three or four times a day. The exercises focus on three areas: the upper chest, the lower side ribs, and the diaphragm. The diaphragm is the large muscle below the lungs that drops when we inhale.

By placing hands on certain spots, the therapist shows how to inhale deeply and expand that area only. For example, you may try to expand the upper chest but not the lower. Next, you may try to expand the ribs to the side, but not the upper chest. For each exercise, the person should focus on the chosen area and not use neck, shoulder, or other muscles.

Breathing from the diaphragm causes the front lower ribs to flare out. To practice this, lie on your back with bent knees supported by pillows. Place your fingers on your belly just below your ribcage. As you inhale deeply, your belly and lower ribs should rise while your chest remains fairly still. Inhale for a count of three and exhale for a count of six. You should prolong breathing out with lips slightly pursed(not applicable for patients with tracheostomy). With practice, you should be able to do a dozen such breaths without tiring. When you have mastered this, try it standing. Finally, practice it while walking or even climbing stairs. You may also try it with lips pursed while you breathe in.

The next step is deep breathing. You sit or stand, pull your elbows back firmly, and inhale deeply. Hold your breath for a count of five before exhaling slowly and completely. If you have chronic airway obstruction, ask your healthcare provider which exercises will work for you."

Some sites that may be helpful...

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

First I need to know is she on a ventilator (a machine that actually pushes air into the lungs and the trache is directly connected to a hose that goes to the machine) or is she on a flow by set up (a machine that sends oxygen enriched air past the trache but is not directly connected to the trache).

People can do just fine with one lung.

Since she is elderly and in all probability has COPD, the trache is a good thing. It eases the work of breathing. There is a pressure differential from the mouth to the lungs that is greater than the pressure differential from the trache opening to the lungs. So with a trache the patient can take in a breath with less effort and work.

If she is directly connected to the ventilator and the machine is doing the work of breathing for her for now, there is a chance that she will be able to improve enough to eventually be put on a flow by set up.

If she is on a flow by set up already, that is great! She may be able to wean off the flow by during the daytime and only use it at night. It really depends on how her SAT's are.

When you say she collapsed, did you mean she collapsed or her lung collapsed? Was there anything else going on like pneumonia? Without knowing what precipitated the whole event it would be hard to give a prognosis.

There are exercises she can do to increase the strength of her diaphragm and help her inflate her lung to it's capacity.

And yes people live on ventilators for many many years.

Here ya go...

Little Aussie Bakery and Cafe

EVERYTHING IS GLUTEN FREE

Paloma Blanca

GLUTEN FREE MENU

My daughter, who is also gluten sensitive lives in San Antonio. She is always raving about a particular restaurant that is "all" gluten free. I will ask her to email the names of restaurants and will post it here.

I was on the Conquest, I tried to inform them before the trip but was unable to figure out how. I went to carnival cruise website and printed out the instructions and handed the printout to our waiter, who brought it to the hostess, who then coordinated everything with the Chef.

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" Dietary Needs

Carnival Cruise Lines can provide our guests with the following special dietary needs: Vegetarian, Low-Cholesterol, Low-Fat, Low-Carbohydrates, Low-Sugar, Gluten Free and Bland.

Kosher meals, Baby foods and formulas are not available onboard

If you have food allergies, please advise your dining staff once onboard, or contact a Guest Access Services Representative to discuss your requirements. "

I ate at the sushi bar, but I forgot to bring my own soy sauce

Each ship is different so it would be hard to tell you the ins and outs as far as places you can eat, but trust me there is food available 24/7. Also there is the room service menu you can order from any time of day or night. They have a great caesar salad on that menu..P.S. room service food is free like everything else.

I just got back from a 7 day cruise on Carnival and I still can't believe how wonderful they were. I was told to inform the maitre d' and waiters before my first meal, which I did. The Hostess was then assigned to go over the next nights menu with me every night. I could choose anything from the menu and if it were at all possible the Chef would make it for me gluten free. He even used separate pots, pans etc. Also the hostess told me to ask for a red scarf cook at any of the other restaurants on board and he would take me around and point out what was gluten free. I did this and had a gazillion choices all the time. I ate like a pig and didn't get glutened one time..not even slightly glutened (which happens at home all the time). I gained 2 pounds...

P.S. They served me this wonderful gluten free bread with all my evening meals.

My tummy went down slowly but surely until one morning I woke up and realized my hip bones were higher than my gut, I jumped out of bed ran to the mirror, did the profile view and there it was..a totally flat belly. The last thing to go after the swelling went down was what I called a protective fat layer. I had this one inch layer of fat that I swear my body put there in response to all the inflammation. It was the only spot on my whole body that had fat...it was really weird...and no amount of exercise or watching calories affected that little fat layer. Then I guess my body decided it no longer needed protection there and let it go.

P.S. I keep a journal and write down anything I put in my mouth. This helped me to discover which foods I need to stay away from. Even though these foods do not have gluten in them, they still cause bloating.

My belly used to look 6 months pregnant, I am happy to say it is as flat as a pancake. I'm 54 yrs. old and now have a flat tummy that any 20 yr. old would be proud of.

I used to do the same thing, I finally realized that I did this when I was feeling deprived, feeling sorry for myself, feeling how unfair it was, feeling it can't be true...etc. But it normally would start with feeling deprived. I have found that having special treats on hand has helped. When I am feeling deprived I either have a treat or do something special for myself. I also talk out loud to myself when I am tempted to eat something I shouldn't ie: "Have you lost your mind?", "oh great! Let's be sick for the next week, that'll be fun!" etc.

Open Original Shared Link

"March 10, 2008 -- The Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO) announced today that it has certified Country Life Vitamins as certified gluten-free. Country Life has been producing a full line of quality vitamins and nutritional supplements since 1971. Country Life's entire product line is gluten-free, allowing them to meet the needs of a growing market of persons following a gluten-free diet, who may not be able to meet all their nutritional needs from the foods they consume."

It's delicious. My husband who is a very picky eater cleaned his plate. I like to experiment and I have to admit, my experiments are either dismal failures or big winners..this one is a big winner.

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. sage

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. Garlic salt

salt

pepper

1 roasted green or red bell pepper(roast in oven peel then slice in strips)

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped green onions

4 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned

1 cup chicken broth (homemade preferred)

1 1/2 cups black olives, pitted and chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups cooked rice

Cook Green pepper in oven at 350 until it begins to turn brown.Remove roasted pepper from oven, skin and slice into thin strips.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onions and saut

I have 3 boxes in my pantry right now. one box opened and half eaten the other 2 never opened. I got glutened by the first box I opened. I didn't want to believe it, but I tested and retested and no question..they gluten me.

http://www.orthosupersite.com/images/conte...r_chart_151.webp

I am 54, diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis 20 years ago and Crohn's disease 10 years ago.

Yes, the damage done to your intestines affects how you absorb medications and vitamins. I know this from experience.

The only form my body will absorb as far as medications is non enteric coated tablets, capules or liquid. Unfortunately most medications prescribed are enteric coated tablets (because of their time release ability).

As far as Vitamins the best I have found for absorption is Viactiv Calcium and Viactiv Multi vitamin

P.S. Once I discovered that the root of all my problems was Celiac disease, the arthritis stopped cold, of course the bonse twisting that was already done is permanant but no further damage has occured. Crohn's is in permanent remission as far as I'm concerned.

Thank you I thought it was really interesting too. Every time I eat any form of bean it is as if I have been glutened. I began to suspect beans, so I stayed off all forms of beans for 2 weeks then tried about a tablespoon of lima beans 3 days in a row. Well, it was as if I had been glutened to death! So I started researching and found some very interesting information along the way.

still figuring out how to post this sorry..I give up!!! To see the information below in chart form go to: Open Original Shared Link

the chart is located in the middle of the page

Some Common Plant Toxins and Antinutrients

Chemical families of naturally-occuring plant-made toxins found at low levels in many foods that we eat. Effect on humans and animals is based on laboratory tests using toxin concentrations much higher than the concentrations normally found in food.

Toxin Family

Examples of Occurrence in Plants

Effect on humans and animals

Cyanogenic glycosides Sweet potatoes, stone fruits, lima beans Gastrointestinal inflammation; inhibition of cellular respiration

Glulcosinolates Rape (canola), mustard, radish, cabbage, peanut, soybean, onion Goiter; impaired metabolism; reduced iodine uptake; decreased protein digestion

Glycoalkaloids Potato, tomato Depressed central nervous system; kidney inflammation; carcinogenic; birth defects; reduced iron uptake

Gossypol Cottonseed Reduced iron uptake; spermicidal; carcinogenic

Lectins Most cereals, soybeans, other beans, potatoes Intestinal inflammation; decreased nutrient uptake/absorption

Oxalate Spinach, rhubarb, tomato Reduces solubility of calcium, iron, and zinc

Phenols Most fruits and vegetables, cereals, soybean, potato, tea, coffee Destroys thiamine; raises cholesterol; estrogen-mimic

Coumarins Celery, parsley, parsnips, figs Light-activated carcinogens; skin irritation