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brigala

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Everything posted by brigala

  1. brigala
    I've had some suspicion about my son and gluten for quite some time now. He tried a gluten-free diet for a couple of months, about a year ago, but didn't see any dramatic improvement. The problem is, he's 14 and although he tried to follow the diet there were a lot of mistakes (What? Nacho cheese doritos aren't gluten free?). Also, although HE didn't notice...
  2. brigala
    You do not have to do this. You have the right to refuse any and all medical procedures if you want to. If I were you, I would not submit to an invasive procedure once I had a definitive diagnosis (which I believe you already have). If you want a diagnosis in your medical chart and your doctor refuses to give it to you without an endoscopy, it probably wouldn...
  3. brigala
    In hindsight, I can see that I probably had some very minor symptoms my entire life (minor, unexplained health annoyances that never cleared up until I went gluten-free). I started gaining weight rapidly when I went through my divorce, and attributed it to a change in lifestyle, but honestly my lifestyle had never made any difference in my weight before so...
  4. brigala
    My PCP did, too, but at least she gave me an explanation. She pointed out that Celiac can cause a host of other problems, and she felt it was important to give me a blood test even though I'd been gluten-free for 2 years. Even though my test came back negative, "Gluten" is listed as an "allergen" in my Kaiser medical chart based solely on my reported improvement...
  5. brigala
    I'm just bumping this up since we're leaving Friday. I appreciate the suggestions! Most of the chains (including Garlic Jim's) are available where we live. I'd love to make it down to the Irish pub but it's probably too far out of our way. We'll be eating at Disneyland on Monday; I called their food service people today and the lady told me that gluten...
  6. brigala
    Emily -- Interesting hypothesis. It sounds logical and it would be a great thing to research. It all makes me wish I had any aptitude in biology. I'd love to research it. But biology is the only class I've ever had that I had to struggle to get a C... honestly, all microscopic things look pretty much the same to me. -Elizabeth
  7. brigala
    So how are you doing now, Kim? Your post was from May but it looks like you're back. Have you had any improvement?
  8. brigala
    Although my chronic exhaustion cleared up after about 6 months on the gluten-free diet, my PMS-related exhaustion hasn't improved much. I feel more or less like I've been hit by a truck almost every month. Sometimes it's extreme pain, sometimes it's more like I'm just DEAD. I think it's a little better since being gluten-free, but that seems more like I'm...
  9. brigala
    I don't know, I'm not really thinking of giving up milk at this point. I have enough other dietary issues to deal with. I'm not sure it would follow that it would end up in meat if it ends up in milk. I was just curious about whether it had actually been studied. I'm just trying to figure out why it would pass into human milk but not cow's milk. I wonder...
  10. brigala
    How old is your son, Codygirl? The Celiac tests are not always accurate, and are notoriously unreliable in young children (the younger they are, the more unreliable the tests). You might want to try one of the genetic tests like MyCeliacID or Enterolab.com. Those results won't be skewed by DS's age. By the way, my right pinky is short. I went and voted...
  11. brigala
    Ok, this is NOT about the "temporary" lactose intolerance caused by damaged villi from Celiac, but a different question entirely. They say milk does not contain gluten, and that even when cows are fed wheat it does not pass through to the milk. And yet, at least some researchers (and many parents) believe that gluten DOES pass through into HUMAN milk...
  12. brigala
    We have both Tourette's and Celiac in our family (in the same lines). This is a totally unreliable "source," but my mom said she read "somewhere" recently that the same genes that are involved in Celiac are involved in Tourette's. My son has OCD and minor tics that the neurologist believes is related to our family history of Tourette's. He tested negative...
  13. brigala
    Unfortunately, that question is impossible to answer. Some people even feel worse at first as their bodies detox. Others feel better right away but feel even worse with accidental exposure to gluten (and you WILL have accidents at first). Me, personally, I "cut back" on gluten and felt so much better so quickly and got so used to not running to the bathroom...
  14. brigala
    Nuts and avocados are very calorie-dense and dairy free. Peanut butter on a warm corn tortilla is a great snack. Try picking up a nut-based milk substitute, like almond milk. Pacific brand is gluten-free. I think Almond Breeze is, too? Do you have a Trader Joe's nearby? I just picked up a new thing there called a "Sesame Crepe." It's basically sesame seeds...
  15. brigala
    Sorry your BF didn't work out. I know it's hard to let go of someone. I can't help but think this was an "excuse" and he was ready to ditch anyway. My husband was very skeptical when I went on the gluten-free diet -- but he didn't tell me that at the time. He didn't say ANYTHING about being skeptical until after the difference in my health was so obvious...
  16. brigala
    Eliminating all dairy from my diet for a week or two will significantly reduce (but not eliminate) the symptoms of glutening for me. The worse the glutening, the longer it takes. I ditch dairy for a few days even if I don't know I've been contaminated but know there's a chance; like if I eat in a "new" restaurant or at someone else's house. That way I don...
  17. brigala
    I found that I had to do some digging to replace the FIBER in my diet I used to get from whole-grain bread and oats. Although I do OK with oats I can't bring myself to pay the high price of gluten-free oats in order to have them every day. I used to eat oatmeal almost every day and use whole wheat flour in all my cooking (even gravy!). Replacements...
  18. brigala
    TWE -- I really hope you reconsider. I know you're new to the diet, but there really is NO CHEATING. It's not like a weight-loss diet where a few splurges now and then won't hurt you. Try to learn from others' mistakes and don't make your own, okay? :-) It's hard for me to believe there is only one non-gluten food you like. Do you like potatoes? They...
  19. brigala
    Not all insurance companies pay for it, but there is a test you can order for the kids from Enterolab.com which does not involve any needles. They actually take a stool sample. Maybe your kids won't object to giving up a little poo in order to avoid a needle. It's also supposed to be a much more sensitive test. Enterolab also offers a genetic test which...
  20. brigala
    I babysit in a household full of gluten-eating children. The mom tries to provide foods for me that I can eat, but I found after a while of being there every day that I was having an increase of symptoms. Bringing my own food has helped, and when I prepare meals for the kids which happen to be gluten-free (Nachos are a big favorite) I re-wash all the dishes...
  21. brigala
    One possible explanation could be that when you were in HS you weren't absorbing the nutrients you needed, and now you're simply not getting them in your diet. The one risk to to the gluten-free diet is that it can be easy to miss some nutrients because we cut do much out of our diets. "regular" white flour is enriched with all sorts of minerals and vitamins...
  22. brigala
    You sound a lot like me! It took 6 months or so for the non-specific symptoms like fatigue and random pain to clear up, so don't give up quickly. I agree with sticking in the diet for a while even if tests don't confirm celiac. You can be reactive to gluten without having full-blown celiac, and your body will tell you clearly if the diet is right for you...
  23. brigala
    I definitely think it would be best to call them. Approach with the attitude of, "here's a problem, how can I help you serve your customers better?" I mean, if they go to the trouble to stock gluten-free pasta, they obviously WANT to provide for their gluten-free customers. They may not even realize that there are people for whom this isn't just a nutritional...
  24. brigala
    This is a much more helpful answer! Looks like I'll be buying my "zyrtec" at Costco!
  25. brigala
    No, I don't remember ever actually feeling it with my hands. The brick feeling was actually in my *stomach* rather than my belly, so it would have been a little behind my rib cage where I wouldn't be able to easily palpitate it, I think. It was so severe it wouldn't surprise me if I could have felt it, had I really tried to, though. I never thought to do...
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