OptimisticMom42

Why not suggest the atkins induction (10 carbs or less) instead? It is a weight loss diet, it's basically gluten free and it's a lot less complicated than all the CC issues we celiacs have to deal with. What if all these friends of yours take gluten out of their diets and then can not sccessfully reintroduce it? Boy are they going to be PO'd. While I think the whole darn world should be gluten free just to be fair to us .............tricking them into it probably isn't a good idea! I'll think about that some more!

I've lost 15 lbs (5'6" 148) since my dx but it's because I won't stay home and most places I go don't have safe food. I'm very sensitive. So I end up just going hungry for hours at a time. Since the foods I can eat don't have preservatives in them packing food to take along isn't always safe. I left babanas, peanut butter and rice cakes in the car while riding rollercoasters at Michigan Adventure. The bananas stunk up the whole car but I ate them anyhow, I was so hungry they tasted great!

Just some food for thought, RA

Hello, My Name is Ruth Ann and I've been gluten free for five months (except accidental poisonings). Sorry, it just struck me as funny that I sound like I'm at an AA meeting! Anyhow, I'm only just now getting well enough to digest complex carbs. For awhile even rice and potatoes were very hard on my system. The constipation was bad. I even went to a liquid diet for a bit, then added eggs back in because my sugar was going to low. And I was taking 1000mg's of magnesium (500mg AM, 500mg's PM) now I'm down to 500mg PM only. Also as I've posted several times drinking huge glasses of water with two tbs tart cherry juice concentrate and maple syrup was very helpful. Both have a lot of nutrition and anti inflammatory properties.

One more thing dairy can be very constipating. But if you drop the yogurt you may want to take a probiotic.

It is my understanding that anytime a top eight allergen is used in/on a product, that it must be disclosed, by law.

Laws do get broken. That's why we have consumer advocates, police, lawyers, courts, judges.............

Hello, I wanted to let you know that we are listening and supporting you!

Is there something else your husband could do for you that would replace the feelings you both used to get from gifts of food?

My BF was with me at the dr's when I was dx'ed and he still didn't believe it. But he's coming around now and even says that he feels better eating more fruit and vegetables and less pasta.

My mom (who probably has celiacs) on the other hand hears white everytime I say black! I told her for years that meat has no carbs. When her dr told her she was diabetic she wrote down "no meat, has carbs" and went out and bought veggie burgers! errrrrr!

Take Care, Ra

Have you tried taking Acidophilus? That worked for me, even without going low carb.

So, some dry roasted nuts have gluten? This is not something in the nut per se, right? More during the process they may add stuff to it that adds gluten?

Yeah, it's not the nuts, it's the process or coating. Some peanuts are coated with yeast, some with salt mixtures, some are naked but processed on the same equipment as the coated ones so they are cross contaminated.

I don't eat very many nuts anymore (is there an emoticon for a pouty face?)

Hope this info is helpful,

RA

Hello Tiff,

Here's something I found a few weeks ago at acu-cell.com

"Trace mineral symptoms of excess or deficiency are generally one-sided, depending on their ratios to other chemical members, and depending which group they are neurologically assigned to. ........"

You may find it interesting. Also it's not unusual for an infection to being on one side of the body and move to the other side. Think of a cold that starts in your right sinus and then moves to the left sinus.

So, I think that what you are experiencing is not about celiacs but just how bodies work.

Hope this helps, RA

Hello Ann,

I've used Miralax to undo a glutening. I don't like it because it takes three days to move through my system but it works and it did not cause a gluten reaction in me. (itching on knees, elbows and eyelids, constipation, so tired it feels like I'm carrying a medicine ball).

I think we need to look for another reason for your reaction. Everyone is different but if I were taking Miralax for constipation and I started itching I would know that something else I ingested was not safe. I know it's hard to do while you are sick but you are going to have to be a detective. Read every label (or stop ingesting foods that come with a label), google everything, don't overlook your pets food, or fellas kisses, cutting boards, et. I know it sounds crazy but I even got glutened from the steam coming off the cheap macaroni I cooked for the not celiac children I was babysitting. Their mom brought it. I cooked it. I was leaning over the pot to get a good look, trying to see if it was done. The steam got on my forehead and I started itching. The next morning I had a rash.

I hope you are feeling better soon,

OptimisticMom42

As for the lower back pain......before I was diagnosed with celiacs, I was having a lot of pain in the lower left side of my back. I thought it was age, lack of exercise, repeated small injuries et. Anyhow when I went though the testing and had to give up dairy, soy and gluten the pain went away. I really didn't think about it. Through all the accidental glutenings the pain did not come back.

Some celiacs heal and are able to have dairy again. A couple days ago I decided to try a little velveta cheese to see if it bothered me. It did. 36 hours latter I had a GI response and the pain in the lower left side of my back came back. Feels like my hip is out but it's not. I worked through it yesterday but today I'm laying up with a heating pad and drinking coconut milk and fruit smoothies to get fluids and easy to digest nutrients into my intestines.

So my current experience tells me that yes the pain you are feeling may very well be a response to what you are eating.

Hope this helps, RA

As for a relationship,well I've tried but generally most women don't find walking cadavers too appealing. But I keep trying

Cheers from Northern BC

Well, a walking cadaver with a job and a sense of humor would be a step up from most of the men in the county I live in. Don't count yourself out, self confidence and steady paychecks are aphrodisiacs.

Take care, OptimisticMom42

My first and only appt. with the gastro was confusing. I didn't feel like he was listening to me very well. I told him that I wasn't having BM's, at all. So he checked and looked surprised when he found that I was right. He said that I had IBS due to allergies,unrelated to celiacs. He ordered a scope (not sure now what kind) and told me to go see my allergy Dr. I cancelled the scope, three times. I know I need to have that test done to check for cancer but at the time drinking a gallon of cold liquid to make me have lots of BM's sounded like torture.

I did go to the allergist. He diagnosed me with a bunch of allergies. When I took those foods out of my diet, I found that I was reacting very strongly to the few foods left in my diet that contained gluten. Oatmeal was giving me rashes and stomach aches. I went back to the allergist. He looked at my knees and elbows and said, "You have celiacs." as he walked me out to the receptionist. It was weird. He was acting like the problem was solved but I was really confused. I knew what celiacs was, basically, but had no idea what to do next.

Thank goodness for this website!

Hope you're feeling better soon. RA

I just had this conversation with a woman who adopted two Korean children. She has been useing the SCD and was considering a gluten challenge for her adopted son. We were in agreement that Celiacs being a "white thing" had to be a bit of arrogance.

I still think it's only happens to people with charm and wit!

Celiacs Disease:A Hidden Epidemic was very helpful. It really explains what is happening inside your body. I'm stubborn, I always follow the rules if I know why I have to! Being military you are probably less rebellious than I am but it's still good to know why the diet works and why you can not cheat.

Hello NativeNYer,

I live with my BF who tries hard to understand, three or four teenagers (always somebody coming to stay or going off on a visit), four dogs and an elderly cat. I've stopped buying foods that contain gluten. Most of our meals are homemade bread, meat and two veggies (which reminds me of a funny story, I googled meat and two veggies, looking for recipes and found an interesting tidbit about slang in the UK ). Anyhow, we all feel better now that we are getting our veggies! And we found that two of the teens, DS#1 and DS#2's girlfriend, are also celiacs. Even my pets and any mice who come to visit are now gluten free because the mice had been storing dogfood in rubber boots in a closet. When I cleaned the closet I got really sick so.... no more gluten for the mice. IMHO you can not be too careful.

On another note could some of your anxiety be from gluten withdrawal? I get pms like feelings when recovering from a glutening.

Hope this helps, RA

I can't use Burt's Bees, they are too strong-smelling for me. I've been using Curel fragrance-free for now.

Hello Jeanniebug,

I've read on this site and a couple others that sensitivity to scents can be caused by vitamin D deficiency. I tried it and it seems to be helping. I haven't had to walk away from a customer wearing perfume at all this summer.

Hope this helps, RA

I have severe diarrhea when I go - I get sweaty and chilled at the same time and about 1/3 of the time I pass out.

Don't let the constipation confuse you. When my celiacs started this time I would be constipated for a week then explode. I would be so cold and pale my co-workers thought I had the flu (I didn't explain ). Removing dairy and soy from my diet stopped the explosions but then I just didn't go at all. Taking out the gluten solved the missing bm mystery!

Just get back to the basics, meat, eggs, veggies, fruit and rice. Your bowels will thank you!

Oh my! I feel so overwhelmed!

I'm only nineteen and still just a baby in this celiac world. Even though I gave up gluten almost two years ago, You're not a baby. You're a grown woman and have been gluten free longer than many of us.

What kind of doctor could tell me if I have leaky gut or candida? I knew I had candida because my skin smelled like wonder bread, and I had recurrent vaginal yeast infections. I cut my carbs and take acidophilus pearls to get rid of it. I know the pearls are working when it get this itchy, icky feeling between my fingers when I wake up in the morning.

What about the symptoms I came to see him for? Have you read up on elimination diets and rotation diets?

I'm sorry if my posting sounds harsh but the truth is that you will probably have to figure this out on your own unless you are happy with adding a dr's diagnosis of IBS to your celiacs.

Take care

RA

Are there other signs that it's a B12 issue? I've been thinking about adding some but I'm not going to another dr., barring an emergency, until the bills have all been paid.

Thanks RA

I've been gluten free (not counting learning curve mistakes) for five months. I've just started seeing a difference. I'm getting more work done and sleeping a lot less. I even stay up and watch a movie with my teenagers now and then.

Everybody is different so........ Good Luck, I hope you are feeling chipper soon!

I agree that HFCS is really bad and I prefer not to eat it. But (there's that big Butt again) right now I'm having such a hard time with my other intolerances that this preference is low on my priority list.

The ice cream makers were on clearance for $18.00. So we made the Chocolate coconut milk ice cream last night and it was a hit! Even my picky 17yr old who does not have dietary restrictions said it tasted like Bear Claw ice cream.

Thanks Everyone!

MSG gives me a headache. Not part of my gluten reaction. a separate thing altogether.

Hello all,

Maybe we should be discussing Celiacs Spectrum instead of celiacs vs. gluten intolerence.

United we stand, divided we fall.

I enjoyed this lively, thought provoking discussion.

Take care, RA

Momof2PrettyGirls...

I'm curious to know, though, for those of you that have been completely self-diagnosed: I'm going to answer this for my son.

Did you tell your doctor about your self-diagnosis? yes

How did he respond to it? Was he accepting or dismissive? very accepting

Did he want to or insist on proving or disproving it with "traditional" testing? No

If you would end up being admitted to a hospital for some reason and have to give a medical history, do you tell them that you have celiac disease? Yes, and we back it up with a letter from the PCP saying that my son must be allowed to be gluten free because gluten causes him to have chronic "d".

Do you tell friends and family that you're gluten intolerant or that you have celiac disease? It's celiacs, he got it from me.

Is this vanity?

Two years ago I was given a nine year old golden lab, Angel. She was fat, sway backed and had no muscle tone. The owner had been feeding her canned wet food that was mostly corn. My dogs eat a grain free food. It's safer for me to handle and better for them. Angel lost the fat and gained muscle tone. She looks a lot younger.

I've only been gluten free for about 5 months and like Angel I'm losing fat and gaining muscle tone. My thighs and calves and leaner and for the first time in several years I can feel muscles instead of just flab on my abs. I'm a JC Penney size 10 instead of a 14. If I give up the chips and marshmellows who knows?

We just look healthier!