PattyBoots

I would, when you get your new appointment date, just explain to your new employers what happened, and if necessary, take documentation to explain the cancellation of the appointment. You are probably in a really good place being a nurse practitioner, that they are aware of rescheduling/conflicts and will work with you. Just as most employers will work with you if you have irrevocable plane tickets for a vacation when you take a new job, as long as you are up front with them, I would certainly believe you could work this out with your new employer. And if not, I don't think that's a place I would work for long.

Wow.

I take Levoxyl 137 mcg - and I still have my thyroid!

I spent several years asking to get my thyroid checked because I was rashy, exhausted and gaining weight regardless. NOBODY would run any kind of test - they (several doctors, OB/GYN, GP) just told me I had "elbow disease" - which is a euphemism for overeating. If anything, I've always eaten about half what other people eat and most people comment on the small amounts I eat. So, I finally went to one of those "mall health fairs" and spent $35.00 to get a blood test, which showed, lo and behold! My TSH was roughly 3.5. I then found an endo, who immediately said, basically, "Of course you need to be on meds, and we need to get a sonogram," etc., which made me feel better - until the jerk decided the other reason why I felt bad was because I was "depressed" and gave me samples and a 'scrip for Effexor. Which I refused to take until I did some research and then I REALLY refused to take it. C'mon - something that usually requires liquid Prozac to wean you off of it? NO THANKS!

BUT, I've always been on Mylan - when the company that makes it is in West Virginia, and you LIVE in West Virginia, that's what you get

If I may add, as someone who quit a 2 pack a day smoking habit in 2002 - they WANT you to think it's as hard as possible to quit. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to have their multi-BILLION dollar empires of selling you that stuff that starts with a "C" and ends with an "x" or Nicorette or whatever the snake oil is of the month. The propaganda that it's HARD is way overwhelming. Not to be smug, but I set them down, walked away, and quit - because I refused to buy into the whole "zomg it's so haaaard to quit" thing.

A cursory Google search found this link from January 2009:

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Oh, I have Pantry Pest traps in all my pantries - though, hmmmm, I guess I should get DH to replace them; it's been awhile. The thought of them even turns my stomach. Perhaps that's why, along with everything else, I'm so paranoid about critters in my food. I had a couple bad experiences where I poured pasta in the water and it literally looked like some sort of weird bug horror movie and now *shudder* I just literally can't think about it without retching. Sorry for the visuals

Doesn't help living in a 150+ year old home that was plumbed and electrified long after it was built, along with a damp, musty root cellar.

But, I shall be brave and explore the world of rice pasta this weekend. I'm trying to keep an open mind, but I never really took to the whole wheat pasta, either. Not because of the ingredients, but because I was thoroughly convinced someone had substituted rubber bands for the pasta. I'm all about the texture, and if it's not what I want when I want, forget it. I'm not eating. It's nothing for me to go 2 or 3 days without eating because nothing appeals to me. Which is also the fickle finger of fate because I could stand to lose about 50 pounds.

Thanks all, though I'm disappointed that it takes plenty of, if not extra, water as we have to bring in all our drinking/cooking water and so I cook with as small amounts of water as possible. I also will have to give it a "taste test" personally prior to serving to the DH - while he'll generally eat anything I put in front of him, he's a "good old West Virginia boy" who wouldn't know gluten from a giraffe. He's supportive but he also thinks this is yet another one of my nutty diets. Then again, anything that makes me feel better is fine by him, too. Especially since I'm feeling, shall we say, friskier than I have in a while since I've been eating this way and am down 6 pounds in a week. Hooray!

From a quick Google search, you have Trader Joe's locally. I would open a vein to have a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods within 20 miles of my home.

I always stored my wheat pasta in the freezer because we ate it so infrequently and NOTHING turns my stomach more than to put pasta in water and have the weevils boil to the surface. Does the rice pasta attract the bugs the same way? I still haven't gotten up the gumption to try the rice pasta, even though I've bought it, mainly because we really don't miss pasta period since it was always a rare item in the house anyway - at most 2-3 times per month. We've always preferred potatoes. And since I've not seen any gluten-free angel hair pasta it's kind of been a moot point since I hate that "lunch lady spaghetti" and when I make sauce it's a 2 day ordeal so without something really, really nice to put it on, I guess I really don't care about pasta.

See - the thought of V8 Splash or any of the "veggie" drinks makes me want to barf. No way, Jose. Ick.

I think perhaps you're doing yourself a "mind joke" in saying you "hate vegetables" - veggies is a big, big palate, and perhaps instead of generalizing you should focus on what you dislike. For example - I don't like raw carrots - seems like I chew and chew and chew and then chew some more - but steamed with a little honey and basil - YUM. I don't care for raw zucchini - but lightly steamed with a bit of sesame oil and pepper. Very good. What do you dislike about them - is it just the "eat your veggies" thing? Or is it a class of things? I used to HATE spinach - but now I really like it in a salad and sauteed quickly and added to rice along with spices like cumin and basil. Sometimes it's just the NAME of something - "squash" is really unappealing, but "zucchini" or "crookneck" sounds tasty. A rose by any other name ...

All we have is Martin's and Food Kitty around here, neither of which has them yet. I really didn't expect Food Lion to - if I had to shop there I'd either go broke or hungry because they stock virtually NOTHING we eat and if they do you need to take out a loan to buy it. I DID expect Martin's to, since they have 4 aisles of what amounts to a "health food store", complete with 6 or 8 freezers, soy and coconut yogurt, gluten-free dog food, every kind of gluten-free pasta, fresh and frozen gluten-free bread, really rather amazing for a "chain" and at reasonable prices. I pay less than $2.50 a box for the Nut Thins crackers (which I would adore regardless of my gluten status). I did ask today at Martin's at the Customer Service desk and they're supposed to call me tomorrow. I'm going to try the only other store (Weis, which I believe is part of Giant Eagle) around tomorrow; but it's like 25 miles away. We did have a Kroger at one time but people just didn't warm up to it and it's now a Food Lion (ugh).

Dying to try the mixes, which is really funny, since I've never, ever, been a cake, cookie, pastry, pasta kind of gal.

Please NOOOOOOO on the cast iron. I sure hope not, since that's just about all I cook in. I have a griddle, a grill pan, an 8", a 10", a 12" and a 16" skillet and a dutch oven. Although, come to think of it, about the only one that's been used for gluten-containing items is the griddle - grilled cheeses and quesadillas. The rest have just been meats and fried 'taters and the like. We always scrub them really, really, REALLY well in really, really, REALLY hot water, then give them a light coat of melted shortening before we hang them up.

I'm very new to this - no diagnosis, but I've always naturally been "gluten-light". Our starch of choice has always been potatoes (we're Irish for crying out loud!), with pasta a dim second. As in I don't think we've ever eaten pasta more than twice a month. Bread gets tossed here more than it gets eaten. But since, as an experiment, for the past five days I've been totally gluten-free, my guts have stopped roiling, my BMs are magical and I feel so, so, so much better!!!! My mother suffered with what was diagnosed as ulcerative colitis for nearly 50 years, and had at least half of her intestines removed over the years and so I suspect she was actually celiac. But since she's gone and I have no surviving maternal relatives, it's a moot point now. I'm self-insured (expensively, I might add) so I'm loathe to get an actual diagnosis for fear I might get dropped.

Do you have anyone in the lower 48 who can order things from Amazon for you with the free shipping sent to them and then pack the items into the Flat Rate Priority Mail boxes and ship it up to you that way? I know a lot of places either won't ship to AK or HI or won't free ship. I know you can fit a LOT of stuff in the Large Flat Rate boxes if you're good at puzzles . Or even if they can buy things at their local *insert grocery name here* and send them to you? I would think it could be a cost-effective solution.

Oh, please. You're what? 10 miles from Hagerstown, MD, which even has an UNOs. And waaaaay less than 2 hours from DC. I used to work LITERALLY a stone's throw from the PA line and traveled there from WV daily, so I know EXACTLY where you're talking about. You (and even WE) are probably in the best place to be without being in the City.

I quit reading Reader's Digest about 6-7 years ago when I realized it really should be titled "Republicans' Digest" and it was no longer relevant to my interests. I decided my blood pressure going up over 50% or more of the articles wasn't worth the few chuckles from the antiquated jokes.

You really don't need to "invest" in gluten-free stuff. Just cook smarter (and better, IMHO).

Once I started thinking about being gluten-free (not yet, because I want the blood test, and actually eating more so no chance of a false negative), I realized how much we ate that was just ... gluten-free. I've always cooked and rarely if ever used packaged/processed stuff, so it's been really easy to make the (mental) conversion.

For example: Like sloppy joes (or Mexican meat or loose meat or steamers, depending on where you're from)? They're awesome on baked potatoes instead of buns. I have a great recipe (not that gross Manwich stuff) that is just naturally gluten-free.

We eat tons of zucchini - and just about every way I make it is gluten-free (not CF as that's not a problem). Saute it in EVOO with dried basil, and/or thyme, and/or oregano and then toss with some good parm (which even those CF can sometimes tolerate). Throw in some diced tomato or salsa! Mmmmmmm.

Cook rice, then toss with a bunch of salsa - add some Velveeta if you like. Goes great in a corn tortilla!

Baked potatoes with sour cream and nearly anything you can find to shove in them. Look! Here's leftover chicken - add it! Leftover shrimp? Add it!

Fritata - a quiche without a crust!

We've never been bread people and we've never understood bread people (sorry) - I used to make a pan of brownies, then forget about them, and find them moldy and uncut a week later. I'd been 4 or 5 years without a doughnut even before thinking about going gluten-free just ... because.

I guess my point is - don't focus on buying "gluten free" stuff. Look around your house/kitchen and see what you already have. Shop around the edges of the supermarket - 90% of the stuff down the aisles is either overpriced or bad for you. You didn't actually think that box of Hamburger Helper was good for you did you?

Good, but I prefer brevity - my response is always "Go to hell."

I find it to be an extreme lack of respect to me when people try to tell me how I feel or poo-poo my feelings. Regardless of whether you think it's all in my head or that I shouldn't feel the way I'm telling you I feel, the fact of the matter is that I feel what I feel, and if there was a way to let someone else walk in my shoes for a day I would love it.

Well, the genetic tests are ok to do, but they won;' tell you if you have celiac disease. just that you could develop it at some point.

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There is a test called BioCard test available in Canada for $50 bucks that might work. If you could get hold of it that is.

There is also a saliva test that may be available soon.

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21677/1/Sim...ease/Page1.html

Then there is the gluten-free diet, which is the cheapest and works really well if you have obvious symptoms.

There are also blood tests for antibodies, and an endoscopy could be done.

https://www.celiac.com/categories/Celiac-Di...252dFree-Diet)/

I think the saddest thing about celiac disease is no more green beer on St. Paddy's Day, don't you? Oops, my Irish ancestry is showing a little..

Welcome to the forum!

My whole point is that I'd like to know, as you say, if I could "develop it at some point," as I am loathe to run to a doctor and ask to be further tested for it if I don't have a genetic disposition for it. Particularly since I don't have a lot of faith in doctors due to their constant misdiagnoses of family members, from telling my mother she had "post-menopausal vapors" when she actually had bone cancer, to screwing up my father's cancerous kidney removal, to misdiagnosing my aunt's lung cancer. Oh, and all of this by Washington, DC/Northern Virginia physicians, as I'm sure you will appreciate.

The green beer never appealed to me - it always looked gross. But I have already found that Redbridge ain't bad. Just a little heavy and sweet for my taste. It reminds me a lot of my husband's homebrew.

Hi, y'all, I'm new here (d'oh)

I'm a self-employed, self-pay insurance person (with $5K per person deductible, YIKES) and was thinking a little winnowing, so to speak, would be in order before I went for the rest of the tests. Here's why I think I might have celiac:

1. My paternal grandfather was "came through Ellis Island" Irish at the turn of the century.

2. My maternal grandfather was first-generation Irish (though there's not much records behind that due to being late-1800s coal field trash in West Virginia).

3. My mother was taken from Northern Virginia to Philadelphia in 1966 on a mattress in the back of my grandparents' station wagon because no ambulance company would take her because they were sure she would die on the way. She was diagnosed then with Ulcerative Colitis and had her entire colon removed, was fitted with a colostomy bag, and then in the 80s had a Koch pouch formed. She died in 2007 of, basically, a heart attack from the malnutrition she'd suffered over those 40+ years of inability to eat and being 5'5" and anywhere from 60 to 95 pounds. She also, between her marriage at 19 in February 1960 to my birth in October 1964 had 3 live births (myself included - d'oh) and 5 miscarriages.

4. I had to beg to be diagnosed with Hypothyroidism - around here all they want to do is check for diabetes (my fasting sugar has never been above 80), high cholesterol (mine is 196, but with the good cholesterol nearly as high as it can be and my bad as low as it can be and my triglycerides at 40). Eventually I went to a local health fair, paid $35.00 for a blood test and voila! I was diagnosed with thyroid and the endo couldn't figure out how come it took so long to get diagnosed because I was so sick.

5. I've had rashes off and on for years - I went to several dermatologists, one of which looked at my rash and said, "Oooh...nasty rash. Bet it itches." I told him yeah, it itches. BAD. What is it? He just shrugged his shoulders and said he had no idea, but here was some ointment so try that. I went to another who diagnosed eczema and more ointment. At least that ointment relieved the symptoms somewhat.

6. We've always been "gluten-light" in that our preferred starch is potatoes. Without beer, I pretty much ate a 90% gluten-free diet naturally. It's probably been 4 years since I've eaten a doughnut, and I've been known to bake a pan of brownies, forget about them, and then throw them away all fuzzy without a bite having been touched.

7. For months now, I've been having what would charitably be called "unspecific bowel problems" in that I've had a lot of "D", and a lot of bloating and gas. The worst was the other night when I decided to have pasta with our stirfry instead of rice - the next day I laid in bed and cried and was in the bathroom on the order of seven times. Then I got to thinking about before, when one night at some friends' house I ate a bunch of cake because that was the only thing edible (she's a HORRIBLE cook, LOL) and the next morning I had the runs something fierce.

I've been diligently gluten-free for over a week now, and do feel better; though I wonder if it's a psychological thing.

Oh, and I HATE (and no, it's not too strong of a word) corn tortillas. They're slimy and flimsy and just ICK! I really hope this isn't my problem.

But, back on point - I thought I'd get the genetic test done so I could go to a doctor and say HERE. They hate well-educated, well-informed people anyway.

Sorry for the long post, but it sure does feel good to get that off my chest

I guess my question is - is it a valid point for me to do the genetic test? Am I at risk? I believe I am. But if the markers come back negative, then I'd also have somewhere to go with my "gut" problems.