pixiegirl

Well isn't the easy answer not to buy those things... I'm guesing you like your OJ but hey, its your childs health.

My daughter at 6 months old was found to be allergic to dairy, wheat, peanuts, nuts, and soy. I was determined to nurse her and I did, for 2 whole years and I couldn't eat any of those things either, as they would get in my breast milk and bother her. Once she was old enough to get into the frig we made sure we didn't buy those things, they are kids so they can't really understand the concept of their heatlh down the line.

I know it doesn't seem fair but such is life. My daughter is now almost 14 and although she has outgrown some of the food issues, we don't keep the foods on hand that would cause her problems, of course now she wouldn't eat them anyways... but still. What we do for our kids!

Best...

Susan

My best advice is to request that your local grocery store carry it, the more often you ask the more likely they are to stock it.

Susan

I've tried them all because I have constant D.... they all seem to work fairly well however Citrucil is a sort of fiber that does not ferment in your gut so there is no gas associated with it, there is with Metamucil. Also citrucil has a chocolate flavor that you mix with milk (if you can do lactose) and its really good.

For me it too a good week of monkeying with how much to take but I take 2 doses a day and I'm good.

Susan

Actually its true, I was tired and I want to say that the Philly Swirl people called me (I e-mailed them) and spoke to me about it. They really were very nice... I enjoyed the conversation with them. Its a great company and both my daughter and I love them, very tasty!! Try them, everyone!

Susan

Add me to this list.... I love salads... bummer. I have been able to achieve some control over the D by using Metamucil or Citracil 2-3 times a day.

Susan

Oh dear.... I'm so embarrassed... did I read it wrong?? I'm so sorry I hope I didn't panic anyone! We are so happy now, my daughter loves this stuff, I can't begin to tell you how many of them we have eaten over the past couple of weeks!

Thank You Nini....

Susan

(going to get eyes checked!)

I think it was on this list that I read about Philly Swirls... someone had said they spoke to the company owners and what not. Right on the box they say gluten-free and peanut/tree nut free. They are tasty... HOWEVER... I've been giving them to my daughter who has a life threatening allergy to peanuts and I didn't read the fine print on the box... it clearly says they are made in a facility that uses peanuts and tree nuts. I was shocked. I just wanted anyone who has a nut allergy to know this!

Susan

Which is exactly why I said I speak to the manager when I go to a McD's that I've never been too before.

Susan

Thats exactly the point, McDonalds has a dedicated fryer for fries... its in a seperate station and they only use it for fries, so there is no cross contamination with chicken nuggets and such. I've never been in a McD's that wasn't set up this way. However I do speak to the manager when I go into a new McD's to be sure their fryer is used only for fries. So far with all the local McD's... every one is set up that way. I'm not a huge McD's fan but its nice to have one resturant virtually everywhere in the USA that you can be "fairly" sure of.

Susan

I had the runs for 11 years so I've got you beat! My Celiac blood work came back negative too. However I went on a gluten-free diet and my runs stopped in a very short time.

Since then I've had a DNA test and I do carry the main genes for Celiac and every time I'm accidently glutened I get the runs for weeks again. Some people "need" to have their doctor tell them a test was positive, I don't need that, the proof I get with my reactions to gluten is enough for me.

You might want to try a very simple diet for a few weeks, thats how I did it. I ate chicken, rice and some veggies for a week or so and bingo the runs stopped.

Susan

I could be wrong (I didn't count) but it seems like there are as many good experiences here as bad. I was at McD's yesterday and had a fine experience. I really do think a lot of one's experience can be traced to speaking to the management at McD's. I've never had a problem at one.

Susan

Yes, I agree that this is an interesting thread. I've not read the book in question so I'm not going to comment on it but I will comment on the cheating issue. I'm someone that couldn't cheat because I get so sick, often for months at a time so its just not an option for me. I can't imagine doing it intentionally. My mom has celiac disease and she does cheat and it drives me nuts, the reason she cheats is that she doens't get symptoms (well hardly any) when she does cheat. I constantly tell her about the damage she is doing but she says she is 80 and will live her life on her terms. And she's right, its her life and we all have to make that decision. But I can't imagine people who understand the consequences of cheating would do so.

Lastly, I'm catholic and all I can say is "shame on you" if your feeding the host to the birds!

susan

Yes I did find out about the walnuts but its a good reminder to put it up here again, thanks!

Susan

Yes please do watch the peanut oil thing... the panhandle is right near Georgia peanut country and I'd say 99% of the places we went to do fry in peanut oil, that was a real pain. There was very little my daughter could eat due to cross contamination.

Susan

Well in April I was in Appalachicola and I can tell you they are gluten clueless... there was a health food store there that had some gluten-free products and the regular grocery store, a piggly wiggly had regular stuff (chicken, eggs, dairy) but no gluten-free products.

but the restaurants were another story, I only found one place that didn't gluten me, they were willing to cook my food totally plain. Every place else just kept putting stuff like spices on things even when I asked them not too.

Even when I clearly explained flour/wheat/gluten they didn't get it. I had one waitress tell me I was going to die without whole wheat grains in my diet, that they were necessary for life. Sigh. also in the panhandle of florida everything is fried in peanut oil so if you have any peanut problems keep that in mind. My daughter couldn't eat anywhere.

Susan

I have a question about the Trader Joe's list.... is it all Trader Joe's products unless otherwise stated?? For example it says:

BBQ Chips

Would that be Trader Joe's brand?

Under Dressings and Sauces it says:

Balsamic Blue Cheese Dressing...

Is that too Trader Joe's brand??

Thanks, Susan

I totally agree, most gluten-free bread is NOT bread!

LOL, Susan

I eat at our local McD's and I'm very sensitive and I've never been sick. However, when I first went there I tried to speak to the employees about gluten-free and they were clueless, heck until I had celiac disease I didn't know anything about it so its crazy to depend on a high school kid for info.

I asked to speak to the manager and he not only understood celiac disease but assured me that although the kids working there may not understand the disease they do understand that nothing but fries go into the french fry fryer. I've had them many times and have been fine. I don't do the bunless burgers because I'm afraid of the cross contamination issues with the gloves.

But I get fries and the yogurt and fruit salad or the ceaser salad and I'm fine.

Susan

Hi and welcome CatWhisperer! (ok I'm a dog person but I've had two wonderful cats in my life, Kitty Thom and Nana (who is male, don't ask about the name!)

About the D.... I have similar diagnoses to you IBS for 11 years and then found out its Celiac. However I still have some issues with the D.... when I first went gluten-free I was totally better in a couple of weeks, I didn't have the runs, life was wonderful.

Then back in April, I went to the panhandle of Florida for a week to visit my brother and was glutened, not just every day but virtually at every meal. Wow was I sick... I see why some people call D the runs.... anyhow... since then I've been totally gluten-free and yet I still have had the runs... I just can't stop them. Well like Judy my Dr. told me that fiber may help... so I'm using Metamucil the kind you mix in water (sheesh I hope its gluten-free, pretty sure it is), I was told it helps promote regularity... its not just for constipation, its for either problem.. C or D.

I started with just one dose a day.... (it really gives me gas, but it says your body adjusts) and now I'm up to the recommended dose on the package... 3 x per day and guess what... no D at all.

I'm still wondering why after I went totally gluten-free again the D didn't clear up on its own... but this has worked for me perfectly. I'm going to start to test other things... go dairy free for a while, soy free and see if I can identify other sensitivities.

Good luck, Susan

My house is mixed too.... I am a neat freak so I don't worry too much about the crumbs from my daughters stuff, I'm constantly wiping things. I use my own cutting board and I wash everything she uses really well. I guess I'm use to doing that my daughter has a life threatening peanut and tree nut allergy and I still eat peanut butter (occasionally) and such so we have just gotten in the habit of being neat in the kitchen (has not carried over to my desktop sadly). I wash stuff in the sink then run it thru the dish washer (only if it has had peanuts or gluten on it) and neither one of us has ever had a problem.

Susan

I travel often and let me say I always pack some snacks in a carry one just in case.... Like the time I was stuck in a tiny airport for 7 hours due to bad weather and all they had were vending machines.. boy was I glad for my snacks!

I've had gluten free meals on American... I got rice cakes and peanut butter, salad, chicken and broccoli. It wasn't great but it was ok. I like fruit and most major airports sell that so I often buy some fresh fruit to carry on too.

susan

I'm going to be eating Oysters on the half shell soon, I'll ask about the red spicy sauce (the ketchup stuff) but how about Tabasco and horseradish?

Thanks, Susan

I am going to a business dinner tonight and they picked a fancy Indian place.... the menu is online and every dish sounds great but of course says "spices"........ lamb with curry and spices, fish with tomato and spices. Does anyone have any suggestions on what dishes have the lowest chance of me getting glutened?

I am going to explain and ask when I get there, but you know how it can go in restaurants... so I also want to hedge my bets and get things that I have the least chance of getting glutened on.

thanks, Susan

I know Pepto bismal is gluten-free, well the liquid stuff but are the chewable tablets gluten-free as well??

I was diagnosed last Sept. and going gluten-free cleared up my D immediately, then in late April I was in Florida and glutened almost every day, it was awful. I've had the runs and a sore belly since then and very little helps. Yes I'm calling my doctor today (which probably means I'm going to go thru weeks of tests, none of which I have time for and can't really take time off of work right now... sigh) but in the mean time Pepto keeps my belly from hurting, but its hard to carry around a big bottle of liquid...

Thanks, Susan

Well if I had a choice of getting rid of guns or doctors I'd choose guns. Even with the statistics.

I think in this day and age, we have to be our own health care advocates as much as we can. I know too many people that accept what the doctor or health care professional says like its the law. Double check as much as you can, go online and learn about what's ailing you, make your you discuss your Rx's with your doctor and then be sure they were filled correctly at the drug store... these are just a few examples, there a lots more. But we have to watch out for ourselves. I'm not defending doctors or their mistakes but its how it is and we need to put ourselves first in the instance of medicine. Many times I've disagreed with my doctor and have told them so.

Susan