lynnelise

The GlutenFrieda burritos are the most like "real" burritos I have tasted. Very good!

I usually do burrito bowls. I pile them up with cheese, sour cream, and guacaomole...I don't even miss the tortillas!

I can usually find a gluten free replacement for anything I crave. I guess phyllo dough and croissants are the only thing I really miss. I've seen recipes for both but the finished products didn't really look worth all the effort that went into it!

I'd say the worst is finding safe restaurants. Especially when traveling. So far I've had good luck because we tend to travel to areas with gluten-free awareness like D.C., Baltimore, and Charlotte. This Spring we are planning a trip to Gatlinburg and I don't see a lot of exciting options. I just always used traveling as an opportunity to try new things and it kind of sucks to be out of town and eat at a chain restaurant because they have a gluten-free menu but I guess we have to do what we have to do.

It's really scary how ignorant doctors are to all this. I too had a doctor insist on doing the bloodwork after I'd gone gluten free. Of course the results were negative. I kept telling him that I quit eating gluten and almost all my symptoms went away and that I didn't need further testing but he kept insisting it was fructose not gluten and that I felt better because I was eating less fructose. I kept pointing out all the fructose containing items I ate without issue to no avail. He insisted on doing a test. So I went to two different labs and neither had the solution I needed to drink for the fructose test. So I called his office to tell him no one in town could do the test and he said to come in and he'd take the blood and urine samples. So I asked if he had the solution I needed and he said "what solution"!!! I immediately canceled all further appointments and found a new doctor. If he can't understand that there are no gluten antibioties if you don't eat gluten and that you can't test for fructose malabsorption without ingesting fructose then he isn't someone I trust my health to!

It's possible you could have been glutened. I've gotten sick from eating the Montery chicken before but do fine with the Margerita chicken. I think it's possible the mashed potatoes could be contaminated with the gravy spoon as suggested above. Or honestly it could be a much richer meal than you can handle at the moment and gluten wasn't a factor at all. It's especially tricky to pin it down when you are new and you aren't healed 100% yet. Sometimes your stomach acts up for no good reason.

My family is generally supportive. Sometimes my husband makes little comments that annoy me. For instance yesterday at the grocery store I was looking at these spring rolls and said that I wished I could eat them and he said that technically I could eat them. Which is true but he knows I would get sick so comments like that are just annoying. Otherwise he is very good about it. He always lets me pick where we go to eat so I can get something safe. Plus he doesn't complain when I buy the occassional expensive gluten-free treat.

I get canker sores when I get glutened. I would say it's probably not HPV and more a reaction to food or your toothpaste.

I think going out to eat is fine as long as you stay careful. While I too am uncertain whether I am intolerant or celiac I guess I am lucky that I do have immediate stomach symptoms and a rash that clue me in to when I've been glutened. I eat out more frequently than a lot of people I just order very carefully and try to stick to gluten free menus. If I get sick more than once at a restaurant then I won't go back. Once could be a fluke, a repeat means they aren't taking it seriously. I also usually call ahead and if they aren't helpful or accomodating then I cross it off my list of places to try. I have some reason to believe that I do develop some intestinal damage from gluten so if I have been glutened I will ban eating out and stick to safe, easily digested food until I feel 100%.

Another thing I've noticed is that guys don't seem to find bodily functions to be as embarrassing as women do. At various workplaces I've been they seem almost proud to wreak havoc in the restroom. The women I know would like it to be thought that they only go to the restroom to check their reflection and touch up their make-up! So I guess when women have symptoms that cause them embarrassing bathroom trips they want to get it diagnosed and fixed pronto!

I drink bottled water or filtered tap water all the time. Our tap water has a weird smell and I just cannot drink it unfiltered. I've never found a brand of plain water with gluten. Honestly I'm not sure any of the flavored ones I've seen have gluten either.

I'd have a hard time not smacking someone who blew their brownie breath in my face. Who raised these people?

I don't care much about the birthday celebrations here. We always get store bought cake with the gross crisco icing I find repulsive. Everyone else enjoys and I just think about nasty trans fat clogging their arteries.

I've been plagued by repeated strep since I was quite young. I had my tonsils removed 4 years ago and it was almost no help. The past two times I've had it I had to take two different antibiotics. I'm not sure if I am developing resistance to some meds because I've taken so many or if this strep is just harder to kill.

My sister-in-law who is usually healthy and not celiac had to take three different antibiotics to get rid of strep last month. Makes me wonder if it's a resistant strain of the illness going around?

I think men are more likely to trust what the doctor tells them. Plus, I know in my experience the men I know go to the doctor much less often than women. My husband only goes to urgent care clinics when he thinks he has bronchitis and my dad was 70 before he started seeing a doctor for check-ups.

My husband was sick for a week once with a blocked bile duct before he finally went to the hospital. He had gone to a regular doctor when the pain started and was told it was acid reflux. I kept urging him to see someone else because it was obvious it wasn't acid reflux...but he didn't seek help until he was doubled over in pain, turning yellow, and his urine was bright red.

I am so glad that I joined this website, you all have been so helpful and uplifting, it is nice to know there are ppl out there who have had the same issues and adventures in going gluten free, yes its been a challenge, but I have also tried things we would never had tried if my hubby had not been diagnosed with this. And I know we will find more and more things, we planted our first garden last summer, and it was wonderful, I plan on doing it again this year, with more variety! It is rewarding to eat our own veggies, fruits! We eat a lot of rice, and are now switching to brown rice instead of white rice, cause its healthier. I will check our Hy-Vee store and see they carry potato flour. We ordered some "all-purpose gluten free flour" from Bob's Red Mill awhile back, but it really taste strange, and not as good as some other gluten free flours I have tasted. What kinds are the best tasting in your opinions?

Most all desserts I make use either Pamela's gluten-free baking mix, gluten-free Bisquick, or the Gluten Free Pantry All purpose flour mix. Sometimes I use the Betty Crocker mixes. So far I've not found anything I couldn't make with those flour mixes. I have no time or storage space for buying 1000 different flours and making my own blend.

All the symptoms you describe can be caused by celiac or gluten intolerance. I would request at least the blood panel be done while your child is still consuming gluten. There is a fairly high chance of a false negative but on the chance it was positive it would make it easier for him at school if he was diagnosed. I would just tell the doctor that you want him tested. If the doctor says he doesn't need the test, just insist that you'd feel better if he ran it. In my experience doctor's will usually agree to test you as long as the insurance will pay for it. If he is having gas, pain, and foul stools then that should be all the justification he needs.

Before I started the diet I missed tons of work and before that tons of school. I'm sure all my teachers and my bosses thought I was a hypochondriac. Now that I am doing well on the diet I don't miss anymore days than the average person! It's a great relief.

Will your doctor write a letter explaining your condition and letting the school faculty know why you may have frequent absences? Maybe if they have an explaination of what is going on they'd be more understanding. I'm pretty sure if they were having constant diahrrea they would be staying home too!

I will be extremely fatigued for a week or so after a glutening incident. I have never consumed an entire slice of pizza or a bowl of cereal though...just CC. Hope you feel better soon and get over your gluten cravings! I wonder why you are having cravings all the sudden? Is this your first cheat since July?

I have this Himalayan pink salt and it makes steamed veggies awesome! I also like lemon or lime juice on veggies. Especially greens. I like to roast veggies with a little olive oil, maple syrup, and thyme.

Not all Panera's make the bread fresh at that location. The one closest to me gets pre-made dough from another facility so there is no flour in the air and all over everything. I have eaten salads there safely. The manager was able to provide me a list of what items were gluten free. I have eaten there three times and have yet to get sick. I am not on this to be trendy and I do have severe and immediate issues from CC. I have gotten sick from gluten free menus at Chili's, PF Chang's, and Logan's. I say you are taking a chance no matter where you eat, it's up to you decide whether to risk it.

I've been to Applebee's twice since going gluten free. The first time was about a year ago. This was before the wheat allergy menu. The manager told me that basically all I could have was ground beef. Everything else was pre-packaged and unsafe. So I endured an uncomfortable meal in which my husband and a friend had dinner and I just sat there with no food. (Normally we would've gone elsewhere but we had a gift card so I told my husband to go ahead and use it.) I had my second experience there this October. My friend wanted to go for her birthday lunch and mentioned the wheat free menu. So I got a bunless burger and a salad. Went through a whole discussion with the manager about cross contamination. Ended up in the bathroom 3 times before we left. Applebee's is permantly off my list of places to eat!!!

Ravenwood has a good point...just because you had the endo doesn't mean they looked for celiac. I had one last year and while they noted intense inflammation in my small intestine they did not biopsy. They said the test was being done soley to rule out an ulcer or hernia.

I don't think you were in the wrong here at all. You tried to order something and they refused to accomodate you. She shouldn't have taken her frustration out on you. I'm sure it is frustrating to not get to eat what you want when you want it, but at least that isn't her reality all the time like it is for us!

If she is that set on eating at this place could she not go with some friends? There are restaurants I love that my husband is not crazy about so that's where I go when I'm hanging out with friends. Likewise when my husband wants to eat at places that can't accomodate me he goes on his lunch break or with his friends or family. That way he is satisfied and I don't have to worry about getting sick!

I've had salads there and been fine. I don't go use any outside site to get gluten free menu info. I only use the company's website and ingredient list! Don't trust a third party...recipes change.

I always heard the vanilla shaker thing was off limits so I don't use it. Not sure though. I do go to Starbucks minimum once a week and never have problems with hot drinks. I don't do fraps though. They get me everytime!

I have to wonder how many of us who come from 'short' families and are told that since everyone is short it is our 'genes' are actually from family lines that have strong celiac backgrounds. I know in my case I got my celiac associated genes from both sides.

I'm mostly self-diagnosed so I have no idea of my genes or my families but both sides are extremely short.

My mom has horrible stomach problems, my whole life she's ran to the bathroom after each meal and she has osteoporosis. All her cousins and sisters have "IBS" or Diverticulitis. Her sister has suffered RA since she was in her 30s, has chronic anemia (needs transfusions), diabetic, and now her potassium is askew. (I've tried to get her on the diet!). Another cousin has MS.

My dad's mother had a bout with colon cancer is her 60s. Later died from stomach and liver cancer in her 90s. Otherwise not a lot of autoimmune problems I can see. However my grandmother and my dad were the only short ones in his family. Everyone else is average height.

So true guys. My weight gain this pregnancy is almost non existent, I have gained 4 pounds but I am pretty sure it's all in my boobs LOL. But some of the other pregos were like "Oh! How do you do it?!" Well, I can't eat junk, plain and simple. I make whole foods and my morning sickness is better because of it. On of the other women was like "Well you shouldn't be dieting". I'm not, I just got rid of stuff that made me so sick. I have a disease. THere's a difference.

Misconceptions are so uncool.

OMG didn't you know that your baby needs Oreos and Big Macs to thrive!