luvs2eat

I only had chronic diarrhea for about 2 months before I was diagnosed. It took a whole year of a scrupulously gluten-free diet before I decided my BMs were back to "normal."

If there's one thing I've learned from all the reading I've done on this board... is that "normal" is a relative term and all of our symptoms and reactions are so different.

Hang in there!

Welcome from me too!

How does one find out they're in remission? I have a long list of foods/drinks I'd have if I wasn't celiac disease... haha... I'd start at the top of that list and keep going till my remission was over!

Yea, I know I'm fooling myself. But it's a nice dream... of a Pizza Hut stuffed crust pizza and a tall frosty beer...

I've tried many gluten-free bread recipes... using many different types of flours... and none have been acceptable to me. They all were grainy and break apart with or without toasting.

I tried Manna from Anna bread mix on the advice of folks here and am now their greatest fan. They have a dairy free bread mix too. I make it every Sunday, in English muffin rings and freeze them.

It toasts up wonderfully... I am so hooked!! And so happy that I can enjoy sandwiches and toast again!!

Check out her stuff at www.mammafromanna.com

My recipe for General Tsao's chicken calls for dredging the chicken in corn starch before frying. I don't have the recipe close by, but can find it if anyone wants it.

Can anyone recommend liquid vitamins? I can only think of liquid children's vits.

It took me a whole year before I felt like my symptoms (diarrhea, bloating) were gone and I felt back to normal. I never got the "unexplained weight loss" (darn) and have put ON weight since goign gluten-free.

My doc said to me that Celiac disease was common in those of Irish descent... I'm with you Emma... my mom was right off the boat (Belfast) and my dad's fam is all Scottish.

Good luck, keep the faith... and come back here. Everyone is so knowledgable and helpful!

Please don't be afraid of the tests. The colonoscopy is actually fascinating... I wasn't asleep at all and watched mine, asking the doc questions the whole time. I've not had an endoscopy but when my friend had it done, her doctor asked her which "island" she'd like to go to with her preop drugs. Pick an island and enjoy!!

Reading thru your various diagnoses and ordeals... I guess ya gotta feel good about the many strides and take the set backs as only temporary till a better diagnosis is made.

In any event... you can whine to me anytime you want!!!

1. sex: F

2. age: 52

3. ethnic group: white (of Irish decent... my doc said that was common in celiacs.

4. age at which you were diagnosed: 48

5. How did you feel when you were diagnosed? really sad... homemade bread is my favorite food.

6. Did you have health problems in childhood? Nope. I remember an episode when I was 5 when there was a question of my being allergic to wheat but I wasn't sickly or skinny and nothing ever came of it.

7. How well do you maintain a gluten-free diet?

__ I absolutely never eat gluten

_x_ I very rarely eat gluten that I know of

__ I try not to eat gluten but I sometimes cheat or don't know

__ I don't maintain a gluten-free diet as well as I should

__ I don't maintain a gluten-free diet at all

8. What are some of the main difficulties you face in maintaining a gluten-free diet?

__ Price of gluten-free food

_x_ Availability of gluten-free food

_x_ Taste of gluten-free food

__ Preparation of gluten-free food

__ Public awareness of gluten intolerance/celiac disease

__ Knowing and understanding what foods you can and cannot eat

__ Reading and memorizing labeling on foods

__ Dining out

__ Traveling

__ Other:

9. What type of symptoms do you face when gluten is ingested?

__ nausea/vomiting

_x_ diarrhoea

__ mouth ulcers

__ stomach pains

_x_ fatigue/tiredness

__ other(s) :

10. How comfortable are you eating in restaurants or public situations?

__ Very comfortable: I have no problem at all

_x_ Comfortable: It's not too much of a problem or embarassment for me

__ Slightly uncomfortable: I sometimes feel it a hassle or embarassing to ask about or identify gluten-free food

__ Uncomfortable: I often feel it a hassle or embarassing to ask about or identify gluten-free food

__ Very uncomfortable: I avoid dining in public situations if at all possible

11. If you ever do feel uncomfortable, where and why exactly does this usually happen?

12. How do you deal with situations in which you must dine out?

__ Don't eat

_x_ Only eat what you know or can assume is gluten free

__ Eat what they have out of politeness, even if it may contain gluten

__ Ask for a gluten free dish

__ Other :

13. In most restaurants, do you find that waiters/waitresses/managers/cooks are aware and accomodating to gluten free requests? Most are clueless. I've been told things contain no wheat to have it come out breaded! I explain that I can't have anything with any kind of flour.

14. If a device were available that allowed you to test you food for gluten in public situations, would you use it? I might, but probably not. I pretty much know what's gluten-free and what's suspicious.

15. What are some features it would need or you would like it to have? (for example: size, accuracy, speed, etc.) the cost, I guess

16. What aspects might make you refrain from using it? Don't see much of a need.

17. About how much would you be willing to spend on a device like this? not much

18. Would you be willing to participate in later product testing and further interviewing as this project develops? if it's free? Sure.

I've gained weight too since being gluten-free. I think part if it is because I over-compensated with the food I WAS allowed (rice, potatoes, gluten-free pasta, and now Manna from Anna bread) in place of the food I'm no longer allowed to have.

When I explain to folks about Celiac disease and they ask me the symptoms, I tell them one is unexplained weight loss... then I look down at me and say, "But I didn't GET that one!!" haha

FYI... the pastas we're allowed have a higher "glycemic index" meaning that on any sort of low carb or diabetic diet, they're actually WORSE than regular pasta.

I guess it was about the time I had to go gluten-free that I discovered risotto... my new favorite food... cheesy sticky rice... what's not to love?? It takes all my will power not to make it regularly!!

I'm from eastern PA... not far from Philadelphia... about 10 miles from where George and the boys beat the crap out of those Hessians ... they renact it every Christmas day.

Did my new signature come thru? I am technology-challenged, to put it mildly!!

edited to add... woo-hoo!! It did!!

My daughter was a manager at a Macaroni Grill in suburban Philadelphia and they had a family who were "regulars" with a celiac child. They would use a clean pot (beware the constantly boiling restaurant pasta pot) and cook this little girl some gluten free pasta so she could enjoy eating out with her parents.

Has anyone asked? And what's the response you've gotten?

I was out with friends last night and there was a "macaroni gratin" on the menu that I'd have killed for and I thought I should start asking!! The worst they can say is "no," right??

Tammy... what is that beautiful baby with the pacifier in your post?? I want it!!!

Funny I should see this today... I work for an insurance company and am handling a claim for a person with diarrhea, unexplained weight loss, bloating, etc... and the doc's done lots of blood/stool/urine tests... all neg. of course... and I'm thinking... WHERE'S THE CELIAC BLOOD WORK?? It ain't there... and, of course, there's nothing I can do!!

I actually found the english muffin rings at amazon .com! I went to google and punched in "english muffin rings" and it sent me to amazon. i checked out some of the other sites, but the ones at amazon looked like the best deal. They should be here early next week... I'll let you know how they work out!

I'm also intrigued about the "enhancer." What's it supposed to do and where do I find that??

Oooh... I just ordered "english muffin rings" ... I'm hoping that will help make smaller uniform sandwich rolls. I am a happy camper!!

When I was diagnosed (2+ years ago), I'd only had symptoms for several months, but when my doc told me I had Celiac Disease and I read what it can do to your small intestine, I very simply stopped eating wheat/gluten. This may sound dumb... but it never occured to me that I had a choice to "cheat" and hurt myself... I just stopped eatihg wheat/gluten and researched and researched food lists and ways to change existing recipes.

I kept saying, and still say to people... in the scheme of life and with everything that happens to people... this is nothing. There is so much I can eat... my celiac seems to me to be mild... no diary issues, no skin issues... my ONLY symptom was diarrhea and iron deficiency ... no pain, bloating... nothing. I consider myself so lucky to have so few physical symptoms.

It did take a whole year for my digestive system to return to normal... but it's as right as rain now. I still don't see "cheating" as an option... and don't find it hard to stay away from wheat/gluten. If I don't know if there's wheat/gluten, I don't eat it... simple as that.

Now that I've found a bread mix that makes wonderful sandwiches, I am a happy camper!!

I'm inclined to agree about taking the hospital dietician to task. Geez... you're IN there for a severe reaction to wheat and they give you wheat?? What's the diff betw. that and giving someone with a life-treatening allergy a whopping dose of penicillin?? Someone would fry for that!!

That's sort of my nightmare... that I end up in a nursing home someday and people feed me wheat and I keep having "molten acid" leaking out of me and they get mad and I get terrible bed sores on my butt!! YIKES!!

I (or someone ELSE) accidentally threw away a loaf of bread that contained the little paddle that mixes the bread!! So now, I only have one paddle and my other bread well is useless.

I've scoured the direction booklet (that had a TON of typos in it... anyone else notice that??) and can not find an address to call and order another paddle.

Does anyone know where I might find a replacement paddle??

Good idea about the reducing the liquid a little.

My other problem is slicing the bread uniformly... guess I'll have to break down and buy that knife on tv that you can "dial" the same thickness... haha.

Like I said before... I ate an awesome sandwich for lunch every day last week. I am in hog heaven!!!

I'm with you guys... simple, basic food is not hard to cook and easy to find without wheat or gluten.

The operative word here is READ... read every single label... EVERY single label... so who knew the second ingredient in red licorice is wheat? They stick wheat, modified food starch, and malt derivitives in so many things...

I've stood in the soup aisle and read tens and twentys of labels to find ONE soup without modified food starch... it was a Progresso chicken cheese enchilada and it was very good!

I was always a label reader but it's really imperative cause wheat and gluten hide in things!

And, as others have said... wheat-free is not necessarily gluten-free.

I get them too... strange ones that seem to involve the muscles on the top part of my foot... a place that seems to "thin" to have lots of muscle.

I even tried the bar of soap under my sheet between my feet as I read in the newspaper was helpful to some... haha... did nothing for me!

No bread machine. I used my big mixer and a regular loaf pan. When it came out of the over, I did invert it and sort of sat it inside the loaf pan and the "puffed up" top sort of held it up... kind of like you'd do with an angel food cake.

First real sandwich I've had in more than 2 years!!

I was a tad put off when I first saw the batter... it looked like there were ANTS in it!! haha

Well, I'm completely HOOKED on Manna from Anna!! I made a loaf on Sunday and sliced it and froze portions. I've been bringing a real honest-to-goodness SANDWICH to work every day... on TOASTED bread that doesn't crumble.

I'm in hog heaven!!!

Last year, I signed up for a seminar for Celiacs given by our local hospital. The room was pretty darn full of other Celiacs and I was so looking forward to getting some support and recipes.

The woman conducting the seminar gave out a 5-page list of "Not Alloweds" and I thought to myself... now how many who've been diagnosed with celiac disease hasn't gotten a list of foods to avoid???

Anyhow... the woman spent an hour talking about her feng shui business and how we'd all feel better if we feng shui-ed!! She gave us some pretty crappy gluten-free brownies and I found the folks in the audience knew way more than this gal leading the seminar!!

I skipped at half time and went home and wrote a letter to the hospital. They refunded my money and agreed that the leader wasn't what they were hoping for!

I'd love to find a local support group in eastern PA.

My doc said the same thing as yours did, cdford... he told me unequivocally that my blood work showed celiac disease and that I should immediately go gluten-free, which I did. He said that if I didn't see improvement, then, and only then, would he do an endoscopy. I was a gluten-free fanatic... and it still took a year for my system to get happy again.

I've not had much luck with any recipes I've tried, with the exception of Bette Hagman's pizza crust in her book. I don't think I'll buy it often... I've gotten used to just doing without bread... but it's nice to know it's there!!