jmengert

I know the big trigger foods for my mom are anything with acid--tomatoes, lemons, etc. Bananas are also bad, as are cranberries, interestingly since they are supposed to help UTIs. Her doctor (a specialist in IC) gave her a long list of foods to avoid. Between that and the antibiotics, she's pretty much in remission. She does avoid those foods, though, all the time.

She told me that she took Uristat (the OTC meds for UTI infection pain relief) for when the spasms got really bad, and that helped somewhat.

My mom has interstitial cystitis, which sounds a lot like what you're describing. I don't know a lot about it, but try poking around the internet some and see what you can find. I do know that it is an autoimmune disease, and I've heard that it can be linked to celiac disease.

I hope you find some relief soon! If it turns out that is what it is, my mom found a lot of relief by changing her diet and by being on some minor medications for a few months.

I know this doesn't use Bob's mix, but Namaste's cookie mix is my favorite. It just calls for eggs, oil, and water (I think), and you can add whatever you want--I always make chocolate chip cookies. And, the mix makes a lot, too!

Dove will clearly label wheat, oats, barley, and rye, and their hairspray is gluten-free--I've been using it for a year or so. Their shampoos, conditioners, and most, if not all, their styling products are gluten-free, too.

I believe Garnier Fructis' hairspray is gluten-free, too--I used it a year or so ago and it was then, so I'm assuming it's still safe, but double-check.

Thanks, Tia--I haven't seen that here in the US, but maybe soon?....I'll keep an eye out for it.

Yep, and the new stuff has soy. I was so very annoyed when I saw this. I bought lots of the old stuff to stock up, but I'm only left with two now. I guess it's back to Spectrum's canola mayo, which is more expensive and harder to find, of course.

Why must they mess with a good thing? The new stuff also has more ingredients, which seems less natural to me, too. Ugh!

Some companies will not hide gluten at all--even under natural or artificial flavors. Nestle is one of those companies, as is Kraft. So, if there is gluten in the natural flavors, it will read something like Natural flavors (barley). If it's Nestle or Kraft, and you don't see wheat, oats, barley, or rye at all, then it's gluten-free.

There is a list somewhere on this board of all the companies that plainly list gluten and won't hide it under anything (food starch, natural flavors, artificial flavors, etc.). It's a useful list to have, as it saves some time from calling companies and such.

It can be so difficult in the beginning, so please let us know if you have any other questions!

I had the upper GI series seven years ago, and it wasn't bad. The worst part for me was that I was super nauseous at the time, so the barium made me feel even worse. However, the stuff itself is fine to get down. It's not the greatest tasting stuff in the world, but it's doable. After you drink the stuff (it somewhat reminded me of pop rocks since it inflates your tummy a bit....), you lie down on a table that rotates to check everything out. The barium coats your stomach and they take X-Rays. Then, you're a bit burpy for awhile, and that's it. I had no ill after effects from the barium, and I was super sensitive to everything when I had it done.

Good luck--if I had to do this test again, I wouldn't be worried about it (as long as the barium stuff they give you is gluten-free (which I'm assuming it is)--I had this done prior to my celiac diagnosis).

Happy birthday, Donna--I hope you have a great day!

When I get nausea, I eat peppermint, which helps. You can also drink peppermint tea.

Some people swear by ginger, too--eating ginger, drinking ginger tea, or flat ginger ale. I've never tried these things, but it helps some people.

Pepto Bismal (liquid) also helps some people, too--I was just never one of those people.

I hope the nausea goes away soon--I hate being nauseous!

I found mine at a large superstore. I hope you can find them where you are!

Hi, Rinne--Glad to hear it cooled down. Tornadoes are a scary thing, though; I'm lucky to live in an area where we just don't have them. We're supposed to cool down by the weekend, thank goodness.

Susan, I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope the MRIs go as well as possible and that you are able to find a solution to give you relief. I'll be thinking of you.

Rachel, thank you for posting your conversation with the dentist's assistant. I really admire you for standing up for yourself, and in the process, others who may encounter what you went through. It's a shame you couldn't talk to the dentist himself, but I'm not surprised he didn't talk to you. I've had my fair share of, let's say, interesting, doctors, and accountability is not one of their strong suits.

Hi to everyone else! I hope it's not too hot where you are; it's 90 something here, and we don't have AC in our house. I'm cooking chicken in the oven now, which is not helping matters!

French's mustard is gluten free, and I use it all the time; same with Hellmann's mayo. I believe Kraft mayos are gluten-free as well, but with Kraft you just need to read the label, and they will clearly list wheat, oats, barley, and rye.

I don't actually eat out any longer due to multiple intolerances, but hopefully someone else can help you out there.

I hope you have a great trip!

Yep. My dog has accidentally licked me on the mouth before, and bam, I got sick. Now, I only feed him gluten free food--he eats Nutro's Lamb and Rice formula, and Pupperoni dog snacks.

I found mine right where the other food was--the muffin mix was with the other muffins, and the brownie mix was next to the other brownies (down the baking aisle). Maybe they'll start carrying other stuff, too!

I just got back from Walmart and picked up three boxes of the muffin mix. I make them all the time, but I'd never seen them in that type box before. I saved myself a lot of money, too! I also saw the brownie mix, but I can't have soy. It's nice to see gluten-free at Walmart--and for cheap!

Good luck, Lisa--let us know how it goes!

Hi, Tom--Thanks for that link; it's very helpful! I always try to find a place with at least a fridge and microwave, though I just bought a hot plate that I'm going to take with me when I go to the beach in a few weeks, as they only have a fridge where I'm staying. Ah, the joys of traveling with celiac!

Hi, Patti--I'm doing okay right now; thanks for asking. I've got the diarrhea under better control since I stopped taking my multivitamin, but it's still there.

I'm thinking I need to do a rotation diet; I'm taking two trips in July, though, where eating will be difficult, so I'll probably wait until after that. I'm one of those who never eats out (I haven't eaten out in 2.5 years), so traveling is always difficult for me, but I manage. It's become harder, though, with all my food restrictions!

Hi, Rachel--I hope you have a good time tonight and that the toxic-ness stays away!

Hi, Andrea and Rinne--Okay, now I'm paranoid! I use a microwave *all* the time....something to think about....

Hi, Donna and Patti--I'm sorry you're in pain, Donna, and I hope that you feel better soon. Patti, I hope your glutening symptoms begin to ease soon!

Hi to everyone else!

Funny--I have a friend from Ohio who brought some home for Christmas quite a few years ago, and I had never heard of buckeyes--then I became obsessed with finding them because they were so yummy!

Hi, Andrea--I eat the Enjoy Life chocolate chips all the time (okay, too much ) and they melt just fine. I've also made a frosting with them using their recipe on the bag. Kind of runny, but functional.

But they definitely melt okay--I just add some rice milk to help with the consistency. Over Christmas, I made peanut butter balls using the melted chips, and boy were they yummy! I LOVE Reeses' peanut butter cups, and I was trying to recreate them....

Fritos really are the best chip, aren't they? I miss chips. I hate that all of them have such CC issues, and the Lays Stax have soy in them, so they're out for me. You'd think potato chips would be easy to do gluten-free and have them guaranteed to be gluten-free!

I just wanted to pop in and say hi to everyone. With my brother in town, I haven't had much time to post, but I've been trying to keep up with reading.

I just want to add that I LOVE Fritos but don't eat them because of the CC Lays is notorious for (but, I've heard rumors that Fritos may have their own dedicated lines.....anyone know if there is any truth to this?). I used to love dipping them in Rondele cheese spread. Boy, I miss cheese.

I've still been having diarrhea, but I'm down to imodium only twice a week, which is a good thing.

One more thing--my naturopath has not gotten back to me. He's supposed to be working on my supplement plan and emailing me with questions and progress and....nothing. I feel sort of ripped off. I'm still trying to decide what to do.

Thanks again for being the one place where I can talk about all this--you all are truly the greatest