Lisa

thanks momma goose, i can always rely on you to make me feel better. I am really hoping it is just menopause, she is 55 and has been going threw menopause since i started to have kids, every time i had a kid she lost her period, that is how close we are, but after my last bb who will be 3 tommorow she has never got her period again. the dr did say he can give her some meds to relieve the pain but it would make her lactaid, and she refused to lactate at her age lol. I just worry so much about her cause she is my best friend and i dont want anything to happed to her.

paula

Paula, it would make good sense for her to get a good blood work up, during her physical. If she is 55, a short few years from me, it's good to see where she is and what supplements she might be lacking. And check on the thyroid while she's there.

I envy your closeness with your mother. I lost mine when I was 2& 1/2. I don't really know the relationship, but hopefully my two daughters have grabbed that feeling. Time will tell.

Hey Jim,

Your brighter days are just beginning. You have to jump through a few hoops to get there, but this is a new beginning.

Start simple: Fish, meats, rice, potatoes, fresh veggies, fruits. Dairy may be an issue for a time being. (lack of villi, absorbing issues)

Your best best is to read, read and read. We have product information, product warnings, recipies... the list goes on and on.

Gluten free does not mean a loss of life style, you just have to tweek it a little and know what to tweek.

This source is wonderful. No question goes unanswered.

Welcome and always feel free to ask a question..that's why we are here.

Yes, it could very well be menopause. I started perimenopause when I was 35. I had terrible breast uncomfort (same feeling as when your milk dropped when you were nursing a child), and tenderness.

When the bra came off at night, it felted like 20 lbs hit the floor. (sorry guys if this is TMI).

The ovaries can equally be disrupted. Hormonal changes can be big.

I received this from a co worker of mine. To me it doesnt sound like she knows what is going on, but I wanted another opinion.

Thanks!

Sangrelie

"Thanks for visiting the Hansen's website.

The caramel coloring is made from a very harsh corn hydrolysate process that is cooked, burnt, processed with acids and bases and no gluten survives this process.

Let me know if you need anything else.

Sincerely,

Lori at Hansen's"

I am not familiar with Hansen's, but caramel coloring is not a gluten related issues. But, with that said, a few here have mentioned a difficultly with it.

Lisa, I would do two things first find a cereal you like that is made gluten free and without c.c. (in dedicated lines.) But I would also take out all the nuts for awhile, maybe 2 weeks. Then reintroduce them eating enough to make sure this also didn't contribute to your troubles. I seem to tolerate a few nuts maybe on a salad but if I eat them as a snack alone I'll have a problem with pain in my lower part of the colon like you. Maybe its a quanity thing or the fact that I'm eating them alone I don't know. I do know it hurt alot, and felt just like a glutening.

Your husband looks like James Taylor back in his hey day.

Gail

Whatcha mean, back in his hey day? He's still pretty hot now, but then he's a Carolina boy.

My husband askes me "if I am dumber today than I was yesterday?" Ya just gotta love'um!

Lisa: All Tampa gluten friendly places. all with the phone book work ensure a wonderrful meal.

Carrabba's Italian Grille

Bonefish Grill

Buca di Belle

The Capital Grille

Carrabba's Italian Grille

First Watch

Flening's Steakhouse

Maggiannes

Mimmi's Cafe

Mitchell's Fish Market

Outback

P.F Changs

Rurth Chris

Shula's Steakhouse

Thank you, Happy Girl. Yes, I live in an area where Lyme is endemic and have several family members, friends and my DOG who have it- so I will keep that test in mind! Patti, Lisa, you are very kind. If tonight is like the last three, I'll call my doc tomorrow! Thank you so much and I hope you are all doing very well!

lisa

Call your doctor yesterday! Please let us know. xxoo

I have been very frequently sick for the past couple years along with extreme fatigue, pains in my chest, bloating, gas and mouth sores. My doctors were never much help. One of my friends suggested I try the blood type diet which suggested cutting out wheat (I did not cut out completely) and I started feeling so much better. I noticed when I ate more wheat I would always get sick, then I found this site purely be accident and all the problems I have been having seem to make sense now. I haven't been tested for it because I just started a new job and am waiting for the insurance to still kick in, but I have been completely gluten free for only about a week and I feel so much better! Do you think testing is necessary? I am afraid to eat gluten again to get tested because I get so sick.

Welcome!

Many, many here are self diagnosed by positive dietary response. It is alway a simple, inexpensive way to go. Others, feel the need for a medical diagnosis. The choice is yours.

You could go completely gluten free (it is very tricky in the beginning) and if you feel better, wonderful. If not I would recommend seeing a doctor to test.

Hi. I probably should have posted this under the Pregnancy board but it seems that more people frequent this board.

I was diagnosed via biopsy in July 06 (after the birth of my first child). My main problems were gastrointestinal. Things slowly improved after that. I had a repeat biopsy done in Jan. o7 and things were looking better. My gastrointestinal symptoms had improved too.

I found out I was pregnant again in early May. Since then, it seems like all of my pre-diagnosis symptoms have returned. I have loose stools 5-6 times a day (not to be gross but a lot of undigested food in stool). The same as before I was diagnosed. I have not changed my eating habits and maintain a strict gluten free diet. I have talked to my OB and seen my GI doctor and no one seems that concerned--except for me. Despite all of my stomach problems, I am not losing weight and the baby seems to be growing.

Has anyone had experience with a pregnancy reactivting celiac symptoms? I have not found much on the internet. I am very concerned about refractory celiac. any comments would be much appreciated.

Are you taking any prenatal meds that are not gluten free?

I have no idea what forum to post this in. I was wondering if anyone knew if you can get gluten-free food in jail? No, I am not planning on going to jail anytime soon. It's just that every time I turn on the news it's about Paris Hilton in jail and they had a story on jail food and how it cost $.18 per meal. The stuff looked like slop. And then I wondered if they can accommodate people on special diets. And then I wondered about CC in the jail kitchen. And then I figured I'd ask all of you for your opinions

Glad you're not planning a stay! In our local jail, the food is supplied by our local hospital. The Disability Act should come into play here...as an incarcerated diabetic would not be denied medical needs.

Sadly, I have to admit that I am anxious to hear what Paris has to say about here "life-altering experience".

Excruciating...have you discussed endometriosis with your doctor? It won't show up on an ultrasound (I had 3 tv ultrasounds and none of them picked up my stage 4 endo.).

That's was I was thinking also, Lisa. Patti has a good thought. Or, perhaps a serious ulser or perferation of some kind, letting those stomach acids go where they should not be.

I hope you get to see a doctor SOON. Hope you get some answers.

Kraft and ConAgra will always list. Chilli's has a menu line, or at their restaurants. Hormel has a very extensive list. Wendy's has an online list. Panara bread also has a list.

Arby's

www.arbys.com

Boston Market

www.bostonmarket.com

Chic-fil-A

www.chickfila.com

Chilli's

www.chilis.com

Dairy Queen

www.dairyqueen.com

Denny's

www.dennys.com

www.tylenol.com

Ingrediences do change from time to time, so make sure your list is current until you get the hang of reading labels.

Hope this is a start.

To the question of "other" smoke, if you are referring to marijuana, it is an herb, not a grain, and so the pure stuff would not contain gluten. But unless you grow your own, there may have been other things added somewhere along the supply chain. It is also possible, but not likely, that there could be a gluten source hidden in the rolling paper.

This is, of course, a purely hypothetical discussion, as actually possessing or smoking cannabis would indeed be illegal in most places.

This has been quite the day for me. Peter, you made me chuckle. I LOVE hypothetical discussions.

Lisa,

I have been thinking about this for days. I am wondering about some things out side the Celiac box. Have you ventured there?

I do hope you find the answer soon. Misery is no fun.

I wish that the original posts were in a bolder print. But, hey not my web site. I can adjust.

Wow, Scott must have put a new ink cartridge in.

Lynn, why don't you write the company and demand a clarification. Perhaps that might change their listing. We all need to be proactive. I will do it.

My 14 month old dd had her scope and biopsy done this morning. They had to poke her 4 freakin' times to get the IV in. I was fine until the 3rd try, then I just started crying along with her.

Anyway, the dr saw ulcers in her stomach. We even got pics .He said her intestines look somewhat ok, but he is pretty sure she has Celiac disease. He told me to put her on a gluten-free diet right now. So we should know something for sure from the biopsy in about 2 wks. My MIL is still saying it might not be Celiac disease, but I think it is just wishful thinking and she needs to accept reality!

On a sidenote, we stayed at the Ronald McDonald house last night since the hospital is nearly 2 hrs away from our home. Let me tell you, it was wonderful. They were the sweetest ppl, the place was wonderful, and they had TONS of food, though not 1 thing was gluten-free. So if you ever need to stay in one, don't hesitate. If you can afford to, donate to them. What they offer is fabulous. They had a bulletin board covered in pics of preemie and sick babies whose parents stayed there. It was very touching. And we saw 1 little girl who had a feeding tube in her nose. I don't know what was wrong w/ her, but I do know that it was a blessing for her and her family for them to stay so close to the hospital. Just my 2 cents!!

ptkds

I am so glad that it is over for you. It is so strange for me to know that a 14 month old can have ulsers. But, an so glad that you have some answers.

I have a friend who is in Washington DC, who heads up the McD's Houses and has been a help to another family here at Celiac.com. It's good work and they are dedicated. It is hard sometimes to imagine what is behind closed doors sometime.

They are a wonderful group for support.

Carla gave you good advise. Start simple.

Mrs. Dash entire line is gluten free.

Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce

Kraft Products will always list gluten

Con Agra Products will always list.

La Choy Soy Sauce is gluten free as is San J Wheat Free Tamari

New Toaster for you.

Check you Teflon pans for scratches (gluten can hide)

Shampoos - it can get into your mouth

Lipsticks or lip balms - mouth issues as well

Lotions - mouth issues again

The learning curve is a steep one, but it can be done.

If you need help, it is all here. Read, read, read...you will not find a better source for Celiac information.

There are a million recipies on this site. And you might like to check out the Product Information Thread.

AND...welcome to our Club!

This is my first post, but I've been soaking in tons of info here for the last week or so. Thank you! Sorry, it's going to be a long post, I'm afraid, but I wanted to get it all down in one place and figure I might as well share. Thanks to anyone who reads it all!

I've been having "issues" since about November; trying to figure out what's wrong since about January/February. I have bouts of D for no apparent reason, loose stools most days when it's not actually D. Occasional C. Nausea, stomach/intestinal "icky" feeling most days. Lots of stomach & intestinal grumbling/gurgling.

I started by going to an internist. I told her my symptoms and she gave me a list of things she thought it could be and we worked at ruling each out. Her list included: lactose intolerance, ulcerative colitis/Crohn's, colon cancer, hyperthyroid, gluten intolerance, IBS. She did a blood draw for the hyperthyroid and Celiac testing; both came back negative. I went off dairy (but not hidden dairy) for a week and didn't notice a change, so she ruled out lactose intolerance. I had a colonoscopy in March to rule out colon cancer and colitis/Crohn's. Thank god I did because they were able to remove some precancerous polyps (which is crazy, since I'm only 32). But, they didn't come up with anything that explained my symptoms. The internist is at a loss for ideas now and ready to chalk it up to IBS (which I feel is a BS diagnosis). I had her run a parasite panel, which also came back negative. I haven't been back to her since.

So, I then started suspecting food intolerances. Due to the ingredients in items I ate right before a couple bad bouts, I suspected soy and then dairy. I cut them completely out of my diet for a month. Seemed to help a little, but not much.

I went to an allergist who ruled out a whole list of food allergens and suggested trying a complete elimination diet.

So, 2 weeks ago, I cut out gluten. (I also had my 3 children go gluten-free for a week as well, but that didn't last). And I've been limiting dairy, but seem to do ok w/ cheddar cheese. I'm making all my meals from scratch, however, there may be some CC due to my dh and 3 dcs still eating a full gluten diet.

For the first week and a half I was feeling much better. Most of my symptoms were gone. Still some gassiness & gurgling, but more energy and normal bms. Then Tuesday I had a small bit of ice cream. Since then, everything's back. I don't know if it was the ice cream or the LactAid I took before hand (anyone know if the Vanilla chewable ones have gluten?). Then Wednesday I accidentally licked two envelopes (out of habit). Thursday I had cheese twice (once cheddar, once mozzarella). So, I don't know what's thrown me, but as of a few hours ago, I still had D and wasn't feeling so well.

Anyone have any insight for me? I'm starting to wonder if I'm crazy thinking that gluten is the problem. I'm just getting desperate for an answer.

I went to a GI doc today. The only one in town. I was really hoping for something worthwhile. I was sorely disappointed. He had me go through my symptoms and what's been checked and said that it was IBS and we'd start treating it and see if that took care of it. When I asked what treatment involved he said a small dose of an antidepressant (Elavil or something like that?). I expressed dislike for the idea of going straight to trying a drug and he seemed quite put off by my questioning it. I asked about further testing for Celiac or about pursuing the diet for awhile longer. When I told him I had been off gluten for two weeks, but had a relapse in symptoms and what I thought had caused it, he scoffed and said "well, it's not lactose intolerance". As far as testing went, he said that Celiac was extremely rare and there was "a thousand to one odd that I would have it". I said that I had been reading a lot about it being as prevalent as 1 in 150 Americans. He said, "yeah, I've been reading that for the last 10 years, too, but I'm just not finding it - I have people come in all the time convinced they have it and their blood work and biopsies show they don't." The next step to test me would be a biopsy, which he tried to discourage for two reasons - first, because I'd have to go back on a "normal" diet for at least a month and second, because the colonoscopy would have looked at the small intestine (I was under the impression that it only checked the large intestine??).

I also asked him about being tested for malabsorbtion and he basically gave me the same guff. That he didn't see any point in testing before trying the drug route and that I'd have to go on a normal diet for at least a month.

I'm so frustrated and upset and confused right now. Should I try the drugs and see if they help? Should I stay gluten-free and see if things improve? Do I try Enterolabs? (they're just so pricey...)

Thanks, if you've read this far...

Raechel

Raechel:

Welcome to the Celiac Forum. You supplied us with a lot of information which will help us, help you if we are able.

Where to begin.....? You doctor is incorrect, 1-100 are diagnosed with celiac and the average time for diagnosis is still at ll years....tell ya something? IBS stands for "I be stump ted", meaning that doctors can find no significant reasons for symptoms. And they are not willing to test. Remember, there are no meds needed to go gluten free. Shall I say no more.

Most people who have the need to go gluten free, also go dairy free. According to what I understand, if you have blunted villi due to Celiac Disease, the lack of villi cannot deal with dairy and sometimes casine and your body will deal with this as an intolerance or sensitivity. (Ursa Major, is a master at this)

Some times we need to the the Master of us and learn what is right and listen to our bodies. You have seemed to have all the worried tests and have ruled them out.

Try the gluten free/dairy free diet for a month of so and see how you feel. If you need assistance with that we can help you. It's kinda difficult in the beginning but very do-able.

Recently, I remember someone here posting about reacting to Vann's. I have no issue with them.

Most bacons are gluten free, but I stick to Oscar Meyer....yum.

I thought vinegar was cleared by the Celiac Society as being "gluten free"??? is this true or not? Because I gave red wine vinegar to my kids and they had a reaction...and I am not sure if it was the vinegar or something else...

...also, what about cooking wine?

Vinegar was previously a stated concern, but no longer. (distilling process is said to remove the gluten). MALT Vinegar is not gluten free.

So the G/I has decided that he wants to scope my 6 month old to find out what is going on. She is having green mucusy bowel movements. He says he is looking for damaged villi but not for celiac cause she is to little for that. My question is, has anyone had a baby this young scoped? It sounds pretty invasive and I really don't want to go that route. I am not even sure what it will accomplish. He has only decided to do this because we asked for a referral to Stanford.

Thanks

Sarah

Don't do it and wait for the other moms to click on. They will.

I am new at trying to become gluten-free. It's a process but I am getting there. I love oatmeal for breakfast in the morining and I see that oatmeal from Quaker is a big no ... but is Organic Oatmeal okay?

I ususally eat my breakfast at work ... suggestions for replacement to oatmeal will be great!

Thanks

First a question, are you diagnosis celiac?

Organic does not mean that it was processed in the fields that did not contain wheat, nor does the processing eliminate wheat in the facility.

Organic does not mean pure for celiacs.

I am not a big breakfast food person. I usually rely on left-overs or eggs and bacon. At work you may need to plan ahead. A corn tortilla with egg, sausage or bacon and cheese that you can zap at work might work. You can make a variety of those on the weekend and put them in the freezer and take them out as you need them. Fruit salad may be doable.

Hope my little imput was helpful.