kbtoyssni

I also freeze my meals before to make them last during travel. Will you have a fridge in your hotel? Even hotels that don't offer a fridge and microwave standard will often give you one if you have a medical need. Are you driving? If so, you could pack a large cooler and refill with ice everyday.

I try to bring stuff that doesn't spoil, but that type of food tends to get boring after a while. I'm lucky and have found these prepackaged Indian foods that don't need to be refrigerated. I take cooked rice with me and feel ok leaving that out of the fridge for a few days.

If all else fails and I have to go to a fast food place, I can usually get an ice cream or shake. Then I get a cup of hot water and add my own pasta. The pasta will pretty much cook in five minutes or so. You can add cheese to the top for protein if you have it.

On second thought, small articles in Martha's existing magazines about food intolerances might be better than a stand-alone magazine. There are a lot of people who read her existing magazines, and this way those people will be introduced to the idea of gluten and other intolerances.

When I was in the process of diagnosing myself, I was so thankful for the person who had casually mentioned to me several years prior that she had celiac. At the time I had no idea what she was talking about so I did some googling and forgot about it. When I realized I had an issue with wheat, I remembered there was this disease called celiac... and here I am today.

So I think we might benefit from increased awareness of celiac in the population. If it was a stand alone magazine, only people who already know they have food intolerances would buy/read it. While it would certainly make life easier post-diagnosis, maybe more people will get properly diagnosed this way.

Speaking of being a "Newbie," I may "officially be a "Newbie" pretty soon. I've been miserable for many years, too...since I was little. Yesterday, finally, I went to a GI for the FIRST TIME EVER. I'm now 25.

They are testing me for: Chrons, Celiac and Colitis. Is this normal...does anyone know?

Also, I got some old medical records in the mail from when I was younger...like High School age. There was a period of about 3-5 years where I see I went in for "rash around my nose," and then "rash on my chin." Weird. Kept coming back. Anyone know what that is/was?!

I'm scared for the blood tests to come back. Feb. 26th I'm having a Colonoscopy and the other one with the tube down the throat.

Welcome to OP and the other newbies here!

jewi - Sounds like your GI is being pretty through testing for Chrons, Celiac and Colitis. The rash could be DH. Or it could be some other sort of rash which may or may not be caused by celiac. It's really hard to say. Do you still get it?

Don't be scared about the blood test results. Remember that if they come back positive, you will have you answer to all your years of suffering and be able to get your health back on track. Also remember that blood tests and scopes are notorious for false negatives so you might want to try the diet regardless of blood test results. But don't go gluten-free before the scope or you'll have a higher likelihood of it coming back negative!

i've heard rumors of these "toaster bags" lol, but i have no idea what they are, where can one find them? And, are they used in the microwave or like in a toaster oven to keep things safe?

Here's a link to some: Open Original Shared Link

They're like a plastic bag that you put your toast in and then stick it in the toaster like usual. You can reuse them 100+ times. I use them in hotels to make toast in their contaminated toasters. You can also use them to make grilled cheese in the toaster - then any cheese drips go into the bag rather than down into the toaster to burn. I've even made cheese sandwiches at unsafe restaurants, put it in a toaster bag, and asked the waitress to toast/heat up any way she wants just KEEP IT IN THE BAG!!! so I have grilled cheese while everyone else eats buffet-style. They certainly decrease the stress of traveling.

Awesome! Have a great time.

Sounds like a glutening, especially since you know she ate wheat.

Many celiacs have diarrhea, but many also have constipation. The symptoms that doctors most often associate with celiac is malnutrition, weight loss and diarrhea, but recent studies have shown that about 50% of celiacs gain weight. Symptoms can also include joint and muscle pain, difficulty thinking, heartburn, eye twitches, headaches, difficulty sleeping, etc. I would encourage your girlfriend to get tested and try to diet even if testing comes back negative. Traditional medical testing is notorious for false negatives.

Aw, that's adorable! All the troublesome families I read about on this board could learn something from this kid.

I know some parents send pancakes for breakfast.

Get yourself a good thermos so you can send hot food. How about hot dogs (send in hot water)? Or string cheese? Or hummas with veggies for dipping?

Try searching for something "lunches" or "school lunches". I know there have been lots of great suggestions from parents. I'm old so I'm perfectly happy with salads for lunch, but I'm guessing a 2.5 year old would be less than thrilled with that!

Guests are usually on your schedule when it comes to food. So I'd make what you usually make. No one would have had a problem if you happened to serve something like salad, veggie, chicken and ice cream pre-gluten-free, so I don't think making a gluten-free meal now that you're officially gluten-free should make a difference. I certainly would not serve gluten. If your guests are inclined to snack when you're not around, then you might need to discuss the gluten ground rules.

I always get sick after eating Hershey's minis of any kind. I don't have the same problem with the full size. Not sure why.

I think they are manufactured on different equipment and may even have slight recipe differences. The equipment the minis are made on I believe also makes products with gluten so it's a CC issue.

Thank you, I do understand better now. I just don't understand why the labeling laws are so screwed up. It's nice they tell us about the wheat, but if barley causes the same reaction how can they eliminate that as an allergen and not disclose it?

The new labeling laws require the top eight allergens to be disclosed, with wheat being one of them. Since celiac is not an allergy, it is not covered under this allergen labeling law. It's a nice coincidence that wheat happens to be an allergen as well as a celiac no-no. Unfortunately, barely and rye are not common allergens. There are new labeling laws coming out regarding gluten, though (not sure on the exact date). Do a little searching - you'll find that a majority of us aren't happy about them.

As for being an allergy that can be outgrown...I have serious reservations about this topic. From what I have seen, the IgE (histamine) part of the reaction may go away. But in many cases, I have seen it turn into an IgG reaction (more in line with an immunological reaction). I am seeing many adults going to our health clinice with serious, debhilitating and chronic diseases. One of the treatments our doctor employs is the removal of all previous food allergens from diet (along with gluten and casein). Invariably, the patients respond and many appear to "miraculously" get well. I don't believe there is anything miraculous about it. I think that the manifestation of their "allergy" just changed on them as they got older. I don't believe that allergists have a very firm grasp on this concept. We measure progress through tests....not through overall physical observation. This issue can be tricky and there is a lot that is unknown and completely misunderstood. I do not believe that the medical community is done "connecting the dots" on this one.

Interesting. Do you happen to know of any research done in this area?

P.S. Jeanne: Where did that motto originate from, friend of mine said it was a Jesuit origin..then one said it wasn't ..just curious...

Wikipedia says it's from Grace Hopper. Not sure if that's true or not.

Open Original Shared Link

Ah, so it is being marketed as a product for celiacs! I would note that there is a disclaimer that none of their claims are evaluated by the FDA so it is unlikely there is any evidence or medical study to back them up.

Here's a recent thread on AT-1001, a similar drug that is working to get FDA approval right now. Search for AT-1001, I know some people on this site have participated in the clinical trials for it. Even if this does get approved, I do not plan to take it.

Open Original Shared Link

I seem to remember her advertising the contest as a "help me decide" thing. She never said that she was going to go with the idea that won the most votes. I was always under the impression that she was just using the voting to gage interest in each of the ideas and would make her own personal selection after seeing how the vote turned out. So while it's disappointing that we won the popular vote and didn't get chosen for the individual magazine, I'm not surprised. She took the top two in the popular vote and worked both of the ideas into her magazine empire. I'm sure if there had been three ideas all around 33% of the popular vote, all three would have been incorporated.

Ah, family stuff. Babies and weddings always seem to be sources of conflict.

It seems to me that none of these issues are really your problem. Why doesn't your SIL talk to your sister about the money since they're the co-hosts? It doesn't make any sense to get you involved as the middle man. And about the change in location - it's just not that important. I don't see why your MIL needs a reason for the change (unless it's somehow going to really inconvenience her).

If I were you, I'd be very specific about what they can and cannot be involved in and get your husband to back you up on enforcing this. It's your baby, you may not do things the way the rest of the family would, but what every you do is going to be fine. Baby decisions should be between you and your husband, not open for the whole family to discuss and vote on.

Not terribly helpful, sorry. Good luck.

DELETED - double post.

My first response was that maybe this will increase awareness and diagnosis if drug manufacturers are promoting the disease. BUT - I worry that the diagnosis will be taken lightly. I think of the few people I know with lactose intolerance and they take lactase most of the time, but not all of the time. I also don't want this to affect my ability to get truly gluten-free food. It's certainly my biggest personal worry - will restaurants stop taking me seriously if they think I can just take a pill?

Here's a link to some info: Open Original Shared Link

This particular product doesn't seem to claim it's for people with celiac. I'm guessing it's for non-celiacs, kindof like a digestive enzyme? I don't know a lot about digestive enzymes (try doing a search, I know they've been discussed before), but my general impression is that they can be helpful. BUT - I do not think that this product is intended to be taken by a celiac prior to consuming gluten. If that is the claim or the way people use it, I think it will end up harming you. I don't think there is any way this enzyme can "digest" all gluten particles for you, and if a few particles are undigested, you will be damaging your intestine.

There have been some recent FDA trials about new drugs that will help celiacs digest gluten. These are currently being marketed for accidental glutenings, though, not so you can go out and eat a slice of gluten pizza.

I wanted to ask how your daughter felt about this? If she's an easy-going kid, this situation might not have phased her at all. Me having to eat "different" food or having the menu change on me when I've brought food to match the original menu doesn't bother me too much. I know I'm much, much older than your daughter, but it could be that she just doesn't care that much.

I wanted to emphasize the difference between allergy and celiac. They are very different reactions in the body, an allergy being more immediate. Celiac is an autoimmune disease and is more of a delayed reaction.

Kids can outgrow allergies. But they will not outgrow celiac. I'm going to guess you've got celiac here. I'm not sure how common gluten allergies are, and your symptoms sound like celiac.

Celiac is something you can be genetically inclined to get, but it often takes a trauma to the body to actually develop. That's why some people don't get it until later in life. Birth might have been the trauma that triggered your daughter's. Testing in kids this young is very unreliable. She simply hasn't had enough time to develop a lot of damage to her intestines or for antibodies to build up in the blood stream (this is a good thing IMO!). But from her screaming, you can see that damage is occurring. If testing comes back negative, I'd encourage you to try the diet or do enterolab testing. If she's got it, there's no point in keeping her on gluten, continuing to do damage in a developing body just to get a positive. As a parent, you'll know if gluten is the issue if you take it out of her diet.

As for your other child - definitely get her tested and try the diet. Everyone's symptoms are so different that it's unlikely both your kids would have the same ones.

I don't understand why your daughter was "required" to eat the same food as everyone else the first day (she couldn't eat hers because no one else had one), while this same principle didn't apply the second day (everyone got to eat theirs even though she didn't have one).

I can kindof see where the teacher was coming from the first day because the whole class might feel left out. It seems like it's generally acceptable for the gluten-free child to eat different food or have to eat healthy food while everyone else eats junk, but not the other way around. But the celiac child will always be eating something different. What if you hadn't tried to match what the class was eating? What if you decided to just send in cupcake? Would that be ok? Non-celiac kids need to learn to deal with disappointment over not having the same food, too. I definitely understand why you're upset, but I think the teacher was just doing her best to try to be fair/equal to everyone. The issue is, when you've got one kid who can't eat the same stuff, nothing is going to be 100% equal for everyone. Unfortunately, I think this situation illustrates how our society tries to be fair/equal. I doubt this is going to change anytime soon.

I would definitely talk to the teacher about what you expect with regards to food in the classroom. I also agree that there's too much food (specifically junk food) in classrooms. Honestly, how do we expect kids to learn when they're eating donuts for breakfast???

I was also thinking some sort of virus. Getting glutened is rough on the immune system; I find I get every little bug going around when I'm glutened. I'll get things that no one else had, probably because their immune system could fight it off before they got really sick from it.

Awesome! And it's great that he asked about her whole medical history. That's how things should be. If one of my rheumtologists had asked questions other than specifically about the joint pain, maybe they would have figured out that the pain wasn't a joint issue or arthritis, but a food intolerance. I'm glad you got a diagnosis , and it's not something too serious.