LauraTX

Not in Mississippi yet. Of course, if the end of the world comes, y'all come on down. It will take several years to get here.

LOL! I shall, and ill bring gluten-free food for us to eat while we wait!

Target around here has those as well, just got in, they don't seem to stock it well.  The target cartwheel app Open Original Shared Link sometimes has Udis stuff on there for 5-20% off.  Right now they have canyon bakehouse 20% off and Udis 5% off for the frozen dinners, Feb 14 last day to use.  You just show the barcode on your phone and they scan from there- no crappy rebates to mess with like some of the other coupon app things.

It is vary rare that a drug company will say something is actually gluten-free.  Usually you will get the  "does not contain gluten ingredients but they don't test and can't guarantee" line.  Generally things like that are considered safe.

There should be no problem with it.  Do note that coconut oil is not a compatible lubricant with latex condoms.

Damn.

 

Well here's a question.

 

If the doc sends in my script and it's for a generic Levothyroxine, Am I able to pay out of pocket for the name brand??? Tirosint is the exact same drug, just in liquid from. I don't understand if I can do this or not, but since it's the same exact medicine, I'm not seeing why I couldn't. I'm going to call the pharmacy tonight and see what I can do.

Yes, you can request name brand or a certain manufacturer.  (I take mylan like many others)

Also, if the name brand is gluten-free and others are not verifiably gluten-free, you can have your doctor write "brand medically neccesary" on the prescription, and with a little extra paperwork called a prior authorization, possibly get it covered through your insurance.  Take the script with that written on it to the pharmacy, and they will start the paperwork chain through the doctor and insurance.  You can call your prescription benefits company to see if it will be covered as well, but they will probably tell you it would depend on the outcome of the review.

LOL  When I first clicked on this I was half expecting a breast milk story.  LOL

 

Congrats on the milk!   chuckle chuckle

You crack me up!  I was going to pop in and see who asked if the OP milked a cow!  LOL

Great job, Zebra.  It is nice to make something and control what goes in it, especially when it really isn't all that hard!

Welcome, Jessica! We are here to help, feel free to post any questions.  If you want to go into your profile and add a signature that says you are diagnosed Celiac and the other things you can't eat, it will help people tailor answers to your needs when they are answering any questions you post.  So glad to hear you are starting the diet you need to end those years of GI suffering!

Sadly, they do make a gluten-free version and this is not it.  Lately my grocery store stopped carrying the gluten-free one, too, so I was high and dry as well.  This one, as far as I know, is made in the wheat part of the facility, so CC may be a concern there.  I would not risk it.  Just put the pie filling over rice and make the tamale part another day

OK hmmm...  Is there a vegan version of cream cheese or something in similar consistency?  Because cream cheese stuffed strawberries seem very very valentiny to me!

I've seen it in stores, so it does exist.  Or you could do some kind of dark chocolate dairy free mousse... and stuff them with that.  (Leave it to me to add chocolate, lol)

Hi Laura!

Apparently nothing says love and romance like having a gallbladder out. Lol!

I really like the Cornish hen idea. Thanks for the recipe. I'm leaning towards a flour less chocolate cake for dessert because chocolate is my favorite food group. Ha!

I hear you on going out to eat. The only place I feel comfortable going is the one gluten free place we have. I hope your Valentine's date is wonderful!

Look no further, don't skip the glaze:

Open Original Shared Link

^I approve of this recipe, LOL

Oh, also, I forgot to mention... I have TMJ that can flare up pretty easily, so I have to have the more chewy ones.  I can't eat the hard crunchy granola bars.  So if anyone else is looking for that, my list may help.

I like Van's chocolate chip granola bars.  Always keep one in my purse- they don't have as much junk in them as other brands and they dont get smashed, lol.  They sell them all over the place now, at Walmart, too.

Open Original Shared Link

I also really like the Annies gluten-free chocolate chip granola bars, but around here I have only seen them at Target, and they are very small and not filling, so I only pick them up sometimes when I am there.  Open Original Shared Link

I also like these Larabar uber dark chocolate turtle bars, will pick one up sometimes:

Open Original Shared Link

As far as flavor goes, this one is pretty good as well.  

Open Original Shared Link

As you can see, im a chocolate purist.  I don't like chocolate and dried fruit together. I only like dried fruit by itself.  I like to pack nuts, raisins, carrot sticks etc if I am planning and going somewhere.  They are all compact and filling.  But keeping the vans bar in my purse definitely saves me from starving sometimes!

Last year I made cornish game hens on valentines day, since my husband had to work late.  They are just a tiny chicken... but fancy and cute.  

Lemon Pepper Roasted Cornish Hens:
Roasted just like a chicken. Get the number of birds you want to cook, pat dry, and sprinkle each with the juice of a lemon. Rub the inside, outside, and under the breast skin with minced garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, and the zest of one lemon. Spray with canola oil to get that golden brown color- can be skipped. Tie up legs if needed. Bake at 375 F until a thermometer reading shows done (I do 180 F on whole birds). About 1 hour.
Serve 1 per person or 1/2 a bird per person if there are a lot of sides.

I made lundberg risotto on the side, and green beans steamed and sauteed in butter and garlic.

I avoid going out to eat when restaurants are very busy, so I wasn't going to make dinner plans out on the day of this year, but my husband made reservations for us at 5PM at a place I like.  It kind of scares me that I may walk in and it be busy and they screw up my meal, but I am going to try to push it out of my mind and enjoy the meal.  Funny, last year I was supposed to get my gallbladder out right before V-day, but had to delay the surgery because I was sick.  

Did your doctor do an endoscopy with multiple biopsies to see if there is intestinal damage?  That will be a great tool in this case.  Also, if you have copies of the blood results, you can post them here and we can help you make sense of them.

Here is a list of testing that can be done for a Celiac diagnosis:

Wow, I never thought about the seedy bars not washing their glasses well- yuck!  Open Original Shared Link

I also am not a drinker, I usually get soda.  In those glasses.  But not anymore, LOL.  Don't let your friends get you TOO drunk, appoint a person as a babysitter for if you get wasted who can make you behave and not eat gluten    Happy Birthday!!

Ah, sorry about that.  I know they had their gluten-free ones up there over the holiday season, but they do take things down after a while.  Was in a hurry when I posted that.  I checked my recipe folder and I used the recipe from the box of the KAF gluten-free baking mix.  It is listed here on the box image, for some reason is not up on the website: Open Original Shared Link

That does use the baking mix which includes a leavener and xanthan gum, so I would use any flour blend and also add 

Because all that is an estimate, you could also just find a recipe and sub in a gluten-free flour blend BY WEIGHT and add xanthan gum (1/4 tsp per cup of flour is what BRM recommends for cookies).  I know that is complicated, but cookie recipes are the most forgiving out of gluten-free recipes.  I use regular recipes off the internet all the time for cookies.  If the dough is too soft, you can just sprinkle more flour on when you are rolling them out, until they get to the right consistency.  Overkneading and developing gluten making tough baked goods is not an issue when you are baking gluten-free!  If the dough gets too warm, just put it in the fridge for a bit.

What flour are you using?  I don't think it would be appropriate to post a recipe from the book here, since it is copywrited.  It looks like you can access the recipe online but you have to sign up for a free membership.  I have one to there and they don't give me any trouble, I actually like their cooking newsletters.

Open Original Shared Link

(dont have time to see if it is the exact one in the book, will later)

I will go dig up my recipe I use later this afternoon... I use KAF... I think it is the recipe off the baking mix box.

Crisco butter shortening works well in baked goods, I have used it when making stuff for a dairy free friend.  They should have lactase available there, it just may be harder to find since lactose intolerance can be uncommon in some areas. 

Where are you located, again?  Was trying to look back but couldn't find that.  You may want to add a signature saying what you can't eat and where you are located, so people can give more relevant answers. Even though not all the recipes are dairy free, the cookbook goes into the science behind gluten-free cooking, and that alone can be very helpful in understanding.  It is worth buying just for that if you are new to it all.  It isn't restrictive like the cake doctor book.... you can really use any gluten-free flour blend if you weigh the flour and take into account subtle differences in the products.  

You definitely should be screened for Celiac disease. Make an appointment with a GI doctor to get a proper screening done.  Don't stop eating gluten until you get your testing done, since you need to be consuming it for them to be accurate.  

Order it from the library first?  that's what I did and then decided I liked it and bought it.

This is a great idea.

All the recipes in the book have amounts to use BRM flour or King Arthur Flour blend flour, with tested results.  So, you don't have to use their blend.  I use the king arthur flour blend for everything.  There are a couple of recipes that call for milk and they explain why it is there and if you can leave it out or what to substitute with.  Usually it is for browning so it isn't a big deal. They go really in depth and explain the science behind the recipes, so it makes it much easier to understand what/when to substitute.

I use McCormick spices, including their curry powder. 

Your doctor definitely needs to do some continuing education on Celiac disease, and sadly, that is very common for many doctors.  I would print out Open Original Shared Link and bring it with you and ask for blood testing to be re-done.  Here is a list of blood tests:

Butterflygirl, welcome to the forum!

When first diagnosed, the adjustment period can be really hard.  But soon enough, with all the great advice some of our members have given you above, you will have the tools to re-adjust and get to a new normal.  You do still have your whole life ahead of you -one that will now be intact and in good health because this disease was caught sooner than later.  I ate like you pre-diagnosis, like a box of mac n cheese would not be an odd lunch for me.  I was all about gluten, lol.  Sadly, with Celiac being a genetic disease, there is nothing you can do to prevent it, but as patients with the diagnosis, we are extremely lucky to have the knowledge of a gluten-free diet that keeps the disease at bay.  Since I was diagnosed I have paid more attention to nutrition overall, what I am shoving down my gullet, etc. I have become a wonderful cook- over time, when I want something, I just make it myself gluten-free.  So much so that I have ruined myself for restaurants because I cook better at home.  It takes some time to adjust, but you will surely reap the benefits sooner than you know it.  

In addition to all of the above, something that helped me tremendously with grocery shopping when I was first diagnosed was one of the grocery shopping guides out there.  Open Original Shared Link  I also have their dining cards which help when dining out at a new place.  The guides are that- a guide only- since product information can change over time.  But if you have no idea what brand of beans to look at first, it can be a great starting help.  Lastly, remember the adage to still read "Every label, every time."  Things change, labels are similar colors (dropping a hint to annies mac n cheese people here, lol), and you do have to take responsibility for everything that goes into your mouth.  But it becomes more natural with time.  Also, now is a great time to be diagnosed, lots of good products out there and the FDA just put out new labeling standards to help keep those manufacturers in line a little better.

We are here to help you learn the ropes, and answer any questions you may have.  Feel free to use the search function on the forum for specific items, just keep in mind this place has been around for 10 years and info on specific products can change so look at the posting date.

Not sad at all. You're learning one way how the industrial agriculture system hurts people, and now you are ready to learn the rest of the story. Priceless. Your revenge will be to have good health the rest of your life.

We are here to be supportive of our members, especially the newest ones who are struggling after a diagnosis.  Please don't fear monger when this lovely lady already has enough to deal with.

Welcome to the forum, Woolsey!

We like to keep all information on here based on legitimate sources, and unfortunately, the claims made by the people selling the expensive cross reactivity tests are based on poor science.  Per the University of Chicago Celiac disease center, these claims are all untrue.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Now, people can have separate issues with things like corn, soy, dairy, and others, but this is a separate issue.

Here is a well written article that goes in depth into the myth of cross-reactivity:

Open Original Shared Link

Here is an old forum thread from here that has some great discussion:

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/101231-cyrex-cross-reactivity-test-accuracy/

And for our newly diagnosed friends, here are some great articles that were written by bloggers covering the Celiac Myths talk at ICDS 2013:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link