LauraTX

Getting diagnosis of a serious, life changing condition like Celiac and coping with it on a daily basis can be stressful, especially for a kid.  When unchecked anxiety gets in the way of living your life, a talk with a professional can help.  It is better to do counseling for it now than let it grow into a greater issue.

A lot of independent restaurants neglect their websites, so I would think calling ahead is definitely in order.  Silly thing for them to do since a lot of restaurant traffic is internet driven nowadays.

I used this app for the first time today and it's sure handy!!  You can customize it to search for things you do not want in your food.  I have mine set for gluten and low calorie.  I'm mostly worried about the chemical named things right now until I get more used to this!!  It pegged items that it should have-meaning they have gluten in them.  It brings up a summary of the product and if it is a match for you or not.  It has a nutrition tab that brings up the food label--which is nice because some of those labels are TINY, and a list of ingredients--It highlights in red the food you do NOT want and if there IS something you want in a food, it would be in green.  I scanned some bread just to see what it would say and it flagged it to avoid and then in the ingredient tab, highlighted flour and wheat.   

Go ahead and once the app says something is safe, pull out your magnifying glass and read it yourself.  Ingredients change (I miss a certain brand of pho noodles that used to be gluten-free-caught me by surprise) and you don't want to accidentally get glutened.  It is nice though that it picks out bad ingredients so you can scan and then chunk it back on the shelf in a few seconds.

That location wasn't on the list for early on. And I don't always carry my gun with me. I've got another place in mind for an early on picnic....found a hidden waterfall today on the route I was on. :-)

That is romantic!!! I want my husband to take me to a hidden waterfall!!!!

I think that while getting diagnosed can be very helpful, you have to think of the pros and cons of an official diagnosis.  If you are in school and need a dx for accommodation, need to know your genetic risk for your offspring, need a dx for follow up testing, etc then it can be a good idea to do a diagnosis.  However, in your case, since the symptoms are interrupting your ability to perform your job, and hurting your employment status could derail a lot of things, it may be a good idea to put it on the back burner for now.  You could set a goal of saving up time off from your job/money and in a year or two, take some time off and do your gluten challenge if it is still something you want to do.

If you are totally set and secure to have a job when you are done with the 6 weeks, it is a good idea to do it now because scheduling in something like that may stay on the back burner forever once you have a lot of stuff going on.  If you are like me and would stew with anxiety from now knowing that could be another incentive.  But unless you are not going to screw up your life by taking time off, I would go ahead and just go gluten-free now and address testing later.

I got one of those when I was diagnosed and it was so awesome and helpful!  Lots of good literature along with some samples.  You have to give them your doctors info and permission to verify your Celiac diagnosis before receiving it.   I assume that is to stop the freebie hoarders.  Here is the link:

Open Original Shared Link

Ugh, I feel bad for you to have been stuck in that position.  I totally understand.  Honestly, when it comes to getting "glutened", everyone is different.  I don't get conclusive symptoms after accidentally ingesting it, and some people get violently ill.  But either way, damage is still being done to the small intestine, so some people have smaller reactions when they get smaller amounts, but not always.  Since you are newly diagnosed and still healing, think of it as peeling off a scab before it is ready. (sorry if that is gross!) It will take a bit to smooth out.

Getting to know your own cycle of symptoms upon gluten exposure is a good thing to do, you may even want to journal your symptoms and after a few times you will know what to expect after you realize something went wrong and is already in your tummy.  Hopefully a few others will add how they deal with glutenings on here, but just eat plain whole foods like chicken, rice, and veggies until you feel better so you don't aggravate your upset system.  

That's funny you say catholic, I was raised catholic. But it's a baptist church (and I'm not gonna start the religion convo either). But she sings with the band, so she has to put up her microphone and such afterwards (and the pastor tends to get a little long winded sometimes)

Go offer to help her put up her stuff!

** Laura was posting as I was writing.  We said the same darn things

Get out of my brain!!! 

Welcome, Lorrie!  

Good news first, is that especially with you having not been 100% gluten free, being gluten-free for only a few days is not going to make a big impact on your tests.  It takes a long time for antibodies to go away and for the gut to heal up.  Second, did you get a copy of your lab results?  If you would like to share them here including the given reference ranges, we can help you make sure something wasn't missed.  You can ask for a copy of the results if you don't have one.

For now, you only have two weeks left of sticking through eating gluten, and I really hope you are able to get some conclusive results with the endoscopy.  I understand the emetophobia (fear of vomiting), as I am not on the phobia level but will avoid vomiting because I hate it so much.  Do the best you can with what you have for now, and after the endoscopy you can go gluten-free if you feel like it will make an immediate difference for you.  But it is important to make sure all the diagnostic blood tests are done before going gluten-free.  

Let us know how the scopes go, and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

What has you out on the road, are you a professional driver?  Some of the people on here gush over their Coolatron brand coolers, I am waiting for an excuse to get me one.  They can hook up to your cars charger spot and keep food cold/hot, some models have a regular plug in option as well.  Get some gluten-free bread, or if you are not in a place to toast things, some corn tortillas, throw on some lunch meat and cheese, and voila!  I assume you are wanting to get to where you need to be and don't want to be stuck in some gross gas station bathroom when least expected so avoiding CC can pay off that way big time.  Bringing your own stuff if you can is also a bit easier on the wallet, it would probably pay for a nice cooler and supplies after a long trip.  They also make little personal ovens and crock pot type things that plug into your cigarette lighter spot, too.  Check out some of those big truck stops or look online for those.

Also, if you go by the same places over and over again, if you are going to take the risk of ordering a salad or something from an iffy place, getting to know the staff really pays off.  A traditional restaurant kind of place, you can get them to cook up some meat and veggies in a clean skillet, etc.  But that heavily depends on how accommodating the staff is.

Welcome to the forum, Hilary!  I checked out weetabix cereal... it looks like it is kind of a crumbly wheaty granola bar thing you stir into milk to make cereal.  Something I think may be similar to that is Udi's granola.  Can you tell us what country you are in, since product information and ingredients can vary across borders. If you are in the UK, it is possible they may have something coming out from that brand, but the best way to be for sure is to pull up the manufacturers website and use the contact info there to ask them. 

I would opt out of those places and stop at a gas station to get pre-packaged snacks.  If I am stuck somewhere without nourishment, most gas stations and convenience stores sell chips, string cheese, some kind of fruit, and may have at least one meal bar option that is safe.  How long are you on the road for- a road trip, or just gone for the day?  Pre-planning and taking your own edibles can be a real lifesaver, especially for those who are newly diagnosed and need to avoid cross contamination if at all possible.

The best solution then is to continue to eat whole foods, and when a gluten-free treat is in order, buy from the "good guys" we already trust - Udi's, Canyon Bake House, Against the Grain, etc.

I fully agree.  I will still go with a trusted brand over something questionable every time.

In a perfect world, they would be on things proactively, but that is usually not the case.  Generally a complaint has to be filed, takes them a while to look into it, they send a cease and desist, etc etc.   Just think about all those dangerous weight loss supplements that come out and make millions before the FDA throws the hammer at them... I speculate it will be a similar pace to that.  Of course, in the case of gluten-free mislabeling, there seem to be many smaller companies labeling their product with many claims with ignorance to what they actually mean, so hopefully most issues will not get to the point where the FDA has to force them to close, and it will be cleared up with the first contact.  

And, from what you claim to cook on the dinner thread, I would think a picnic,that you make, might be a fun second date. And it will be gluten-free.

This!!!

I was thinking picnic down the line actually. And I know of a few places. One in particular has this amazing view, but I have to figure out the police patrol first (it's way up in the mountains, curvy roads and 30 minutes from cell phone reception, but the police have to patrol it cuz there was a murder there a couple years ago). I just don't think the cops showing up doing a "let me run your ID" routine on an early date would be good.

Yeahh... can you carry handguns in Georgia for protection?  Don't know if murder point would be a good date location LOL

I don't live close enough to Houston to know which restaurants are good, but I know they have an active gluten intolerance group, and there is this awesome place there called Gluten Free Nation.  Open Original Shared Link  They are a dedicated bakery that also sells tons of gluten-free stuff in their store, they sell their products in HEB's and I have yet to try something bad.  I shop at HEB primarily here and I like their pie crusts.  Also, if you haven't checked out HEB's gluten-free selection, they have a good number of private label gluten-free mixes, brown gluten-free shelf tags that are easy to see, and any HEB brand item that is gluten-free will usually have the brown gluten-free logo on it.  In the meat section where they have precooked entrees, they have a handful of those that are gluten-free, it is really nice for when you aren't able to cook.

PF Changs seems a little high class for when you're dining alone. Maybe if I could get the courage up to ask this girl out, and her go with me up to chattanooga. But this time it's probably gonna be just me.

I always get takeout when I dine alone.  That way it isn't all awkward!

Have you had the genetic test done? That plus the biopsy may give some more clues

If she just spent months in another country, I assume she was doing some kind of work for the greater good?  Sounds like she is likely a good person who will be understanding.  Go ahead and ask her out!!!  No chickening out  

If you have a verifiable bacteria that needs to be killed, please for your and public health interests, take the antibiotic.  It takes strong stuff to kill nasty germs like that, but you don't want that hanging around any longer than it has to.

Since I am from another country, I cannot comment on ingredients, but I agree with the above comment that you are a great friend to be doing this and doing it right  I think your handling practices are as good as it gets.  The only additional thing I can think of, is beware of a dirty pot holder potentially touching the cake.  Just use a clean, thick towel.

I was diagnosed pretty much by accident after having an endoscopy done for stomach pain.  Eventually all the bloodwork also pointed to Celiac disease,   I never did have any of the major GI symptoms, however once going gluten-free after diagnosis my unexplained anemia cleared up.  Not all Celiacs get Diarrhea and such upon gluten exposure.  I am what is sometimes called a "Silent Celiac" who does not get outward GI symptoms upon accidental consumption of gluten, but I do have Celiac disease and it does cause intestinal damage.   Let us know what your testing shows.

Last time I just went into the booth part, didn't go to any talks or presentations.  Pretty much every major gluten-free brand is there with a booth with samples and coupons, lots of drawings, lots of edibles.  They have a bunch of speakers and presentations, those are especially helpful for people newly gluten-free.

I am a person who really does not enjoy the spotlight being on them.  It has taken me quite a while to get comfortable with the extra attention needed when I am in a food situation.  Just make sure you don't give into other's silly demands and eventually they will take you seriously and not make as much as a big deal about it, and with time it will also become more natural.