LauraTX

you really can't go wrong.  Piling on pounds of cheese makes everything delicious 

Sriracha is gluten-free.  Thank god, or I would die of sadness.  LOL

After everything is in and the diagnosis is finalized, it is a good idea to get copies of all the labwork so your daughter can have them for future reference.  Some of the labs have different ranges of normals, but usually for the TTG IGA, over 4-10 is high, and from talking to people on here, their high numbers many times fall in the 12-30ish range.  (that is purely anecdotal, not scientific.)  Over 100 is very high, and usually for people whose numbers are that high, damage is really bad, and it takes a long while for the gut to heal and numbers to go down.  Part of the follow up care after diagnosis is checking on vitamin levels and some doctors check the TTG IGA periodically as well to make sure the patient isn't getting gluten into their system too much.  Since your daughters damage in the small intestine was so bad that the doctor could tell before getting the biopsy back, it will probably take her a while to heal.  Since her TTG numbers were so high, they will take a long time to go down, as well.  Here is a good explanation of all the blood tests: Open Original Shared Link

Check out the Newbie 101 thread if you already haven't (https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/91878-newbie-info-101/)

Some things to keep in mind when a diagnosis is first made are that many Celiacs are also lactose intolerant due to their villi in the small intestine being blunted, and it can clear up once they are healed.  So pay close attention to how she feels after consuming dairy and don't hesitate to go dairy free for a while.  ( Open Original Shared Link )  Since her damage was really bad, that while can be a year out, but healing is different for each person.  

Also, it is a good idea to avoid gluten-free oats for a while until the celiac is under control, here is a good article on that: Open Original Shared Link  You can add them back in once symptoms start to really resolve, at least three months wait.

The Open Original Shared Link website is the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, and they have a great website with tons of FAQs and resources as well.

Once the morning hits some of our more seasoned members will be on and certainly have more to add.    But the places I linked are great to start.

Welcome, Becky!  Those numbers definitely are very high, only a matter of formality to wait for an official Celiac diagnosis now.  There is a ton of good info here on just about everything.  Also a lot of people with kiddos who can give you advice on their similar situations.  This forum has been around for a long time, so if you use the search function to look up a topic or product, take note of the posting date, because especially product information can change over the years.  

Feel free to post about any questions!  

Then you just really need to see a doctor.  You cannot safely diagnose yourself with Cushings syndrome, and because it can be caused by serious illness, you need to get the root cause checked out.  As always, if you are not happy with what a doctor does, you can always change doctors.  The blog you linked to, while it could be helpful to patients properly diagnosed with Cushings, is very biased and written by a non-expert.  I would look elsewhere for reputable information.

If yours isn't as bad as the last pictures on that blog post, I highly suspect it could just be aging and body changes.  I, myself, have always had what I call the "Old white lady" shaped body, basically since maturity.  My waist size and my leg size do not match up -my waist is a size 16 and my legs are a size 12.  Now that I have been on prednisone for over a year for my lupus (finally now tapering doses down to go off), those disproportions have magnified.  But overall, I accept that I am just not going to look like the thin necked models out there in magazines.

If it would make you feel better to get thoroughly checked out, you can ask for specific tests to be run, and if your doctor won't do them, find someone who will.  However, whatever the outcome, you need to learn to accept yourself as-is or you are going to drive yourself crazy with worry.  Don't compare yourself to others in the looks department, that is not where you will find true happiness.  

I agree that digestive enzymes are not always necessary, and you just need to judge how they make you feel. You can try another brand, or just shelve the idea for now, but definitely go on how it makes you feel.  

I know the CVS brand are gluten free.  They have two kinds, there is a food intolerance one with higher enzyme amounts, and another one with not as much.  You can compare the amounts in your current brand to those, and if you want to try lower doses to start out, asses that and do what you think is best.

I find that a lot of people act supportive, but when you ask them to eat your gluten-free food they turn their nose up at it because people don't like eating things that are "different".  If you suggest a restaurant to eat at and they start to him haw about it, just tell them you all are going and that is it.  Don't say it in a way that gives them an option.  People, even ones who are familiar with gluten-free and the needs of a Celiac, have a perception that gluten-free is gross hippie food.  They need to just get over it.

 Doctors didn't tell me anything..just not to eat gluten...(I wish they would have at least told me more than that!)

I understand that, my doctor had the nurse tell me over the phone, and she said "look it up on the internet"  LOL.  I asked if they had anything and they mailed me an photocopied packet of stuff that was vague and not specific.  You are in the right place with us  We have some Canadians so hopefully they will chime in on this one.  Just take care to make sure any product information you look up is for the Canada side, there are some differences in the products and availability between you guys and the U.S.

Thanks kareng, I do like those too!  I was surprised to find that the cookie dough was gluten free.  I like to mix in some K-Toos certified gluten free cookies to make my own cookie ice cream too. 

I just eat the crap out of the cookie dough when I make cookies.  My Mother in law pitches a fit when she sees me do that!  LOL

Ok So this is how I make lasagna.

You can kind of work from this recipe: Open Original Shared Link

But What I do for a large crowd is buy two packages of lasagna noodles, two tubs of ricotta cheese (Do NOT put cottage cheese in lasagna that is gross! lol), about two pounds of loose italian sausage, 1.5-2 pounds of mozzarella, two jars of the best spaghetti sauce you can find, a 1/4 cup or so of water, and a tub of parmesean/romano/asiago blend cheese.  Also will need a full bulb of garlic peeled and ran through a garlic press (can use garlic powder to taste) , two eggs, a tablespoon of dried parsley, some olive oil, and a big foil roast pan.  (that way you can toss it and not scub off the baked on stuff)  With huge amounts of stuff, it won't fit in a standard pan, need something huge.

Boil the lasagna noodles, minus about two minutes so they don't get too soft when baking.  Drain them carefully, and lay them out in a container one by one, so they are flat and not going to break, coating each one in olive oil.

Cook up the sausage, adding half the garlic near the end so it cooks and doesnt burn, drain the fat, and put in a bowl.  Add a little of the parmesean blend when it cools enough.

You can leave the sauce in the jars if you go that route, just stir in 1/4 of the garlic into the sauces.  (If you want, you can make up your own sauce with crushed tomatoes and such, but I like to buy a high quality jarred sauce like Monte Bene garlic marinara)

Dump the ricotta cheese, half the mozzarella, the rest of the parmesean blend, the last 1/4 of the garlic, the parsley, and the eggs into a big bowl, and blend well.

Assembling the lasagna!-You can really do the layers any way you want.  The more layers, the more noodles you need, I tend to do two cheese and one meat layer.

Oil the bottom of the pan generously, then ladle some sauce in it to generously cover the bottom.  Put a single layer of noodles out, slightly overlapping them at the edges, since you want the bottom layer to hold up.  Dollop some of the ricotta mixture and spread evenly, then a single layer of noodles.  Spread all the meat on there, and ladle a good amount of sauce on it.  Add a layer of noodles, then the rest of the ricotta mix.  Make your top layer of noodles on that really pretty, trying to get the crimps on the outside edges and such, as that is what people will see.  Add the rest of the sauce on top and around the sides, trying to fill in any air pockets.  Get the 1/4cup of water and pour it just a tad in each of the corners, trying to get it down there a bit.  This is to reduce the hugely charred corners since you have to bake it a long time.   Top with the rest of the mozzarella!

I spray the underside of some foil with baking spray and bake it covered.  It will bake for around an hour at 375 F with convection, 400 F without.  Take the foil off for the last 10-15 minutes, and the center needs to be 160 degrees with a thermometer because there are eggs in it.  Carryover cooking will take it to 165.  

It is great to make it up and have it in the oven so the people you have over don't have to see you slaving away!  Just know if you make it ahead of time and refrigerate it, it will take a very long time to cook because it is like 5-6 inches thick.  For faster cooking you can make it into two 9x11 pans, but people love having that beautiful tall piece of lasagna on their plate.  I like to serve it with salad and chebe cheese rolls.  Non-GFers love those.

Edit: It is not made to be healthy, it is a treat meant to be shared.  Feeds about 12 with huge portions.

Naturechick, the OP hasn't been on and active for over a year.  

Are you on long term oral corticosteroids, such as prednisone?

What flavor of Talenti Gelato did you eat?  They only have a few that are basically fruit sorbettos that don't contain dairy.  Also, many glutino products have dairy in them.  Before you look into anything like the carb issue, you may want to eliminate oats for a time as Adalaide said, since some Celiacs cannot handle them, even after healing.  Also, be very careful and picky about trace amounts of dairy in products you eat.  A good company for dairy free frozen desserts is the SO Delicious brand which makes coconut milk ice cream.  

But do remember that even though us Celiacs have bona fide issues with gluten, not all our issues are caused by it.  It really sounds like you have some other intolerance that has yet to be treated through diet.

Are you talking about two separate issues, or do you experience food cravings as a result of eating contaminated food?

If you are talking about seeing something that is likely, and since you are unable to safely eat it, you crave it for the rest of the day, that sort of thing...

A good way to feel happier with your choice is to think of how ill you would have been had you eaten it.  Also, a lot of people learn to cook after a celiac diagnosis and will learn their favorite recipes that they can make themselves and safely gluten-free.  If you are going somewhere where food is being served, you can eat ahead of time so you don't have the temptation to eat CC'd food, and you can also bring your own food so you don't starve while staring at the delicious looking food.

Hi Shailluis and welcome to the forum!  Do note that the person who originally posted this thread hasn't been on in over a year and hopefully their issue has passed.

If you make a big thing of lasagna with Tinkyada lasagna noodles, it is the bomb, and no one will know it is gluten-free.  (There are other lasagna noodles gluten-free that I have heard are not good so caution!)  If you want my recipe let me know.  It is in my head so, I will have to think about it a hot minute!

When guests come over I also like to do things that are naturally gluten free, and therefore cheaper, like baked chicken, steaks, etc with mashed potatoes and corn or green beans, or any other veggie. I like to make oven baked chicken breasts, I bread them with gluten-free bisquik seasoned with seasoned salt.  Just sub the bisquik into any recipe for oven fried chicken.  That is also something you can prep before people come over and throw in the oven to have yourself free for other things.

For dessert, most gluten-free brownie mixes (other than bobs red mill cause they use bean flour) taste the exact same as gluteny brownies.  The dense texture makes it not matter if there is gluten in there or not.  My favorite brownie mix is king arthur flour, and pamelas is good, too.  I don't like chocolate chips in my brownies but otherwise the betty crocker mix is good, too.  If you want to save money and not have to buy a bunch of baking mixes, you can make one pan of brownies, cooked a little hard so they don't get soggy in this preparation, and make up some chocolate pudding and some whipped cream and make a trifle with it.  You don't need a fancy dish, you can just do layers of each in a bowl.  A clear bowl is prettier, though.  

An even simpler dessert to make is chocolate covered strawberries.  Just melt some chocolate chips in the microwave, and dip away!  You can do white chocolate, too, drizzle it on top to make them look pretty, etc.  

Also, most gluten-free cookie recipes taste like regular cookies, because the lack of gluten does not matter in a dense cookie.  But for non gluten-free guests I would avoid using bean flours, you don't want everyone tooting on each other!

Big Balls in Cowtown- Bob Wills

With only being in the gluten-free diet for 38 days, I would go ahead and do the gluten challenge for a proper biopsy if you can handle it.  Sometimes when people are really severely damaged, it still can show, but it would be a big waste of time to do a biopsy with the current diet and it be a false negative.  Having a solid diagnosis is something that you have to judge how much it means to you...  if you are going to have children it can really help them with knowing your health history solidly.  You are correct that feeling better on a gluten-free diet can take a long time, and if you feel your heart wouldn't solidly be in it, it sounds like you would be happier with a solid diagnosis.  

Check out this page at the University of Chicago for gluten eating recommendations prior to endoscopy:  Open Original Shared Link

They recommend 2 weeks for an endoscopy.  If you want to start now and schedule in an endoscopy, or wait to start until you get an endoscopy scheduled, either way just make sure you do it thoroughly.  Some places recommend longer.  If you want to be extra sure your efforts will not be in vain, you can do that.  

You also don't have to contaminate your kitchen or anything like that.  You can eat out, buy some premade items like pasta frozen dinners, donuts, just gluteny bread for sandwiches, that way any gluten-free kitchen changes you may have made will not be reversed.

There are some people who cannot handle a gluten challenge because their symptoms are too bad.  It is better to do it now early on in your healing than to want to do it later, but if for some reason you can't handle the full period consuming gluten the doctor can schedule the endoscopy sooner. 

Pure ground beef is gluten free.  However, once you start sharing facilities such as a butcher case, like the one at a grocery store near me where I do not patronize the butcher case because they have the breaded patties next to everything else, and they carry it over the plain meat.  Anywhere you go where employees need to be doing the right thing for food safety can be potentially unsafe when people do not do their job right.  It is the same reason why you are more likely to suffer from foodborne illness at a restaurant.  I read a recent study that said even though they are ran by professionals who know what to do to prevent foodborne illness, it generally comes down to people just not doing their job like not washing their hands after going to the bathroom, etc.

You just have to use your best judgement in all situations.  If your local grocer has a shady dirty looking butcher counter, and you can't see the back area or you can see it and it is filthy, you really shouldn't buy anything there, LOL.

Yep, the lasagna thing is a great idea, especially when it helps another gluten-free person as well!  Having the same kind of food as everyone else will make you feel more included.

I saw this snippet from University of Chicago and thought it would help here:

Open Original Shared Link

Wow, looks like they completely missed the diagnosis.  What a shame.

As someone who is pretty much asymptomatic, About 9 months after I was diagnosed, I had had one or two times where I had questionable GI symptoms, but couldn't necessarily contribute them to gluten.  I spoke with my GI doctor and immunologist about my anxiety over my inability to be by own gluten detection system, like many celiacs are.  So, my GI doctor told me I could go eat a gluten meal, just once, to try and gauge my reaction.  I thought about it for a long time, and I finally did.  Nothing acute happened.  Of course, I had terrible anxiety and the feeling that I was being very naughty, LOL.  At my next GI appointment I let her know the results of the experiment, and she told me that people's reactions vary, it isn't completely abnormal to have no outward symptoms, and that reactions can change over time, but not always.  She went on to say that, if in a few years I feel like I may be reacting to gluten, that could be repeated, but it is unlikely to change at this point.

As Karen said, eating gluten once to see what happens when you are trying to get a good understanding of your body and how it reacts is okay.  Obviously, don't use the lack of reactive symptoms to justify not being gluten-free anymore.  Do it at a convenient time where, if you end up trapped in the bathroom or sick, you will be okay.  And remember your kids may have different exposure reactions than you.  But of course, being kids, they will be likely to eventually verifiably get into something with gluten and you will know then.

I totally understand your anxiety of not knowing if something is truly gluten-free.  We can't buy only certified gluten-free products, and since the at home testing kits are pretty pricey, that probably isn't a reasonable option for frequent use.  However, if there is something you eat all the time, it may be worth it to buy a testing kit if the cost difference between products makes up for it.  But remember gluten content can vary in uncontrolled environments so it is also necessary to ask the manufacturer about their practices on a regular basis.

Time to count your blessings and be glad you were able to see how your BF handles hard situations before you moved in together.  If you feel like it is just squabbling, sometimes people argue over petty things when there is actually a much deeper problem.  If you really want to salvage the relationship, getting him info from a good source about CC is good, but I highly recommend you get him to see a relationship therapist with you to dig deeper to help resolve the problem before you make a life changing move.  You and your daughters health are at stake.

I recently picked up some Fiorucci pepperoni paninos at the store, they are little sticks of Mozzarella wrapped in pepperoni, pretty good.  The label looked okay, but I wrote them asking the gluten-free status of their products and got a reply  on June 17, 2014 that all their products are gluten-free.  They have salami, pepperoni, Prosciutto, pancetta, etc.  Apparently they are east coast based, but I bought my stuff at HEB in Texas.  Leaving this info here for others, since there was no current info online.

If you are reading this and a long time has passed since June 2014, you need to re-contact the company as ingredients can change with time.