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Enertia trail foods has great freeze-dried stuff -- some of which is gluten free -- I really like the the El Capitan 3 bean chili.

Just a brief note about the fact that I just travelled for the first time since going gluten-free (boy, did I ever need to get out of town! But I was scared). I was only gone for a few days and mostly ate in at my friend's house, but I did take the Triumph dining cards out to dinner at a place called Mi Mexico (local) and then to Shells (this is a chain, isn't it?). Both times, the cards managed to get a great deal of good attention for our table -- the chefs came out to talk to me at both restaurants and the waitstaff was great. I didn't get glutened. My friend's family was super-impressed and (after some initial trepidation about the whole situation) now want me to come along any time they dine out!

e.

What we call "brain fog" is probably the end-result of a bunch of neurochemical interactions in the brain -- a dropping of endorphin levels, an increase in cortisol, etc..... -- so, from a scientific viewpoint, it's not that it's not recognized -- it's just that the science of brain chemistry is still really focused on specific chemical interactions that are hard to translate into clinical diagnosis of symptoms. If they could sample and measure the current state of someone's brain chemistry (like a blood test), there would probably be a lot clearer connection between what we're feeling and what's going on -- it would definitely be much easier to communicate about this stuff with medical personnel!

Don't worry too much Super Bellybutton -- my first three or four weeks were more like drug withdrawal -- I did have more energy, but my brain was still waaaay stressed out and I had a lot of trouble focusing!

This was on the front page of the local paper this morning -- I only had time to scan it, but I'm glad someone's posted about it because my only thought was -- "Wow -- if this isn't the ultimate example of treating the symptom and not getting to the underlying cause".

Having said that, I'm not sure whether this particular cancer is related to celiac or not -- anyone with more of a medical background able to weigh in on this?

There's another ingredient -- Mexoryl (sp?) -- that's actually more stable than the other chemical sunblocks -- it doesn't break down in the sun over a long time. It is not, however, yet approved by the FDA in the US. I once ordered a small tube of La Roche-Posay's Anthelios Fluide Extreme -- pricey because it was ordered from Europe, but it got my face through an entire summer of outdoor labor and backpacking in Florida.

taz --

I had to take about a month and a half away from running myself in order to get my weight back up -- it was really hard for me to stop pushing myself and relax, but I'm really glad I did because I was getting severely underweight and stressed out (My last big glutening took a bunch of pounds off -- that was before I'd discovered Immodium). That time helped me to build enough weight and bodily stability back up that I've finally been able to slowly work my way back into my regular running/weights/yoga routine (I did keep doing the yoga throughout, however).

I definitely felt the same anxiety about losing muscle mass that you've expressed -- and I did lose some, but it's coming back and I feel like the time off has helped me be more grounded for the long haul.

My blood tests supposedly ruled Celiac out completely -- however, I'd also been on a diet for years that only included gluten in limited quantities. The genetic tests did help me feel like I had more crediblity with my healthcare practicioners.

My understanding is that the gluten intolerance/celiac thing has partly to do with the lack of communication between different specialities in medicine. Celiac has long been recognized as a specific GI disease -- and it's possible that a GI doc who's been out of medical school for a while might not be current on the research that indicates the more far-reaching implications of gluten intolerance. So it's partly a matter of interpretation and definition and probably also professional egos getting in the way as well.

I do react to lactose in a way that's similar to gluten -- it's less intense and doesn't last anywhere near as long, but I still get the same components of anxiety/fatigue/malaise and then D the next day. This was one of the things that actually made me go ahead and get the Enterolab testing because I wanted to know for sure whether this was a casein or a lactose thing.

I do find that digestive enzymes help me with the dairy.

Another push for the Triumph dining cards -- there's one for Japanese cuisine and it covers all these specifics in both Japanese and English!

Interesting thing related to the Crucible -- there are historians who've made a really compelling argument that the hysteria over the Salem witch trials probably had to do with a contaminated grain supply -- the theory is that their grain (rye) was infested with ergot -- a fungus (I think?) -- which made the whole town have psychological symptoms like "distemper" and hallucinations.

I use Nars -- and I think that several of their products are worth the money in the sense that they're highly pigmented, come in large quantities and have very high quality.

I'm particularly fond of the "Copacabana" multiple -- which is a highlighter and the "Laguna" bronzer -- which is really the best bronzer I've ever used.

I think there's also a possibility that corporate sponsors -- particularly if they're big food companies that don't want to deal with the extra overhead of producing gluten-free products -- might not be so supportive of public exposure. I think this is why it's easier to pass celiac off as an allergy problem in the mainstream media -- otherwise, there would have to be a giant revolution in the way food is produced and processed in the US.

I do think the dining cards might be a great dating icebreaker -- but, then, I tend to be attracted to nerdy guys who love that sort of thing.

Tears! I was all excited and headed to my local Sephora store - tried out the Bare Essentials foundation only to be met with disappointment. No matter how much I put on, I looked the same - freckles peeking throughout. The sales lady agreed too! She said Bare Essentials is just a product that either works for you or not. Where to go now? My skin does better with theClinique, Estee Lauder, Lancome major brands than with the Max Factor, Revlons, Loreals and even Neutrogena. As for Avon and Mary Kay, don't even go there! I'd just be one big, walking pimple. I can't understand any of the dept. store brands' ingredients, though, and the sales counter ladies are totally worthless.

I happen to think that freckles are gorgeous, but I can understand if you're unhappy with them. You might try makeup from Laura Mercier -- the whole line is gluten-free and known for the "perfect skin" look. I only use the undereye concealer (don't wear any other base or coverage makeup), but I do love it.

I grant you a little bit more, but only if you also have a gluten free snack with it, like....... some........ice cream.

Edit:

Nevermind -- Ice cream sounds like a good idea.......

Sigh -- I know it would be better if I weren't in the aftermath of a breakup. Okay, enough self-pity for one day!

Ech -- my boyfriend and I had two bouts of food poisoning/stomach flu together over the duration of our relationship -- it was a real bonding experience.

One thing I've tried to use to help explain to people that there's an emotional component to my food reactions is to ask them whether they've had food poisoning -- I'll say "you know that feeling just before you have to run for the bathroom when you feel like there's something terribly wrong and you're going to die? Well -- my reactions are like that on a lesser scale -- the anxious panic hits first!"

I don't recommend this strategy, by the way -- it kind of makes people look all crosseyed at you.

I've thought about this one too -- partly because my brother is big on the "we'd all better learn to grown our own food" scenario (he's an ecological economist). All I can think is that -- should that actually be a necessity for me some day -- it's a whole lot easier to grow potatoes and beans in a home garden than it is to grow wheat!

I wouldn't eat the gluten -- not anymore.

I'm using Laura Mercier concealer and Nars lipstick, blush and bronzer -- both brands are completely gluten-free, according to the calls I made.

I swap between a Lorac lip polish and a Delux lipgloss over my chapstick.

I've been swapping between Aveda Sap Moss shampoo (gluten-free -- the conditioner isn't) and Dove -- using the Dove conditioner most of the time.

Well -- I've always had the "so thin people think I'm anorexic" problem, the dark circles (I'm a concealer addict) and fingernail ridges and paleness. At times, I was pretty clear that there was something decidedly wrong -- I went from being thin to having a gaunt face -- which I knew wasn't right.

I've also been a workout-person for the last eight years, so I think that people mistook some of the muscle mass for absolute health -- I know my ex-boyfriend did -- it makes me shudder to think about the fact that I was so sick at times and he found me so attractive -- or claimed to -- I think that was part of the reason he found it so hard to believe the celiac diagnosis and split.

I suppose that staff at Arby's has less of an incentive to really take this stuff seriously anyway -- that's been my thinking about fast food vs. other restaurants. If someone's paid minimum wage to work for a large, impersonal corporation under at least mildly degrading conditions they probably have some frustration to work out -- unfortunately, the customer who's asking them to account for unexpected details is probably an easy target.

My experience was that I started feeling better almost immediately, which wasn't a placebo effect, but that I still kind of fell back into malaise and other symptoms shortly thereafter as my body adjusted -- that was what compelled me to finally get ruthless about checking my vitamins, shampoos, etc..... -- Now, I continually feel better and better unless I get glutened or eat dairy without taking digestive enzymes.

Everyone here has been so supportive -- thank you so much. I actually think you may be the only group of people who could ever fully comprehend the weirdness of what's going on with my life right now -- the amazing fact that I've finally figured out what's wrong with me and that it's fixable.

I'm actually in the process of picking up the pieces too because the celiac symptoms had really prevented me from doing the things I needed to be doing -- I've been working on this Ph.D. for way too long partly because graduate school was a "safe" place to be sick and fatigued and still use my brain. I knew that there was something more going on because my ability to even use my brain was starting to be affected.

The irony of the relationship stuff was that -- well, he was aware there was something wrong with me too -- and he very much wanted me to get better. However, as with any relationship he's got his own issues -- the anger is a large part of it -- which I may have overlooked because there was so much focus on my being sick. He was too focused on my illness to really deal with his own stuff.

So, there you are -- I tend to approach this stuff from a scientific perspective, but the emotional reality is there too. Now that my brain is clear and I'm not having constant inexplicable mood swings, I see much more clearly what's going on with him -- right now, I mostly see him when we're at social events together and he's drunk -- or in the light of day, when he's angry and irritable and blaming me for everything. This is a guy I used to climb mountains with and canoe the Everglades with -- but he's really doing his best right now to push that part of himself away.

Yeah -- did I mention that I'm also a very verbal person and I tend to process things by endlessly writing or talking? I see my therapist tomorrow -- I can tell it's about time!

2nd on the Clif Nectar bars -- particularly the lemon one whose name I don't remember. I've been patiently waiting for the local market to restock them, but now I think I'm going to have to order some myself.

2nd on that last posting. I'm taking sublingual B total -- which has folate as well. I've noticed a remarkable difference in my stress levels.