penguin

I had the LEEP and the worst part was the anesthetic (it makes you feel like your heart is going to sprint out of your chest!). You also kind of "give birth" to alien babies as the cervix heals, and don't wear any good underwear for at least a week. It's a piece of cake

Yes, half the effort is better than none. Unless the restaurant serves only 100% gluten-free food....they cannot guarantee that your food will be 100% safe - gluten-free menu or not! What OSI is doing is giving you the opportunity to see what they serve that contains no gluten - they are not guaranteeing that you don't have the risk of CC. (Just read the fine print ON their gluten-free menu!!) They are trying to be helpful. It's not fair for us to complain all the time to them about getting sick - they are doing the best they can to help a tiny minority out. And never forget that we ARE the minority. It is not their fault (or anyone's) that we have Celiac Disease....we can't place the blame on them for doing their jobs in a busy restaurant that never claimed to be 100% gluten-free in the first place. They have busy restaurants to run...and chances are they might serve One celiac person once a week. Most companies try their hardest to make sure you have a good experience....that doesn't mean they can keep you from ever getting sick - especially if you're really sensitive. I'm still sticking to my opinion that complaining about it does no good!

Any restaurant chef or manager worth his salt will want to know, and will care that a customer had an unsatisfactory experience. I don't think anyone has ever said that eating at places like outback is not without risk. Eating for celiacs any time is a risk. I also don't think anyone blames the restaurant when we get sick, they don't live like this day to day so how are they going to know. It's not necessarily complaining, it's just letting them know for future reference. Maybe the toast went on top of the shrimp and they thought that it was ok to just take it off. We realize that they provide the gluten-free menu as a courtesy.

Complaining does no good, huh? So what if a non-celiac customer has a problem? If they complain about an overdone steak or underdone salmon they should shut up about it because the kitchen made some effort? That is the worst business strategy you could have. What if you're on a weight loss diet and a restaurant has a light menu? What if your steamed veggies come out deep fried and smothered in dressing? Should that person not complain that she was served fattening food because she is in the minority of customers? Restaurants are there to serve their customers, and aren't as high and mighty as you might think.

Would we really be better off if there were lots of restaurants that think that they are capable of providing gluten-free food on request, but aren't? That's what would happen if we encourage restaurants to offer gluten-free meals but never give them any feedback as to how they are doing. It's a learning process for them, too.

Is half an effort any better than none? Are you really any less sick because the restaurant "tried", though they didn't know what they were doing?

I agree. I tell them how they did either way. There's good reasons restaurants have comment cards. Do you think they quit trying to be polite when people complain their servers are rude?

Well, for what it's worth, the corporate Outback lady said they want to know either way, because the restaurants are still learning.

I'm sorry, why is adding minerals a problem?

C-I must have been away when the results came back in for your biopsy-sorry you didn't get the screaming positive you were hoping for.

I suppose it doesn't really matter as Gluten clearly isn't the food choice for you!!(and your doc supports that)

How's the anaemia now you're G.F again?

Good to here you've lost 10 pounds already.You'll be back to your old svelte self in no time.

I did WW a couple of years ago-how many points are you on?

Evening all to fellow residents

I'll let you know how the anemia is in a couple of weeks when I do the blood test again, I doubt it will be good, because toward the end there my stomach was too upset all the time for vitamins and is just now calming down.

Haha! Svelte! I have another 35 to go after I reach my "svelte" weight. Right now I'm at 24 points with 35 weekly points. Not too bad.

Beware of DASANI it is NOT WATER. They migt telll you it's water. But read the ingredients.

Try DISTILLED WATER if you are reactive to spring water...

It is water, but they add minerals and a little salt.

Vance's Dari-free, it's made from potatoes.

But Chelsea - don't you have HYPOglycemia? You need sugar/starch, right?

I have HYPERglycemia. My fasting blood sugar is naturally high, but not so high as to classify for type 1 diabetes.

Either way, hypo-, hyper-, I think it's all about balancing your carbs, proteins, and fats - right? Just maybe at different ratios?

- Lauren

I have hypOglycemia.

But the treatment for both is the same, you end up with the same kind of diet. You probably have to worry more about your sugar consumption than I do, though. I would have a really rough time balancing out my protein and carbs if I couldn't eat meat or gluten, FWIW.

Nancy,

Because of the recommendation of so many people on this board, I checked this book out from the library. I didn't finish reading it yet, but I just don't think it would work for me, as I am a vegetarian. I really like the idea of going back to whole, natural foods.... but then that craving for ice cream strikes. And seeing as I need to gain weight anyway, I usually indulge. I do like eggs, cheese, yogurt, etc., but I definitely don't think the paleo diet would work for a vegetarian- even lacto-ovo types.

Does anyone else feel like they NEED at least some starch? I don't know if it's really my body "wanting" balance, but I don't feel well just eating protein either. I crave lots of starches, but I know it's just not good for my hyperglycemia. Ughh, I know I need to take better care of myself, though...

- Lauren

I have issues if I don't eat starchy stuff at least once a day, worse if I don't eat enough protein.

Maybe someone who's more knowledgeable about history can tell me, at what point in time did lawmakers decide logic was irrelevant?

Around the same time humans started walking upright.

p.p.p.s. Tomorrow, I am going to Austin, Texas for the OSU game. Go Buckeyes!!!!

As an Austin citizen, I'd like to warn you about the traffic. And the fans. I don't have any intention of leaving my house tomorrow, too dangerous!

Make sure you go to 6th street!

Maybe I'll wear my red BEAT TEXAS shirt and see what happens

I sent a letter.

I just use cumin, onion powder, chili powder, and garlic salt. Works for me, and tastes as good or better than the packets

It's a shame that your sister's experiences would make you worried about pregnancy. Every person and pregnancy is different. A narrow pelvis is also not an indicator of a body's ability to birth, because ligaments loosen and are designed to stretch...I'm only 5'3" and have a narrow pelvis too, and had an almost 10 pounder with little trouble. The bigger issue for me was since I'm so short, I don't have a lot of room to carry big babies, and tend to have malpresentations (breech, asynclitic, compound presentations)...plus I get as big as a house during pregnancy.

Michelle

I'm not worried about pregnancy at all! Big babies run in the family...I know I won't have little babies, that's all.

I did a challenge, 3 months, loads of gluten everyday for a biopsy. I have no doubt in my mind that celiac is the problem (and neither do my doctors), but I had the biopsy to see if I was doing damage and to rule out anything else. EGD's aren't only for celiac biopsies. My doctor advised being gluten-free anyway since I have a positive dietary response. It's a personal decision everyone has to make and I did the challenge and had the biopsy even though everyone on here told me not to and I'm glad I did, even though it came back normal (some irritation on the SI), and I was sick for 3 months.

What you do with your body is your business...good luck, and I hope it's not too terrible!

Michelle

Yes, it can happen, but it's usually due to other medical issues such as gestational diabetes. Even then, I know of mothers who had 11 pound babies vaginally.

Michelle

My sister couldn't deliver vag. She's 5'2'', with a narrow pelvis. She had two 11lb babies, and never even went into labor with either of them, because they couldn't drop far enough. She never even dialated. She did not have gestational diabetes, we just have huge babies in the family. My grandfather was over 11lbs, and my brother's twins were 6lbs EACH (they were vag).

My sister did have one baby that was "normal" sized at 9 lbs, and even went into labor! She opted for the c-section, though. She wasn't supposed to get pregnant again, because the first two took such a toll on her body. The second one nearly broke her hip, and the third one gave her a hernia. She's just too little to have such giants. I'm not looking forward to pregnancy, I'm 4 inches taller than her!

My celiac testing (blood) was $600ish. My insurance covered all of it, though.

Man, that was so a recipe that will ruin my life, thanks!

I have the cuisinart one, I hate it and I'm craigslisting it. It burns gluten-free bread and isn't great at mixing the tempermental gluten-free breads anyway.

Since gluten-free bread "dough" is more like batter anyway, I mix it in my stand mixer and bake it in the oven. At the end of the day, it's a lot less effort.

Obviously, this idea does not jive with they many, many people that clearly have harmful gluten sensitivity. So here the medical system is in a major pickle.

Anybody interpret his opinion differently? Anyone agree with his opinion (I suspect not)?

Welp, my blood tests were inconclusive, biopsy normal, and both my general doc, my allergist, and my GI doc want me gluten-free because I have a good dietary response. Go figure. My GI doctor and his PA have gone to Dr. Green's seminars and they still think that, so there ya go. Although, I've heard my GI doc has a wife with celiac, so who knows. I'm lucky!

No, I haven't had a biopsy but Im considering it. Its DH though, there can be no doubt about that. I get it after I ingest gluten, intensely itching, burning rash that ....anyways, you have to have it to know it.

I dont just get DH though, I have the whole gastro thing too and I can also tell by my stool when Ive ingested gluten. However, at this time, it is the DH that is the most difficult to deal with due to the intense intchiness of it. It starts out as little pustules that errupt and its extremely itchy. Then the itchiness turns to an intense burning feeling. It occurs on both sides of my body...its textbook DH. (I really hate having to explain it though...if you had it you would know it). Im not here to prove that I have DH if you have doubts that is your issue. (dont take offense, just if you had it you would know it). People who ask - 'is this DH' dont have it, because its really not like any other rash on the planet, and the fact that it comes out after eating gluten is like ...DUH. Its not rocket science people! Why do some people harp on "official" diagnosis? When we all know that the majority of doctors cant even diagnose celiac disease or DH. I have been to many doctors during my life and did anyone diagnose me?? Yet now Im suppose to prove to whoever that I have been suffering from 'x' symptoms. Dont you realize you are doing the same thing that ignorant doctors do. Instead of you educating yourself, and knowing the diseases, you acuse other people of being ignorant about their own condition! And as for dapsone, its a drug okay, the only thing that is going to get rid of DH is the absense of gluten! Its not rocket science people! Only an idiot takes a drug, or prescribes a drug for something whos remedy is the elimination of a substance. Sure, you can take a drug to emmeliorate the symptoms, but its an illusion if you think its helping you.

You should know how irritable and crazy a glutenate person is, and dont you think its not frustrating for everyone? You obviously dont have DH and thats great, but do you appreciate it when someone says to you - 'oh, are you SURE you have celiac disease?'

No offense either, but you did irritate me with that question and I know this post will be offensive so whats the point in saying 'no offense'? If you have to say to someone 'no offense' then you know your post is offensive!

Im posting to this board because im frustrated that I haven't been able to find the gluten source! Ive had many sleepless nights due to a very uncomfortable rash not to mention the irritability and constipation and bloating and everything else that comes along with gluten. Then to be questioned by someone on this board about an 'official' diagnosis is enough to make a person upset. If I did decide to get biopsies and make myself as sick as a dog for months, for an 'official' diagnosis, it would only be to shut up annoying people like you who always ask 'did you get that officially diagnosed?'.

Im sorry to post this vehemence but sometimes you just have to tell people exactly what you think. If anyone else is insensitive I claim the right to be insensitive right back!

OK, listen lady, let me tell YOU what I think. I am trying to help and so is everyone else. Everything in your diet IS gluten-free, and you don't think it's the dog food making you sick. I was simply trying to see if there is ANYTHING else this rash could be on you, and you jump down my throat about it. I don't know you, I've never seen this rash you're talking about, and you think that I'm judging you. I also haven't read a post you've made where you have discussed this rash so how the hell am I supposed to know. I don't have DH, but I understand DH, thank you very much. I'm not judging you, I'm trying to help you.

I could really care less if anyone on here is formally diagnosed, if the diet makes you feel better regardless of your clinical presentation, then great. I have absolutely no question that you have celiac and a problem with gluten, and I don't know how you construed otherwise. I asked about Dapsone because it helps people, especially in the beginning of the diet, to heal and cope. I in no way think that people with DH shouldn't be gluten-free, or that they should be on Dapsone forever, and I take insult at you thinking so. I take insult to your whole post, actually, but that's beside the point. There was no reason for you to attack someone who was trying to get more information to help you. My mistake for trying.

I'm sick just like you so you should really back off. I didn't walk into a doctor and they immediately knew what was wrong, I've been sick a very long time and you should respect that, because I respect you and your illness. My bad for trying to help you get better.

I sub sweet rice flour in a regular gravy recipe.

That works well, also. Sweet rice flour is more glutenous (not in the WBRO sense, just as a starchy grain) so it has good thickening power and smoothness.

There are no laws regarding gluten-free in the US, there's not even a definition. There will be laws on the books by 2008. The european definition is the Codex standard of 200ppm.

Maseca is gluten-free and I've used it with no problems at all.

Please don't take offense to this, but is your DH biopsy diagnosed? Is there anything else it could possibly be? Are you taking dapsone?

Yeah, my challenge and biopsy is long over! I've been on WW and gluten-free for almost 3 weeks! The biopsy came back normal, but the dr's want me gluten-free regardless...I live in the twilight zone

On the upside - Figured out that the horrible stomach pain is migraines (stomach hurts instead of head) so I'm on a preventative for that, and I've lost 10 lbs! WAHOO!!!

1/3 of the challenge weight gone, 2/3 more to go