penguin

Potato salad, cole slaw, and pasta salad can all be made gluten-free easily. Potato salad and cole slaw are naturally gluten-free, actually. I imagine pasta salad with tinkyada macaroni would be awesome!

I can't divulge my mom's secret dressing for these, but it's just mayo, mustard, vinegar, and brown sugar.

Otherwise, how about bbq chicken instead of fried? I love cold bbq chicken, it's great for picnics!

Or you could do fried catfish, I believe the Tony Chechierre's (I totally hacked the name) fish fry breading is gluten-free.

Oooh! And cornbread! Or gluten-free hushpuppies! YUM!!!

Can you tell I'm southern?

The good bacteria (what's in the probiotics) helps you digest foods in your GI tract.

When you have D, the bacteria gets flushed out and your GI tract is "off", you can be grumbly, irregular, etc. Same thing with antibiotics, because those kill all bacteria. That's why you get yeast infections on antibiotics, too. The good bacteria keep the yeast in check, and can't when they're killed off.

I'll preface this by saying I hate porkchops, but made this way it was ok.

My mom always crushed cornflakes and seasoned them with garlic salt and lemon pepper and then baked them. Almost as easy as shake n bake and just as good, if not better. Just use gluten-free cornflakes!

Personally, sadly, dishearteningly, any amount of gluten makes me feel like crap. I've felt like crap for the last three years, and I don't want to see anyone else feel like crap either.

You may have a threshold, but don't expect it to stay the same. The more gluten-free you are, the more sensitive you'll realize you are.

This is from Wikipedia:

Lactic acid in food

Lactic acid is used in a variety of foodstuffs to act as an acidity regulator. Although it can be fermented from lactose (milk sugar), most commercially used lactic acid is derived by using bacteria such as Bascillus acidilacti, Lactobascillus delbueckii or L. bulgaricuswhey to ferment carbohydrates from sources such as cornstarch, potatoes or molasses. Thus, although it is commonly known as "milk acid", products claiming to be vegetarian or vegan do sometimes feature lactic acid as an ingredient.

I could never wrap my head around keeping a dairy product out on the counter though (esp because of my mom, she even kept PEANUT butter in the fridge. I think she was a little paranoid about spoilage.)

My mom always keeps her butter on the counter, and none of us ever got sick from it. We always always buy salted butter. The only spoilage issue I've had is when the dish got left open and the cats licked it, LOL

I keep mine in a butter boat, but it's more for DH's comfort because I know it won't hurt me!

Baking recipes call for unsalted butter, but it really doesn't matter, just reduce the amount of extra salt in the recipe that you put in. Besides, unsalted butter picks up the flavors of the fridge easier, YUCK!

I think we're getting too paranoid about things spoiling so easy nowadays...

How the heck did you get the peanut butter out of the jar

I called the Randall's people and since it's Safeway, the chickens are gluten-free, and they only have one flavor to worry about. Excellent! She's also sending me the Safeway gluten-free list. More excellence!

For any of you that may be in Texas or some parts of Louisiana, the HEB customer service lady is checking on the status of their chickens for me, so I'll keep y'all posted!

Thanks for all your help!

I would reccommend that you NEVER substitute vegetable spread OR margerine for butter. I'd bet money that it was the vegetable spread, it's not good for baking.

Personally, I don't believe that vegetable spread or margerine is good for anything, but that's just me.

Especially doing it gluten-free, butter is important. Butter flavored shortening can be used, however, if you can't have dairy.

Chelse, I'm sorry you have it too, but it is good to know someone else has terrible pains, God they put me on the floor!

what drugs have you found to help, if any?

hugs, Betty

Right now I have Bentyl (antispasmodic) and phenergan (but dear God don't take them at the same time!)

I take the bentyl if my stomach feels like it's going wierd on me, and phenergan when the pain is at it's worst, or at least bad. I take the phenergan suppositiories because I can't keep pills down when that happens.

Otherwise, they've given me vicodin or demerol. Demerol knocks it out almost immediately, but it's a bit too much of a controlled substance for me (usually got that in the ER). The vicodin worked, sometimes, and it usually took at least 2 doses to get it under control. Usually knocks me out for at least a day when it happens.

My current drugs have worked best for it when it happens. I still don't know what causes it, there's no rhyme or reason to it. I've only had it once since going gluten-free (but it's only been about 2 months) and that was a week into it. We'll see when it happens now (hopefully not at all!).

I would like to re-emphasize that my personal concern is not short term symptoms (that is important but secondary). My concern is long term ramifications of less than strict gluten avoidance. I can regulate it to whatever controls my bowel symptoms and that will be just fine (I'm not saying I am going to do this, but just thinking about it). If I am at risk for other problems by doing this, then it is not wise. I don't believe there is clear evidence of what this type of approach to diet will do to long term risks of osteo or intestinal lymphoma which are my chief concerns. And again this is my own personal assessment for my own body. I am not advocating anything just letting my thoughts out to stimulate discussion.

Here's an article you may find interesting in regard to autoimmune diseases: Open Original Shared Link

And here's an article on malignancy and celiac disease:

Open Original Shared Link

Misery loves company, and that is true of autoimmune diseases. Long term with untreated Celiac, you're more likely to have other autoimmune problems like RA, diabetes, thyroid problems, etc.

Other long term problems? Sterility, dental enamel defects, periphreal neuropathy (there are those on here that feel like they're walking on stumps), chronic anemia, malabsorption, hypoglycemia...the list goes on. There's also a chance that your villi will become so damaged that they don't heal, even after being gluten-free. Nevermind osteoperosis and the lymphoma. I believe you're at higher risk of other bowel cancers, as well, not just the lymphoma. You'd know more about that than me, considering you're an oncologist.

The thing about dietary control by sympotoms is that you will never know how the gluten is affecting you. You don't know how much damage you have to do to cause symptoms. There are those out there that were asymptomatic and were tested only because of chronic anemia.

Also, I would be afraid to walk that line, because you ingest one microgram above your tolerance and you get sick. You never know how much the gluten affects you if you're never totally gluten-free. It's hard enough to do this diet without purposefully glutening yourself, because while we all strive for totally gluten-free, there is plenty of cc that happens. It's part of life in this day and age.

Here you go:

Open Original Shared Link

Hope that helps!

I thought it was kind of funny, funny enough to pass on to my mom and DH.

If she's poking fun at those of us with those problems, so be it. Until a couple of months ago I thought people that said they were "intolerant" to things, especially gluten, I thought they were hypochondriac nutjobs. To me, the gluten-free thing seemed like another health fad. How's THAT for irony?

Lucky for me, crow is naturally gluten-free. As is the egg on my face. Not so sure about humble pie, though.

Give it more time, it'll become mainstream...

mines more than annoying..stomach pain, its terrible..no one else gets severe pains?!

I do! It's like digesting glass, or like my stomach is trying to eat itself. The only thing that helps is the fetal position and lots of drugs. I don't consider that an annoying symptom.

I consider it to be beyond adjectives...horrible, awful, terrible, atrocious, dreadful, excruciating, frightful, and appalling.

Sorry you get the pain, too

where do you get the lundberg rice cakes?

I've seen them at Sun Harvest (Wild Oats), Whole Foods, Randall's (Safeway), and any other small health food stores I've been to.

They're good, too! They're heartier and have a better texture than quaker.

I was with friends this weekend, and as we were eating brunch at this restaurant, one of my good friends said, "well, if gluten is such a big deal, then why weren't you sick all the time?" I said that I was sick all the time for the last three years, and that I was very good at hiding it. Even DH didn't know until I did the testing. She knew I was sick some of the time, but she gave me the three headed look. I think she thought I was going overboard, exaggerating my symptoms, and being a hypochondriac.

Luckily (not for me but it proved my point), I got glutened. I got halfway through my meal and started getting the stoned, face numb thing. Everyone else knew something was wrong almost before I did. I was in a lot of pain by the time we left, so I think she's convinced since she saw it happen

It sucks that that is what it took, but once your family sees you sick, they'll have a better outlook.

I do have a boston market near me, it's just so dang expensive.

I forgot a grocery store, we have an Albertson's too.

Thanks for telling me about Sam's!

I guess I'll have to call the store and ask what brand their chickens are...

Oh, and while I'm at it, do you know anything about the "spreadable" butter? It's butter mixed with canola oil so that it doesn't get so rock hard in the fridge.

Salted butter can't go rancid (the beauty of salt) so it's fine in a butter dish on your counter, keeping it room temp and spreadable. I think it's good for a couple of weeks that way. If that makes you nervous, try using a butter bell or butter boat...

Open Original Shared Link

The bells work particularly well for unsalted butter, since that can go rancid VERY quickly, even in the fridge.

I like your wedding picture? When did you get married? I got married this past January 7th.

Thanks

We got married July 15th of last year (hah, took me a minute to remember the date, stupid brain fog!)

Hope you find a good anti-nausea drug!

Is phenegram a script you must get from your doctor? What do you mean "but knock you off your butt"? Are they really strong anti nausea supps? Can you still function on them? Or are you gone fore the day...a lost cuase?

It's a script. I've never taken it when I would otherwise be functional (I only take it for the glass pain and I'm down for the count when that happens) but it makes me nice and sleepy. I think it affects everyone differently. One time I took them and managed to get to work, but I wasn't too functional, my tummy still hurt

If you're on antispasmodics and get the phenergan, make sure you don't have them both in your system at the same time. Holy crap I slept for almost 24 hours!

I thought I remembered a thread about rotisserie chicken at grocery stores, but I couldn't find it...

I'm really wanting to just buy a chicken tonight since DH is working late and I don't want to cook, does anyone know if at least some/most are gluten-free?

The stores I have available are:

Randalls (they are a Safeway division and use their generics)

HEB

Whole Foods (please don't make me go there, I don't want a $300 chicken )

Sam's Club

Central Market (see whole foods)

Thanks!

Like a hypoglycemic--the reaction to sugar--their bodies OVER-produce the insulin response. Interestingly, a large number of us are hypoglycemic, too. Maybe we should do a survey. How many have severe reactions to gluten and how many are hypoglycemic? There is obviously a severe sensitivity in certain people and the reason is??

You know, one of the biggest things that went away was the hypoglycemia, but if I get glutened, it comes back a little bit. It's wierd to feel hungry like a normal person. I have read that hypoglycemia is a symptom of Celiac. Makes sense to me.

I cant believe there are suppositories for nausea... I think I would rather stick to a pill form! Butif need be I might try one of the suppositories.

Makes sense to me, I have them because I have glass-digesting pain at times and can't keep anything down long enough for it to absorb!

There's nothing worse than throwing up partially dissolved pills, YUCK! Sticking something up my butt is much better than that

Doctors give them to people with migranes a lot, they work, but knock you on your butt!

Hey,

I was just wondering if anyone knows if the Quaker mini rice cakes in the cheddar flavor are gluten free- I didn't really see any problem ingredients but I just want to make sure.

Thanks!

Jennifer

Quaker says that NONE of their products are gluten-free because they process so many other grains. Sorry.

I love love LOVE the scouts thing! What a great idea! (I'm not biased or anything )

Even with a "normal" troop, they'd be ok probably. I know with my own scouts, they're really understanding about the health problems other people have. They may be in the minority, since one of the scouts' dad has ALS and they've been dealing with that since daisies, but scouting tends to breed tolerance. You may even have them go to other troops and educate others about various allergies and diseases (especially in juniors and up as a bronze, silver, or gold award project).

And the cooking badges are SO much fun! I believe strongly that kids should learn how to cook from an early age, celiac or not, because you're going to have to eat every day for the rest of your life.

My 4th graders did theirs on an overnight and I split them into 3 teams: a dinner team, a snack team, and a dessert team, and everyone cooked and everyone cleaned (but the cooks didn't clean their own meal). They did everything themselves, from chopping to sauteeing. Make sure you give the scouts trust, my co-leader squirmed at the thought of 9-10 year olds handling large knives for chopping and slicing, but they did just fine. We don't give kids enough credit for what they're capable of!

OK, now I'm done with MY anti-rant I just get so excited about scouting!

Man, all of the stuff I miss when I'm gone for the weekend!

Welcome, Radman! So glad a dr. is on here!

You'll find that many of us are adamant because life before gluten-free SUCKED! I feel lucky that I only had problems for 3 years before dx. I'm also glad that doctors aren't throwing narcotics at me any more for stomach pain. When you're doubled over with pyloric spasms and can't function, something is seriously wrong! Try telling a gastroenteroligist that when you're only 20.

After a week totally gluten-free, I get scary reactions to gluten, and it doesn't matter if I eat a stack of pancakes or if a molecule of the flour from the pancakes make it into my hashed browns, my reaction is still the same. People treat gluten like an allergy because for a lot of people it behaves like one. Personally, I'm stoned, sweating, and have a pounding heart in 10 minutes. And then the cramping and depression starts. It's scary, especially if I need to drive, speak, walk in a straight line, etc. Other people notice something is wrong almost before I do. And I'm not allergic to wheat, in any way shape or form, but the immune system is still in high gear.

And seriously, you'll notice the brain fog going away when you're gluten-free. Sometimes you don't know how miserable you were until it's gone. It's like a toothache, you don't realize how much it hurt you all the time until you get it fixed. I do a little dance when I have a normal bm, it's ridiculous.

I have an incredible respect for doctors, since many in my family are/were in the medical profession as nurses. Even though you're an oncologist, you're still a doctor, and you should be respected as such. I respect you because you're doing the research, which is more than many doctors are really willing to do.

Stick around, the best way to know how to deal is to learn from those that came before us.