penguin

If you go to house.gov, there is a space to type in your zip code to find your congressman and a link to his/her website.

So it's Ash Wednesday, and as much as I'm an admitted CEO (Christmas and Easter Only) Catholic, I do try to observe the big days of obligation. It's my plan to go to mass today, but I can't take communion, right? There's wheat in the wafers?

And fasting? Am I required to fast? I have some trouble with hypoglycemia, I've fasted before OK, but I don't know how my body is going to react since gluten free.

Any thoughts on this? I think the priest in my parish is probably busy today...

I had the bloodwork done and it came back false positive. Since the pcp doesn't give copies unless you pay a fee : I don't have the bloodwork .

thanks

mamaw

Your Dr charges for copies of your bloodwork? Is that legal?!?!

Suave must be owned by unilever. That was the same response someone got about dove products.

Can't remember if Zantac or Prilosec worked better for me. Know that on one list, it says that Nexium contains gluten -- took it for 90 days prior to my dx.

No wonder they didn't work for me...

I usually take stomach meds with tylenol, because there is usually pain involved. I've truly never really had anything work. Except the antispasmodics like bentyl (prescription)

Tagamet is good also, and keep in mind that you can take tums as well as one of the other meds if you really need to. Tums is just calcium

Hang on a minute...you had positve antibodies? All of them? Some of them?

And you had damage? Celiac is known (in antiquated terms) as NON-tropical sprue.

Your doc may not have had a flipping clue what they were talking about

Or if they did, the clearly did a poor job of conveying it...

And yes, a crumb can make you sick. Something gluten free that is made in the same place as something with wheat and, you can get sick.

If you feel better, keep on the diet!

I recently remarried and the wedding "cake" that we shared was ALL frosting!!!! Two good friends made the wedding cake for the glutened crowd and I had my dream cake.....all frosting. I have never liked cake except carrot cake, and have really only liked the frosting so for me this was a dream come true....my very own "frosting cake".

Wow, that gives me a cavity, headache, and stomach ache all at the same time!

Of course, all I remember about my wedding cake is the frosting, so maybe it's not a bad idea

I don't get headaches from drinking other brands of camomile (like Celestial Seasonings! yum)

I am not an expert in labelling, nor in food ingredients. So I sent my question (and Tetley's bizarre answer) to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. They were VERY interested in this situation.

Good call!

Oh my gosh- I had to laugh when I saw that! I did the gluten challenge for 2 weeks before my biopsy and didn't go for like 18 days. I ended up in the ER and they gave me that stuff. So, I took it the next day. Tried half a bottle. Nothing. Took second half of bottle. Nothing. Then about 4 hours later I thought I had to fart and all came out on the sofa. I hope i didn't gross anyone out but my husband and i were in hysterics. It''s like, I have C all the time but if I take anything it takes a long while to kick in and then it's just bad news all over!

Well that's a bonding moment for you!

When I get a gluten reaction, I get an achy pain in my back (where you describe) and also in my upper arms and thighs. The type of aches you might get with the flu. This lasts only a day or two.

That's what I get exactly, only in the neck and shoulders (and the back). I always thought I was getting the flu and I never did get it (knock on wood that I won't). Glad to know I'm not the only one.

Gluten Intolorance is a form of Celiac disease. Cheating once in a while is a personal decision. I do read what people write in these forums but I must admitt, I think I am old enough to make my own decisions. If it kills me, so be it. I will have died happy and on a full stomach.

If people decide to engage in behavior that may harm them because of what I write, I think that is their own choice.

Well, smokers continue to smoke until it kills them. Drinkers continue to drink until it kills them. Drug addicts continue to do drugs until it it kills them. How many of the people that said, "I don't care if it kills me" grasp at straws wishing to go back in time and take back all of those years of addiction on their death bed?

Like any other addiction, one has to realize they have a problem before they can let it go.

If you want to take the chance to die a slow, painful death with a colostomy bag, more power to you.

BTW: Celiac disease is a form of gluten intolerance, not the other way around.

If you have any chance of an ulcer, DO NOT USE PEPTO!!! Also, DO NOT use asprin, alka seltzer, advil, motrin, or anything with ibuprofen. They will make the stomach upset worse (I learned this the hard way, and now I can't take any of them)

Extra strength tums or rolaids with tylenol are probably your best OTC bet. You might want to call your doctor though and see if he can prescribe you anything. You can take prilosec OTC, but it'll take a couple of days to work. (if it does, it never did on me)

Hope you feel better

Hi all,

Yet another strange thing that can happen as a result of celiac

I've been glutened, and my kidneys hurt, or at least my back hurts suspiciously where the kidneys are. Ow. I've been drinking a lot of water and while they hurt the first week I went gluten-free, they don't usually anymore.

Oh, and I always drink a lot of water, so that's not different.

Could this be related to the glutening?

(no more scientific experiements for me )

Thanks!

Thanks for all the input--Zyrtec sounds like it must be pretty darn good!

Manna from heaven

I love salmon with hollandaise sauce. I make it from scratch and it is heavenly. If you eat eggs, you may try making some along with your salmon. I use the recipe in the joy of cooking.

It can be hard for some people to make, because the sauce can break very easily. It's all in the wrist

Here in Central Texas, single grocery store boxes of both cocoa puffs and trix have wheat in them still

I was at Sam's last night and the 3-pack trix/lucky charms/cocoa puffs had gluten-free puffs and trix

There was a whole thread about it recently

Open Original Shared Link

Here's a recipe from martha stewart for flourless chocolate cake

Open Original Shared Link

What many people don't know is that a lot of people are lactose intolerant due to the pasterization and homogenization of dairy. This kill all the enzymes we need to digest it. 50 years ago when dairy was not pasterized lactose intolerance was almost unheard of. Please go on the net and read about the benefits of raw dairy. I eat only raw cheese with no problems. But give me regular dairy and my stomach acts up. You can get raw cheese at whole foods - does not taste different - actually better. Raw milk can be found at local farms. Look on the net.

In the US, it's hard to find raw cheese, because it's illegal to sell cheese that is aged less than 60 days. Stupid USDA

Raw milk is legal to sell in a little over half the states...

Here's a site with a listing: Open Original Shared Link

Vitamin K is found in leafy vegetables, cheese and liver. It is also found in asparagus, coffee, bacon and green tea. I'd eat those if you can. It's also in yogurt, and there has to be dietary fat for maximum absorbtion.

It's probably not in any supplements because it's fat soluble, and it's harder for your system to get rid of extra. Extra vitamin K, like vitamins A, D, and E, are stored in the fat and can build up over time to toxic levels if you take too much.

An iron supplement would probably help you not bruise as easily, also, I imagine. Getting a little sun would help with Vitamin D.

Sorry if this is in the wrong place...

I was looking up info about pre-existing conditions and insurance, because I live in constant fear of not being insured. For no good reason, but still, you never know. I found this at about.com here:

Open Original Shared Link

HIPAA and Group Health Insurance

*Under HIPAA you cannot be denied group health insurance because of any health factors.

You can be denied coverage if you don't meet the eligibility requirements of your employer. Eligibility requirements may be based on the number of hours you work or whether you are an hourly or salaried employer.

*As a new employee you may have to wait a period of time before you can enroll in the health insurance plan. This is called a waiting period if it imposed by the employer, or an affiliation period if it imposed by a managed care organization.

*An employer can require that you must be at work on the day your health coverage is to begin unless you're absent due to a health factor. An employer can delay your coverage if you haven't yet begun work.

*If you or your dependents are covered under your spouse's insurance plan and he or she becomes unemployed, your employer's insurance company (if it provides coverage to spouses and dependents) must allow for special enrollment. The same applies if you need to add a dependent, i.e. the birth or adoption of a baby or marriage.

*If you have at least 12 months of continuous creditable coverage, a group health plan can't apply preexisting condition exclusions to your coverage. Creditable coverage includes most kinds of health insurance except health insurance that you had before a significant break in coverage (63 or more days in a row without health insurance coverage). During a preexisting condition exclusion period your insurer will not pay for treatment related to a preexisting condition but must pay for unrelated treatment.

*One employee can't be required to pay higher premiums than other similarly-situated employees. Similarly situated employees are those in the same employment category.

HIPAA and Individual Coverage

There are situations in which you might like to or need to purchase your own insurance policy. This may be the case if you can't find a job and any other coverage you have has expired. You may also be hired by an employer who doesn't offer a group health plan or you may decide to become self employed. It is generally not a good idea to go without health insurance. A catastrophic illness can decimate your life savings. Furthermore, if you are without health insurance for 63 or more days, you will lose some of your HIPAA rights and protections. HIPAA-eligible individuals are guaranteed the right to purchase individual coverage.

You are considered HIPAA-eligible if:

*you have had at least 18 months of continuous coverage without any significant breaks

*your most recent insurance was under a group plan

*you aren't eligible for coverage under another group plan

*your coverage wasn't terminated due to non-payment of premiums or insurance fraud

*you aren't eligible for Medicare or Medicaid

*you purchased and exhausted COBRA, Temporary Continuation of Coverage, or State Continuation Coverage, if they were offered to you

What HIPAA Doesn't Do

It doesn't require that employers provide group health insurance for their employees.

It doesn't require a company's health insurance plan to include family or dependant coverage.

It doesn't regulate the coverage group plans offer.

It doesn't regulate premium rates.

Additional Information About HIPAA

A break in insurance coverage of 63 days or more will cause you to lose some of your HIPAA rights and protections.

You can request a free certificate of creditable coverage from your prior insurance carrier; it will state the length of time you were covered by that carrier.

So I had too much time on my hands last night (it's the family joke that if I have more than 2 hours of free time, I'll bake something), and a hankering for chocolate. I also had just bought some flax meal and was looking for recipes to use it in. I don't know why I wanted brownies, I don't like chocolate, and I've made brownies 3 times in my life

These came out PERFECT, they're cakey and fudgy at the same time and I love them. Better than any glutened mix I've had! They were super easy, and have the added nutrition of flax!

Anyway, the recipe is from Pizzey's Milling (though I used bob's red mill flax meal)

Open Original Shared Link

I'm posting it with my adjustments.

Flax Brownies

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup butter

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped* (see my note below)

3 eggs

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla

¾ cup gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

¼ cup flax meal (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1/4 tsp. baking powder

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 9" square baking pan. Place chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave with 50% power (approximately 2 ½ minutes) until butter and chocolate are melted. Stir. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour and flax meal. Bake approximately 25 minutes and cool on wire rack. Store in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap.

*I wasn't sure about the gluten-free-ness of my baking chocolate, so I used 3 tbsp hershey cocoa with 1 tbsp shortening per ounce. Worked beautifully.

ENJOY !!!!

There's a recipe in one of Martha Stewart's cookbooks for a wheatless hazelnut cake. I made it one year for my mom when she was on atkins. I think it's hungarian, and there are lots of recipes like it out there in cyberspace.

Also, chocolate tortes are flourless, generally, and are easily gluten free.

He seems to think if I just stay gluten-free I shouldn't have to take the Levsin.

Personally, I'm still in limbo, and sometimes I need it. One you're gluten-free for a year you shouldn't need them, but the problems don't disappear overnight. Not to go against your doctor, but if you find you're having trouble without them, ask him if you can take them until you're healed and the GI tract is stable.

I've taken levsin, but now I have Bentyl which is every 6 hrs and works for me better on an as needed basis.

When I ate the saltines last night to see if I really would have a reaction, I was trying to prove to my mom (across the country) and myself that it's not in my head. DH said I should have had girl scout cookies, since we have 2 cases left from the sale, but I sold them for 11 years, and ate my weight in them every year, I'm just sick of them

I mean, obviously it's not in my head, I was diagnosed, but she thinks I'm self diagnosing when I'm just trying to convince myself that I have this LIFETIME thing.

Yeah, I showed her...I felt like crap. I went to sleep in the fetal position hoping that I wouldn't throw up before the bentyl kicked in...

On the other hand, I know know exactly what my glutened reactions are:

Within 15 minutes: Like Snoop Dogg on a day that ends in Y. I may as well have had a 3 day bender in Amsterdam.

Within 30 minutes: Heartburn, not really, but burning churning in the tummy

Within a couple of hours: Cramping, weakness, nausea

Now I know. I also know that it was definitely the kettle chips that glutened me a couple of weeks ago, since I had the same reaction

I have no desire to cheat, but I did feel the need for a scientific experiment. I chose the saltines because they were the most gluteny thing we had