Living with a Gluten-Free Husband

Hi Nancy, I know exactly what you are feeling. I had the same experience. The dietitian I went to told me the same thing and she was right. I did know more about celiac disease that she did. Thankfully my bill was not nearly $500.00

I am sorry to say that your experience is sometimes the case. It is wise to ask the dietitian beforehand if she has experience with Celiac Disease. Since the NIH Consensus Conf of 2004 and the work of the Nat. Found. for Celiac Awareness, there is a definite increase in awareness and knowledge about Celiac Disease. That is not to say that there is not much more work to be done.

Lynn Cicero, M.S., R.D.

Kaiser charged me the normal co-pay of $20 to see a staff dietitian. She did recommend one useful reference book 'Gluten Free Diet' by Shelley Case. If you can't find it at your local bookstore, you can order it at this site.

Dear Nancy, If a licensed health care provider has been personally diagnosed with celiac disease or has a gluten intolerance and has experienced the gluten-free diet, they are in a much better position to work with you. After being on a gluten-free diet for several months, the knowledge learned is much more than what one can read in a book! Also, dietitians are working hard politically to help people like you get insurance coverage for conditions other than diabetes and renal disease. For those who cannot afford private pay, I have a sliding scale and even donate my time. It is important to seek out reputable resources and avoid "pie in the sky" therapies that are not proven to be safe/effective via double blind research studies. Another book I would recommend is "Recognizing Celiac Disease."

Can a biopsy be wrong? My son was diagnosed with celiac 3 weeks ago, because of blood tests results at his endo office, never once having any symptoms... not one physical symptom but he has type 1 diabetes, so i know the connection. anyway he has been gluten free for 2 weeks, and has had more upset stomachs, cramps and feels like crap... i don't get it i know the body needs to adjust, but this is not right- can something else cause this damage? He was feeling better before going gluten free. any help please reply.

Gluten free foods are high in carbs which could be affecting his diabetes and insulin needs. Lay off on all starches for now, check his blood sugar more often, and see if he improves. Also has you know, with type 1 diabetes things can change such as a difference in the amount of insulin needed. This holds true for any dietary changes. Or he may be reacting to something else in his diet. Also give your doctor a call and let him/her know in case you need to take your son into the office.

Teresa, I apologize it took a few days to respond and I am sorry for the issues you are having. Unfortunately I am not a doctor and really have only my experience to draw on. I do know from research I have done that some people can suffer from celiac and not have symptoms. As for the biopsy being wrong again I am not sure. But I am not aware of any other issue that causes the villi in the small intestines to be flattened. I would definitely sit and chat with your son's doctor. I know as soon as my husband started his diet his cramps completely stopped and he has seen a great improvement in his bowels and fatigue. Good Luck and keep us posted as to what you learn.

Of course I was diagnosed with Celiac disease but was not diagnosed until I was 58. I was diagnosed by a dermatologist after having "water" blisters for about ten years. He finally did a biopsy and then referred me to a GI doc for an endoscope which confirmed the loss of the scilla. He told me to go to a dietitian or nutritionist which I did both. Neither had ever heard of Celiac disease. I finally found a waitress in a local breakfast restaurant who was a celiac and she gave me most of the information I currently use. I also refer others to Celiac.com with is wonderful. I think that any doctor or other medical practitioner who is not familiar with Celiac disease is someone to beware of as they could not diagnose many things.

I'm sorry to hear that you got charged $500 to see a dietitian. Since my diagnosis in April I've seen 2 dietitians, and have a teleconference with 1 of them once a month. In Canada all dietitian services are covered under our medical plans. I can't imagine getting the bill that you got. Dealing with celiac disease is expensive enough as it is.

Dear Teresa,

May be that your son also has some immune reaction to cow’s milk proteins, or to phytohemaglutinin from beans, or to chicken egg albumin? I think that his blood needs to be tested for the immunoreactivity to mentioned antigens. Results from these analysis could point would the additional type of diet would help him.

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Thank you for this GREAT blog! I have been suffering from stomach issues for years: gases, constipation, stomach cramp, indigestion problems, etc. I had a colon resection September 2010 due to diverticulitis. I have continued with stomach cramps every time I eat. I finally went for a second opinion and this new GI told me I probably have celiac disease. I recently had a blood test and he now wants to conduct an endoscopy. I have stopped eating gluten for now but I feel I need to find a good nutritionist to help understand all this gluten-free diet that is so confusing. Does anyone know of a good dietitian in the Miami area? Thank you!

First time I've read this blog. I just received diagnosis that I have celiac disease two days ago. I'm also Type II diabetic. This really came out of left field for me. I had an endoscopy because I've turned up anemic and the biopsy results came back. I see my intern and diabetic specialist in 2 days and hope he has a good nutritionist he can refer me to. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I live in Ontario, California.