Just Diagnosed With Dh, Need Help

[fastcatkerry]

I've had DH for over 3 years now, but didn't know it because my doctor didn't tell me till just last week. Was just formally told by my doctor that is what my skin issues are. Had testing and biopsy done over 2 years ago and doctor neglected to call and tell me the results. She told me if they found anything, they'd call, but never did, so I've been living with re occuring blistering & breakouts all this time when I could have changed my way of living and been much better. About a year and a half ago, I went on a low carb diet (Atkins), during which time I didn't have as many breakouts, simply because I was not eating bread or pasta. Breakouts slowed down, but I had never heard of DH before so didn't put 2 and 2 together. Now that I know, I have been looking for more information on living gluten free.

By eating gluten-wheat free will I lose weight or will I be prone to gain? I'm waiting for a referral to the local hospitals dietitian, but its hard to say how long the waiting list is to get in there. I have no idea what I can eat and what I can't. I go to the gym every day, so I need energy and I need food that will fill me up without getting hungry, but don't know what to eat.

Anyone with any information that may help me or give me more information on the ins and outs of living gluten free, please let me know. I'm an open book, and I need help. Starting to freak out....

[penguin]

Welcome to the board! You'll find all the info you need on here!

First, I would sue your doctor! That's outrageous! You have a potentially life threatening (down the line), definitely quality of life diminishing disease and she didn't tell you for two years?!?!

A good pre-workout snack is apples and peanut butter. Sticks to your ribs and has a fairly low glycemic index. Jif is gluten-free.

I haven't gained or lost weight so far, but I'm only 3 months in.

Lots of others will chime in, too. Welcome again!

[tarnalberry]

Whew! Deep breath!

I'm sorry your doctor never called. I'd encourage you to let your doctor know that you are disappointed in the service you have recieved.

As for the diet, the first place to start is the easiest - simple, whole foods that you know are gluten free. Remember that gluten is only found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats - and anything derived from those items. So, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, herbs, oils, plain nuts, seeds, meats, eggs, dairy, beans, lentils, rice, corn, and other grains are all fine!

Because of what we're so accustomed to eating for breakfast in this country, that can be the hardest meal of the day, but there are a number of options. Here are ones that I often go with (note that I'm dairy intolerant as well):

• eggs (omlette with veggies, scrambled, or hard boiled)
  
• rice cakes (Lundberg Farms) with peanut butter
  
• fruit smoothies (for example: banana, berries, pineapple, coconut milk, rice protein powder (because I'm hypoglycemic))
  
• hot cereal (half cream of rice, half flax meal, soy milk, honey, and cinnamon)
  
• plain soy yogurt with berries or jam for flavor to taste
  
• pancakes or waffles (made from a gluten-free mix - usually on the weekends when I've got time)
  
• muffins (from a gluten-free mix - on the weekends or leftover frozen ones from when I've made a big batch)
  

Lunch can be tricky, because we're often away from home and other conveniences of making food, but that doesn't mean that we have to always pack a sandwhich or eat at a burger place. Some options:

• leftovers from whatever you had for dinner the night before! lots of stuff that you serve hot for dinner you can eat cold for lunch
  
• bean salads
  
• chicken or shrimp salads
  
• canned soups that are gluten-free
  
• lettuce wraps (basically, a sandwhich, but rolled up in lettuce, instead of using bread)
  
• tuna salad sandwhich, on a corn tortilla instead of bread
  
• veggies and dips (like hummus or ranch)
  
• fresh fruit
  
• dried fruit and nuts
  

Dinners, like the other meals, really are limitless. There's really nothing you can't have, you may just have to be more creative about it than you were before, and find a few alternative ingredients. Things that I and my non-Gluten-free Casein-free husband have often:

• stir-fry (pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, veggie; spicy, lemon, orange, mild, etc.)
  
• beef stew
  
• homemade chicken-rice soup
  
• turkey chili
  
• homemade pasta sauce on rice-based pasta or spaghetti squash
  
• shrimp and rice noodle soup
  
• fajitas
  
• baked chicken with veggies
  
• bbq meat and veggies
  
• teriyaki chicken and vegetables over rice
  
• mixed green salads with all kinds of trimmings
  
• chicken cacciatore
  
• enchiladas
  
• garbanzo and cauliflower curry
  
• lentil soup
  

And, of course, there's still lots of snack food - fresh veggies and fruit, nuts, gluten-free crackers, potato chips, corn chips, candy, chocolate, ... I'm not big on snack foods, so I'm not sure what else to put here. :-)

There's LOTS that you can still eat, but depending on how you currently eat, it may be a big change. If it is, realize that it may take a while to adapt to that change, adjust to it, and accept it. It can be hard to accept such a big change when it's forced on you. But it is doable, and there's a lot of people here with a lot of good advice and wisdom ready to help you make it work best for you. (They'll be better able to help you with packaged items, that I just don't know about. ;-) )

[Ursa Major]

By eating gluten-wheat free will I lose weight or will I be prone to gain? I'm waiting for a referral to the local hospitals dietitian, but its hard to say how long the waiting list is to get in there. I have no idea what I can eat and what I can't. I go to the gym every day, so I need energy and I need food that will fill me up without getting hungry, but don't know what to eat.

Anyone with any information that may help me or give me more information on the ins and outs of living gluten free, please let me know. I'm an open book, and I need help. Starting to freak out....

I agree with ChelsE, that is terrible, that your doctor didn't tell you that you have DH! Because that also means you have celiac disease, and it is essential to change what you eat, or you will set yourself up for other autoimmune diseases and cancer down the road, not to mention malnutrition (which by the way you can have while being overweight).

If you are one of the overweight celiacs (like me), you are likely going to lose weight on the gluten free diet. The severely underweight ones should gain weight.

Here is what you can't eat: Wheat, rye, barley, triticale and oats, and anything made with any parts of those. That includes anything made with wheat starch, wheat germ, barley extract, malt and many other things. At the beginning it is best to stick to basics, until you get the hang of it, and have been able to figure out which foods are safe, and which ones are not. Meaning, stick to things like meat, vegetables and fruits, which are natrurally gluten free. Prepare things from scratch, that way you know what the ingredients are, without having to even worry about gluten.

If you want to lose weight, it would be better if you would limit your intage of replacement foods, like gluten free breads, cookies, noodles and cereals, as they are even more fattening than the 'real' thing, because they're more starchy.

Flour replacements are: Buckwheat (not a grain, despite the name), rice flour, arrowroot flour and tapioca flour (both starches), potato flour, bean flours and ground nuts.

If you like crackers, rice crackers are safe.

You will need to replace your toaster or buy your own private one (it is not possible to clean a toaster well enough to be safe), and depending on whether you have a family who eat gluten, either replace or buy your own cutting board and cooking utensils if they are made from wood. You need your own strainer, you can't get all the gluten out of plastic strainers after being used for gluten containing noodles.

Check all your personal care products for gluten. Anything that contains wheat germ, oat or barley anything has got to go. That includes soap, shampoo, conditioner, lipstick, chapstick, whatever.

Beware of cross contamination. If you cook, lets say, gluten containing noodles at the same time as your own, and stir your noodles with the same spoon as the gluten ones, you've just made your effort of cooking separately useless, because you've got gluten in your own noodles, too. Or cut something for yourself on the cutting board somebody just used for cutting regular bread. Even if you don't see the crumbs sticking to your food, they'll be there. Be vigilant! But don't get too paranoid, either.

Eating out is tricky, but can be done. Since I am now completely unable to go out because of too many intolerances, others will be able to tell you more about that.

I hope I answered some of your most pressing questions! Others will fill in the things I left out or forgot. Some of these people are experts when it comes to this, and you'll be a pro in no time.

[fastcatkerry]

Wow, thanks guys, that is a big help already. I'm glad that I found this site to consult with. It seems like there are lots of people who are in similar experiences as me, so I'm sure it'll be great getting to know all of you and your situations. Mine is unique, I hope no one has to go through the agony for as long as I have without being told.

As for my doctor, I'm currently in search of another one, but that is tough in my area since there aren't enough doctors and there aren't any that are taking on new patience. I'll keep trying though.

Right now I am basically eating just the basics. Breakfast is usually not eaten just because I don't have time in the morning, and don't normally eat my first bit of food till mid morning anyway. At that time, I'll have an apple or an orange. For lunch its usually left overs from the night before. Today I have some broccoli and a small piece of salmon. For supper, much the same thing, a small piece of meat of some sort cooked on the bbq with some veggies. My problem is in the evenings. When I'm watching tv, I like to snack on a whole grain cereal or crackers, but since I can't do that, I've been resorting to other items, that aren't so appealing to me and I'm having a hard time adjusting. I was actually thinking about taking on a part time job in the evening just so I'm not sitting idle and getting the munchies, but we'll see how this week goes. I've changed my workout schedule so I go after work instead of in the morning, that way I'm getting home a bit later and don't seem to get the munchies till almost bed time and so far I am able to fight them off that late.

Looking forward to getting more information and learning how to deal with this new way of life. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it sooner or later.

One more question, do any of you ever have problems with bowel movements. Before I was diagnosed and eating the wheat and gluten and such, I went to the bathroom at least 2 times a day. Now, it has been 5 days and that worries me.

[penguin]

Good gluten-free snacky things are popcorn (I prefer the old fashioned way of popping it on the stove, though plenty of the microwave stuff is gluten-free), gluten-free cereal (Barbara's Honey Rice puffins are good, Neopets Islandberry Crunch is mainstream and gluten-free), ice cream (many are gluten-free), baby carrots, apple slices, dried fruits... the possibilities are endless. Lays also has an extensive list of gluten-free items. All m&m's are gluten-free (except crispy, but I don't think they make those anymore. Plenty to snack on

I think it's safe to say that all of us have bm problems in one way or another. I don't have the not going enough problem, so I'll let someone else speak to that...

[tarnalberry]

regarding popcorn: I hate microwave popcorn - hate the smell, hate the chemicals they use in the ingredients, hate the chemicals they use in the bag that release bad things into our food, hate the taste. I've never popped popcorn in oil (can you do it on the stove without oil?), so there are two options left: air popper (tasty, takes about 10 minutes, though), or a regular lunch size brown paper bag with two staples at least three inches apart (to make it microwave safe) with a scant quarter cup of popcorn in the microwave for around two and a half minutes (but go by sound).

[penguin]

regarding popcorn: I hate microwave popcorn - hate the smell, hate the chemicals they use in the ingredients, hate the chemicals they use in the bag that release bad things into our food, hate the taste. I've never popped popcorn in oil (can you do it on the stove without oil?), so there are two options left: air popper (tasty, takes about 10 minutes, though), or a regular lunch size brown paper bag with two staples at least three inches apart (to make it microwave safe) with a scant quarter cup of popcorn in the microwave for around two and a half minutes (but go by sound).

I really hate microwave popcorn and only eat it *very* occasionally. I work at the boy scouts so there is popcorn everywhere Sometimes I get hungry and I don't have anything with me, ergo, microwave popcorn.

I always do mine in oil. I don't like unitasker appliances (like airpoppers) because I already have too many gadgets and appliances in my kitchen . DH would kill me if I got more. I didn't know about the brown paper bag though, I'll have to try that! Do you fold down the bag once before stapling, I assume?

[tarnalberry]

I really hate microwave popcorn and only eat it *very* occasionally. I work at the boy scouts so there is popcorn everywhere Sometimes I get hungry and I don't have anything with me, ergo, microwave popcorn.

I always do mine in oil. I don't like unitasker appliances (like airpoppers) because I already have too many gadgets and appliances in my kitchen . DH would kill me if I got more. I didn't know about the brown paper bag though, I'll have to try that! Do you fold down the bag once before stapling, I assume?

lol. :-) not trying to 'dis' the microwave popcorn eaters. my husband likes the stuff (though I'm trying to convert him to the paper bag thing - you can add a bit of brown sugar to make it sweeter!) and I wouldn't be so horribly opposed if the smell wasn't so nauseating. ugh! I hate it when people make it at work!

anyway... yes, you fold the bag down twice (thin folds) before stapling.

[fastcatkerry]

I really don't mind the microwave stuff, but would prefer the air popped stuff more. I'll have to give the paper bag a try and see what its like, it'd be more fresh I think than that prepackaged stuff.

[Guest serritue]

Thought I'd respond by letting you know that I had suffered for 27 years before I found a dermatologist that could tell me what was wrong with my skin (dh). That was in 2000. To this day, I still have a hard time dealing with food. It's not easy and is very time consuming trying to figure out what to eat. The worst part is that anything you purchase that is gluten-free is so expensive. It realy gets me down sometimes. I live in MI and shop at Meijer for most of my gluten-free product and I go to a local health store if I get a craving for a loaf of bread.

I would really like to find people in my area that share this condition to be able to learn more about it.

I'm from Linwood, MI.

I'd be happy to respond to people from other areas as well. Support is a good thing!

[rumbles]

Hopefully this will help. (And hopefully it will come out okay, as I wrote this in another program!)

* * * * * * *

Gluten free/safe: fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, meat, fish, fresh nuts (be careful with shelled, packaged nuts, or nuts that are flavored or coated, as many contain gluten).

Currently gluten-free/safe (check with manufacturers periodically, as recipes change): most Kraft products (with exception of cheeses/dairy products, Kraft lists wheat, barley, rye and oat ingredients on their label; this is NOT true with their cheese, which does contain gluten), Con Agra products that do not list wheat, rye, barley or oats on the label, Pam Original cooking spray (flavored sprays contain gluten), Crisco shortening, butter (regular, old fashioned butter only), Tones plain spices (not mixed spices or seasonings!), California Raisins, Craisins, potato Vodka, French’s Worcestershire Sauce, French’s Prepared Mustards, French’s Honey Mustard, Cattleman’s Barbeque Sauces (except Honey flavor), Frank’s Original RedHot Sauce & Xtra Hot RedHot Sauce, Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce, French’s Potato Sticks (original flavor, barbeque flavor and cheezy flavor), French’s GourMayo (sun dried tomato, wasabi horseradish and creamy dijon flavors), No Salt Salt Substitute (list of French’s through No Salt obtained from Reckitt Benckiser North America, April 2006).

Check with manufacturer (often listed somewhere in the nutrition sections of their web pages): orange juice (yes, some brands do contain gluten), yogurt, cottage cheese, cooking sprays, margarines (many contain gluten), butter spreads (often contain gluten), soy sauce (unless marked gluten free), teriyaki sauce (made from soy sauce), chocolate (yes, many brands do contain gluten; most of Ghirardelli is gluten free), barbeque sauces (most Cattleman’s sauces – except honey, are gluten free), dips, ketchup, mustard, horseradish, tarter sauce, white chocolate (most contain gluten), chocolate sauces, drink mixes, fruit juices (some brands of apple juice contain gluten), frostings, hash brown patties, hard and soft candies, steak sauces, italian style tomato paste, Trail mix, packaged tuna dinners, wine (most are safe, but check first).

Contains gluten (unless listed on package as gluten free): many cheese (especially parmesan and american), vegetables in sauce or butter sauce, most pork & beans, most cocktail sauces, almost all packaged sauces (such as spaghetti sauce, etc.), mixed spices, seasonings, most fast foods (see individual web sites for a list of gluten free foods, - if you order gluten free foods, advise the server that you are “allergic,” to gluten or anything that touches wheat, and that you need them to change their gloves and wipe down their prep area before preparing your order), anything that is fried in oil that was used to fry gluten-containing foods (coated chicken, breaded onion rings, etc.), anything that lists natural flavorings or spices on the label (except Kraft and Con Agra non-cheese products), flavored ketchups (some brands of regular ketchup contain gluten – check first), flavored mustards, flavored mayonnaise (some regular brands of mayonnaise contain gluten), licorice, meat marinades, party nut mixes, au gratin potato mixes, scalloped potato mixes, rice mixes, spaghetti sauces (canned, in jars, or powdered), non-potato vodka, distilled spirits, beer (except Bards Tale or limited brands specifically marked gluten free [rare])

Quite a few restaurants will list and prepare foods as gluten free, but be aware that you must instruct the waiter and the chef that they must wash their hands before preparing your food and must prepare your food in clean bowls and pans, and that if possible, either the cooking surface needs to be cleaned first or a clean pan must be used. There is always the risk of contamination when eating at restaurants that prepare gluten foods.

Elimination: to improve, increase the amount of fresh, non-starchy vegetables (such as lettuce, cabbage) in your daily diet.

Many people with Celiac disease and DH have intolerance to dairy products. This intolerance may improve or go away completely after a year or two on a gluten free diet without dairy. If you suffer from what appears to be daily allergies or hay fever, or continue to have bloating or GI problems after being on a gluten free diet for a few months, remove all dairy from your diet for two weeks to see if the symptoms diminish.

If attempting to lose weight or learn about nutrition on a gluten free diet, you might want to check out The Paleo Diet, by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. While the recipes may be a bit of overkill for those of us that don’t have time to spend around the stove, the information may be quite useful.

[Franceen]

I have lost weight eating Gluten Free - mostly because there just isn't as much (to me) tasty foods to eat. I eat fruit, yogurt (Dannon Fruit on the Bottom), Handi-Snack pudding, chocolate (Reese's PB Cups), coffee, cream, tea, honey, basic hamburger patty w/cheese and steak. The lack of bread, pasta, rolls, danish, doughnuts, cookies, cake, waffles, pancakes, breaded things, McD's Qtr lb'r/BK Whoppers has me eating a LOT less. I am not home to eat very often (I travel, and am out at meetings much of the time) and eating out and on the road leave me with plain salads and plain meat. So, I've lost weight.

And that's fine - I could still stand to lose another 10 lbs, so I'm not hunting for substitutes for gluten foods. The ones I've tried taste absolutely awful and fall apart into little crumbs!

I have UN-DIAGNOSED DH. I went gluten free before tests. But I seem to find relief when eating near home/at home (not traveling) and have humongous flares when I eat out a lot - in spite of TRYING to 2nd guess restaurant food.

I am scheduled for Endoscopy in a few weeks. But I doubt that will give me positive diagnosis.

Maybe I will finally get around to sending in my paid-for Enterolab test samples!

I have heard that other people gain weight when gluten-free. I believe that it must be relative to how you ate BEFORE gluten-free that determines what will happen to you.

Franceen in Fredericksburg

[JodiC]

Hopefully this will help. (And hopefully it will come out okay, as I wrote this in another program!)

* * * * * * *

Gluten free/safe: fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, meat, fish, fresh nuts (be careful with shelled, packaged nuts, or nuts that are flavored or coated, as many contain gluten).

Currently gluten-free/safe (check with manufacturers periodically, as recipes change): most Kraft products (with exception of cheeses/dairy products, Kraft lists wheat, barley, rye and oat ingredients on their label; this is NOT true with their cheese, which does contain gluten), Con Agra products that do not list wheat, rye, barley or oats on the label, Pam Original cooking spray (flavored sprays contain gluten), Crisco shortening, butter (regular, old fashioned butter only), Tones plain spices (not mixed spices or seasonings!), California Raisins, Craisins, potato Vodka, French’s Worcestershire Sauce, French’s Prepared Mustards, French’s Honey Mustard, Cattleman’s Barbeque Sauces (except Honey flavor), Frank’s Original RedHot Sauce & Xtra Hot RedHot Sauce, Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce, French’s Potato Sticks (original flavor, barbeque flavor and cheezy flavor), French’s GourMayo (sun dried tomato, wasabi horseradish and creamy dijon flavors), No Salt Salt Substitute (list of French’s through No Salt obtained from Reckitt Benckiser North America, April 2006).

Check with manufacturer (often listed somewhere in the nutrition sections of their web pages): orange juice (yes, some brands do contain gluten), yogurt, cottage cheese, cooking sprays, margarines (many contain gluten), butter spreads (often contain gluten), soy sauce (unless marked gluten free), teriyaki sauce (made from soy sauce), chocolate (yes, many brands do contain gluten; most of Ghirardelli is gluten free), barbeque sauces (most Cattleman’s sauces – except honey, are gluten free), dips, ketchup, mustard, horseradish, tarter sauce, white chocolate (most contain gluten), chocolate sauces, drink mixes, fruit juices (some brands of apple juice contain gluten), frostings, hash brown patties, hard and soft candies, steak sauces, italian style tomato paste, Trail mix, packaged tuna dinners, wine (most are safe, but check first).

Contains gluten (unless listed on package as gluten free): many cheese (especially parmesan and american), vegetables in sauce or butter sauce, most pork & beans, most cocktail sauces, almost all packaged sauces (such as spaghetti sauce, etc.), mixed spices, seasonings, most fast foods (see individual web sites for a list of gluten free foods, - if you order gluten free foods, advise the server that you are “allergic,” to gluten or anything that touches wheat, and that you need them to change their gloves and wipe down their prep area before preparing your order), anything that is fried in oil that was used to fry gluten-containing foods (coated chicken, breaded onion rings, etc.), anything that lists natural flavorings or spices on the label (except Kraft and Con Agra non-cheese products), flavored ketchups (some brands of regular ketchup contain gluten – check first), flavored mustards, flavored mayonnaise (some regular brands of mayonnaise contain gluten), licorice, meat marinades, party nut mixes, au gratin potato mixes, scalloped potato mixes, rice mixes, spaghetti sauces (canned, in jars, or powdered), non-potato vodka, distilled spirits, beer (except Bards Tale or limited brands specifically marked gluten free [rare])

Quite a few restaurants will list and prepare foods as gluten free, but be aware that you must instruct the waiter and the chef that they must wash their hands before preparing your food and must prepare your food in clean bowls and pans, and that if possible, either the cooking surface needs to be cleaned first or a clean pan must be used. There is always the risk of contamination when eating at restaurants that prepare gluten foods.

Elimination: to improve, increase the amount of fresh, non-starchy vegetables (such as lettuce, cabbage) in your daily diet.

Many people with Celiac disease and DH have intolerance to dairy products. This intolerance may improve or go away completely after a year or two on a gluten free diet without dairy. If you suffer from what appears to be daily allergies or hay fever, or continue to have bloating or GI problems after being on a gluten free diet for a few months, remove all dairy from your diet for two weeks to see if the symptoms diminish.

If attempting to lose weight or learn about nutrition on a gluten free diet, you might want to check out The Paleo Diet, by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. While the recipes may be a bit of overkill for those of us that don’t have time to spend around the stove, the information may be quite useful.

What Kraft cheeses contain gluten? I had called them and they claimed that tey don't and it would be listed on the label. I have Kraft American singles here and cannot see which ingredient is gluten? How can you tell? Thanks for the advice.

[fastcatkerry]

Thanks for all the useful information. I'm sure it will help. So far I'm adjusting well with the gluten free diet, and I've been eating mostly meats and vegetables, with rice cakes for snacks. Didn't realize how good they actually ar. I've been eating 2 plain rice cakes with peanutbutter between them instead of peanut butter sandwiches, they're pretty good. Since going gluten free a little over 3 weeks ago, my DH hasn't bothered me and my stomach feels much better. I've lost 2.5" around my waist just because i'm not bloated like I was before, which makes me feel great, and I feel alot better. Its hard when I go to gatherings that have food because there isn't alot I can eat, so I have to make sure that I take something that I can myself eat and I'm okay. Its hard when others are eating birthday cake not to have a sliver, but I don't want to mess up the good thing I've got going.

Anyone have any idea about Dairy Queen ice cream cakes? Do they contain gluten? I'm thinking that may be what I'd get for birthdays from now on if that is the case, then I can partake as well.

[rumbles]

Regarding which Kraft cheese, I am extremely reactive to gluten and had problems with both Kraft Parmesan and Kraft American cheese. I contacted Kraft via email and received the standard response that if there was gluten in the cheese, it would be identified in the ingredients label. I removed the cheese from my diet (no other changes in the diet) and the reaction stopped. I waited a few weeks to make sure that there wouldn't be any outbreaks from the previous exposure, then added the parmesan back into my diet and immediately reacted, - I took it out again and the reaction stopped. I did the same thing with the American Cheese, and the same thing happened. At that point, I called Kraft directly, thinking that maybe there was gluten in the dairy product that the cheese was made from that they didn't know about, when I pushed and asked directly if they tested the cheese and or the dairy product, I was told that it's an individual thing, that some people may react to the product, and that if I reacted, that I should not consume it, at that point they would not state one way or the other as to whether they were aware if there was gluten in the product.

For those that think that if they don't have a physical reaction, that it's okay, remember that we cannot see what is happening on the inside.

Oh yeah, a few other things to add to the list of foods to check: vitamins - unless they state that they are gluten free, check with the manufacturer (most of GNC's vitamins state they are gluten-free, I'm sure there are other brands that do also), all over-the-counter medications (including aspirin and NSAIDs, acid-indigestion pills, cough medicines etc) need to be checked with the manufacturer, as do prescription medications (if you check with your pharmacist, make sure that they know what to look for, - I got into an argument with my previous pharmacist when he insisted that there is no gluten in medications; he lost my business that day).

Dairy Queen does not state on their website (www.dairyqueen.com) if their ice cream cakes are gluten-free or not (they do list some products that are, but also warn that cross-contaminaton is possible) - but they do list their phone numbers [u.S. = +1 (952) 830-0200].

[dtabc]

Thanks for all the useful information. I'm sure it will help. So far I'm adjusting well with the gluten free diet, and I've been eating mostly meats and vegetables, with rice cakes for snacks. Didn't realize how good they actually ar. I've been eating 2 plain rice cakes with peanutbutter between them instead of peanut butter sandwiches, they're pretty good. Since going gluten free a little over 3 weeks ago, my DH hasn't bothered me and my stomach feels much better. I've lost 2.5" around my waist just because i'm not bloated like I was before, which makes me feel great, and I feel alot better. Its hard when I go to gatherings that have food because there isn't alot I can eat, so I have to make sure that I take something that I can myself eat and I'm okay. Its hard when others are eating birthday cake not to have a sliver, but I don't want to mess up the good thing I've got going.

Anyone have any idea about Dairy Queen ice cream cakes? Do they contain gluten? I'm thinking that may be what I'd get for birthdays from now on if that is the case, then I can partake as well.

[Girl Ninja]

I do believe that every DQ cake I've ever had contained a layer of cookie bits and hot fudge. This would exclude them for sure.

I just attended a birthday party yesterday. I brought Lay's Stacks (specifically gluten-free according to their website. THANK YOU, Frito Lay!) and some gluten-free brownies that I made from a mix I found at Kroger. Had to bake them way longer than it said, but they were good.