So Jerry Is Very Frustrated....

[Lisa]

Oh *groan*

It's March and Abfest1 starts on celiac.com.

[Mtndog]

I am so not buying this "no time" excuse.

This morning I got up at 5, had leftover potato salad for breakfast, boiled a bunch of eggs and put two in my backpack.

I took the bus to the ferry, the ferry to Seattle, the shuttle to work (note the lack of car during commute)

I had my eggs for a mid morning snack

Lunch was Progresso soup (which I keep in my drawer, replenishing as necessary)

Today I'm leaving early so I'll get home at 6, but I'm doing remodeling in my back room so I don't have time to make anything huge. What I do have time for is to throw a frozen piece of salmon (cut to serving size and wrapped in foil on the weekend) in the oven/frying pan/grill. I also have frozen veggies and frozen potatoes which can be thrown into a pan and saute'd together, or wrapped in foil and put in the oven/grill (whichever I feel like).

And for dessert there's ice cream and frozen fruit.

Yes Jestgar- but this doesn't take into account all the time you spend putting on makeup

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:P :P :P

Who knows what Jerry looks like!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JerryK]

Yes Jestgar- but this doesn't take into account all the time you spend putting on makeup

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:P :P :P

Who knows what Jerry looks like!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There ya go, that's the best I can do on short notice...

[Lisa]

Okay Jerry:

Two weeks, April 1st (not to correlate with April Foods Day), you will be subject to Ab's review.

Perhaps some motivation to keep away from the Girl Scout Cookies. We can't motivate you any other way.

April 1st begins "Abfrest" on Celiac.com. Ya need to borrow a bow tie?

[Jestgar]

Yep, Jerry, I can see all that pudge. Better get going on the sit-ups

[Mtndog]

Yep, Jerry, I can see all that pudge. Better get going on the sit-ups

She's so DANG fresh

[Nancym]

Thanks for all your responses. The problem is I am a MAN if you couldn't already tell

I'm not going to do Gluten Free baking or make fancy Gluten Free meals...it just isn't going to

happen. I work full time and it's all I can do just to survive that, let alone try to find something "safe" to eat. So, I end up eating the same things OVER an OVER. Eggs, meat, potatoes, vegetables, fruit...eggs, meat, potatoes, vegetables, fruit and I'm sick of it. I want a fully loaded Godfathers Pizza.....

I live alone and don't have a wife (or SO) to make my meals. I work full time too, yet somehow I manage to find the time to make my meals. Although... I must admit I am skilled at doing it so it doesn't take a ton of time. I eat a diet that is far more limited than yours yet somehow I manage to have good variety and I don't spend huge amounts of time fussing over meals. Usually it takes me about 5-10 minutes to pack my breakfast & lunch in the mornings. And dinner is usually something I've either prepared ahead of time usually, or a salad thrown together with chicken or salmon on top.

I'm glad I'm not a man. I wasn't brainwashed into thinking I have no control over what I eat.

I don't cook during the week either. That happens on the weekends. The week is just rewarming what I cooked before, or else tossing a huge salad together with prepackaged greens, nuts, canned salmon or frozen grilled chicken.

[darlindeb25]

Excuses, excuses. I get up at 5 every day too and I work fulltime. I also am much more limited with what I can eat. I wish I could eat meat--I would love a piece of pork steak--mmmmmmmm a ham and cheese sandwich, turkey and cheese, a hamburger, even a hot dog--but, I can only eat chicken breast and a little fish. A baked potato with cheese used to satisfy me too, but--no nightshades. I love veggies, but am even limited with those.

I really do understand Jerry. You are at that stage of, "WHY ME!!!" We all go through it. This pass summer, after being gluten-free for 5 years, I went through the "why me" stage again. At Thanksgivng when they kept showing mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, and turkey on tv, I could have sat here and cried. It seemed like every time I turned around, someone was talking about a recipe for something. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, patients kept bringing us treats full of gluten--nothing for me--EVER!

You will figure it all out!

[sherylj]

[

I know you guys are getting tired of hearing this, and I'm getting tired of saying it, but not being diagnosed as Celiac gives me "permission" in my mind to eat a few cookies if I feel like it and feel like paying the price. Not only is this true for me, but my wife also. So what does she do? She fills up the house with tempting treats like chocolate chip cookies, girl scout cookies etc.....

Jerry,,,

What you describe sure sounds like serious gluten intolerance!! Don't pay the price anymore!!

My husband tried to tell me today that even though I was diagnosed celiac or gluten intolerant that I could "cheat" and just deal with the consequences since from his point of view they were mild...He doesn't hang over the toilet throwing up with me, And eating out has been a large part of "treating" ourselves. I just don't enjoy going out to eat cause I feel like I am playing Russian roulette?? He was telling me I "could" eat one gluten per day. Deosn't he want me to get better?????? I just dont think he sees gluten intolerance as a serious health threat. Anyway I tried to draw a clear line of this is my diet,,leave me alone about my eating habits.

Anyway, Jerry good luck,,You gave me some excellent advice in my last post and it really helped me feel better!

PS I love Oregon!! Crater Lake,,,the coast. The back roads which are scary in the winter!! But summer it is a blast to get "lost" in them. I have only visited the state twice but loved every minute of those vacations. The only state that every restaurant is smoke free!!

[sherylj]

Yes Jestgar- but this doesn't take into account all the time you spend putting on makeup

<----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:P :P :P

Who knows what Jerry looks like!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you guys are so funny!! I am having some grrrrrreat chuckles.

[Lisa]

Jerry:

I always admire how you deal with your ailment with humor. And I am pleased to return it. You make our "crappy" world lighter.

You just need to decide which road you want to travel. It is your choice, your standared of living. There is no preaching from me. You are informed and well educated on the subject and you are capable of making choices on your own.

You know the deal. I don't think that you need any more ....

April 1, 2007 - anticipated.

[Mtndog]

Jerry:

I always admire how you deal with your ailment with humor. And I am pleased to return it. You make our "crappy" world lighter.

You just need to decide which road you want to travel. It is your choice, your standared of living. There is no preaching from me. You are informed and well educated on the subject and you are capable of making choices on your own.

You know the deal. I don't think that you need any more ....

April 1, 2007 - anticipated.

And, you got a witness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just don't get that 6 pack via gluten! :P

no prostelytizing from me either!

[lonewolf]

Jerry,

You could always follow my doctor's advice - "Eat anything you want. Anyone who tells you to avoid certain foods is a quack. We have all kinds of medications to help any problems you have and there's no need to change your diet."

[Phyllis28]

Hi Jerry,

Below are my three favorite meals that can be put together is less than 5 minutes

Peanut Butter and Jelly on gluten free bread or rice cake (open face)

Tuna, ham or turkey with cheese melted on gluten free bread or rice cake (open face)

Cooked chicken or turkey or already brown hamburger with melted cheese on Corn Tortilla Chips.

Add fresh fruit, raw vegetables yogurt and a drink.

I pack dinner in addition to lunch if I know I am going to be late in a small ice chest with blue ice.

I'll also be looking for those abs on April 1.

[DingoGirl]

And as Laura pointed out.....

Jerry IS speaking of himself in the third person!! cause for alarm??? ha ha...reminds me of the Seinfeld episode....and the recent Grey's Anatomy...

Thanks for the laugh!

[CMCM]

Jeez, I hope when you left that doctor's office you waddled out and quacked very loudly as a response to his "wisdom." :lol: :lol: :lol:

Jerry,

You could always follow my doctor's advice - "Eat anything you want. Anyone who tells you to avoid certain foods is a quack. We have all kinds of medications to help any problems you have and there's no need to change your diet."

[darlindeb25]

I sincerely hope my post doesn't sound like preaching, that is not my intent. Any disease is up to the individual as to how they handle their own reaction. Many diabetics do not listen when told to avoid sweets and pay for that decision. My ex didn't take care of himself and now is suffering from heart disease, he was even put on a heart transplant list, just because he doesn't follow his diet properly. A lady my sister knows, was diagnosed with celiac disease over 7 yrs ago and she decided it is ok if she eats a small piece of bread, or a small dinner roll occasionally, even daily if she wants. She is in the hospital as we speak with colon cancer. Would she have gotten the cancer anyways? Who knows. Did she increase her odds by continuing to eat gluten? Certainly.

I worry about those of us who know they are gluten sensitive, intolerant, or celiac and still eat gluten. I worry that they are risking other diesases, cancers, early death. We are our internet support group! We must take care of us!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I absolutely can get some cooperation from the little woman...whe's quite willing to assist me shopping for gluten-free. She's also quite UNwilling to give up gluten and has made it quite clear that she's an addict.

Anyone besides me think that the Little Woman is also gluten intolerant? Being an addict is the first sign...

Jerry, she may not be spending the time on the toilet that you did, but does she complain about bloating? Does she think her tummy is too fat? Does she get frequent headaches? Mood swings?

There are many NON-digestive symptoms of gluten intolerance...

Let's get *her* on this thread!!!!

[JerryK]

I sincerely hope my post doesn't sound like preaching, that is not my intent. Any disease is up to the individual as to how they handle their own reaction.

True...however my gripe about Gluten Intolerance is...it's a pretty restrictive lifestyle AND according to my doctor and the medical community at large, I don't have a "disease". This frustrates the hell out of me..in addition to the constant "food lust" that someone commented on yesterday.

Add to this the constant doubts a non diagnosis gives you...."perhaps it really isn't the gluten"(voices in Jerry's head speaking) and you have Jerry wanting to keep checking to see if it still makes him sick.

If I had villous atrophy, I would be 100% certain....anything less just leaves me hanging.

It helps to just get it out there and say it...

[zjune]

I have the same frustrations as you. I don't have celiac, but gluten intolerant (and lactose too). Even though these foods were making me ill I still continued to consume gluten every once in a while simply because I was feeling bad for myself and didn't think a little would matter. Every once in a while I had some milk chocolate and I couldn't stop, it was like heroin or something. It got to the point where I was so sick of running to the bathroom and feeling horrible that I decided to be strong and not even touch the stuff. One bite of a cookie just isn't worth the pain. I even had to tell the guy I was dating that I have to be really strict and he cannot tempt me or ask me to try foods with gluten. It is important to first make myself happy.

I also made a point to my family to stop buying gluten foods; if they do I made a designated space in the cabinet for cereal and pasta. I think if it is out of sight then you don't want it. I have been feeling so much better ever since I stopped occasionally eating some gluten. Instead fill your fridge with lots of foods you like and you can eat. I feel like there are so many choices out there!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Jerry, I don't even know if I have celiac or merely gluten intolerance--and for me, it makes absolutely no difference. Not because of the villous atrophy (which DOES happen after you continue to eat gluten when you are gluten-intolerant), but because I know enough people with fibromyalgia, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, and other autoimmune disorders that are linked with gluten. Oh, and I just lost a friend to non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and I bet he had celiac--his doctors only checked him for wheat allergy, they didn't know any better).

I already have autoimmune thyroid disease. I don't want any more autoimmune problems. I see what they do, and how difficult their effects are to deal with.

Yes, I cried for a couple of days, thinking how awful this was going to be. Then I got off my butt and started baking.

For me, it took 2 weeks for the cravings to go away--but my husband is very supportive and didn't bring any gluten crap into the house to torment me with. Nothing against the little woman, but if she is doing that, that strikes me as either ignorant (as in, she doesn't realize how difficult it makes it for you) or downright nasty (as in, she does).

And my 3 kids happily scarf down whatever I make as long as it tastes good (so far, I have only had 1 flop).

Bottom line: it doesn't matter if it's celiac or gluten intolerance, the risks are the same.

By the way, if you have time to go bowling, you have time to bake. Make it a family project (there's a concept, spend more time with your family in the kitchen!).

[gfp]

True...however my gripe about Gluten Intolerance is...it's a pretty restrictive lifestyle AND according to my doctor and the medical community at large, I don't have a "disease".

Well they mean they don't have anything they can cure you from.... their mistake not yours!

This frustrates the hell out of me..in addition to the constant "food lust" that someone commented on yesterday.

Erm... OK stop.... think about it... you have an addiction of sorts... you also have +ve blood work.... but you wouldn't feel cravings if it wasn't affecting you....

Add to this the constant doubts a non diagnosis gives you...."perhaps it really isn't the gluten"(voices in Jerry's head speaking) and you have Jerry wanting to keep checking to see if it still makes him sick.

If I had villous atrophy, I would be 100% certain....anything less just leaves me hanging.

It helps to just get it out there and say it...

OK, lets look at this differently.....

If you smoked would you wait for the positive biopsy to confirm lung cancer?

However some people smoke 100 a day and never get it but that's partly because many of them die of emphysema first .... or they end up loosing a limb etc.

There is far more to gluten induced damage than villous atrophy... and frankly most of it is FAR scarier than villous atrophy and accompanying maladsorbtion... lets face it D is embarassing but not fatal... Im betting your a tough sporty guy and a few gut pains don't worry you... they don't really bother me, they are just annoying... like the D ...

What keeps me away from gluten is exactly what fiddle faddle just said... + mood swings

Frankly if it was only D and cramps I would be back on gluten like a shot... just for beer and pizza...

Try and think of this longer term... your +ve blood tests and fact you get cravings are proof you are gluten intolerant and making a distinction between that and having villous atrophy is ... well semantics... and probably just a matter of time...

Meanwhile ..... you could be lining yourself up for far more serious stuff that might not be fixable!

[JerryK]

Well they mean they don't have anything they can cure you from.... their mistake not yours!

Erm... OK stop.... think about it... you have an addiction of sorts... you also have +ve blood work.... but you wouldn't feel cravings if it wasn't affecting you....

OK, lets look at this differently.....

If you smoked would you wait for the positive biopsy to confirm lung cancer?

I know two things really. Gluten makes me feel bad and gives me the runs when I eat it. This isn't proof that it's causing damage. This is the crux of my psychological turmoil. No proof. Without a Celiac diagnosis, I can never be 100% sure it really is the gluten. I mean sure...you eat a few cookies and get the runs...what else could it be right? I can be 99.9999% sure...but there will always be that small speck of doubt. Without 100% certainty, there will always be that desire to

[kbtoyssni]

I didn't have time to read the whole thread, so sorry if this is a repeat post. I also think that celiac is the end stage of gluten intolerance. You start with gluten intolerance, keep eating gluten and damage your intestines to the point of having celiac. To me a gluten intolerance diagnosis should be looked at as a blessing that you haven't gotten so sick yet that they have to diagnose you with celiac. You are one of the lucky ones who caught it early. If you had let it get to the point of celiac, you'd have wasted a lot more of your life. I'd hate for you to throw that all away by continuing to eat gluten.

I also think your wife has to be 100% behind you. It sounds like she may not understand how hard it is for you to resist gluten. Gluten is an addiction and most gluten-eating people have trouble understanding that. I didn't understand it myself until I went gluten-free.

I'd also recommend checking out allrecipes.com or something similar. Maybe try to make one new meal a week. For me, gluten-free cooking is a challenge. A challenge to make it taste as good as I can get it, a challenge to see if any of my friends can tell the difference. I bet that if I gave a cookie to someone who doesn't know I'm gluten-free they wouldn't realize it didn't have wheat.

Good luck.

[Jestgar]

Gluten makes me feel bad and gives me the runs when I eat it. This isn't proof that it's causing damage.

Name me one situation where diarrhea occurs in the absence of something bad.

Your body is desperate to get rid of something. Think about it.