Michi8

My understanding is that teeth grinding is related to stress. I'm sure that going on the gluten-free diet lessens the stress load on the body...it would be logical it would lessen stress-related issues.

Michelle

If you found a supermarket that was truly doing this, you should turn them in, as it would be completely illegal and the store could be shut down. I think the issue here is that ground meat will turn gray on the inside as it ages, while exposure to oxygen in the air causes the outside to stay red or even get a little bit more red. You can test this by buying a small pack of meat, holding it for a week and then breaking it open to see the interior.

Exposure to oxygen causes the meat to brown, whereas exposure to carbon monoxide keeps it bright red even when it's spoiling. There was a news article not long ago about the packaged meats at Walmart & other retailers. Ground beef is prepackaged with carbon monoxide pumped into the packaging, keeping the meat looking vibrant red for a long time, thus giving customers the false impression that the meat was still fresh. Check out this article: Open Original Shared Link

Michelle

Wow! I'd never considered that bladder problems could have to do with gluten. My son is having stomach trouble...he has had chronic constipation since he was a toddler, and it led to having trouble holding his bowels and bladder last year (He's 8 now.) It's not uncommon to lose bladder sensation when you are chronically constipated, and it has improved since starting laxatives (since the fiber and water in his diet hasn't helped!) Although he has had a couple of accidents since starting this newer laxative (polyethylene glycol.) The doctor figures it's just the way his system is, but I believe that there is more to it...and I bet it's something in his diet (and I wouldn't be surprised if it's gluten and/or casein.)

Now he's complaining of stomach upset and nausea, so we're going back to the doctor to do more investigation. His previous celiac panel came back negative though and the xrays & ultrasound simply found his system to be distended with stool (which has cleared up since starting the laxative regime), so I'm not sure what direction the doctor will take.

With myself, I've had bladder issues since having my last child, and it seems to be worse when my stomach is upset...wouldn't it be something if it's gluten-related! I'm still waiting for my biopsy date. I so hope it reveals some answers, because then I would have a concrete reason to pursue further testing for all three of my kids.

Michelle

Raw animal products are easier to digest (I find fried eggs indigestible, but boiled ones are fine) than cooked. Cooked plant products are easier to digest than, as the human body, not being herbivorean, is not designed to digest cellulose, which can be broken down by cooking.

Perhaps that's why sushi is so good. Yum! I like the egg sushi (tamago) too, but of course it's been cooked.

Michelle

Last I was in the hospital was for a cesarean in January 2000. At the time, the only food issues I knew I had to worry about were peanut allergy and lactose intolerance. Well, the lactose intolerance got marked on my alert sheet so the kitchen was aware of it. Because of that, the only food they were sending was jello. Apparently they were unable to make me any foods without dairy! I told them I could take Lactaid with the food, but they would not prepare any other foods for me, because I wasn't "allowed" to self-administer my Lactaid.

Michelle

I read recently that raw food is supposed to be easier to digest because it has more enzymes and stuff. I tend to find that the closer I can get to raw, the better I feel. However, as already pointed out, things like beans and grains don't seem to be good raw. I love peanuts and peanut butter, so protein isn't hard to find in the higher concentrations like that. While I do cook rice and other grains, I add veggies just before I eat, so they just get warmed up a bit. I don't actually 'cook' them. I like the full flavor and vitality. However, I also have to compromise for economic reasons, as well as time constraints, so I use frozen veggies.

Of course, nothing beats fresh raw fruit when you want a healthy raw food that also tastes like it was truly meant to be eaten that way.

I wouldn't trust uncooked meats either. I once saw someone poke a hole in a raw egg and literally suck it out of the shell YUK!! I heard every egg has some salmenila, but it's just that we can tolerate a certain amount without feeling sick from it. I felt ill just watching!

I'm surprised to hear that raw would be easier to digest, I always thought it was the other way around. Regardless, raw would be the last thing I would try, given my allergies. I am unable to eat any raw tree fruit or tree nuts due to my allergies. Cooking, however, alters the proteins in these foods and makes them safe for me to eat.

Michelle

Snopes has a page talking about the history of this website and the then 14 year old student who won a science fair with this project, titled "How gulible are we?" Check it out here: Open Original Shared Link

Michelle

Dihydrogen monoxide is H2O. The site is an example of how the presentation of info & misinformation can get people worked up unnecessarily.

Michelle

You should check out Open Original Shared Link chocolates...they are the best (and way better than Godiva.) They're headquartered in Calgary, AB, and I believe they have a couple of stores now in the US. Their chocolates are very fresh. There are ingredients lists on the website I linked to. Plus there are recipes for using their chocolate as well.

Michelle

Typical canned response from GM. I got a similar type of response from Kraft when I asked why they recently removed their webpage that listed gluten-free & DF products. I keep sending them my email with the specific question, and they keep dancing around it...I think I'm going to keep emailing until they respond properly.

Michelle

I do, however, want to let you know that my original post - though correct at the time - now needs to be fixed. My manager, though I'm sure well meaning in his trying to keep me "up-to-date" with the changes, was wrong. I'm not sure what he heard and from who - about the gluten-free menu being chucked. It was, for a short time, ripped up and thrown away... and I guess it was because of inaccuracies and ingredients changing. We just recieved, along with new regular menus, new gluten-free menus. However, they still state, at the bottom in small print, that they cannot guarantee that there isn't a risk. (Not in those words...but the point is taken.)

Thank you for updating on that point. It's nice to hear that your restaurant will continue to provide gluten-free options.

So, just because they're willing to let you know which items can be made gluten-free... doesn't mean there's no chance of you getting sick. We all know that going into the restaurant (ANY restaurant)....so I still stand by my opinion that it is pointless and wrong to complain about being glutened (especially on a corporate level).

I still stand by my opinion that is it never wrong for the customer to complain tactfully comment (I think this is a better choice of words than to "complain") about a problem with service or product. Improvements cannot be made without input. If a company decides that it's better to drop a service/product than to put effort into improving it, then it's still better than providing a service/product that is inadequate.

Michelle

Ever since I told my mother I had arthritis in my foot she's been pushing me to get a bone scan.

I'm only 33, and even my dr remarked that it was odd that I should have osteoarthritis at this age without a previous injury.

What do you think?

If you have celiac and related malabsorption issues, then your bone health can be affected. The test itself is very quick and easy.

Michelle

The one I got actually does have maltodextrin in it. Where can you get pure stevia?

The one I have is Herbal Select brand. I bought it at Walmart in the supplement section of the pharmacy. Its ingredients list: rice maltodextrin, stevia powdered leaf extracts (stevia rebaudiana), silica.

Michelle

I just sent an e-mail. However, I am a tad fatalistic, I don't think they care what we think. They are a huge corporation and we are a small group. I still think my voice needed to be heard. It is up to them to listen.

Hez

I think you're right...they don't care about what a small group thinks...celiacs are not their target market. Their decisions about ingredients has little to do with meeting the needs of those with restricted diets, and everything to do with the bottom line. Looking at GM's Canadian website, their big selling point right now is "whole grains," of which wheat is a huge part. The costs of ingredients from suppliers likely has a lot to do with the changes in ingredients as well. However, they still need to hear from celiacs about this issue.

Michelle

I am really freaked out. I have the worst doctor in the world and am just beside myself with worry. I have a rash on my buttcheck. I have been wondering the last month or so about celiac. Terrible gas, bloating and alternating constipation/diarrhea. I have been trying to limit the wheat the last few weeks and the gas seems somewhat better. Then I develop this rash about a week ago on my buttcheek.

Went to the Dr today and told him all of this. Showed him my rash. He seems to think it is HSV II (herpes simplex II/otherwise known as genital herpes). My husband of 10 years does not have any rashes or has never had one. He swears he hasn't strayed. I did notice the rash about 3 days after going to the tanning bed. I have looked online at pictures of DH and HSVII on the buttock and they are quite similar.

In a nutshell, I really just want your opinions on your rashes. Are yours widespread or localized? Mine is 1 round spot the size of a quarter.

I insisted on a blood test from my MD for HSVII after my appointment and I had time to digest everyting mentally. I HAD TO TELL HIM THERE WAS A BLOOD TITER TO FIND OUT IF IT IS IN YOUR BLOOD! I work at a hospital and knew this why didn't he???

I am getting a new dr by the way. Any help you have would be appreciated.

Have you seen any pics of DH to compare? Check out this site about DH (has photo library): Open Original Shared Link DH can look like herpes, but is unrelated to it. Hope you're able to quickly sort out the source of your rash.

Michelle

Be very careful to add just a very little stevia at a time. if you put too much in it tastes really bad.

You've got that right! I put one of those packets of stevia in my coffee, and it rendered it undrinkable. Yuck! I'd like to give it a shot again, but with the "pure" stevia...in a very small dosage...I like my coffee sweet, but not that sweet!

As for Dr Mercola - I can't even spend 2 minutes on that site and actually think he's legit. That site screams "profiteering shyster" to me. Some people talk about him like he's G-d and all he says is the gospel. That scares me. More power to you if you've found stuff on there that's helped you - That's great. Everyone deserves to find things that work for them to have a healthier life. I'm sure much of what he says holds some truth and some value and some of his theories are dead-on (especially his advocacy of gluten-free diets). But I would take everything I read on there with a grain of salt... I think he gives a bad name to natural health practitioners.

Any website has to be read with a grain of salt...after all, you can't believe everything you read! Besides, I'm totally disgusted that I have to give up my email addy to read an article on Dr Mercola's (or anyone else's) website. No information is worth getting spam email.

Michelle

I'm curious about the need for a bone scan.

I've just assumed that I'm vitamin/calcium/iron deficient and have taken steps to increase these and I think most people on the board do the same. If a bone scan shows that your bones are more porous than they should be is there anything you can do about it?

I'd expect that having a bone density test done would be helpful to first confirm there is an issue with bone health and, second, to have a baseline for monitoring progression of disease. If there is significant bone loss, then it can be treated more agressively than with diet alone...including supplements/meds and increasing weight bearing excercise.

Michelle

I'm NOT talking about talking to the manager and server to get your food fixed - cooked up, recooked or remade. That, of course, should be done...and no manager I know of has a problem with that. It's complaining to the Outback company in itself....writing a letter to the company, calling them, etc... that's what gets things like MY restaurant's gluten-free menus taken away! That's what I'm frustrated about! They took those away for a reason....probably too many complaints to the offices! What on earth is a business man in a suit going to do to fix the Celiac awareness in a restaurant, though he owns, does not work in! Please, by all means, let your individual Outback's manager know your concerns and maybe he'll work on fixing them for you (and most likely - only for you...since you're probably the only one who visits that outback who has celiac). That's his job...I agree. But my manager does not have the "jurisdiction" to take away the gluten-free menu that is corporate wide - that came from a higher "power".....which means the complaints also went to that higher "power."

I serve people for hours on end when I work....and do my best to make sure they're food comes out how they ordered it. But for some server (and even manager) that knows nothing of the complexities of the Celiac diet... they couldn't begin to guess that they can't just remove the toast from the grilled shrimp w/out any problems. They don't understand that from the beginning! And in Outback many many servers run different tables food... we're not just responsible for our tables. So, really, it's your server's fault if you had them WRITE DOWN the instructions... and they failed to do it anyway. It's not AT ALL the company's fault. They are just trying to keep themselves adaquatly staffed so there is someone to wait on your table.

It sounds to me like your speculating as to why the menu got removed from your location. It may be worth you asking head office what it going on. Perhaps the menu was removed because your particular location was unable to properly comply with ensuring foods were gluten free, and so head office received complaints about it? Regardless, it is well within a customer's rights to contact head office about problems with a restaurant within the chain. If there is a chain-wide policy in place that is a problem, then of course a customer would contact head office about that too.

Michelle

Yes, half the effort is better than none. Unless the restaurant serves only 100% gluten-free food....they cannot guarantee that your food will be 100% safe - gluten-free menu or not! What OSI is doing is giving you the opportunity to see what they serve that contains no gluten - they are not guaranteeing that you don't have the risk of CC. (Just read the fine print ON their gluten-free menu!!) They are trying to be helpful. It's not fair for us to complain all the time to them about getting sick - they are doing the best they can to help a tiny minority out. And never forget that we ARE the minority. It is not their fault (or anyone's) that we have Celiac Disease....we can't place the blame on them for doing their jobs in a busy restaurant that never claimed to be 100% gluten-free in the first place. They have busy restaurants to run...and chances are they might serve One celiac person once a week. Most companies try their hardest to make sure you have a good experience....that doesn't mean they can keep you from ever getting sick - especially if you're really sensitive. I'm still sticking to my opinion that complaining about it does no good!

The customer is paying the bill, and so has every right to complain about an unsatisfactory meal. That goes for everyone, not just those with celiac disease. If the restaurant chooses not to listen to customer comments, then they may end up losing those customers. It's great that some restaurants offer menu choices for specific diets (gluten-free, low-fat, etc), and they need to hear feedback to ensure that those menu items are indeed providing for the restrictions of that diet.

Michelle

Yes, they said I will definitely need a ride home. Man, one girl walked out after having laser and all of us in the waiting room felt her pain. She walked in normally and had difficulty walking on the way out. She must have had a large area of her cervix done. I'm glad yours went smoothly.

Hmm, I don't recall having difficulty walking afterward, but it was a number of years ago. The cervix has no nerve endings so the pain isn't necessarily local to the lasered site...it was more like heavy cramping, but I believe they gave a local anesthetic anyway (I had no anesthetic with the original colposcopy.) With the laser treatment, there wasn't a huge amount of bleeding...it certainly didn't last long...and they used a tampon to help stop the bleeding. It may be different with LEEP though.

Michelle

Beware of DASANI it is NOT WATER. They migt telll you it's water. But read the ingredients.

Try DISTILLED WATER if you are reactive to spring water...

Some say that distilled water is not safe to drink on an ongoing basis, because it lacks any type of minerals. I prefer not to drink our tap water since it is treated with chloramine (chlorine + ammonia) and fluoride. I drink reverse osmosis water at home instead.

Michelle

my daughter's birth story is a horror story of sorts... after pushing for THREE HOURS and trying every position in the handbook, I was begging them to get her out no matter what it took... the Dr. was too busy with delivering her BEST FRIEND'S baby in the next room... when she finally came in it was OMG we have to do an emergency c/s right now... when my daughter was delivered she was blue, wasn't breathing and had abrasions on her scalp from scraping against my pelvic bones for so long... She had a big head and my pelvic bones were too small and she was facing sunny side up instead of back so I had back labor to boot... fortunately they got her breathing and she's fine now but by God I tried to deliver her vaginally... hubby has a big head and I should have known I was in trouble! Plus because I was so overweight because of undiagnosed Celiac complications they assumed that I had big hips and a big birth canal. Just not so. This gives me the willies just typing this out but this is my experience... on the other hand my sister had two elective c-sections which totally blew me away... I couldn't understand that concept. Actually planning a c-section... well, the first one was because her son was breech, and the second one was because the Dr. refused to do a V-BAC but still... I'm the "natural" one the "hippie" so to speak and anything that reeks of medical intervention makes me crazy. I wanted to do homebirth with midwives but because I had such a complicated pregnancy and had a history with miscarriages they convinced me I'd be better off in a hospital... knowing now that I tried to do it without intervention and couldn't scares the hell out of me of what would have happened if I'd had my way and tried to have her at home??? Since both of us nearly died in the hospital what would have happened at home? She was stuck and not coming out not even with the nurses ramming their arms in me up to the elbows trying to turn her around or pull her out... could a midwife have done any better? I don't think so. Admitedly my experience is extreme but I'm thankful for the c-section and I think it saved both of our lives.

I don't know if a midwife could have "done any better," but she likely would have been supporting you during labour unlike your preoccupied doctor, and would have known when it was time to transfer to hospital and/or consult a doctor. Though it sounds like hospital was a good choice given your history...there is a point where midwifes must defer to a doctor, especially with certain complications of pregnancies. When it comes to midwifery, the standard of care is different/better. To choose a midwife is not to put yourself into a risky situation...they are trained birth professionals, and many midwifes also have experience as L&D nurses to boot. BTW, they would have also known that the weight of the mother doesn't change their bone structure (hip size or pelvic outlet.)

Michelle

I think midwives should be present at every birth - not just home births. I think they recognize fetal distress sooner than doctors. In a high risk delivery - they would be even more valuable as they support the mom and the baby in the hours afterwards too. .. they would have the knowledge and the TIME to explain things and calm mom - instead of a 5 min visit by a doc (and 3 mins is gloving up for the exam)...

There are situations that occur during delivery that are not predcitable and that is why many opt to deliver in hospital. Ther are hospitals that allow midwives to attend to a birth in hospital ... and then medical help is right there if they call the doctor... if intervention becomes necessary.

I agree. I think midwives should be the standard caregiver for all women, and doctors brought in only as needed. They are cheaper, but provide a more in depth service to women...longer prenatal visits, get to know the mother and her needs/desires very well, and are more supportive through the process of labour. To have midwives for most births would go a long way to lowering the primary c/s rate. I think a Doula is important as well to help during labour (especially in a hospital...a midwife in hospital has her attention elsewhere much of the time due to hospital protocol, unlike in a homebirth.) I had a midwife for my second birth...when I needed the c/s she was there to support me during the surgery, and to advocate for me during and afterward (plus she took some great pictures.)

I personally think homebirth is the best choice, but it is not for everyone...you need to be very comfortable and confident with the natural process of birth.

Michelle

Child birth should be the kind of experience that is welcoming to that new little person. I hate how the medical world has made it a procedure instead of a natural process. I am thankful that the hospital and docs are there for women who need them, when there are complications. But, not every birth has to be text book. Every woman is different and every birth is different. And one last thing......I hate it when the doc's say they delivered the baby. All they do is stand there and wait. My husband caught both of our daughters, but I delivered them.

Lollie

It's really a shame how a natural process has been so medicalized. Hospitals and doctors are important for those who need additional medical care, but for a simple, healthy pregnancy and birth there is little need for medical intervention. However, a midwife does bring all the necessary tools for emergency situations, and can quickly assess whether a trip to hospital is necessary.

And it's so true about doctors doing nothing more than wait. I was so pleased to be able to deliver my own daughter (it was a waterbirth.) DH "caught" her head, and then I got to catch her as she slipped out and I immediately brought her to my chest. I got to see her and discover she was a girl before anyone else...she just lay in my arms and breathed...it was so peaceful. The midwives then did all the hard work of helping me through the last stage of birth, helping us to bed, checking my daughter over, bringing me some food and then doing all the cleanup. Nothing better than just settling into bed with baby for a good sleep right afterward.

Michelle

Hello, I'm back from my holiday. Has anyone ever had a LEEP procedure for abnormal cervical cells? I just had my colposcopy and most likely the doctor will do a LEEP after she gets the results. I would like to hear about other peoples experiences with this procedure.

I haven't had the LEEP procedure, but did have laser surgery for cervical dysplasia (LEEP is the newer technology.) The laser procedure didn't take too long, and recovery didn't take long either. I had my husband come with me for moral support (I was pretty upset with having to have the laser surgery.) The doctor used a camera & monitor during the procedure, and so I was able to watch as well...it was actually kind of interesting. If I recall correctly, there was some minor cramping when the local anesthetic wore off, but tylenol took care of that. Within couple of days I was good as new.

Here is some more info on LEEP: Open Original Shared Link

Michelle