ShayFL

I found the ELISA tests to NOT be helpful at all. I did it 3 different times over the years. They got enough of my money.

GermanMia is right. I initially felt so much better SCD, but then I started to feel "acidic". My body just felt "acid". Hard to explain. Anyway, I added more raw fruits in and within a few days, that nasty feeling went away.

I recently had some Indian curry (homemade) and then the next day pepper steak and all of that spice really threw me for a loop. My digestive system is still trying to calm down.

I dont complain much. Not my style. I just work my way through problems, then come in and help other who might have the same issues.

Right now I am studying Ayurveda. I am VERY Pitta dominant. So I am tweaking the diet, and so far it is helping. I've eliminated the spices (hot) that are not good for my dosha. And I am diluting the yogurt with water like is recommended for Pitta. I am also avoiding the fruits, veggies and meats that aggravate my constitution according to Ayurveda. A BIG IMPROVEMENT in the last 3 days!!

I know it sounds a bit of voodoo. But it is one of the oldest healing practices known to man. And once you study it, a lot of it just makes sense.

I have rarely ever asked for help. I dont know why it is so hard for me to do so. Perhaps you are the same way. But there are times when it is o.k. to ask and certainly o.k. to receive it.

I liked the idea of if everyone sent 1.00. There is power in numbers. PM me and I can help too.

Sometimes you have to call or email a company to make sure.

If you really want to see results with the gluten-free diet, the best thing to do is to eat whole foods. Avoid processed foods. Stick with plain meats, eggs, veggies, beans, rice, fruits, nuts & seeds and simple spices (McCormicks).

Then once well, try some processed foods.

Try Floravital (its gluten free), liquid and easy to absorb. If it were me, I would take daily sublingual B12 as well (you cant overdose). And many who get injections say they really notice a difference when they do the sublingual on top of the shots. Jarrow is a good brand.

Potatoes gave me seizures if I ate them at dinner. I would wake with seizures. An odd smell in my nose and complete disorientation for I dont know how long and kinda felt like my whole being was "buzzing". I hated it. Ditched the potatoes when I finally figured it out and have not seized since.

It could be another food intolerance as well. Do you keep a diary?

I remember when I was in college the first go round. A week of food looked like this: 1 bag of apples, 1 box of cereal, 1 gallon of milk, 1 block of cheese, 1 box of crackers and 7 cans of tomato soup. That had to last me a whole week. And once a friend spent the night and I woke up and he was eating a bowl of my cereal. I went absolutely ape sh*t on him.!!! I told him I need 1.50 to cover what he was eating.....LOL

Hang in there. I know it is tough. I know. I used to pawn stuff for money. I kept my eyes on the ground cuz sometimes I found jewelry I could pawn. I checked the phone booths for change. I dont know how I made it, but I did and you will too.

B12 and Iron deficiencies CAN cause ALL of those nagging symptoms you are having? What are you doing to replenish those nutrients?

McCormicks will list ANY gluten/wheat/rye/barley/oats. If it doesnt say it has it, then it is safe.

I use a whole coconut, but I cut the brown part off of the white meat. Straining would make it thicker if you ate what was in the strainer and not the watery part. I like it unstrained.

I know nothing of making it from cans or reconstituted coconut milk. Just fresh coco.

Seacure. Google it. Sm. amounts of pre-digested protein plus some Omega 3.

Also you can soak almonds overnight and then make almond milk out of them. Pre-digested proteins and fats.

You can soak walnuts too and eat them. They will be soft (not crunchy), but they would give you the much needed Omega 3 oils in a pre-digested form.

Maybe look into Ayurveda to help you figure out what foods might work best for you. Or SCD (specific carbohydrate diet).

Dawn - the coconut cream can be reconstituted to make coconut milk. And it tastes good by the spoonfull too.

Not straining def. makes a thicker yogurt. But it separates and there is liquid at the bottom once it does. I like it though.

A lot of people switch to gluten-free food that are processed. Most have ZERO fiber. So make sure you are getting enough fiber in your diet: Whole fruits, veggies, nuts & seeds, brown rice, etc. PLUS make sure you are drinking lots of water. You are healing and cleaning, so you need even more than normal. And magnesium does help.

Then let a "financial" battle be one thing and your daughter's health another. SHE IS CELIAC. No need to EVER doubt that. She needs to be gluten-free for life!! To avoid things like T1 Diabetes, lymphoma and other autoimmune diseases. You can help her have a life of good health by keeping her gluten-free now and stressing the importance of it for live. Educate her and feed her gluten-free.

If you find yourself doubting because of one doctor who clearly hasnt a clue (and I dont care what his credentials are), then you will be doing your girl a complete disservice to her health by EVER feeding her gluten.

I dream of "one stop shopping".

Here in Tampa FL: I go to Publix Supermarket once a week (they have a lot and even carry a good selection of gluten-free foods and Health foods). I go to

Abby's Health Food store once a month (they have some things that the others dont) and Whole Foods once a month. And there are a handful of things I order online.

Sigh...

It really is hard for me to read things like this. One of my doctors who was so "nice" and so "caring" and spent "lots of time with me" nearly killed me 20 years ago by Rxing the wrong meds. This same doctor that I had for 9 years, when he said I needed surgery on my cervix, and I said I was going for a second opinion, threw my chart across the room, yelled at me and slammed the door on me. So I no longer "revere" doctors in anyway. I now "fire" doctor's who act like that. I do not tolerate ego or arrogance anymore. No way!! "I" am my first priority and I dont give a rats behind about a doctor's feelings anymore. If it doesnt feel right, Im not doing it. Period.

Doctor's make MISTAKES everyday!! Please do not put your daughter's health in the hands of this one man. Please dont to that.

Second opinion.

People come in here for advice. And in so doing, you will get a variety of responses. Each individual has to decide for themselves how to keep safe.

It may be that as long as you dont eat gluten and avoid anything that goes on your mouth that contains gluten, you will be fine. But if you find yourself eliminating those things, but you still are still sick, then you might be more inclined to consider some of the things mentioned in here that might at this moment seem "extreme".

None of us old-timers are trying to be "extreme". We are just here day in and day out listening to people who are an absolute mess because they think they are gluten-free, and are still sick. When making a few of the changes we have mentioned has made a BIG difference for some people. We just try to help newbies avoid these very things we see cause problems for people over and over again.

I was told my thyroid was "normal" for 12 years when in fact I was severely hypothyroid. Once I printed out the new TSH ranges from an online source, took it to my doctor, it was only then that I got properly diagnosed.

Your health is in your hands. If you want to just trust that "normal" is normal, that is up to you. But if it was me, I would ask for copies of my lab results. Then I would take those thyroid results and go to www.stopthethyroidmadness.com and see if I still felt confident with my doctor's "normal".

My Mom was also told her thyroid was "normal" for many years. But she had Hashi's. Come to find out we dont make a whole lot of IgA in our family, so the antibodies dont go too high. They dont test IgG for thyroid unfortunately. Anyway, her "normal" was left alone for long enough that the Hashi's completely destroyed her thyroid and caused cancer. She now has had her thyroid removed.

I am sooooo thankful that I am no longer "normal" and have my life back.

My thyroid issues intensified after childbirth. It is a common trigger.

And the reason you feel better whilst preggo is that both Celiac and Hashi's are AUTOIMMUNE diseases. When you are preggo your body drastically turns down the immune system so that you do not reject the fetus (the fetus is a foreign object to the body). In the process of this immune system running at a lower idle, autoiimmune attaacks also lessen (hence less symptoms).

I feel for you because I was exactly in your shoes 12 years ago. No Internet for me back then and letting doctors tell me over and over I was "normal". It just got worse until I found those new TSH ranges and took them to my doctor so I could be treated. I shudder to think where I would be if that had not happened. Perhaps like my Mom with thyroid cancer......

Isnt it amazing that this "rare" disease isnt so rare after all? When I told my BFF she said her sister is Celiac. Seems whenever I tell someone, they always know someone else who has it.

I second the Thyroid. Ask your doctor for a complete panel: TSH, Free T4, Free T3 and both antibodies.

Tropical Traditions raises chicken without wheat, barley, rye, oats or corn. They use coco feed derived from coconuts and let the chickens free range and eat bugs and such.

MOJ - Freeze those Brazil nuts. They go rancid the fastest of all shelled nuts.

If you have $$$ there are online sites that sell wild turkey, deer, etc.

No you are not imagining anything. Gluten fits nicely into the opiate receptors in our brains. It is HIGHLY addictive. A lot of people go through "withdrawal" when they go off gluten. And like you, eating a serving of gluten (or more) brings on, not only pain, but cravings for the very drug that is killing you. Think Meth. Yeah....it is powerful stuff and if your body cannot tolerate it, you MUST break the addiction and stay off of it.

After I cut out gluten, I then over the course of a few months had to cut out ALL grains. Especially rice. I wasnt happy about it at first cuz I ate rice daily. But I find winter squashes/pumpkin quite filling. So those are the "new comfort foods".

I buy my nuts from Jaffe Bro. in CA usually and dont have a problem with them. I buy my nut flours from digestivewellness.com

To make the nuts more digestible, you can soak them overnight and then sprinkle with sea salt and toast in the oven for a few minutes. As long as they dont get too hot, the enzymes wont be totally destroyed. I soak mine and then make homemade almond milk with them.

If you are handy, you can make yogurt out of almonds or hazelnuts and even cheese!

Well I'd have to guess the probiotic. Yeasts can also grow from the air it is true. But all things being equal, my money is on the probiotic.

I have learned the best things in life require sacrifice. One sure sign you need to give something up is if you are "addicted" to it. Who knows, it may be the very thing that is preventing your healing fully.....

The only time I have stepped foot into a fast food joint in the las 20 years was to use their bathroom. But I know a lot of folks do eat fast food. And if you have a corn issue....it isnt a good idea.