ShayFL

I know there are a lot of false negative with blood work. With what they told you about the biopsy and having the DQ2 gene, if I were you, I would go Gluten Free and let the diet speak for itself. I might even go on the diet even if I had NO symptoms. Based on that biopsy and having the gene. Life is too short to worry about eating one food. There is so much more food to enjoy and you could prevent cancers that are related to Celiac. Just my 2 cents.

My daughter appears extremely healthy. Growing normally for her age. No major illnesses. No stomach problems or D (I have asked). Only 1 round of antibiotics in 12 years for an absessed tooth. Rarely gets a cold. Happy and healthy. So I am not testing her. But she knows that I have the genes. I told her that she doesnt need to be tested right now, but if she ever starts having health problems, it is the first thing she should check out. She accepts this. She is mostly gluten-free because my house is 100% gluten-free. Then now and again she gets gluten at a friends. No bad reactions.

If your son is old enough to understand, just talk to him. You can also casually ask him if he has tummy issues or D. At that age, he might not just tell you he has loose poop. That would be like.....sooooo embarrassing Mom.

If you look at all of the major diseases, you can find a laundry list of "possible symptoms" related to each disease and they ALL overlap each other!! My theory is that there are MANY things that can go wrong with these bodies, but there are a finite number of possible symptoms. I saw a cartoon the other day that showed a doctor and a patient and the doctor said, "Ms. Smith, you have come up with a symptom that doesnt exist."

My point is, that whenever you have a disease, it is easy to correlate your symptoms to that disease, especially if you get better with treatment (whatever that treatment is). Then you start looking around you at your friends and family and you think....I wonder if they have the same disease I do??? They have some of the same symptoms or other symptoms related to (fill in the blank disease). When in fact there are a thousand other diseases that will have those same symptoms. This is natural.

When I first got Dx Hypothyroid, I joined "Stopthethyroidmadness" and they all believed everything wrong in their lives related to thyroid. In a year there, I never saw one mention of Celiac or gluten. And research supports very strongly a link between thyroid disease and Celiac. But they were focused on one disease process. And Celiac is also "one disease process". Their is very likely to be a "tier" above Celiac that leads to disfunctional bodies.

We are always learning........

Where to buy the gluten-free rice paper????

Could it all be celiac? Well yeah, it could. But it could also be because in general most people just do not eat very well or take care of themselves. A lot of junky foods, sodas, etc. Taking OTC meds with every little sniffle or pain. Breathing in toxic environmental gunk. Chemical laden water. Bad relationships. Resentment. Trauma. Divorce. No exercise. Smoking. Drinking. Drugs. Constantly damaging their bodies. No, I dont think everything can be blamed on Celiac. But if you have the genes, it def. could play a role.

That sounds delicious!! I bought some fresh Lychee's 2 weeks ago and we fought over them. I just need to find some really good Tuna steaks.

I have yet to "need" xanthum gum. The chia works great!!

I tried Stevia powder and it tasted kinda bitter. So I then tried Chicory root which made it sweet, but caused gas later.

Oh and my favorite cookbook now "Cooking Free". The banana bread and the blueberry muffins are wonderful. Ive also made bread sticks which me and my daughter loved from this book. And some of the salad dressings. I like the Italian best from this book.

Think of it as an adventure!! And adventure that will lead to a healthy life for your daughter. And also if you or your husband have any nagging health issues, you will want to get tested. Celiac is genetic and one of you gave her the gene(s). This is not to make you feel guilty. Who can know???? I have passed on genes to my daughter too. But also have passed on some really good things too like creativity and compassion.

But if you guys test positive, then it would be a lot easier as you could all be 100% gluten-free in your house. My husband agreed to not eat gluten in the house. He eats it when he is at work. No gluten foods even come through my door.

I get the chia seeds at whole foods. But another health food store here sells them pre-ground. But it is no bid deal to put them in a coffee grinder and wizzz away. I use the same amount of ground chia as xanthum. Now I will tell you again, I have never used xanthum, so I do not know the difference. But my cakes, muffins and breads all turn out great and do not fall apart. This is all I know. So experiment at your own risk. I like that the chia has fiber and nutrition (Iron and good fats). If I can add something with nutrition over something with zero, I always will.

Then you must not have children or pets.

I like "Cooking Free" the best so far and I have bought 4. I have multiple food avoidances, so it is perfect for me. Ways to bake and cook without gluten, dairy, egg and sugar.

I was going to mention the "addictive" quality of gluten/gliadin. Do you know of any recovered alcoholics? They are to be admired for their courage and strength. It is not only necessary to treat your disease with a gluten-free diet, but it is also brave. Feel good about yourself. Empower yourself. Realize just what kind of person you really are deep inside. Visualize yourself as STRONG and focus on that. If you focus on being weak, you will stay weak. Sometimes things like Celiac help you find out what you are truly made of. It can be a good thing if you allow yourself to see it that way.

Sunshine burgers are yummy and sunflower seed based. Eaten cold or hot.

It is not easy to be vegan and stay healthy to begin with. B12 will need to be supplemented at some point. Most people have a 5 - 10 year reserve in their bodies, but if you stay vegan long enough it runs out. I didnt take veganism lightly. I went to school to study to make sure I knew what I was doing and could stay healthy. I ended up with a degree in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College.

I was vegan for about a year and just didnt have much energy and then went vegetarian for another couple of years. I did it because I thought it would be healthier. Not for ethical reasons as I understand that millions of birds, squirrels, rabbits, fox, mice etc. are killed by the tractors, plows and harvesting equipment to get my vegetarian food (and they dont die humanly either). Even the harvesting of sea weed kills fish, shrimp and other ocean animals. Animals must die in order for me to live is what I know to be true (veg or no). This is my truth. At any rate, after about 3 years, I started craving meat (and I wasnt gluten free). But I resisted for a long time. I went to an acupuncture doctor and when he did his exam he said, "You need to eat some red meat.". I didnt even mention I was vegetarian. So I did buy some steak and ate it and I felt sooo much better after putting meat back into my diet after a few months. I have never looked back.......

I still dont eat much meat. I am 90% vegan. I mostly eat fish and fowl. But some red meat once a week or every 2 weeks.

Yes, you could be deficient in iron. But do not take a supplement without having your doctor test your iron levels and especially your Ferritin. Ferritin should be at least above 50 with some saying 70-80 is optimal. Optimal levels vary by who you ask. But it certainly should not be below 50. Maybe you have copies of labwork from recent. Did they test Ferritin?

Make sure any supplements you take are Gluten Free.

Oh and sub out the flour tortillas for gluten-free corn tortillas.

They do make gluten-free hotdog and hamburger buns, but I have never eaten them.

My regular grocery store stocks a lot of gluten-free flours and products, but you can also order them online or go to a local health food store.

Yes it can. And many celiacs also have auto-immune thyroid issues. Hang tight and we are here to help.

Here are some suggestions:

First, most celiacs are not only lactose intolerant but casien (milk protein) intolerant. Most have the best success and faster haling by removing gluten and dairy from their diet at least for the first 3 months or so until the villi heal. Once healed, you can reintroduce dairy and see if it is tolerated. Many can, but some never can. Gluten of course is a lifelong avoidance.

Bfst: My daughter likes these gluten-free waffles: Open Original Shared Link

Eggs with grits

Smoothies with fruit/dairy free milk and protein powder from rice or egg

If you dont mind cooking there are a lot of recipes for gluten-free pancakes here: Open Original Shared Link

Just select the "Gluten Free" category and type in pancakes.

My entire family LOVES his recipe for teff/peanut butter cookies.

Snacks: Fruit and nuts are very good. Rice cakes with nut butters and sliced fruit.

Dinners: You are doing fine, just switch out gluten-free pasta for what you already do. And you can dredge your meats in gluten-free flours if you want to pan fry something. We eat a lot of soups with gluten-free broth, Frozen veggies and meats. I will throw in par-boiled rice for starch.

***You will have to get very good at reading labels and look for "Gluten Free" and learn where gluten can be hidden in common ingredients:

Open Original Shared Link

And you will want to change out her haircare, toothpaste, etc for gluten-free. Dove products are gluten-free or will mark "wheat" when it is included. And Crest is gluten-free. A lot of Burt's Bees is gluten-free, but check the website for their updated gluten-free list.

***Eating out can be a challenge, but there are restaurants that have gluten-free menus.

I just got this:

Open Original Shared Link

Along with the Eseential Gluten Free Grocery Guide. The Grocery Guide is nice because it lists name brands that are safe. You will want to get the updated version every year because products change ingredients from time to time.

I know it seems overwhelming, but it gets easier the more you do it.

***It is important that your kitchen be clean and safe from "cross contamination". i.e. she need her own toaster, old teflon pans that are scratched need to be replaced, wooden spoons and cutting boards that could have traces of gluten on them.

Ask any questions. Everyone here is helpful. But this should get you going!!

Welcome - You are among kindred souls.

What is her "normal" diet like.

I personally have been a "health nut" for about 15 years, so my daughter was raised on whole foods and whole grains. So when we switched over our diet, we just replaced whole wheat (never really ate rye or barley) with gluten-free grains. I have learned to bake with the gluten-free grains. I have mostly made homemade treats for the past 15 years anyway. So though there was a learning curve for a new kind of baking, it has not been that different for us.

But everyone is different. If you let us know what she normally eats, we can help with substitutions and make sure she is getting good nutrition as well.

I agree with everyone here. We lost one of your nearest and dearest friends to complications of gastric bypass surgery 2 years ago. Everything went fine except he picked up staph in the hospital (which is VERY COMMON these days). He was dead within 2 weeks. We still miss him so much and just wish he would have worked harder on diet and lifestyle....He left behind 2 beautiful daughters.....I wouldnt do it......no way.......

I just had that type of virus. I hammered it with colloidal silver and vitamin C. Miserable for 2 days, but then by day 4 completely gone.

Jami - you have already been diagnosed. Why are you getting another Dx????? Why not just eat gluten-free like you know you have to based on your Celiac blood tests before? This confuses me......

Bob's Red Mill site has a ton of FREE recipes. And I like "Cooking Free" as a cookbook. I have yet to throw anything out for lack of taste. Some things are ubber yummy and some are just edible. But you have to experiment to find out.

Xanthum gum is a "binder" which replaces gluten in flour. I dont use it. I use ground chia seeds. But you can find xanthum at health food stores or online. And it lasts a very long time. So dont worry about the price as you wont need to buy it very often.

I recommend Bob's Teff peanut butter cookies. A family favorite already here at a little over 2 mo. gluten-free.

Oh and thyroid meds will not hurt your baby. If you are hypo, you are just supplementing what your body would normally produce. If you are hyper, they give drugs to block the excess. You would have to ask about that and nursing. But if you are severely hyper and have all that excess in your blood, it will get into your breast milk and your baby will get too much hormone too. So you do not want to ignore all of this. GET CHECKED!

Postpartum thyroiditis is a painless inflammation of the thyroid gland that can occur in the mother usually four to 12 months after childbirth. The cause of this uncommon condition isn't known. You may be at increased risk of postpartum thyroiditis if you have an immune system disorder or a prior history of thyroiditis.

If you have postpartum thyroiditis, you may initially experience signs and symptoms of overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), which may include rapid heartbeat, sudden and unexplained weight loss, nervousness, fatigue and increased sensitivity to heat. A diagnosis of hyperthyroidism can be confirmed by blood tests. Treatment may include beta blockers to reduce symptoms.

Later, you may develop signs and symptoms of underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), which may include unexplained weight gain, hoarse voice, constipation, puffy face, fatigue and increased sensitivity to cold. A diagnosis of hypothyroidism can be confirmed with blood tests. Treatment may include thyroid replacement hormone.

In most cases, thyroid function returns to normal within 12 to 18 months after onset of symptoms. However, some women develop long-term hypothyroidism and need lifelong thyroid hormone replacement therapy.

Rarely, hypothyroidism after childbirth is caused by Sheehan's syndrome, also called postpartum hypopituitarism. This condition may occur in women who have severe blood loss during childbirth resulting in damage to the anterior pituitary gland.

I was dx while breast feeding. It has nothing to do with your thyroid blood tests. They will be accurate. And dont be afraid to mention post-pardum thyroiditis to your doctor. It is not uncommon.

Make sure they test: TSH, Free T-4, Free T-3 and both antibodies. Your TSH should be at least 2 or less with most people feeling well with it less than 1. If it is over 3 or 4 you may be in a hyper state which is what your symptoms indicate.

With me, the hyper phase lasted about 6 weeks, with the extreme weight loss. Eating like a horse. Anxiety and not sleeping much. Then I went hypo.

I found some gluten-free brown rice bread crumbs in a bag at the store. I have not used them yet. Will be making meatloaf soon.