Jenny (AZ via TX)

I am hypothyroid as well. Both my Free T3 and Free T4 were low and my TSH was just a little high. I am taking Armour and a T3 which is compounded. For me, the T3 makes a huge difference.

Hi everyone. I'm going to Dallas to visit family and wanted to know what your favorite restaurants are. Thanks.

I think everyone is going to be different. My TTG number was >100. I didn't get an exact number. I was retested after a year and it was 3 which is negative.

3.5 months doesn't sound that long for his numbers to go down significantly. Hopefully someone else will chime in here that knows more than I do. A lot of doctors don't even re-test until 6 months or a year.

I don't know if you have a mixed household or entirely gluten free. If mixed, could he be getting cross contamination? I have a mixed household, but mostly gluten free. My husband has his own toaster and I use a toaster oven. We use separate counters for gluten and gluten free items. If you have a mixed household, make sure the family is not double-dipping into jars like peanut butter, butter, jelly, etc because once the knife touches the bread and then is put back into the jar, the jar is cross contaminated.

You probably already know all of this and he may not be getting any gluten at all. Sometimes it just takes a while for the body to heal. If you are new to this, there is a great book "Living Gluten Free for Dummies". This was the first book that I bought and put everything into perspective for me. There are also numerous posts which tell you which items to replace such as scratched non-stick pots and pans, wooden utensils, plastic utensils, plastic collander, cutting boards, toaster.

Janet,

Does the Tonto Grill have a gluten-free menu or did you have to talk to the chef? Thanks. I'm in Fountain Hills so this is not too far from me.

Here are a few places I like:

Havana Cafe - has gluten free menu - ask for it(Bell Road location)

Cantina Laredo - has gluten free menu - ask for it (Frank Lloyd Wright location)

Pizza Picazzo - there are several - I usually go to the Frank Lloyd Wright location

PF Changs

White Chocolate Grill - have not been there yet since going gluten-free, but heard they have a gluten-free menu

Fago de Chao - on Scottsdale Road near the Borgata = excellent and they even have good bread, but is around $50/person

I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them right now. Most of the restaurants I listed are in North Scottsdale.

Stores: As Tom mentioned, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joe's. Safeway by me as a small gluten-free section.

let us know what part of Phoenix you will be staying.

Sorry, it's Fogo de Chao. Also I've had a good experience at Carraba's on Scottsdale and Frank Lloyd Wright area.

Here are a few places I like:

Havana Cafe - has gluten free menu - ask for it(Bell Road location)

Cantina Laredo - has gluten free menu - ask for it (Frank Lloyd Wright location)

Pizza Picazzo - there are several - I usually go to the Frank Lloyd Wright location

PF Changs

White Chocolate Grill - have not been there yet since going gluten-free, but heard they have a gluten-free menu

Fago de Chao - on Scottsdale Road near the Borgata = excellent and they even have good bread, but is around $50/person

I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them right now. Most of the restaurants I listed are in North Scottsdale.

Stores: As Tom mentioned, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joe's. Safeway by me as a small gluten-free section.

let us know what part of Phoenix you will be staying.

I am so sorry you are going through such a horrible time right now. I have not heard of afobasol but would also be interested in anyone who has tried this. I take alprazolam (generic for xanax) by Mylan. I don't need it everyday, just every now and then. I think it works great.

If you are going to get tested, make sure you already have insurance. I've heard it can be difficult to get later because of a pre-existing condition. Also, I don't know how old you are, but if you are going to get life insurance, I would also get that before getting tested too.

I was tested by blood work and biopsy and for me, I needed that diagnosis to be gluten free. If I hadn't had the positive results, I would probably be cheating. Sounds silly, but the test made it totally real for me and not just a guess. It's been one year for me and I haven't cheated once. Also, if you are tested and you are negative, it could be something other than celiac. There was a gentleman that posted the other day who thought he had gluten issues, but is was cancer of the pancreas.

Unfortunately, with the testing, it is invasive if you go for the biopsy. There was no pain, but my GI did put me under which is always a risk.

It is such a personal choice. There are so many that have tested negative, but still have gluten issues and have gone gluten free and feel much better. You can get false negatives with the test.

It would be really hard for me to start eating gluten again once I had already stopped. You could always stick to the diet for several months and see if you feel better. If you don't you could always get tested at that time (after eating gluten again).

I wish you well in finding the right answers.

Mornings were especially hard for me in the beginning. I'm still not great in the morning, but much better. I actually would not leave the house unless I had been up for at least 3 hours or so. I couldn't because I would be in the bathroom 2-3 times. I'm a lot more normal now, but will make sure I've been awake for a couple of hours before I leave.

Also, I still wake up tired. I have my whole life. My ferritin is still low. I take iron and D3 as well as a lot of other supplements. I'm also hypothyroid.

I think it just takes a while to heal. I have to say that I feel great compared to where I was a year ago. Hang in there - it does get better.

I also used to take naps every afternoon for 2-3 hour at a time. I seldom take a nap anymore. It took me several months to get to this point.

I've been drinking Bonterra wines. Usually white. I love red wines, but they don't love me.

Also will have vodka occasionally

Yes, the fatigue was horrible. I would take a 3 hour nap during the day and then sleep at least 10 hours during the night. It's been just over a year and things are much better. I still have some days that I have to take a nap, but it's not every day or even every week anymore.

Have you had your ferritin level checked? That can cause a lot of fatigue. Mine was 8 when I was dx'd.

Also, have you had your thyroid checked? I found out that I am hypothyroid which can cause fatigue as well.

Just a couple of things to think about. I hope this helps.

I was just wondering if anyone has tried this yet for weight loss? I've been seeing a lot of ads from doctors for it on TV. I've googled it, but haven't found much about the negative affects. Basically the doctor will inject you with this hormone or give you a pill. The diet itself is really strict. I think it's only 500 calories, yes 500. The info I've seen says that even though you only eat 500 calories a day, you are using something like a 1000 calories in fat. I'm unclear how all of this works.

Anyway, just thought I would see if anyone has done this and how safe it is. Thanks.

Raisin,

I'm so sorry you are going through all of this. I had to give up coffee for the first 4 or 6 months, decaf and regular. I have been drinking coffee all of my life, even as a small child (was mostly milk and sugar back then with some coffee) - I know, sounds weird, but many people in New Orleans did that. Anyway, I started drinking decaf again a few months ago and find that I can tolerate it now. I love having coffee in the morning. Don't know what it is about it.

I think it's good to vent and talk to people that understand what you are going through. I really feel for you. I'm not going through nearly as much as you so I can only imagine had difficult it would be with all of the intolerances you have.

If you visit AZ again, PM me and I will give you a list of places we feel comfortable going to.

My labs were done by Sonora Quest and I tested positive. Don't know about the other labs.

Interesting. I'm going to see if I can find some old fingerprints I have and see if the white lines are on there.

I just saw this. White Chocolate Grill, located in Scottsdale, AZ and I believe Denver, CO now has a gluten-free menu. I haven't tried it yet, but thought I'd let you know.

Has anyone been yet? Would love a review. Thanks. Here is their website: Open Original Shared Link

What an honor. It's so great that that asked you to speak!

Yep, I was not happy at all when dx'd. I still miss being able to go to any restaurant with my friends and sharing different dishes. Just the bonding of it. Oh well, not an option any more. I still get really anxious going to restaurants, so it's just not as enjoyable as it used to be. I go to the ones that have worked for me so far.

The positive is that I feel so much better! Can't believe it. Used to have chronic sinus infections and allergies. Have not had one sinus infection since going gluten-free and it's only been one year. Hang in there. It gets easier but every now and then I have my own little pity party. Then I move on.

Also, give it time. It took months before I felt better. I'm still not 100%, but way better than I used to be.

Yay. So glad you had such a perfect dinner!

Welcome to the forum!

I live in Fountain Hills. I think Whole Foods has the best selection of gluten free foods. The Safeway near me carries some gluten free items as well. Also, I have a Health Food Store near me, Nature's Finest, that has a nice selection.

I'm so sorry about the nausea. I had that too at first. I was never a breakfast eater even before being dx'd because of nausea. Anyway, at first I practically lived on Stonyfield Organic Yogurt, bananas, eggs and chicken. Nothing sat well in my stomach. I had to give up coffee which was really hard. Now, I can eat pretty normally, well no gluten of course, and I drink de-caf coffee.

It was really hard for me to digest certain foods at first. Also, I think in addition to the B vitamins RiceGuy mentioned, look into taking some digestive enzymes. They may help too. I also take Lactaid pills MikeM mentioned, before drinking a Latte or eating ice cream. I don't need it for the yogurt. I've read on this forum that some people kept a diary of everything they ate so they could narrow down what didn't sit well with them.

I hope you feel better soon. I still don't eat breakfast until I've been up for a couple of hours. Not due to nausea, just not hungry.

Maybe it depends on the location as to what is gluten-free. The manager in Scottsdale told me all of the meat, including the sausage, were gluten-free except the chicken. We should always ask.

Yum!

I take Armour, but when I first started, I felt horrible on it. Was also taking a compounded T3. I had accelerated heart rate and anxiety. I had to reduce my dose by at least half. Some of us have to start on really low doses and increase slowly. I hope you are feeling better.