Jenny (AZ via TX)

For me personally, I'm glad I have an official diagnosis. I had no idea I had celiac or even what it was. I don't think I would have been able to stay gluten free without the diagnosis. I'm pretty sure I would have cheated. For me, I needed the paper that told me I have it. Sad, but true. If I didn't have the dx, I would always be doubting it which in my mind would let me cheat. I didn't realize how bad I felt until I started to feel good. I think I just got used to feeling subpar.

Since being dx'd, I have never cheated, not one teeny tiny bit. It's not worth it to me to go back to where I was.

It's a personal decision whether or not to get an official dx.

As for the plates, I think it depends on the PF Changs. When I contacted them, it wasn't the shape of the plates, but whether they were plain white or had a logo on it.

I use Pamela's for pancakes. Both hubby and I like it. That's saying a lot since he is really big on whole wheat whole grains. Also, I never really liked pancakes before going gluten-free.

I wonder if I used less egg if the baked good would be less cakey. Hmm. I'll have to try it and see how that works.

That's incredible! Congratulations.

It took me a while before I had normal stools, about 8-9 months. I didn't have diarrhea every day but I did have soft stools. I probably should have given up dairy in the beginning, but I didn't. That may have been a problem. I still eat dairy, but I must have healed enough that it doesn't bother me. Also, depending on what the dairy is, I will take a Lactaid. I understand Lactaid will not work if you have a casein intolerance. Also, I had to give up coffee the first few months. It really upset my stomach in the beginning. Peanuts also did not sit well with me.

Since the beginning and actually even before being diagnosed, I have been taking probiotics and digestive enzymes. Actually a lot of supplements. Am now taking thyroid meds too.

You'll get there. Double check everything that goes in your mouth. In the beginning I was eating a rotisserie chicken which I thought was gluten-free, but found out about a month later it was not gluten-free. I simply read the Safeway gluten free list wrong and though deli roasted chicken was the rotisserie chicken.

Yep, I like them too, but I like Pamela's better. Pamela's have a stronger taste, which I like. If I was going to use them for a crust, I would use TJ's. Much cheaper.

I used my Better Batter flour to make Wowzer's pumpkin bars. I used her recipe, I believe it was Paula Dean's. The only change I made was to add chocolate chips. Oh, and I didn't do the icing to save on calories. It came out great! It looked more like a cake and was delicious. I baked it in a glass pan for 35 minutes. Hubby and friend loved it too. I thought the texture would be more like brownies since they were bars.

The next thing I want to make are the banana spice cookies that were posted. They sound so good!

Thanks to all of you who recommended this flour. I love it!

Just wondering if the pills would work as well as the liquid. That way no yucky taste? Not sure if pills are gluten-free. anyone?

Thanks Mamaw. I did contact Naomi. What a sweet woman. Anyway, she said the packaging is according to certain guidelines and all is well. However, they will be going above and beyond the guidelines and are changing the packaging so that the flour will be in an enclosed bag.

I'm excited to try it out so I'm going to bake something today!

I buy Mission Tortilla Chips, Pamela's cookies (I like the little ones better than the larger ones), Planters 100% Natural Harvest Jumbo cashews (roasted in sea salt, no added oils)- I can only find these at Target for some reason, raisins, Kraft marshmallows mixed with Cocoa Pebbles to make treats, cheese, M&M's, Dove Chocolate (not sure if all are gluten-free but if you call the 800 number they list them there). Of course all fruits and veggies. Stonyfield organic yogurt (of course not the ones with cereal/granola), nachos.

Anyway, these are my faves.

I'm sure there are more items, just can't think of them right now.

I just got my order of Better Batter flour. It came in a pretty little box that was sealed. When I opened it, the flour is in a plastic bag, not sealed. Is this normal? I would have thought it to be sealed as well. There wasn't even a twist tie around the top. I got the 5lb bag. There was a lot of plastic around the top, just kind of wrapped around it. None of it spilled out, just seemed odd to send that way.

Thanks.

I drink decaf, non-fat lattes. I don't like rice milk or soy milk. I have to do the decaf because caffeine makes me too jittery. I try to take a lactaid before drinking it but sometimes I don't and I'm still OK. I don't drink them everyday like I used to but probably 3-4 times a week. So far, so good.

I have to say though that I gave up coffee for the first few months. It didn't sit well on my stomach. I have it every morning at home in addition to the Starbucks.

Since you say you do not have celiac, did you have the bloodwork done? Sometimes you can get a false negative. If your villi are damaged, the lactaid may not be enough to help you. Casein may be the problem. You may want to try giving up dairy and see what happens.

Also, once people go gluten free, sometimes other sensitivities show up. Many people seem to have problems with corn, soy and dairy. Maybe try an elimination diet.

Also, especially in the beginning, many of us continued to eat gluten unknowingly. For me it was in some of my supplements and a deli-roasted chicken I thought was gluten-free. Also, you may still be getting gluten through cross contamination. Are you still using the same toaster?

I'm sure someone, maybe a moderator, can add to this.

This sounds so great. My husband grew up eating pierogies so he will love this too. What are Simply Potatoes (brand)?

Hi Pink Lady. I was dx'd with celiac the end of February, '08 so almost one year. I don't think hypothyroid is reversible, but my dose is less now than previously. I take Armour thyroid and a compounded T3. I wanted my meds to be natural if possible. It's really a personal choice and what works for you. I feel so much better and am not nearly as tired!

My cholesterol and tryglicerides have gotten better since going gluten free. My overall number is about the same but my HDL's have gone up from 42 to now 54. Hopefully they will get even better. My triglycerides have come way down. They had elevated to 209 and are now only 89.

Also, if possible, have your doctor check your Free T3 and Free T4. TSH doesn't always depict the whole picture. You should post your numbers. There are so many people on the forum that know a whole lot more about thyroid problems than I do.

You can pm me if you have any questions. If you are hypo, definitely get on the meds.

When I was dx'd with celiac, my cholesterol was in the normal range but toward the high normal. I was then dx'd with hypothyroid about 6 months later.

My doctor told me to come back in a year. I'm going to go to my family doc to see if she will run the bloodwork. I really don't want to go back to the gastro unless I have a problem (I didn't think she was that good).

I think it would have been nice to be re-tested at 6 months just to make sure I was doing the diet correctly.

Yes, please post your recipe.

My nails are better too. I'm even getting the little crescent moons back. Well not really sure what to call them but it's at the base of the nails. They were completely gone. I don't have them on all fingers yet, but slowly they are coming back.

Walmart is the only pharmacy I could find that carried Alprazolam by Mylan. I called Walgreens, CVS, Target and Safeway. It may depend on where you live though. I had some alprazolam by Purepac but quit using them when I was dx'd since I could never get through to purepac.

Woah. This has me seriously reconsidering all of my prescription meds. I was on neurotin for an extended period of time for pain. Although, I couldn't handle the mental side-effects. It made me incredibly jittery/agitated and worsened my insomnia. Anyhow, I was just prescribed Xanax temporarily and haven't picked it up at the pharmacy yet since I was waiting to call the company on Monday to check whether it was gluten-free. Now, I'm not sure if I can trust their answer. Plus, what if it does contain gluten? Does anyone know how to find out which pharmacies carry Mylan or other gluten free versions? Walgreens says their Xanax is from PurePac yet I can't find much information about the company via the internet.

I think everyone is going to react differently. I will not eat anything that says made on shared equipment with wheat. I will eat if it says made in a facility that also processes wheat. It's a personal choice.

I had this when I first started taking my thyroid meds. I had to reduce the dose.

For anxiety I take Alprazolam (Xanax generic) by Mylan. I have read on another thread on this forum that it is gluten-free. I don't need to take it very often, but when I do need it it works really well.

My non-celiac hubby and I both like Pamela's. I didn't even like pancakes that much before going gluten-free. Now, I really like them.

I like the Caesar salad with shrimp.