BlessedMommy

How new is your waffle iron? I don't ever spray or grease mine--it's non stick.

ETA: I just re-read your original post where you said that your waffle iron is brand new. Provided that it is a non-stick surface all you should do is lightly brush it with olive oil to season it before your first use and then not put anything on it anymore. Non-stick spray isn't necessary and can cause build up over time.

I have struggled with horrible environmental allergies and 1 year ago, I decided to eliminate sugar for a while. (when I say sugar, I'm also referring to honey, agave, maple syrup, etc.) I went from being sick and congested most of the time to being healthy and being able to breathe so much better!

Now I use sweeteners very, very sparingly and my allergies are still tons better than they used to be. 

This definitely is a concern.

Since I became aware of this issue, we use white basmati rice from India and limit our consumption of brown rice. I usually try to buy corn pasta instead of rice pasta.

The source definitely makes a difference, some types of rice are much higher in arsenic than others.

Wow, 1 year? So they expect an ill person to keep on eating gluten for an additional year in order to get an endoscopy? That's crazy!

I bought some small glass dishes with snap down lids. They are pyrex brand and come in various sizes. I have a 2 cup size and a 4 cup size. They are great for sending leftovers to work with my husband or for packing something for me to eat on the go.

Nicole, am I missing something? I don't see any coconut flour in that recipe. 

I think that's the best plan, is just to send him a packed lunch. I hope that he feels better soon!

Welcome to the club! We should have a sub forum here called "Strictly Gluten free Without a Diagnosis." LOL!

I won't do a gluten challenge ever again, because the neurological implications are too scary, so I live a celiac lifestyle and am getting to the point where I'm fairly comfortable with that.

I wish that it had been possible to get a DX, but you know what, I feel 100x better off of gluten. Some of my gluten issues were very obvious (severe skin rash) and most people who remember that, can understand why I care about being strict. Those who don't remember that, will usually know about the TIA I had from the headaches while on gluten. I knew 100% that after having the TIA, I would never go back to gluten despite what any lab tests told me. Positive, negative, inconclusive, it wouldn't really matter. So I'm happy and healthy and at the end of the day, that's more important than a diagnosis.

Most of the time an adult can get by without a diagnosis. I've been in the hospital since going gluten free (had to go with my son to the children's hospital for a femur fracture) and they happily let us eat off their wonderful gluten free menu, no requirement to be celiac to eat from it.

And your gluten challenge wasn't for nothing! Now that you have gone through it, you know firsthand what gluten does to you and can be motivated to be strict in your diet.

Hang in there! Everything will be fine. 

Good. I'm pretty tired of DD's gluten challenge and ready to get it over with! 

4-6 months for a challenge? 

I thought that 3 months was enough.

I'm almost to the 3 month mark of challenge with DD and was going to take her in for bloodwork next week.

Sam's Club now has certified gluten free coconut flour! So I now have a 5 lb bag! What are your favorite ways to use it?

I make a really good communion type bread/cracker with just gluten free oat flour, olive oil, warm water and all purpose flour blend. If you could find a tapioca and potato free flour blend, that would probably work.

Have you tried baking your own? My kids love bread made with Pamela's bread mix. I also have a favorite "from scratch" recipe that everybody enjoys.

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So, today I went to a potluck and I brought my pyrex dishes with their snap on lids. I brought skillet lasagna in one and breaded eggplant in the other. I also brought a little minature banana cream pie. My MIL gave me some disposable minature pie pans and they're just the perfect size to take to a potluck, if you want some safe dessert for yourself.

Could you just tell her not to worry about it and bring small portions of turkey, etc. precooked for you and the boys? It does sound stressful and it doesn't sound like she totally understands things.

I know that it's extra hard with multiple people eating gluten free. For just myself, though, I just make up something in these portable pyrex containers and haul it along. Open Original Shared Link

Congratulations! What wonderful changes you've had!

Keep pushing forward because it continues to get better and better.

Absolutely you could order bloodwork while down in the U.S.

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Where do you live?

In the U.S. it's possible for people to order bloodwork on their own from a private lab and self pay if their doctor refuses to order it.

I'm pretty much counting down the days until my daughter's date for bloodwork. I can't wait to get rid of the gluten in the house again!

My 2 year old is one of the hardest, because she will put her hands up to my face and try to touch my mouth.

That would be a wonderful thing for so many people. I also hold out hopes that they will make an option that requires no gluten consumption at all. (but I suppose that those of us who can't eat gluten for any reason, kind of have our answer anyways)

Oh my!

I hope that you went back and complained.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to quote the part that I'm referring to, but she said something to the effect of that quinoa has varying prolamin content, thus only some forms of quinoa are gluten free.

I don't doubt that some celiacs have problems with quinoa, but I wasn't aware that any quinoa contained gluten.....

Wait, I thought that all quinoa was gluten free....

I absolutely do eat products that are made in a shared facility, if they test the product.

If they are taking precautions to not contaminate the product and the end products test at under 20 PPM, I'm happy to eat it. 

That is unusual to be dx'ed with celiac after 1 year gluten free, but certainly not unheard of, as it can take awhile for celiac damage to heal.