BlessedMommy

So funny, Cathy! 

So...back to the question of if you have crossed the line into paranoia- I am guessing....yes.

Haha! Well, maybe I can blame my lapse into OCD on gluten. ROFL!   

I think that my problem was that I was realizing all the real ways that I probably should be more careful (when I first went gluten free, I didn't have a lot of guidance) and once I fixed all the real issues, I started worrying about the non-issues. Stupid OCD! 

FWIW, my naturopath is a biopsy DX'ed celiac. *shrugs* And she said that her antibody numbers didn't drop until she switched all of her personal care products to gluten free.

No, I won't be bothering with worrying about buying gluten free toilet paper. I'm guessing that if a person is eating toilet paper, they have much more pressing issues to deal with than celiac. 

That link still suggested moistening envelopes with water instead of saliva. Not sure why they would say that, unless there's a chance that wheat starch is in the adhesive? Sometimes it's hard separating fact from urban legends.   

My naturopath, who's celiac, was telling me about buying gluten free toilet paper. Is that going a little far or is it actually necessary?

Wait, Irish, envelopes? I try not to lick envelopes because I've heard that they could have gluten in the glue.

I have a 99% gluten free household, but I do allow my hubby to eat some prepackaged gluten free stuff, if he cooks it on a dedicated pot and with a dedicated spatula. But, if he goes and touches the faucet after eating, then theoretically the faucet is contaminated and should be wiped off. 

And when working at my MIL's house, I tend to not touch her faucet handle either.

In your opinion, where is the line between a healthy level of caution and gluten phobia? And how do you know when you've crossed the line?

??

 

But no celiac should ever eat a hamburger removed from a bun.

Yes, that's the point I was trying to make, is that you shouldn't do that. Sorry for the confusion.

Great job!

I liked that phrase, "significant food restrictions." I'm going to remember that!

JosieToo, would you mind sharing what you put in your box and what type of container you carry it in?

My husband eats mostly gluten free at home, but sometimes will come home from somewhere else where there was pizza served or something of that sort. And he occasionally does have gluteny stuff at the house, though I try to segregate them as much as possible.

CathyO, I really appreciated your post. I'm 32 and have been gluten free since shortly before I turned 28. Sometimes the years ahead of being careful with my diet seem overwhelming.

It's good to see a little perspective and to realize that I'm fortunate to have caught this early.

The sugar cravings definitely can go away. I know that my taste buds have changed a lot since I went down this road. 

I totally believe in low sugar for weight loss! My MIL went on a sensible diet with very few sweeteners at all, low fat and virtually no processed foods and also at her doctor's advice, she went down to 2 meals a day.

She started out at 267 lbs and in 8 months is down to 189 lbs, a 78 lb loss! 

Yep, I agree with the above.

I take all the precautions that I can with the areas that I can, because there are areas that I can't control. I'm not standing there in the factory watching them make the stuff. I'm not going to make all my guests change their clothes or wash their hands as soon as they come in my house. I'm not going to stay away from the county fair because of the cow and horse feed with wheat in it. I'm not going to worry about the 1 PPM that my certified gluten-free food might have in it. (munching Udi's granola as I speak) 

Now if people need to take precautions in these areas that I mentioned due to extreme sensitivities, that's fine. I'm not belittling that. I have known celiacs/NCGI who can't walk around at the county fair with the grain in the air. But personally that doesn't affect me. You will probably soon figure out your sensitivity level, if something bothers you, don't eat it again. Keeping a food journal can help. 

Short of eating a diet of only whole foods and foods from dedicated facilities, there is only so much control that you can have and some degree of uncertainty is part of life as a celiac. 

Most celiacs can tolerate up to 20 PPM, which gives you some margin of error for those things that you can't control. But since deliberate contamination will raise you above that level fast, you have to do whatever you can. In other words, if they bring you a hamburger and you take it off the bun, you're probably way above 20 PPM.

Most likely, but it's a good idea to get the biopsy, if feasible.

This guide may help to answer your questions:

Open Original Shared Link

Maybe it's time to relax a bit and not try to think about cleaning out your kitchen until after your DX. Sounds like maybe you need to take time to process everything.

Keep in mind  that although CC seems scary, that cleaning out your kitchen and keeping gluten out of the house (or carefully segregated) is probably 50% or more of the battle with cross contamination. If your house is safe from gluten, that is the #1 thing right there.

Quinoa is a great food to have on hand and makes a good rice substitute. It is very high in protein and very nutritious.

Wait a second, so snicker bars are gluten-free? LOL!

Keep in mind, that celiac may run in your family, the people who have it might be just undiagnosed. That's why it may be worth running the genetic test to evaluate your risk if the other tests are inconclusive.

If you have a positive biopsy, it's quite possible that you have celiac.

Are there any clues other than the biopsy that your doctor could use? Have you had genetic tests done? When you got your blood tests, did they check your total IGA levels?

Have you been checked for any other medical conditions? The intestinal damage is concerning. No symptoms definitely doesn't always mean that you don't have a problem with gluten. I would not rule it out until there's further investigation.

I'm not allergic or intolerant to it, small amounts don't really bother me. (though I do prefer to avoid HFCS as completely as I can)

Like you, I just try to stick to a very low sugar diet overall (staying within the government recommendations of 6-9 tsp per day), because I feel so much better that way.

I'm sorry to hear about your cancer. My MIL has cancer and she does a very low sugar diet as well. 

Hi and welcome to the boards!

I'm sorry for the hassle that you're going through. It's entirely up to you as to whether to do a gluten challenge or not. 

If you do a gluten challenge, make sure that you don't overdo the gluten. Eat a mostly gluten free diet and then add something like one grilled cheese sandwich a day or so. I tried to go cold turkey to eating normal and had very serious complications and wound up in the hospital 10 days into my gluten challenge. I've been gluten free ever since that day.

Good luck with whatever you decide!