jeanzdyn

Apparently there are people who have no clue what flour is actually made from. I can understand maybe not knowing what gluten is, but not knowing that regular flour is made from wheat just amazes me.

I too have noticed that people are extremely ignorant or just plain don't think things through. I wonder where they think flour comes from.... maybe it grows on trees... or it is mined from the ground....

The next person I meet who does not know that flour is made from wheat --I am going to ask where they think flour comes from.

I have heard a lot of stupid statements and I was just diagnosed this past November.

I like to tell them about Kinnikinnick Pizza Crusts -- I start by saying "even if I did not have to be gluten-free I would buy these pizza crusts, because they are better than any pizza crust I have ever had..."

Also, maybe I am weird, but I have not found it that difficult to observe the gluten-free diet. I guess that maybe I was not consuming that much gluten any more, without really thinking about it. I had only a small bag of food items that I needed to discard.

I just feel like I have found a lot of good, and tasty foods that are gluten-free. Yes, I have had a couple of 'disasters'-gluten-free things I bought to eat that were truly awful, but by and large, I am not disatisfied with the gluten-free diet and I do not feel deprived at all. As long as I can have chocolate, yogurt, cheese, then I will be okay with this.

But I have to agree that I wish people who don't know what they are talking about would keep their comments to themselves.

Everyone is different. It is my understanding that there are a few ups and downs in getting used to the new diet. Personally, I have not had any bad effects, but that could change. I have noticed that I am more sensitive to some foods. I have backed off on some foods and will try to 'rotate' those foods back into my diet to see what symptoms are triggered.

If you think that some particular food is causing symptoms stop eating that for a couple of weeks and then maybe try some and see what happens.

And try not to stress out over all this! Stress is bad. I know that it may be difficult for you not to stress with this dietary change, but you have to try to totally relax for 30 to 60 minutes each day, forget about the diet, forget about the symptoms, and focus on something else!!

Like BabsV said, "stick with it and don't get discouraged."

You can come here to the forum for encouragement and advice and to vent and whatever you need! We are all in the same boat.

Kinnikinnick makes an excellent pizza crust for personal pizzas (it measures about 5 inches x 6 inches). I would buy these pizza crusts even if I did not need to be gluten-free --they are delicious!!!

Also, check out the Amy's line of frozen foods and soups. Be sure to read the labels carefully though, as not all of Amy's products are gluten free.

You have the right attitude going into this! I was diagnosed this past November and I have to say that it has not been as tough as I thought it would be. A lot of the gluten free products I have tried are quite good.

I also recommend Annie Chun Pad Thai Gluten Free Rice Noodles, which I used in chicken soup. They are very good noodles.

A lot of it will have to be trial and error on your part. I have found that some gluten free food items are either very bland or just not very good at all.

I have tried Glutino gluten free penne alfredo and it was just awful!! like wet cardboard with milk poured over it!!! I will be making my own alfredo sauce in future and use rice noodles.

I also tried a gluten free soup, cream of chicken, and that was pretty bad too. I hear that a lot of gluten free soups are not very tasty. I make my own soups in a crock pot, so I can season to my own taste.

Good luck and let's meet back here and compare notes later!!

I did not have the 7 stages of grief. I skipped denial, because when they said 'gluten intolerance' I was not at all surprised. and I am really relieved because I have had symptoms for so very long (more than 20 years), and no doctor would ever even try to figure out if the symptoms were related in some way.

I will admit, however, that I have spoken with a couple of people who I think should be tested for celiac disease. They have many of the same symptoms I have, but neither of them would ever even consider giving up any food item. Anyway, to each his own.

I was diagnosed in November 2011, and I don't feel like it is that much of a struggle. I should say that I have been paying attention to my diet versus any symptoms I have -for many years already, so it is not new to me to 'tweak' my dietary consumption.

There are days when I do feel like it is a struggle, especially when I have to eat away from home. I try to always carry something that I can eat, at least to hold me for an hour or two. There were a few items I was eating before my diagnosis that just happen to not have gluten of any kind listed as ingredients; and some which I have emailed the manufacturer to learn that they are indeed gluten free.

I guess that is the biggest help to me in coping with the Celiac disease -- I have not had to make giant changes in my diet. I am still able to eat many of the things I loved before. I have also been really lucky in finding gluten free foods that do taste very good.

I am not a vegetarian, I don't eat nearly enough vegetables! The biggest things for me to stop eating were tortillas and Stouffer's entrees containing noodles, and noodles in general!!

I have found some Gluten Free pad thai noodles that are very good and also a brand of gluten free pizza crusts too. I have not located a gluten free substitute for the tortillas, just have not looked yet.

I guess coping with recently diagnosed Celiac's is different for each of us. It can depend a lot on your mind-set. All I know is that I feel better and I want to feel great, so I am keeping a positive additude for the most part.

Hi all- I've been eating these crackers for awhile now, good flavors to choose from.

They're all labeled "Certified Gluten Free" and I've never had a reaction. Until now.

I'm not positive it was their "Cheddar" flavor that I had a reaction to, but I was curious enough to re-read the ingredients (process of elimination you know...).

Anyway, I noticed that they list "Oat Fiber" in the ingredients list.

I went to their website, under FAQ, and they said that "don't worry, the oat fiber does not contain gluten!".

I do react to oats. If you do too, maybe this is something you should be aware of (most of their chips don't contain the oat fiber, fyi).

I have found that I get have some symptoms flare up if I eat anything with whatever dye they add to foods to make them look more orange --like many cheddar flavor food items.

I have been eating other 'Food Should Taste Good' chips (have not seen Cheddar flavor) and had no symptoms.

Thank God for Hershey's chocolate!! At least I don't have to give up everything!

-in Illinois, USA

These are most of my symptoms, the major noticable ones at least:

Migraines in last 5 years

Eye irritation, dryness, itching

foot cramps, toes

numbness in fingers and toes

Swollen finger joints

sore finger joints

burning pain in shoulder joints

burning sensation in back of throat with post nasal drip

Very bad tooth decay starting at an early age

sensitivities all my life, soaps, scents etc

burning itch, outside below ankle bones, upper back(no rashes)

possible sleep apnea, waking too early

gastrointestinal discomfort much of the last 5 months, before frequent distress

dry hair, a lot of breakage

stomach and intestinal rumbling

also had a lot of things that I put down to aging like memory loss, dry skin

For many years I have had intestinal "rumbling", other people have even heard the rumble or gurgle. I used to think that it was either something wrong with my digestive organs or some kind of food allergies.

I was diagnosed with celiac disease about 2 months ago.

I don't know about your newer symptoms, as I have only been gluten-free a short time. Have you talked to your doctor?

Personally I could not have the endoscopy without sedation!! I have a very strong gag reflex. I came out of sedation a bit when they were removing the endoscope.

It can be done without heavy sedation -I have witnessed that. It is an uncomfortable procedure, but I would have liked to be able to watch the video feed!

Advice:

Learn a relaxation exercise, something to focus your attention away from what they are doing. Ask if you can have them play some kind of music that soothes you -or will they allow you to use an IPod (if you have such a device) and listen to music that is soothing to you.

Have a positive attitude, think "I can do this, I can get through this..."

or something, like a mantra you can say in your head.

and good luck to you!

I put 2 tablespoons of plain pumpkin mash (fresh or canned, but NOT pumpkin pie mix), 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, 4 oz of coconut milk, some shaved ice (my blender doesn't crush ice at all!) and 1/2 tsp of sweetener of some sort. Mix it in the blender and enjoy

That sounds good, I will try it. Thank you for sharing!

I went to this website: www.aubrey-organics.com

just to check it out. When I entered "gluten free" in their search box several products, including shampoos came up.

I don't know enough, as yet, about what Celiac's need to avoid and everyone seems to have different needs.

Anyway, you might check out Aubrey Organics. I will admit that I think their products are a bit pricey, but I also use a couple of different shampoos alternately, so one that is more expensive is not too bad if you can find another that you can tolerate for a lower price.

Also, their products are availabe at Vitamin Shoppe stores and a variety of websites, so try comparison shopping at Amazon or something, maybe a better price can be found.

What the World Needs Now Is Love - Jackie DeShannon

I've come to realize that many of my weird symptoms could be attributed to possible celiac, so even though it's a long shot, here goes...

Ever since I had my daughter 4 months ago, I will occasionally get a strange sensation of tiny bubbles popping in my spine right at the back of my neck where it joins the skull. It's not painful, but I can feel and hear it almost like a carbonated soda being opened, and it lasts a few seconds and then goes away. Nothing in particular seems to cause it. I've searched the net and other people have had this happen too (I'm not crazy, I swear! Lol) though no one seems to know what causes it. I did have a spinal block for anesthetic when I had my emergency c-section, so possibly could be from that, but just wanted to ask here on the off chance that anyone with celiac has experienced this?

not exactly. I was diagnosed with Celiac just this past November. For many years I have experienced some odd sensations in my neck. When I turn my head slowly from side to side there is sound that I can hear. I have never described it as 'a carbonated soda being opened" but it is like I can hear the bones sort of crunching. Now that I think about, and turn my head, maybe it does kind of sound like a carbonated soda being opened. But any time I turn my head slowly to either side I hear that sound.

L.A. Woman - The Doors

oh wow! thanks for this info! I am happy to learn that my hair may become healthier again!! And that my lifelong fingernail problems may end, or at least maybe on a gluten-free diet my fingernails and hair may get healthier! There is good news to be found in all of this!

I was diagnosed just a couple of months ago, and am still struggling to get gluten completely out of my diet.

If celiac's disease or gluten intolerance means that the body does not absorb needed nutrients, vitamins, minerals and such, then I can see where hair loss could be attributed to Celiac's. I was diagnosed about 2-1/2 months ago. For about 5 years my hair has not been very healthy. A lot of 'breakage' of the hair, meaning that I have hair in varying lengths all over my head. My hair became thin and breaks easily. I have been struggling with unhealthy hair, and hair breakage for a couple of years, including using more expensive hair products to 'strengthen' or repair my hair.

I now believe that my hair problems can be attributed to the Celiac's disease and it's effects on absorbtion of vitamins and minerals.

Well, I don't have a formal diagnosis, and I don't happen to believe that you are more deserving than I of support. I'm quite certain that I feel better when I don't eat gluten, and I'm also quite certain that that it's not a mental illness causing me to believe this.

People have different lives, and I personally don't believe I have the right to judge someone else's illness, nor do I believe you have the right to judge mine.

You are right --everyone is different and there are some varying symptoms when it comes to Celiac Disease.

As a person who has been without health insurance most of my life I have had to try to figure out how to help myself with medical issues. I was forced to read and learn about health issues and research my symptoms. I did not have much knowledge of Celiac Disease when I had chronic diarrhea in the early 1990's -- no one at that time knew much about Celiac's Disease. But I was able to figure out a few things on my own, like acidophilus helped me to some extent, and if I ate less bread I did better too. Because I stopped eating bread my symptoms abated and I never really gave that much thought. I was just happy that the diarrhea went away.

I do now have a medical diagnosis of Celiac Disease, but I definitely understand that there are people who try going gluten-free, find relief and might come to this forum to find others with common problems. This forum is a resource for us all.

I think that informed people, people who inform themselves naturally find forums like this because we are looking for people with a common ground to discuss our condition or diagnosis, hopefully to help each other.

Fiber Mate, gluten-free and no psyllium which can irritate some people's digestive system.

Fiber Mate is made by a company called Aloe Life and it is available in tablet or powder.

I have been using this product for many years, long before I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

I am newly diagnosed (November 2011) in Rockford, Illinois.

For pizza - I know you are looking for a place to order pizza from that has gluten free.

Have you ever tried Kinnikinnick Foods frozen pizza crusts? I had not had pizza in over

a year and then I tried this frozen pizza crust for personal size pizza and it is delicious!

I just add my favorite toppings and enjoy. Not to give free advertising or anything, but

I decided to try this product and was very pleasantly surprised.

Recently I was assigned to order food for a meeting at our office. "sandwiches or pizza", yeah, and I was in the meeting too, so what was I going to eat for lunch? I made a pleasant discovery when I read the menu from Jimmy Johns subs ==

the "unwich" --a sandwich made with no bread, it is wrapped in a couple of lettuce leafs. I still miss the bread, but I am happy that I can order food for a crowd and get myself something from the same restaurant.

I think this is more of a symbol of how far we are (as a society) from understanding what we eat. Few people cook from scratch, even fewer grow their own food.

Love the image of the googly eyed plants leaping out of the water to nip seeds from the waving fields of white.

"far from understanding what we eat." ?? Most people don't even read the labels on the foods they eat.

They have no idea that there is high fructose corn syrup in almost everything in the supermarket.

They don't have a clue that there is flour, or wheat, or glutenous stuff in so very many foods.

The first step in educating the general populace is teaching them to read the label!

I have had "digestive issues" for over 20 years and I started reading food product labels to try to find some kind

of common denominator for my digestive symptoms. At least I am used to reading the labels, so with this Celiac Disease

diagnosis being new to me, I have a pretty good idea what I am looking at when I read the labels.

have you tried Kinnikinnick Foods personal size pizza crusts? Gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free, soy-free and trans fat free. delicious! i have not enjoyed pizza in over a year, and the Kinnikinnik Foods pizza crusts has brought back my joy in eating a pizza!

and I have to say Thank God for Buckwheat!! I have an old family recipe using buckwheat and it is one of the dishes I have loved my entire life and I am very happy that buckwheat is not wheat and is easily obtained gluten-free!

fettucine alfredo, breadsticks, hot noodles with any kind of topping...

tortillas, pita bread, dumplings......... it pains me to think of all the

foods I love that I cannot have.

I have occasional dry eyes which sometimes feel gritty or burning, difficulty swallowing and talking (sometimes),

Dry, burning throat, Dental decay, Joint pain, Digestive difficulties, Dry nose and skin, and fatigue.

All of this led me to put Sjogren's Syndrome on the list of things that could be "wrong with me".

My diagnosis has become Celiac Disease, but I am still going to push to be tested for Sjogren's syndrome or to

explore this a possible additional diagnosis. When I learend that Sjogren's could be related to Celiac I felt

at least some sense of recognition that I was thinking in the correct direction in my research into my various

symptoms.

I hope that I do not have sjogren's syndrome, but I am going to check with an eye doctor about the dry eyes and that gritty, burning feeling that I sometimes have.