kbtoyssni

I buy Kraft mac and cheese, take out the cheese packet, give the noodles to a friend and use the cheese with gluten-free noodles. There's something about boxed mac and cheese...

Yep, I throw up, too. It never occured to me it wasn't normal to throw up several times a week until I went gluten-free and it stopped!

I'm not sure what blood tests were done, but I am under the impression that there are no false positives (plenty of false negatives, though!) You may want to post exactly what blood tests were run - there are plenty of people around here who are experts at reading those blood test numbers.

At this point, I think you can safely say that she has celiac and you can put her on a gluten-free diet. If you want to do more testing with a GI, though, you need to keep her on gluten. If she goes gluten-free, the GI's tests will likely be negative (and they may be negative even if she is eating gluten). A negative result isn't a bad thing on a scope in my opinion - it just means that her intestines aren't damaged to the point of showing worn away villi yet. It's completely up to you whether or not you do get a scope done - most here agree that it's not necessary if you have a positive blood test, but there are others who like to have it done just in case.

I agree that you should try to get into the GI ASAP. Your regular doc might also be able to call the GI's office and request an earlier appointment. That's what I've done in the past and they've gotten me in within a week. Good luck!

Let's see, I'm going to try to reply to all of this. Haven't checked this thread in a while

NorthernElf - yes, I am strictly gluten-free. Joint pain from glutening also feels different than this pain. I don't get tingling ever.

sunshinen - I think I'm pretty ergonomically correct after years of PT for different joints. I do stretch a lot (it's the gymnast in me!) Some updated strength training for the joints might be in order, though. I'm certainly not ready to give up my high-impact gymnastics yet, but maybe my workouts on non-gymnastics days could be lower-impact.

bluejeangirl - I think I need to rethink my diet in general. I've done the Zone diet before (pre-gluten-free) and I did feel better (ok, course that was probably because for the most part I cut out the gluteny foods) so I should probably consider doing this again. I have been trying to cut down on the caffiene recently and doing pretty well with that.

Cruiser Bob - you're right, I don't want to hear a suggestion of no nightshades Hmmm, I do like my peppers and tomatoes. I guess a week or so without won't kill me just to figure out if that's the issue. Let me just finish up the fresh peppers and tomatoes I bought at the grocery store today... lol.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! You've definitely given me something to work on.

What about something like chemical sensitivity, mold sensitivity or electrical sensitivity? When I get glutened, the smell of chemicals or anything strong makes me feel very sick. I've switched to natural-type cleaners. I've also switched my dimmer switches to regular ones and moved as many electronics out of my bedroom. I haven't notice a big difference, but I figure every little bit helps.

A week isn't very long. Healing often takes time. Probably not what you want to hear, but give the diet a few more weeks to work its magic. It stinks to have to wait a few more weeks now that you *finally* have an answer, but things will get better.

It sounds like you will be taking the GED class through the local college, but you might also check if the library has any prep-books. I love the library - free books!

I like Food for Life Red Rice and Black Rice bread. It's usually found in the freezer section. Mainstream grocery stores carry it, too, but they usually only have the brown rice bread which I think tastes icky.

I buy the mexican-style corn tortillas. You can get 3-dozen for a buck or two.

Welcome!

I don't think you would have gotten glutened from having a gluten-pizza in the same oven as your gluten-free pizza. It's more likely that you accidentally touched the gluten and then the gluten-free or that crumbs from the gluten got on yours or something like that.

Welcome!

My husband is taking it very well - as he was a major carb freak before he found out he had Celiacs. However, we are both thrilled that we now know the reason behind his rapid weight loss - he was literally wasting away.

-I used to be a carb freak pre-diagnosis. I craved carbs. Gluten is addictive when you have celiac, though, it's lik having a drug addiction. I found as soon as I went gluten-free, the cravings went away so this may also happen to your husband.

Are most cold cuts that are sliced fresh at the deli safe?

-If there is just one meat at the deli that isn't gluten-free, then the slicer will be contaminated. I wouldn't buy deli meat. If you want sandwich meat, Oscar Meyer and Hormel are gluten-free.

Is it really imperative that I buy all new teflon and utensils for him?

-I would replace all scratched pans, wooden spoons/cutting boards, the toaster, pans with hard-to-clean corners and collenders.

He has a job that takes alot from him physically (construction) - anyone have any tips on meals that might give him an extra boost at work? Pasta used to be his favorite - but not sure if the gluten-free kind have the same punch as regular pasta.

-I think gluten-free pasta is just as filling as wheat. Rice pasta from the asian section of a grocery store can be pretty cheap. I also like DeBois brand pasta in the blue box (it's almost sacreligious to say this around here, but I like DeBois better than Tinkyada!) For my lunches I like to take leftover pasta or chili. I also like baked potato or rice with salsa and cheese. And rice cakes with PB or cheese. I even make scrambled eggs, but those aren't as filling.

When I lived at home everything was 99% gluten-free. Dad and brother still eat wheat crackers and cookies, but all meals were gluten-free. I get really paranoid about CC because it's too easy to mess up (especially when my brother first came home from college after mum and I were dxed - I just about had a heart attack). But I think it was almost harder on my dad because I'd always be hovering over making sure he didn't double dip in the mayo/jam/PB/etc while I double dipped all I wanted. I've read a lot of threads from parents about their kids "cheating" or feeling left out so if the whole family eats gluten-free these problems are mostly eliminated.

That said, it can be more expensive if you buy a lot of specialty gluten-free food which I don't. I prefer to stick to the cheaper rice and potatoes and corn tortillas. When we did eat gluten-free things like crackers, dad would eat the wheat ones.

In my experience, younger doctors are more open to alternative medical techniques and suggestions from their patients. If you've got an old doctor who is rooted in his/her ways, it might be time to look for a new one. I don't know anything about this drug, but if you've got an open-minded doc, he/she might also be able to suggest something better for you.

Tacos are another good, gluten-free meal that everyone can tailor to their own tastes. That what one of my friends did for her bridal shower.

Funny!

Here's one from my younger brother's allergy report. "He is allergic to weeds, pollen, mold, cat, GOD, ...." We had a good laugh over that one. It was pretty accurate since he was allergic to all but two of the things he was tested for!

My favorite recipe is bean salsa. I use it for tacos in place of meat or sometimes as a dip with tortilla chips.

Bean Salsa

Marinade

You should check out The Gluten Free Gourmet cookbook. It's the best cookbook I've found. I've never made a bread, cake or cookie that isn't yummy from it.

One egg shy of a carton, but I blame the gluten! And probably at least temporarily lactose intolerant.

I just feel so boxed in all the time. I am haveing the worst trouble when I go to high school. I was in middle school before (when I first started to post) and now that I am in high school if feels so hard and I always have the worst time saying no to all my friends. I know that it hurts me and I have the cancer potiental there but I feel like I can't say no.

I'm 25, but we all have to deal with food and other people, so here are my thoughts.

A lot of people don't know how to deal with a celiac. If someone brings in cookies they offer them to everyone and want to treat you the same so they offer you one, too. They think they'll hurt your feelings if they don't offer you one. You might want to just tell them that you don't want them offering you stuff you can't eat and no, you will not feel left out.

I also try to keep my lunches as interesting as possible. I do feel a little sad when I haven't had time to make something good so I'm eating a boring lunch and everyone else can eat whatever they want from the lunch line.

Try to think up some really fun things that you like eating for lunch. Think outside the box here - I have access to a microwave so that makes thing easier, but you can often find me making things like scrambled eggs! I love eggs. I get some strange looks as everyone else nukes their Hungry Man TV dinner, but I find my lunches delicious.

Another thing to try is learning how to bake. Next time, why don't you be the one to bring in treats to share? I bring cake to work all the time and as soon as I email my friends they're at my desk in a flash. It's also a good way to show them that you do eat "normal", yummy food. Once I feed people a few times, they are much more receptive to my diet and don't bother me. I do get lots of questions about what I'm eating, what are things made of, etc, but it's simply people being curious and I have no problem educating them about the disease and the diet. What about inviting your friends over for pizza and movie night? Pizza is relatively easy to make. Try The Gluten Free Gourmet cookbook - it's got wonderful recipes!

Awesome! Congrats! Having three other celiacs in your home school group will probably makes things a lot easier.

I checked the soap ingredients at my work, too! I've never seen an industrial soap that has gluten. Not to say they don't exist, but I think it's rare. It's all the specialty soaps that have "all natural wheat and oat ingredients to soothe and moisturize your hands." I don't worry about using soap in public places. If you're soy intolerant, then I think you would have a problem since most industrial soaps do contain soy.

I've never seen a cottage cheese that wasn't gluten-free so the odds are that yours is, too. As always, you have to call and check, but it's probably going to be ok.

Congrats! 15 years is amazing. And those newspaper articles brought tears to my eyes.

Call me weird, but I like having the gluten-free food mixed in with the regular. Maybe it makes me feel more like a normal consumer that shops the entire store. I like seeing the other food products that are available even if I can't eat them. This way I know I'm getting the best selection, maybe because I don't trust stores to be able to find all the gluten-free food because they don't live this, and I am not about to have anyone limit my options. However, the fresh and natural foods I go to has the price labels along the shelves in red for gluten-free food so it's easy to scan down the aisle and focus in on the gluten-free stuff.

The Gluten Free Gourmet's French Bread is delicious!!!