AWC-California

Hello,

I am hoping to get some recommendations for safe gluten-free friendly restaurants on the Kenai peninsula (Alaska).

We'll be there for about 10 days and will travel to Whittier, Soldotna, Seward and Homer.

I have done some research online but I always like to ask this forum for advice when I travel.

Any suggestions are appreciated !

Just adding to what others have said.  It does take some time but it's likely you will start to feel better.  It took me about a year but now I feel great.  A good probiotic might help.  I use one from Synergy that my naturopathic doctor sells at her office.  I have gotten in the habit of emailing restaurants before I try them and have had very good luck.  One owner of a very popular restaurant in my area took the time to reply and said she had Celiac disease (she sent great detailed info about their food).  Many of the people responding will even tell you who to ask for when you come in.  Good luck and hoping you feel better soon.

I had shortness of breath for about 6 months about after going gluten free (started around month 3).  I do have some other contributing factors that are heart related but I don't think they were the main cause.  Mine seemed to get really bad after eating eggs (severe reflux).  I am also suspicious about soy.  Some of the gluten-free waffles I was eating contained soy and I noticed shortness of breath after eating those.  I went on a really strict GERD diet for several months and it really helped.  I have been gluten-free for 1.5 years now and have not recently had shortness of breath that I believe is related to gluten.  I am back to eating eggs and other foods that were previously a problem for me.  Best wishes.

Thanks.  I do see a number of options on  "Find me Gluten Free".  I"ll see if reading those reviews helps me figure out how safe the places are.  I'll pack a cooler, too.  We're driving from the Bay Area so that will be easy. 

Hello,

I am planning a trip to South Lake Tahoe and wanted to see if anyone on the forum might have some good suggestions for places to eat.  We're staying at the Mont Bleu for 2 nights.  I know the restaurants there are not particularly good options.

A friend recommended Freshies so we might try that.  I've also heard that Base Camp Pizza has gluten-free crusts.  A good breakfast recommendation would be nice to have.

Most of the articles I've read online are from people who are gluten-free by choice and was hoping to get some opinions from those of you who might know of places that are "safe".   I would hate to lose any time on the nickel slots because I got gluten-ed in Tahoe.

Thanks.  Any advice is greatly appreciated !

Hi All,

I have been gluten free for about a year now (severe intolerance but have not been able to get firm diagnosis).  Most GI symptoms are under control but I continue to suffer from many of the common neurological symptoms.  As a result, I struggle at work because my job requires a lot of attention to detail and understanding of fairly complex subjects.  My managers know about my gluten intolerance but I haven't talked to anyone formally about the cognitive issues.

Can anyone recommend a neurologist in the SF Bay Area that won't just write me a prescription for pills?  Anyone have recommendations against going to a neurologist for this?  I am trying to improve my situation in order to get back to my usual solid performance at work.

I already work with a naturopathic doctor who has been a great help with advising me on diet and nutrition.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Have a wonderful day.

I recently spent 2 weeks in remote areas of Montana and Wyoming and am quite sensitive to gluten.  If you can get access to a microwave in the hotel, that will help.  I had to rely on healthy snacking most of the time.  Here is my list: Beef jerky ordered online from the Healthy Jerky Company, veggies and chicken broth heated in microwave, gluten free bread and almond butter, gluten free cold cuts from Applegate Farms, almond milk and cereal, gluten-free Pure Bars, raw fruits, carrots, microwavable bacon, gluten-free corn tortillas with cheese and salsa.  Even in the most remote towns I was able to find restaurants where I could get a piece of plain grilled meat and steamed veggies.  I've had pretty good luck at Chipotle, PF Changs and Carl's Junior (lettuce wrap burger).  Sadly, my list is pretty boring but it minimized the amount of times I got sick from gluten.  I ate some deli turkey that I thought was gluten-free but I was wrong so I had to sleep that off for half a day.  Good luck.

Sorry to hear you are having these issues.  I went gluten free about 8 months ago due to a range of classic celiac symptoms for years (but don't have celiac disease diagnosis).   I still get some of the symptoms you described, especially the light headed feeling and pressure.  For me, it's usually worse after I eat breakfast (7am) until about noon.  I find that if I eat protein for breakfast, it helps.  I can't have eggs or gluten free oats but other things I eat for breakfast are cottage cheese, almond butter, greek yogurt, lean pork sausage, almond milk and cereal.  There are lots of options.  Just search for high protein low carb breakfast and see what you find.  The best advice I can give is keep experimenting with your diet (try eliminating a food group like dairy for a week or two) and see if you feel better.  Everyone is different so you just have to keep trying to find what works for you.

  On 3/28/2015 at 12:49 AM, cyclinglady said:

An ultrasound will just look for gall stones. A HIDA scan will check the gallbladder for functionality. Ask for a HIDA! Insist on it. My ultrasounds were always okay. My HIDA scan showed 0% functionality meaning it stopped working. I finally got the HIDA scan in the hospital because I was admitted for possible appendicitis. Something was rotting -- it was my gallbladder!

When that fat came down the line, my gallbladder was not able to squeeze out the necessary bile to digest the fat.

Now, I can consume lots of fat without my GB.

I will tell you it is a family curse! Everyone said it was my gallbladder that caused me to pass out (there are seven kids in Dad's family and six have had their gallbladders removed -- no stones.....) But since I was a kid, I had to suffer over 25 years!

Read up on gallbladders. I did not have any classic symtoms. Pain was never in the upper right quadrant. Pain was in lower abdominal area and lasted 12 hours. I passed out with each attack and would vomit upon awakening.

Something to think about....

I just got an email indicating I wrote a response but didn't properly post it.  So here is what I wrote a few days ago:

Wow.  This sounds bad.  So sorry it took so long to resolve (and hope you feel good now).  There is a history of gallstones on both sides of my family (amazing what you can learn on Open Original Shared Link).  I will talk to the GI specialist about the HIDA scan.  This sounds like excellent advice and I thank you very much for sharing this information with me.  I really want to get to the bottom of this.  All the best to you.

I do have pain in upper right abdomen and mentioned that to the doctor.  I've had that for quite some time.

I definitely can only eat small meals right now, which is why its been a challenge to get enough quality calories each day.  I do need to lose some weight but not as quickly as I have been.  The last couple of days have been fairly symptom free so I've been able to eat more.

I'm on it now, thanks to everyone here.  I'll go through with the ultrasound but I will also insist on the HIDA scan.

Thank you very much.

Thanks to both of you!  I really appreciate the input and will try a digestive enzyme.  I've been taking a probiotic for a couple of weeks (Culturelle) so maybe that is helping.  My doc sent me off to a GI specialist (have an ultrasound next week to check gall bladder).  My primary doc handed me a few bottles of Dexilant and I politely took them and stowed them away.  No meds for me just yet until absolutely the last resort.  Thanks again!

Oh yes.  I was doing well on the gluten free diet until the GERD symptoms started.  I now realize that I may have been focusing too much on the fact that everything had to by gluten free and not paying attention to my fat content.  But for the most part, I was feeling well.   Now I am just trying to get enough protein (animal and plant) and limiting fat since it aggravates my reflux.  I think the biggest problem is that I feel full after just a little food and I'm never very hungry.  It's become such a chore that I'm exhausted just trying to figure out how to get enough calories each day.  I'll get there.  Just need to make it the priority each day until the reflux improves (I'm trying to stay positive that it will).

I have been dealing with gluten intolerance  for about 4 months (Celiac genetic test was inconclusive).

Now I have developed fairly severe GERD symptoms.  I'm seeing doctors for this but I want to try and avoid going on medication if possible.  Its improved a little with a strict GERD diet but I'm having a hard time getting enough calories due to the small portions and not being able to just interrupt my work day with yet another meal break.  I have dropped from 165 to 157 pretty quickly.  I had to stop eating eggs (both whites and yolks) because they were making the reflux worse (at times they seemed to trigger breathing difficulties).  I'm just not very hungry most of the time.

Does anyone have any tips on how to get through yet another eating related challenge?  In addition to the strict diet, I've tried drinking only spring water, drinking small amounts of organic raw apple cider vinegar with water and all the other tips I have read online (propping my mattress up, not eating late,).

I would love to hear from anyone who conquered this so I know it might be possible for me.

Thanks.

  On 1/30/2015 at 9:43 PM, kareng said:

I don't see why it would matter whether the gluten you ate was in lotion or soup.  The reaction should be the same - actually you probably got a lot less from a drop of lotion.

 

If you were having a skin reaction, maybe it is a contact allergy to something in the lotion?

The Philosophy lotion I used does have oats so maybe I was reacting to that.

Thanks - I appreciate your input.

Hello,

I've recently developed severe reactions to gluten (after a lifetime of symptoms that now make sense).   I'm not yet diagnosed with celiacs and the genetic test showed < 1% chance of developing it.

Yesterday I reacted to something and noticed some new symptoms.  The skin on my lower stomach was super sensitive to the touch (almost like needles sticking in it) and then I got a very hot sensation in my upper abdomen for about 30 minutes.  I also got the usual brain fog, nausea and other GI pain/discomfort. 

I think all of my food was safe but I used some lotions/makeup that were not and think I forgot to wash my hands before eating breakfast.

Does anyone notice any differences in your symptoms when you get reactions from cosmetics rather than food?  The hot stomach was a first for me.

Thanks for any advice/input.  This forum has been such a huge help to me.