32 replies to this topic

[georgi]

Well, the words have been brought up by my Dr. again at my appointment this morning. She thinks after I get back from vacation that I should try a gluten free diet for a month. The condition I was diagnosed with (pulmonary hemosiderosis) is very rare, and those that have it also in most cases have celiac, so the 2 are mysteriously linked. She was at a conference discussing this condition, and a Dr. that has treated patients with this said that people who followed a gluten-free diet did significantly better with it than those who didn't. So, guess I'll be doing some research on this. I don't quite remember much from when I was "misdiagnosed" with this back in 4th grade, but I do know that there are more options of food and brands available. Any suggestions, comments, recipes for me?

Here's an important question...what's a good brand of mac & cheese? I'll die if I can't have mac & cheese.

[HoopsTer]

You should touch base with Alison, Kate, Tiffany and Claire. I think they are all gluten intolerant or celiac.

There are a few good threads with information in them floating around. I know Ive posted in them, but I dont recal when.

I think this is a great idea. I was hoping your dr. would do this.

[georgi]

To answer my mac & cheese question:




I Annie's!!!

And thanks Terra. I hope they check into this thread.

[irie]

many grocery stores these days have a little gluten free section. i shop at Stop and Shop and they have a little bit. of course their stores are based on revenue so you may have to go to a specific one to find some.

and of course, any Whole Foods or health food store should have a gluten free section.

you don't have to change the kinds of food you eat. (meaning, you can still eat bagels and whatnot, you just have to be specific about the ingredients you're eating).

Allison & Claire both know more about the specific details of what is what. and also, everyone is different. some celiac peoples are fine with eating spouted wheat whereas others may get super sick.

sorry, that wasn't what you were talking about


(oh, PS. i have no allergies that i know of. i've just worked at super anal health food stores on and off for the past 10+ years.)

[HoopsTer]

I really think that this may be the answer to your iron issues. To me it does sound like you have a gluten intolerance or even celiac - which would make your lower intestine incapable of absorbing the nutrients (iron) your body needs- which would make you deficient.

If I can quit smoking and go vegan at the same time, you can totally go gluten free!

[bsktcase]

I found this site and it looks like she has some great recipes. Even mac and cheese!

http://glutenfreemommy.com/

http://glutenfreemom...oni-and-cheese/

[georgi]

I guess I'm going to call my Primary Physician (since the Dr. I saw today was a pulmonary specialist) and ask her what I should do regarding an actual celiac test. Rich has a point. They want me to try out gluten free for a month in addition to the prednisone...when I go for my cat scan at the end of April and if there is more improvement...they aren't going to know what helped it more...being gluten-free or the prednisone. Maybe if I was having a cat scan tomorrow and then starting gluten free and then having another cat scan, then they would compare the before gluten free and after gluten free ones...but that's not what they are doing. They will be comparing my January cat scan (that was already greatly improved, probably due to the prednisone and quitting smoking), so they really don't know what my lungs look like at the moment, 2 months later. (Wow...I hurt my head with that rambly sentence. )

I dunno...I see his frustration, since he's the one who cooks for us. It's not only a change for me, it would be a big change for him. (And of course add in the fact that I suck at following "diets" and will probably binge on a bag of oreos or bread in the closet by the 2nd day. )

[HoopsTer]

YES! They can give you a blood test for celiac sprue I believe.

[georgi]

I know they can...I just have to figure out how to get one. I'm waiting for my Dr. to call me back.

[Ravn]

Here are some sites:

http://www.5dollardinners.com/


http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

[little frog]

i don't really eat processed foods at all, but honestly, there are soooo many alternatives these days to gluten laden foods, you should have little trouble making the switch.

i simply do not eat bread anymore, i lost lots of weight when i made that change. there are gluten free breads, so far they all taste like cardboard, really not even worth the calories.

i use corn starch for 'flouring' and thickening. corn flakes (crushed up) for bread crumbs (MUCH tastier than bread)

with a little creativity most recipes can be gluten free, unless you like to bake. wheat flour will always be the best for baking due to the gluten which is what gives wheat flour it's texture.

[georgi]

So, as Rich and I were eating gluten-filled pizza...I was thinking about it. Don't most people who have a gluten intolerance get stomach aches and such when eating wheat? I can eat bread, pasta, and pizza until the cows come home, and don't get stomach aches from it. The only thing on the list of "symptoms" that I can even agree with is the "unexplained anemia", and even that is iffy because I've known since I was younger that I was anemic. The only thing unexplained is how I got so low and had to have 2 blood transfusions in December.

Bah. This whole thing is strange and I want my damn Dr. to call me back!

[HoopsTer]

Not all the time.
The biggest reaction to it is malabsorption of nutrients because they villi in the stomach cant get to the nutrients because the walls of the large intestine are inflamed or covered in mucus making the villi stick to the walls.

[georgi]

So we're starting with another blood test. I have no time to go today, so we're going to drop in to do it on the way to the Cape tomorrow. We'll start with that, see what it says, and then go on from there. She said the only thing with a blood test is that is can say I'm negative for it, but I could still have it. So, the next step after that would be to have a biopsy done of my intestines (which I had done when I was little). But, I don't get why I'm having another blood test done when they saw that I tested positive for celiac slighly in a previous blood test. GD Dr's!

[georgi]

Celiac is confirmed. Hmph. Time to bust out my wallet and cooking skills.

Yay to dropping weight, though, since I won't be able to eat the normal shit I love.

[HoopsTer]

Shoot me an email, georgi. I will connect you with my friend Jill, she has tons of sources.

[georgi]

Rich and I have been looking a lot of stuff up in the past few days, and I'm actually pretty excited to do this. I'm so glad that the cause of all my problems lately has been found, and I hope that as soon as I cut gluten out of my diet, they will go away. No more sinus issues, no more headaches, no more anxiety...Oh I can't wait!

It sucks that I can't have beer ( ) and Twisted Teas, BUT...we found listings of gluten-free beer, and my favorite sweet-tea infused vodka is actually gluten free, and that tastes JUST like Twisted Teas!

This is definitely going to be a big adjustment, but the benefits of it are going to be amazing. Most of my favorite foods that I can't eat anymore I shouldn't eat anymore anyways. I think this is going to be great for me, and us!

Yay!

We're going to tear up Whole Foods on Sunday.

[bsktcase]

Fantastic attitude, Georgi! It really will be good for both of you!

[little frog]

(((((((georgi))))))) it will be totally worth the entire effort! my WHOLE life changed when i stopped eating gluten. you can do it!! if you want to discuss tips and tricks just post them here, or message me.

[Ravn]

Georgi, my friend Rach is gluten free, and I'm sure she would help you out if you need it

[georgi]

Holy crap, Rich and I made gluten-free brownies last night, and they were fucking DELICIOUS!!! He threw in some mint chocolate chips, too! They tasted no different than gluten-filled brownies!

Tonight we are making some bread!

AND...OMG...I absolutely LOVE my gluten-free beer! We bought 2 kinds for me to sample. Budweiser makes "Redbridge", and then we bought New Grist beer...SO FREAKIN' GOOD! I love them BOTH!!! I'm sad that I can't have twisted teas anymore, BUT...we found a sweet-tea infused vodka...TASTES JUST LIKE THEM IF NOT BETTER!!!

I love this diet already.

Hopefully as I'm detoxing the wheat out of me, my sinuses will clear. I've been dealing with pressure in them for the past week!

Yay for being healthy!!! (Or at least getting on the road to being healthy)

[HoopsTer]

so happy for you for so many reasons

[bsktcase]

That sounds wonderful! I'll have to try those brownies...mmm. What kind were they? Was it a recipe or a box from the store?

[HoopsTer]

There's a really good brand called "When Pigs Fly"
you can usually find it at whole foods

[georgi]

I will check out the brand when I get home. I got a bread mix, brownie mix, pizza crust mix, and chocolate chip cookie mix all by the same people!

[HoopsTer]

hmmm I just tried to find a link for it, I may be thinking of a different company...because what I found in google is all whole wheat. eeep.

[georgi]

We found all the mixes from Ocean State Job Lot! The pretty cool thing is...they have a lot of the rice flours and corn meal shit that we're going to need when we do cooking and baking, AND they are a lot cheaper than Whole Foods. Granted they don't have everything, and we definitely still do have to hit up WF's and TJ's, but saving in a few spots is kind of nice. We found brown-rice pasta at Christmas Tree Shops for $2.50!!! We bought one of every kind of pasta. Rich is so excited when he spots something gluten-free. He told me he feels so bad that I can't eat half of my favorite foods anymore, so he wants to help me every way he can to do this. He's even doing it with me!

[HoopsTer]

That Rich, he's a keeper.

[georgi]

That he is!

Tonight we're having shepard's pie!!!

[georgi]

Rich got me soft & chewy caramel apple snack bars by Enjoy Life. Tasty!

[Ravn]

Niri's Crustless Quiche (Veggie and Gluten Free)

1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, pressed or diced
1 Tbs. Olive oil
10 eggs

[georgi]

Ooh! Thanks lady! That sounds yummalicious!!!

[hollyhamine]

Gluten is a protein found in wheat,rye. A gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease. More than 10 mg of gluten cause abnormalities. In many foreign countries there is one rule has come that usage of gluten-free be limited in food products.Gluten-free is used to indicate the harmless level.