Seeking Advice on How to Cope with Celiac Disease While Healing Takes Place

K.,
My niece is celiac sprue. My sister in law has gone extreme with her, being very caution on what she eats & even comes in contact with. She reads every label & checks for cross-contamination, etc. She even has to make sure that no one touches her or her plate, silverware... if they have touched anything with gluten in it. If something with gluten in it came in contact with the kitchen table or cabinets then she would have to scrub them 3-4 times. She has since decided to make her entire house gluten free b/c it was just easier that way then having to worry about my niece inadvertently coming in contact with something.
Since you are a mom & preparing food for your family, I would suggest having your whole family go gluten free since any contact with gluten can still effect you. You need to make sure your lotions, soaps, toothpaste, etc. are also gluten free. I know it sounds extreme, but that is what the Dr.s have told my SIL to do.
Even after all my SIL has done my niece's #'s are still not where they should be, but she is much better now.
She & I have both tried several gluten-free baking mixes, bread & brownie mixes that we like.
Good luck & God bless,
H.

I don't know anything about your disease, but I do know about gas pains. When I had my tubes tied, back in 1983 I had the worse gas pains ever from my tummy being opened up.
Back then, the nurse showed me the following. Lie on the floor or the bed with your knees under your tummy. Try to keep your chest on the bed or floor. Hold your chest down and you will feel the pain ease. When you sit or stand you will either burp or toot. It works great.

K. A.

K. I have not been diagnosed with Celaic disease, actually no doctor has been able to diagnose me with anything. I do have similiar problems that you have. Everyday I deal with abdominal swelling, nausue, severe lower back pain, and swelling in my extremities. I have been dealing with this for 11 months with no Doctor able to help me. I certainly sympothise with your feelings and hope you have luck in finding a way to releave these symptoms. God bless you.

K., Have you been reading the ingredients on EVERYTHING?
MY nephew has celiac disease and my SIL got a recipe book there are also many things on the web that taste good and that you can make for your whole family as the prepackaged things cost a bundle.

Here are some sites that you might find helpful.

»Gluten-Free Celiac Disease Forum at Celiac.com (Home)
Celiac Disease Gluten-Free Diet Forum at Celiac.com

Also, wheat free doesn't mean gluten free

Be on the lookout for possible cross-contamination. Even when eating or preparing foods that are gluten free, if these foods come into contact with foods that contain gluten, you run the risk of something called cross-contamination. For example, crumbs from regular wheat bread can find their way into jams, spreads, or condiments if people aren't careful to use a fresh knife or utensil each time. Keeping condiments in squeezable bottles or using separate jams and spreads is a great idea for people with celiac disease. It's also a good idea to keep a separate toaster for gluten-free bread.

If someone in your family bakes with products that contain gluten, you need to thoroughly clean appliances, utensils, and work surfaces before preparing your gluten-free products.

If the food manufacturing environment is not a dedicated gluten-free environment, there is the potential for contamination. For example, gluten-free bread prepared in a bakery that also produces regular products may be contaminated. This can happen when machinery is not properly cleaned between the production of gluten-containing and gluten-free products. Some manufacturers are now producing products in gluten-free environments.

V.
in Louisville, KY

I was in severe abdominal pain for several years before I finally discovered the source of my problem. The thing that helped me the most was advice in a series of books by Dr. Peter d'Adamo starting with Eat Right For Your Blood Type. Next was finding gluten free alternatives that didn't taste like cardboard. At Whole Foods there is a Millet bread by Edlin Bakery plus some organic brown rice pasta by Tinkyada that is delicious. There are also some products from a 1000 acre organic farm called Standard Process that helps alleviate symptoms (Okra Pepsin-E3, Gastrex, Cataplex ACP, Zypan, Paraplex, Calcium Lactate, Boswellia Complex, Echinacea Premium) but they must be prescribed by a professional. Dr. Shahla Azhdari ###-###-####) is someone who can do that. It takes a little while to figure things out but it is definitely all worth it. Good Luck!!

Hi, K.. I don't have Celiac, but I know a little about it. I can't imagine why being on the diet would cause an increase in gas, unless some of the new foods you are substituting for old ones are giving you problems. Try logging on to the forums at www.celiac.com and asking the folks there.

S.