Comments for Gluten-Free Kathy's Weblog

Comment on Psychology of Celiac Disease by Meaghan

Meaghan — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:34:55 +0000

I was diagnosed with Celiac over three years ago, and am still suffering. I have constant nausea and my food never stays in me for long. I stick to my gluten free diet ALL THE TIME, it drives me insane! I have been so much more depressed. Food is such a social, enjoyable thing, and not being able to eat anything except salads is killing me. I try to be creative with meals and sometimes it's okay, but I am always hungry ten minutes later. All of my friends have huge dinners and drink and I hate just having to sit there. My doctors all say I must still be getting trace amounts of gluten from some "secret" source, but I KNOW this is not the case! Everyone says they immediately felt better and happier after going gluten free, but I feel the complete opposite. I am sorry you are feeling so badly. Please try another doctor. There may be another reason that you are feeling so rotten. You can also try seeing a registered dietitian who is familiar with celiac disease. You can eat so much more than just salads. Try this blog, Karina's Kitchen. She has many delicious gluten free recipes. Good luck.

Comment on You know you have Celiac Disease if . . . . . by Alia

Alia — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:09:13 +0000

You also know your a celiac when:

You get excited over GF crackers, pasta and sauces in the local walmart.

You make a mess in the kitchen trying different bread recipes

You discover that there are; yes there are, gluten free and vegan chocolate pecan bars in the coffeeshop.

No one else understands you ; )

Comment on Banana-Nut Energy Bars (Gluten free) by Catherine

Catherine — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:31:12 +0000

This sounds like a good recipe, can you freeze them?
I’ve never tried freezing them but it would probably be fine.

Comment on Celiac Disease vs. Wheat Allergy vs. Gluten Intolerance (again) by Julie

Julie — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:35:08 +0000

Also, check out this link: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/foods-allergy-intolerance

It is possible to being gluten intolerant but have no wheat allergy. Think of lactose intolerance. The enzyme lactase is not present in the body so the milk sugars–lactose–cannot be digested. Thus, the person is intolerant, but they are not allergic to milk. There is no immune response occurring in the body with the production of histamines when the body comes into contact with milk. But, it is possible for a person to lack lactase and be allergic to milk at the same time. They would still be classified as lactose intolerant with a co-morbid allergy. Does that make sense?

Comment on Celiac Disease vs. Wheat Allergy vs. Gluten Intolerance (again) by Julie

Julie — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:30:04 +0000

Thanks for the book recommendation, Kathy. I have been GF since late August-early September. My health is greatly improved. My concern now is regarding my children. Celiacs is a genetic condition, and I do have one daughter in particular who has digestive problems. She was tested for Celiacs a year ago, but the result was negative. What I have since learned is that my IgA production is very low, and this can also be a genetic condition. It also leads to false negatives on the Celiac blood tests. So, I’m not sure where to go from here. My household is GF for the most part, and my daughter has improved.

Comment on Celiac Disease vs. Wheat Allergy vs. Gluten Intolerance (again) by jandy

jandy — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:20:53 +0000

confused. i did an allergy test, which showed i was negative for wheat allergy, however a persistent dermatitis condition has made my doctor suspect a gluten intolerance and has therefore put me on a GF diet. Is it possible to have a gluten intolerance, yet not be allergic to wheat? Hi - as I understand it, allergies and intolerance are two different things. With gluten intolerance, or celiac disease, the body reacts to gluten internally. The villi in your intestines become atrophied. It can manifest as intestinal problems or skin - dermatitis herpetaformis. Check out this information from CSA. I hope this helps you. ~ Kathy

Comment on by Kristina

Kristina — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:06:10 +0000

Hi there!

I came across your blog and saw that you enjoy healthy cooking and experimenting with new recipes that don’t include Gluten. Stonyfield Farm makes Oikos Organic Greek yogurt which can be used in a variety of ways while cooking – in baking, as a substitute for sour cream and mayonnaise, in dips and sauces and to create tasty low-fat dishes. Greek yogurt is strained, making it thicker and more versatile in recipes than regular yogurt. Our Oikos Greek yogurt contains no gluten- it’s certified gluten free! It’s also organic, which means it’s made without artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, and it’s made from organic milk produced without the use of toxic persistent pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, or artificial growth hormones (rBST). We feel that organic is not only better for you, but better for the planet as well.

I would love to send you coupons for Oikos so that you can give it a try! If you’re interested, send me an email at Kdrociak@stonyfield.com and let me know where I can send them to.

Best,
Kristina

Comment on Celiac Disease vs. Wheat Allergy vs. Gluten Intolerance (again) by Danielle

Danielle — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:26:10 +0000

I did make an appointment to see an allergist in a few weeks. Hopefully, he will have some answers for me.

Comment on Celiac Disease vs. Wheat Allergy vs. Gluten Intolerance (again) by Arlene

Arlene — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:17:26 +0000

I’m interested in speaking with you about celiac disease and gluten intolerance independent of this site. I began the diet in March 2005. It changed my life for the better. Your site is quite resourceful.

Comment on False negative test results for celiac disease by Dennis Anson

Dennis Anson — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:03:07 +0000

Hi
Over several months I have been tested extensively for a range of Symptoms, primarily presenting as neuropathy, some weakness, and muscle wasting. Whilst the majority have been negative I have had abnormal nerve conduction studies, abnormal muscle biopsy, and abnormally high IgA count in blood tests.
To this point none of the results have been conclusive enough to provide me with a definitive diagnosis.
I started to think about Celiac and gluten intolerance when I read about the extensive range of symptoms experienced.
Prior to noticable peripheral neuropathy symptoms in June this year, I have had approx 2 years of irritable bowel like symptoms with recurring and increasing bouts of both unexplained diaorrhea and constipation.
With my current symptoms I have also lost a lot of weight despite having a healthy appetite (sometimes feel ravished and needing to eat soemthing to feel better), lots of unusual stomach and bowel sounds, lots of flatulance, other GIT problems including frequent (alsmost daily) indegestion and heartburn, odd sensations of lips and tongue (sore, tingling, and sensitive), lips covered in multiple small white spots/blemishes under the skin, huge variety of stool size and colour, often light tan and/or clay like, general malaise, blurring of eyesight.
I asked my doctors to check for celiac and had a blood test. Not sure of the technicalities but gp said of the the 3 to 4 tings they were looking for, all came back negative except for one which was abnormally high. He said in this case it usually means a false positive and has deemed that I do not have gluten intolerance. Should I consider asking for re-test or biopsy?
I have no family history of gluten intol..

Dennis: your symptoms sound a lot like mine were. For what it’s worth, the first time I was tested (blood) it came back negative. I think you should do another test and maybe consider finding a physician who has dealt with celiac disease before. It can be hard to diagnose. Don’t stop eating gluten until you get a definitive diagnosis. Good luck! ~Kathy