Comments for Gluten-Free Kathy's Weblog

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

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

Danielle — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:05:54 +0000

I am also very confused and getting frustrated! Three years ago I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Before being diagnosed I lost a lot of weight, was sick constantly, and had all the stomach symptoms associated with celiac. It took nine months to diagnose. My Celiac Panel was negative, but the doctor tested an IGg level which came back high. I then had a biopsy done, which showed mild changes of villous blunting and inflammatory features. The doctor said I had mild to moderate celiac sprue, I went on a gluten free diet right away. Symptoms went away within a month.
I have had trouble maintaining my weight, so decided to see another doctor recently who specializes more in Celiac disease. He thought my case was weak, due to the negative celiac panel and I am not IGA deficient, so that wouldn’t be the cause of the negative panel. He ordered a genetic test for Celiac which came back negative. Now, after 3 years gluten free he said I do not have Celiac. He said it would be okay to start eating gluten again, but watch for symptoms, because it could be a wheat allergy or an intolerance to gluten. I have only been eating gluten for 5 days and have not noticed any symptoms. Do you think symptoms would come back right away? Does an intolerance cause the same damage as celiac disease? I just can’t decide what to do. I have never been tested for wheat allergy, do I need to eat gluten or wheat to have the test done? I don’t want to be sick again, but I also do not want to stay on a gluten free diet forever if it was all a mistake. What do you think?

Danielle – I’m sorry I don’t have any good answers for you. It sounds like you have a lot to work on. If it was me I think I would start by going to an allergist and getting tested for wheat/gluten andy maybe other food allergies. As far as I know, and I’m not a doctor, it can take a while for symptoms to return when you start gluten again. I would continue with a doctor because there must be something going on because you aren’t gaining weight. Good luck. Kathy